From Tom Parsons - Is It Worth Spending Money To Buy Air Miles?
Sep-21-2012

You've probably seen enticing ads from the airlines for buying miles and you may be wondering if it is worth it to purchase them.
The answer to that question depends on how many miles you need to buy, where you are going and what class of service you want to fly in.
Most airlines charge 2.5 to 3.5 cents per mile, you'll also have to pay a 7.5 percent U.S. federal excise tax and some airlines also charge a processing fee. If you are starting out with 0 miles, you would have to pay well over $750 to qualify for a roundtrip award ticket, but I don't know any city in the U.S. or Canada that costs that much with an advance purchase. Most long-haul flights are in the $300 range. If you have 20,000 miles, then depending on the price of your ticket, it may be worth purchasing 5,000 miles to get an award ticket. You'll have to do the math to figure out whether purchasing miles makes sense.
Another thing to be aware of is that during peak seasons like summer and the holidays, you may need 50,000 miles for an award ticket and some destinations like Australia seem impossible to find award seats year round. Always check award seat availability before you purchase any miles.
There are destinations where tickets can be expensive and that is a time when purchasing miles to reach an award ticket can be worth it. For example, fares from Dallas to Canada can be over $600 roundtrip, so using a combination of accrued miles and purchased miles can be worth it. There are also times when airlines offer bonus miles when you buy miles, so you can get more bang for your buck. If you act fast, you can take advantage of a promotion on US Airways that gives double the number of miles when you purchase through September 30.

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Posted by Ken at 6:49 PM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print