Cashing In Your Miles

CHANCES ARE YOU'VE worked hard for your stash of frequent flier miles. You shudder to think of the many hours of cramped legs and bad food you had to endure to earn them.

So now you're ready to enjoy your sweet reward: Free travel.

Too bad getting your hands on a free ticket feels about as likely as winning the lottery. Redeeming your miles has long been the tough part of frequent-flier programs, says Tom Parsons, chief executive of BestFares.com, a travel web site. "People sometimes call them freakin' flier miles, because you just can't redeem those freakin' miles," he says.

Indeed, air fares have gotten so low — and miles have become so hard to redeem — that the value of a frequent-flier mile has dropped in recent months, says Tim Winship, publisher of Frequent Flier.com, a web site devoted to frequent-flier information and advice. Whereas conventional wisdom used to hold that a single frequent-flier mile was worth about two cents, today it's worth about 1.5 cents, Winship says.

But does this mean your free travel plans are grounded? Of course not. We've got eight ways to make sure you put those miles to good use:

Book Early
For most airlines, that's 330 days in advance — the first day that seats typically become available, says Erica Silverstein, contributing editor and frequent-flier expert for SmarterTravel.com, a travel advice web site. Sure, planning a trip 11 months in advance can be challenging. But you can always change your travel dates — provided that there are still rewards tickets available.

Or Book Late
Here, we're talking about two weeks out, when airlines may release any unsold seats at this time. If you go this route, says Winship, be prepared to be flexible and make quick arrangements.

Travel the Unbeaten Path
If you're thinking about traveling to Europe this summer, don't hold your breath waiting for those miles to transform into a round-trip ticket. If the airline thinks it can sell those seats instead, says Winship, you can bet there will be few, if any, reward seats open. Look for less-popular routes, dates and seasons. Summer tends to be the heaviest travel time, says Parsons, so look for easier redemption in the fall.

Be Persistent
Don't make one phone call and leave it at that. The availability of seats is always in flux as people make and alter travel plans, says Silverstein, so calling once a week to check in on seat availability could snag you a deal. You can also search for reward seats online, she says, but they may not have the most up-to-date information because people are constantly making, breaking and changing their travel plans.

Check Airline Partners
"Look at their sister airlines," Parsons says. Delta SkyMiles, for example, can be earned or redeemed on its partner airlines, which include Air France, Continental, Northwest and Virgin Atlantic. Airlines don't usually offer these alternatives when you call, he says — after all, they'd really prefer you stick with them. Check out potential flights online, and mention them when you call to book your reward travel.

Consider an "Unrestricted" Ticket
Say "redeem miles" and most consumers think of the 25,000-mile, round-trip domestic ticket, complete with black-out dates and other restrictions. These so-called restricted tickets are the basic option, but you can also purchase an unrestricted ticket — which generally means you'll use a lot more miles (typically double) to get what you want, says Winship. "We know that more people are being forced to cash in at unrestricted levels," he says. Dig for other options, but be prepared to up the ante if a restricted seat isn't forthcoming and you simply must use your miles.

Sweet Talk the Customer Service Rep
By calling the airline and talking with a representative, you can often find a creative way to get your reward seat — say, alternate airports, routes and unusual flight times. You'll probably pay a service fee for booking over the phone, but isn't that $10 fee worth it for a free seat?

Upgrade
Free travel is nice, but let's face it, upgrading to business or first class can be an awfully nice perk as well. On average, expect to spend 5,000 to 15,000 miles each way for an upgrade to business or first class. You can get great value for your miles — in terms of finance and added comfort. Delta, for example, asks only 5,000 for an upgrade from economy to premium seating. A round-trip coach ticket from New York to Los Angeles July 13 to 19 would cost you $399, while a first-class fare would cost you $1,210. That's an $811 bonus, for roughly $75 in miles.