It is a common question among those who write for travelers: Are frequent flier miles worth the hassle? Like most broad questions, the answer depends on who is doing the asking. Certainly if you have unlimited money, the answer is no, they are not worth the hassle–don’t bother to give out your frequent flier number, don’t track your points and don’t jump through hoops to redeem frequent flier tickets.
Then again, those with unlimited money probably don’t fly commercially, they tend to stick with private jets. For the rest of us, frequent flier miles are given out for free when we purchase an airline ticket and often when we check into a hotel or rent a car. So, what’s the answer for everyday people?
The Hassle of Miles Rewards
First, you need to enroll in a mileage program. That takes about five minutes, tops. Then, you need to give out your frequent flier number when you travel. Ideally, you should follow up with your account to make sure the mileage is credited properly. If it is not, you must then pester the airline to give you the miles you earned.
You must also make sure to have some activity in your account occasionally so that your miles never expire. When it comes time for you to redeem an award, the challenges can also be considerable, especially at some airlines–cough (Delta) cough.
What Are the Advantages?
The benefits can range from an occasional award ticket to taking a major, international trip with your family every year in first class. Surprisingly, I have found that the difference between those two outcomes is not necessarily how much you travel, but how well you play the game of collecting frequent flier miles.
I travel with paid tickets fairly infrequently, about three or four times a year, yet I have become a guru at collecting miles from credit cards and other promotions. As you can imagine, I also have a fairly high tolerance for learning about these things and dealing with them. Others aren’t so tolerant or simply don’t have the time.
Who Really Benefits?
If you travel once a year or less and you really aren’t interested in taking advantage of various promotions to earn free tickets, frequent flier programs are probably not worth your hassle. For those who still want to earn points for travel, then a regular card with travel rewards with no annual fee will do. If you travel more than once a year and you are not registered for a frequent flier program, you are just leaving money on the table.
The Value of Patience
Last year, I went to the eye doctor for my exam and purchased contact lenses. The doctor asked me if I would like a form for a $40 rebate. All I had to do was fill it out and mail it in. My response was, “Of course, who wouldn’t want $40 for dropping an envelope in the mail?”
My doctor replied, “About half of my customers decline the offer, as the $40 is not worth their time and effort to claim.” The point is that I was willing to fill out and mail a form for $40, but most people aren’t.
Story number two occurs about a year ago. I am boarding an aircraft for an eleven hour flight and taking my seat in business class. This particular aircraft had the new, lie-flat seats.
The boarding process required economy class passengers to walk through the business class section on the way to their cramped seats. People were watching me get comfortable with a very envious look on their face and more than one asked me what I did to get such a nice seat. The only answer I could come up with was, “Collect frequent flier miles.”
Frequent flier miles are not for everyone. If you have way too little time to worry about miles and points, and you don’t travel often, it may not be worth your effort. However, if you are they type to travel frequently, especially if you travel internationally and would prefer to be seated in business or first class, I have found that frequent flier miles are indeed worth the hassle.
