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How to use airline miles and points

The Miles Guy explains how to stop wasting points, spot bad redemptions and get more value from travel rewards, in an interview with Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson.

Airline miles used to feel like a secret travel weapon. You saved them, watched the award chart and then pounced when the right seat opened up.

Now? You may search for a flight and see a price so ridiculous that it makes you want to close the laptop.

That is exactly why I sat down with David Fleming, a travel rewards consultant known online as The Miles Guy. His job is helping travelers squeeze more value out of airline miles, hotel points and credit card rewards without getting fooled into bad redemptions.

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Dynamic pricing can make the same airline seat cost a reasonable number of miles one day and a shocking amount the next. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And here is the big takeaway: airline miles can still be valuable, but the old tricks no longer work the same way.

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Why airline miles feel harder to use now

Years ago, many airlines used fixed award charts. That made it easier to know what a flight should cost in points. Now, that predictability is mostly gone. “The airlines and their frequent flier programs went to something called dynamic pricing, which basically ties the cost of the ticket to the number of points you use,” Fleming told me during our conversation on the “CyberGuy Report” podcast.

He gave one eye-popping example. Air France Flying Blue business class from Los Angeles to Paris used to show up for around 67,500 points one way. Now, on some days, that same type of redemption can balloon to an outrageous level. “Some days you’re now seeing them for 700,000 points one way,” Fleming said. “Which is bananas.”

That is the kind of number that should make you pause before clicking “book.” If you want a broader refresher on how travel rewards work, CyberGuy’s guide on how to rack up points and miles for travel is a helpful read at CyberGuy.com.

Flexibility is still your best travel hack

If you have any wiggle room in your schedule, use it before you spend your miles. “The key really is to book your trip around your flights,” Fleming said. “Find the dates that have the best mileage redemptions available, and book those and let that be your guide.”