I just remembered another valuable use way we used miles. When my mom died we were quoted in excess of $10,000.00 for five same-day tickets to Florida. Gulp. The bereavement rate brought it down to a reduced rate of about $6,800.00.

I called the Alaska MVP Gold FF agent and she sought through all their partners and was finally able to get 5 award tickets on Northwest. Great service from Alaska and another good reason to bank miles with an airline that partners half the western world.