What’s a mile worth?
Yesterday I got a free flight to Sarajevo for the 13th World Congress of Comparative Education Societies. This is the 4th free ticket I have gotten in just over a year and a half using United’s “Mileage Plus” program, which prompted me to look at how much I am getting back for what I put in. Here is a brief summary of my free tickets:
| Route | Ticket Value | Miles Used | Value per Mile |
| Auckland - Bombay | $1,200.00 | 40,000 | $0.030 |
| Los Angeles – Oakland | $180.00 | 25,000 | $0.007 |
| San Diego - Chico | $215.00 | 25,000 | $0.009 |
| Los Angeles - Sarajevo | $1,650.00 | 50,000 | $0.033 |
| Total | $3,245.00 | 140,000 | $0.023 |
So, basically I get 2.3 US cents for each frequent flyer mile…not bad I guess. This is in addition to free upgrades to slightly-less-cramped economy plus seating (woo hoo) and getting to board the plane first. Here’s a couple of observations that might help others with frequent flyer programs:
1. All programs are not equal: United’s has been pretty good to me, I’ve heard good things about some others in the star alliance (Singapore, BMI, Thai, Air New Zealand, etc.). My experience with British Airways has been much worse.
2. The route makes a huge difference. I have had good luck on international routes…actually United’s miles work best when they are redeemed on other star alliance airlines. My international flights were with Singapore and Lufthansa. The value per mile for domestic routes was not that great.
3. Make it a habit…I charge everything to my United credit card and pay it back before any interest accrues. This has added up to at least one free ticket over time.
