Flying with miles is an advantage for those that fly regularly and is often an option with credit cards, travel programs and other incentive programs. Travelers who fly with points have the potential to realize substantial savings. However, sometimes there are problems when the person wishing to redeem the points is unable to do so or if a flight is cancelled after using points.
Contractual Agreement
Membership programs through airlines are contractual agreements that individuals agree to when they accept the terms of the contract through the airline directly or as an add-on bonus to a credit card or other program. These agreements govern the rights that the participant has. It is not uncommon for many details to be buried within the fine print of the agreement in which various rules and regulations are included. These rules may include termination, participation, changes, how to earn miles, redeeming awards, responsibilities and more.
Redeeming awards may stipulate whether other people with the participant can use the miles and how many people are allowed to travel on any given trip. The rules in this section may also indicate if any changes may be performed with the ticket passenger or dates of departure or return. Many programs have black-out dates when the points cannot be redeemed when the airlines expect that they will have more cash paying customers, such as around certain holidays.
When airlines promote membership plans that accrue mile points, they may terminate the program within a specified timeframe detailed in the contractual agreement members agree to when signing up. At the time of publication, Hawaiian Airlines asserts the right to cancel their program within a six month timeframe of warning. This may mean that a person may earn points only to discover later that he or she cannot use them for anything.
Limitations of liability may be explained in a section of the agreement. These rules may require a lawyer to assist in deciphering as they detail how much the airline is responsible for damages, injury and direct or indirect harm to the passenger. Each airline may have variances of these rules.
Sample Membership Agreement
At the time of publication, Delta Airlines offers a card member’s miles start accruing at around 5,000 points. The rate of 5,000 miles saves members $50.00. 10,000 mile points save members $100.00 dollars, and it continues accumulating when an individual travels through the airline. Members do not have to pay for the advantage of these points. When mile points are available, they may be used at any time within restrictions. An added benefit includes the use of purchasing an entire ticket when enough mile points have collected, causing no further expenditure by the member for the actual ticket. A ticket for another person such as a loved one may also be processed with the mile points. Base fare ticket prices do not include taxes attached to the fare or any additional fees that may arise. When a total fare ticket is purchased or traded for mile points, the price includes fare, fees, and taxes.
Discounts from other promotions would not be eligible to use with the pay by miles plan. These would include special holiday pricing, bundled packages or other memberships.
Restrictions
Restrictions may include lower fare guarantees with the same airline or another agency, upgrades, or other promotions that redeem miles. Other programs may not be utilized when redeeming points through fare purchase. Only one program or feature may be in effect concurrently.
Extra fees may be required for changing awards, cancellations, or gifting the award to another person.
Redeeming Missing Credit
Missing mile points may be redeemed when they have not been added to the membership account. These issues may arise occasionally due to computer glitches, new memberships or flight plans within the last 6-12 months. Partners with the airline may also accrue mile points with specific purchases. A member of these programs should contact customer support to ensure these points are added to the account. Some airlines, such as Delta, allow miles points to be credited through partners.
Reversing Used Mile Points
Some airlines allow for used mile points to be reversed when a flight must be cancelled. At the time of publication, Asia Miles allows for this contingency as long as the award has not expired and a specific amount of mile points are used in the process. Typically this may be 10,000 mile points or more. However, changing the dates of travel may be preferable as the mile expenditure is 1,000 or more. Awards through Asia Miles are usually valid for one year. This allows for date changes within the year and minimizing the points lost.
At the time of publication, Delta allows award tickets through mile points to be altered within 72 hours of the flight departure. A fee of $150 is charged for these actions.
When cancelling an award ticket, the mile points used are deposited in the membership account minus the fee when applicable. Any extra fees may be relevant and charged at the time of cancellation or after mile points are deposited back in the account.
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