What Not to Do When You Redeem Points on Frequent Flyer Programs- 5 Mistakes to Avoid

Almost all airlines offer frequent flyer miles to maintain a loyal customer base. There is a group of avid travellers who use these frequent flyer miles to the maximum and fly around the world for cheap. But even the most experienced of travellers can make mistakes while redeeming flyer miles. Read on to know how to avoid them.

All travellers want to travel for as cheap as possible while experiencing the most comfort. However, air travel does not come cheap. With many surcharges and rising ticket prices, travelling to your favourite holiday destination can bleed your wallet out very easily. However, one way to save on air travel is through redeeming flying miles.

Redeeming your airline points can get you a good discount. But even the most experienced of travellers can make a mistake while redeeming their points on frequent flyer programs and miss out on better deals. Here are five mistakes one should not make while redeeming frequent flyer points-

Not Being Flexible with Dates: It is pre-determined by airlines which seats shall be available to be booked by redeeming points. Therefore, if you are not flexible with your travel dates, you might not be able to find a flight with seats that can be booked with the help of award points. By being flexible with your travel dates for even a few days, you can find the right seat at the right price.
Last Minute Booking: Booking a flight ticket at the 11^th hour is not the best idea if you want to redeem your frequent flyer points. Most award flight seats are booked months before the flight. This is especially true for flights during the festive season. Therefore, it is smart to book your tickets beforehand and to redeem your flight points for the exact flight you want.
Buying Gifts: Airlines offer many different ways you can redeem your award points- like gifts, magazines, and other services. Choices are always a good thing, but for flight points, it is best to use them to purchase airline tickets. Booking for flight tickets with your frequent flyer miles provides the best value.
Relying Solely on The Airline Website: While there might be many ways to redeem your frequent flyer miles, the airline websites do not always list the partner airlines or their flights online. Therefore, it might be best to look for alternative sources for finding the right list of partners and award incentives.
Not Opting for Partners: Every major airline company has partners- starting from hotels to other airline companies. Partners provide amazing offers all around the year by availing which you can earn a good number of points. Frequent flyer programs help you redeem points in a variety of ways like hotel stays, shop online, etc. You can also earn miles by simply staying at a partner hotel, shopping at a grocery store or by dining out.

Different airline companies have different award schemes which have multiple benefits. However, one should not just jump from one airline to another by falling for new attractive schemes. It is always smarter to stick to a good reward scheme and reap the benefits over the long term.