If you’re a collector of frequent-flier privileges and enjoy the pleasure of using “miles” to fly for free to some attractive place, then steel yourself, have a drink and beware.
All within the current winter, both United Airlines and U.S. Airways have cut in half the amount of time in which miles in “inactive” accounts will expire, from three years to just 18 months. In doing so, they have adopted a similar policy to that announced by Delta Airlines (miles are canceled in accounts remaining inactive – i.e., without additions or redemptions – for two years) earlier last year.
Obviously, the airlines are out to reduce the “free” travel privileges you thought you safely possessed. And people who are infrequent fliers needing more than 18 months to accumulate the necessary numbers are out of luck. What can you do about it?
First, you can transfer your allegiance to the more generous airlines. On Continental Airlines and Aloha Airlines, miles never expire – you might keep that in mind when you book your next flight. On American Airlines, miles expire after three years. What’s more, American is known as the airline that gives away the most frequent-flier seats each year and gets the highest marks in consumer surveys for its frequent-flier program.
Second, if frequent-flier privileges are that important to you, you might cease using the airlines whose mileage policies are even less generous than those of United, U.S. Airways and Delta. When you earn frequent-flier mileage from JetBlue and AirTran, they disappear a year after they’re earned, even if your account is active and you continue earning additional miles. You must use them or lose them – quick! – and for some of us, earning miles from those airlines can seem a waste of time.
There are ways
Now there are ways to keep your account active and hold onto your miles, even though you’re not redeeming them for a flight. The new rules require that an account remain active through accrual of miles or expenditure of them within a consecutive 18-month period. One tactic is to make use of a mileage credit card issued by your favorite airline for purchases other than a flight. Downside of that tactic: These are usually expensive cards with high-interest rates and fierce late-payment penalties. Another is to periodically “spend” your miles on purchases other than a flight, like a hotel room or rental car – this, too, extends the life of your mileage. Downside of that tactic: You’re depleting your miles and making it more difficult to amass the number needed for a flight.
And bear in mind that the airlines claim that their new policy is favorable to frequent fliers by weeding out infrequent fliers and thus lessening the competition for seats when it comes time to redeem points. This might be true, but it’s also the case that the great majority of us need more than 18 months to accumulate miles for a flight of decent length.
All in all, the average U.S. flier has taken a big hit. It will now be necessary to pay careful attention to the status of your frequent-flier account and to redeem your miles earlier than you might have wanted.
Arthur Frommer, who first published “Europe on $5 A Day” in 1956, is a recognized authority on budget travel.
