FF Guidebook Corrections / Updates
 

The Official Frequent Flyer Guidebook, 7 ed.

Randy, great publication. My favorite part is the Comparison at-a-glance section, especially the Elite-level comparison, upgrade and threshold bonus charts. Very handy for quick reference. Worth the money.

I would however like to bring up a point of discussion. (There are some spelling errors or misprints also but I'll keep them for editor :)

It's concerning The Taxation of Frequent Flyer Miles section, under the section Valuation (page 90).

I agree with the statement:
Clearly, an award has less value than a full-fare coast ticket

I do however disagree with the statement that immediately follows it.
In fact, even the lowest discount fares exceed the fair market value of award travel

I have redeemed awards on several airlines over the years and I always place a higher value on an award ticket then a LOWEST DISCOUNT fare. That's because an award ticket is changeable, within the same award level, in terms of dates, times, flights, etc;

My plans are as steady as the wind :)
When I book a lowest discounted fare, I'm often (very often) toasted. I can't tell you how many 100$ "fines" I've paid, for changing ticket times/dates. (That's the price you pay when you pay your own travel expenses and can't always justify a J class fare)

However, an award level ticket is constantly changeable (for up to a year usually) and I find the convenience worth it's wait in gold. As an example, because of unsteady commitments, I once carried a YUL-DTW award for three months constantly changing the dates form one week to the next.

Personally, I value airline miles/points at 0.02 (even though I usually receive values of 0.033). So, while a 500$ flight is equivalent to 25K miles, benefits equalling the costs (25,000 x 0.02), I would still view the 25K as more valuable, thereby disagreeing with the point that . . . even the lowest discount fares exceed the fair market value of award travel

Maybe the original statement's purpose came from a different angle, and I have misunderstood. More to think about.

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Got points ? Got smiles !

I am going to post this topic under The Buzz to get some discussion going as I don't think many will respond to the title here.

I still do believe however that this issue should be evaluated for the FF Guidebook.


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Got points ? Got smiles !