some frequent-flier basics (part four: searching for redemption)
So now that you know route and the current going rate if you pay for the flight, it's time to log in to the airline's website and start looking at availability and mileage costs. Make sure you have all of the necessary personal information handy: all travelers' full names, dates of birth, frequent flier number, passport number and expiration date (for international flights) so if you find a great deal you can grab it before someone else does.
In this example, I'll show United.com. Log in with your user name and password, since many of the fees and seat choices will change if you're a member of their program. Select your dates and destinations, make sure to click the Award Travel button, then click Search
Flight availability and pricing is shown for all 3 classes of service – Economy, Business, and First (most domestic flights only have 2 classes whereas international flights tend to have all 3 classes). Direct flights are shown first (both United and Partner flights), followed by flights with stops. If you're lucky, your first choice from your earlier Kayak search is here with Saver availability – just click the "Select" button and move on to the next step!
If not, then it's time to start making some decisions. The calendar at the top of the page is color coded to show availability on various dates (NOTE: those colors reflect United availability only – partner availability is not taken into account). Click a different day to see its availability.
As a general rule, Standard Awards are not a good use of your miles, but if you're strapped for cash and there's no saver flights that work you can always use them. Once you've (hopefully) found something acceptable you can afford, select the flights and complete the transaction. The miles are automatically deducted from your account.
This is probably a good time to go on to a larger topic: what are you miles "worth"?
part 5 ➡️
<< back to part 3
In this example, I'll show United.com. Log in with your user name and password, since many of the fees and seat choices will change if you're a member of their program. Select your dates and destinations, make sure to click the Award Travel button, then click Search
Flight availability and pricing is shown for all 3 classes of service – Economy, Business, and First (most domestic flights only have 2 classes whereas international flights tend to have all 3 classes). Direct flights are shown first (both United and Partner flights), followed by flights with stops. If you're lucky, your first choice from your earlier Kayak search is here with Saver availability – just click the "Select" button and move on to the next step!
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| United award availability |
If not, then it's time to start making some decisions. The calendar at the top of the page is color coded to show availability on various dates (NOTE: those colors reflect United availability only – partner availability is not taken into account). Click a different day to see its availability.
As a general rule, Standard Awards are not a good use of your miles, but if you're strapped for cash and there's no saver flights that work you can always use them. Once you've (hopefully) found something acceptable you can afford, select the flights and complete the transaction. The miles are automatically deducted from your account.
This is probably a good time to go on to a larger topic: what are you miles "worth"?
part 5 ➡️
<< back to part 3
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