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 !