This happens all the time doesn't it? I just gave my sister and her daughter 2 saver award tickets, and my mom asked me if I could get her a quick ticket if her ailing sister passes away. My feeling on the matter if it's immediate family no problem. If it's extended family, they better be going through hardship.

It already started! One of my aunts (a different one) passed the word that they're looking at a trip to Vegas during the summer and if I can "help them research the price since [I am] good at those things". Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but reading between the lines I sense a "hmm maybe you can get us free tickets too? *hint hint*" vibe :)

Well family is important. My uncle's original request didn't bug me too much as I realize to people who don't hoard miles, they do often have a well-if-its-just-sitting-there-why-don't-I-use-it-for-you perspective, however misguided that would seem for a flyertalker, and the request didn't originate from e.g. a bizarre sense of entitlement or anything.

The fact that relatives often don't seem to understand the value of miles is the reason I was willing to e.g. just buy them a ticket for $400 if I couldn't at least find a saver award, because in that case it should help illustrate for everyone what they are worth and how asking someone for 40k miles is similar to asking someone to gift you $800...maybe they'd go "hmm clusters78 would rather pay $400 than use up 40k miles, maybe FFMs isn't just some free currency everyone's welcome to help redeem?" :)

clusters,

I'm curious as to how many miles you have banked?

Is it 100,000? A million?

dh

Yeah, me too. I mean, we're *all* related, aren't we? I can think of a good excuse to need that F class RTW ticket. ;)

That's why I like CallerID and the message function.

My default response >>> "Call 800-231-2222, that should make things easier for you" ;)

....go Greyhound, and leave the driving to us!

It's funny, the friends/family you have that you *only* hear from when they need something from you. I tend to dissuade such requests.

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows 98; PalmSource/hspr-H102; Blazer/4.0) 16;320x320)

Is it just me that thinks its odd to go on a vacation when you find it hard to afford $800 worth of tickets...?

Wow.. never had anyone ask me for miles, although people ask the wife (who is the real miles and points guru) and I for advice on travel all the time. Only time I've ever gifted a family member miles is when I upgraded my Dad's flight out to help my wife and I move from Y to F. He's very fearful of flying so I figured it would help him relax.

I learned real quick not to discuss my miles with family. They automatically think they have automatic entitlement to your miles. When my mother asks I can’t say no. Actually I have given my family over a million miles over the past 15 years. If my niece or nephew asks I can’t say no. But the other day my mother asked me for her three sisters from Italy want to visit next June and if I would be willing to take care of some tickets with my miles. I told her the airlines block award travel in June and now that I switched to UA they don’t fly to Italy. Family can be bold. Glad to hear I’m not the only one that had to deal with this.

No one who really cares about you would ever ask. JMHO...

I tried, in vain, to give a free saver ticket to my mom's caregiver so she could go visit her elderly relatives in SAT and she demurred, preferring to buy her own ticket, though she did let me help her get the best fare. Top-drawer lady, in more ways than one ^^

Family, OTOH.... :greedyeyes:

Pat

while i agree that the nature/tone of the uncle's request was somewhat tacky, i generally try to give miles to friends and relatives whenever possible, especially if they are contemplating dropping $1200 on a rt to tyo that i can redeem for 20k miles.

regarding valuations, i agree with the poster that feels .02 per mile doesn't reflect the current industry climate. even without the changes to mp that loom on the horizon, i think a transcon that would otherwise cost $400, is a splendid use of 25k miles. in fact, i'll go as low as $350. and for fares above $550 or so, i have no trouble at forking over 40k miles, particularly if i can snag saver f (saver f tends to have slightly better availiability than saver y ime).

the bottom line is, like many of you, i have lots of miles. since they're certainly not earning interest, i try to spend them as fast as possible.

Yes, I agree that was an extremely generous gesture. I dont know if I would have been able to do the same...haha But then again, what the hell, I would rather use my miles than have someone I am close to have to spend a lot of money for something I could give them for "free". I dont really use my miles except for upgrades anyway because I cant stand to fly and not earn miles plus I cant really stand to have a non-upgrade possibility ticket. Yeah I know.....

My criteria for giving miles are rather strict. The recipients have to be immediate family - kids, grandchildren. Unless it is a gift that I am initiating, such as when I took my son along on a trip, there has to be a specific need coupled with financial difficulties.

Now that I am retired the miles I am not adding miles very fast. The miles that I have banked were accumulated with business travel and I use them for international vacation trips that I did not have time to take when I was working. I just pay cash for my domestic trips.

Somehow it is difficult for to people to understand that miles are like money. They would probaly never just ask for cash to pay for a trip for which they would like for you to give miles!

Good for you for acting in such a generous manner. I think.

Because you just rewarded some really, really rude behavoir.

If I got a call like that, I'd either hand the call off to Mrs. Sneezy with directions to give a "No" answer or I'd ask for the relative's address so I could "take care of it", then go to Home Depot and buy a 5-lb bag of sand and a small hammer and ship them to the address I just got.

Which is why I'd probably just give the phone to the wife...