this seems the best place to ask this question but Mod please move if it should be posted elsewhere.

Just relocated to SE with my company and part of my package is a 8K per family member travel allowance per year. I'm a family of 5 so my yearly travel allowance is just over $40K. HOwever, in order for me to get this money I must submit receipts for travel taken. This can be air fair, hotel, taxi, trains, visas, etc.

I already have almost 3 million in points with various programs but don't know if I will be able to use these points since it would seem better to pay cash to use my travel allowance.

this assignment will be for 4-6 years so this is what I think my options are.

1. Use points to upgrade to extremly high price tickets/hotels (i.e. SQ suites). However, we have three kids and would rarely travel without them so few chances to use points for SQ suites or simlilar F class awards.

2. Use points to pay for travel if I use up my entire $40K in a year. This would be unlikely as I have already booked all of my travel for this year and only used $33K. This included a J class round trip on Eva back to the U.S. which we do not plan to travel back to the U.S. every year.

3. Just bank the miles and put them to use once I complete this assignment and return to the U.S. I would have to just accept the point devalutions over the enxt 4 years.

This are the only options I came up with but wanted to know if I missed any other oppertunities.

Hi kmc,

I am new to Flyertalk and new to this points thing, I don't have an answer to your questions, sorry. Instead, I have a question about your question.

I don't know what SQ suites or F class means. My guess is that F class means first class. If it does, then I don't understand why not going first class with children. I recently took my first vacation with my 7 year old son. We both flew first class. Not sure why one would not want to fly first class with their children, if that's the case.

Good luck on receiving good feed-back on your post.

Take care.

Using some else's money is better than using your miles

carolannjeanette
We do not know what your travel experience / routes / trips has been, but SQ first suites are lot different to domestic F on USA airlines

1. It is difficult to find 2 award seats for an international first class let alone 5.

2. My childern are to young (all under 5) to benefit from the offerings in international first class or business class. If I didn't have a travel budget I would fly my childern in econ for all long haul and only get one Business class seat. This would mean my wife or I would fly econ with the other flying business class and then we would switch on the return flight.

Book all travel expenses on a card that will get you multiple points for travel expenses and just bank points over the next several years in the most flexible programs possible. In four of five years you will have a 4-5 million points and can spend them in a variety of ways with your family.

Can't agree more! Bank most of your points. Treat yourself to occasional, situational CHEAP upgrades if you have the right opportunity. I gather your constant earning (in different programmes?) will keep all your miles/points unexpired. Then, after your work assignment is up in several years, enjoy those mega vacations with your family (by then, your kids will be able to really enjoy the first class amenities).

Ruhr

This is the best answer. Use their $$, put it on a miles card that works best for the carrier/hotel, and come out on the other side of the 4-5 years with another half a million miles or more. (4*40k for cash spent, another few hundred thousand actually flown)

Sounds like a nice problem to have!

Hell by then the kids can fly alone in Econ while mum and dad fly first class. The first time my wife ever flew international long haul was on QR business. She is forever jaded and I don't know if I will ever be able to get her to fly econ long haul. So don't want the kids to think business class is the norm for travel.

Indeed it is and I'm not complaining!

Thanks all for the responses as you have confirmed my orginal thinking, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing any oppertunities.

Just wish Amex gold and SPG card didn't have international fees. Glad I can a least get 2x points plus yearly bonus out of my Sappire card.