I recently signed up for a mileage deal from Sprint and see on my bill an item for almost 4 dollars labelled "frequent flyer excise charge." I'm sure it's included in the fine print somewhere; could someone tell me in plain language, though, what they know about this extra fee. Is it going to be a steady monthly amount? Do other phone companies charge an equivalent? And finally, from your experience and/or calculations, is it worth the extra charge (it seems this will add up indeed) to continue to earn miles past the initial bonus from a long distance plan? Any help, advice, or information would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance for your time.

Magdalena