Are FF Miles worth 1cent per mile?

jj · 02-10-2004, 04:50 AM

I'm a newbie to a frequent flier forum. This is my first post at any of these forums.

I drive a rental car only. Until 2003, I received 50 ff miles per day complimentary. I've been using them for Delta.

Starting at some point in 2003, they (National in this case) began charging for the ff miles at the rate of 50 cents per day (i.e., 1 cent per mile).
Some of the other carriers only charge up to a max of $2.00 or $2.50 per month, even though the renter is getting 50 miles per day.

But Delta is I guess the greediest or most desperate, and is charging for every day in which I receive the 50 miles.

I decided to pay for them, as long ago I'd read that ff miles are generally valued at 2 cents per mile. So even though I didn't like it, I felt that I'm getting half price miles and that it is therefore worth it.

But I've thought about it recently, and thought that the valuation of ff miles may have fallen, since many (all?) airlines have started making one use more miles for flights, and made flights that accept ff miles less available, etc.

So my questions are:

a) What is the value of a ff mile? If you tell me that they're only worth 1 cent per mile or less, I will of course stop paying for them immediately.

b) I need to look at my Delta account, but once I get to the point where I have exactly the number needed for a flight (round trip US is the way I've redeemed them), I will stop applying the miles to Delta, and start an account at a different carrier, since as I mentioned the other carriers are not charging the 1 cent per mile fee every day, but only charging it for 4 or 5 days a month, even if I get 50 miles awarded every day of the month.

Which carrier do you recommend?
I've used the miles in the past to fly on short notice from Las Vegas to Chicago, and Las Vegas to Philadelphia, and probably also used them for Minneapolis/St. Paul to Los Angeles (all round trips).

Which airlines offer the best deals for frequent fliers?

Thanks to all who respond.

PS - How do you people rate Delta's ff program in comparison to the others out there?

dbaker · 02-10-2004, 01:57 PM

A mile is worth as much as you value it to be and as much as you can get for it.

If you can redeem 120k miles for a biz class ticket to asia that would normally cost $8400, are miles worth $.07 each? Or what if you would have just paid $800 for a coach ticket otherwise? What's the extra part worth?

The most popular reward is the 25k mile domestic coach ticket. At 2 cents a mile (the standard valuation), that's $500, which is more than most people pay for a coach ticket. In that case, it might just be worth $.01 to $.015

If you can make it worth it to you -- go for it. But it depends on how you redeem them and how much you'd otherwise be spending.

02-10-2004, 04:50 AM	#1
jj Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 1	Are FF Miles worth 1cent per mile? I'm a newbie to a frequent flier forum. This is my first post at any of these forums. I drive a rental car only. Until 2003, I received 50 ff miles per day complimentary. I've been using them for Delta. Starting at some point in 2003, they (National in this case) began charging for the ff miles at the rate of 50 cents per day (i.e., 1 cent per mile). Some of the other carriers only charge up to a max of $2.00 or $2.50 per month, even though the renter is getting 50 miles per day. But Delta is I guess the greediest or most desperate, and is charging for every day in which I receive the 50 miles. I decided to pay for them, as long ago I'd read that ff miles are generally valued at 2 cents per mile. So even though I didn't like it, I felt that I'm getting half price miles and that it is therefore worth it. But I've thought about it recently, and thought that the valuation of ff miles may have fallen, since many (all?) airlines have started making one use more miles for flights, and made flights that accept ff miles less available, etc. So my questions are: a) What is the value of a ff mile? If you tell me that they're only worth 1 cent per mile or less, I will of course stop paying for them immediately. b) I need to look at my Delta account, but once I get to the point where I have exactly the number needed for a flight (round trip US is the way I've redeemed them), I will stop applying the miles to Delta, and start an account at a different carrier, since as I mentioned the other carriers are not charging the 1 cent per mile fee every day, but only charging it for 4 or 5 days a month, even if I get 50 miles awarded every day of the month. Which carrier do you recommend? I've used the miles in the past to fly on short notice from Las Vegas to Chicago, and Las Vegas to Philadelphia, and probably also used them for Minneapolis/St. Paul to Los Angeles (all round trips). Which airlines offer the best deals for frequent fliers? Thanks to all who respond. PS - How do you people rate Delta's ff program in comparison to the others out there? __________________

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02-10-2004, 01:57 PM	#2
dbaker Senior Member ITYT Captain Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: IAH/HOU Posts: 2,354	A mile is worth as much as you value it to be and as much as you can get for it. If you can redeem 120k miles for a biz class ticket to asia that would normally cost $8400, are miles worth $.07 each? Or what if you would have just paid $800 for a coach ticket otherwise? What's the extra part worth? The most popular reward is the 25k mile domestic coach ticket. At 2 cents a mile (the standard valuation), that's $500, which is more than most people pay for a coach ticket. In that case, it might just be worth $.01 to $.015 If you can make it worth it to you -- go for it. But it depends on how you redeem them and how much you'd otherwise be spending.