Now that some of the frequent flying programs in India offer multiple ways to collect air miles, it has gotten easier for the members to collect them even if they don’t fly very frequently. But if you have been collecting air miles from some time now and want to redeem them, there are some essential things you should know about the redemption process.
To get maximum value for your hard-earned miles and to use them in a hassle-free manner, it is essential for every member to know the redemption basics. Five such important rules are as follows-
- Majority of Air Miles Have an Expiry
A lot of people just keep on earning air miles to redeem them for an award flight ticket. This process often takes months and years for people who don’t fly frequently. However, one should know that the air miles of majority of airlines come with an expiry. You are required to use them within a fixed duration.
In most flying programs, the air miles expire within 24 months. However, few programs in India do not have any expiry on the collected miles as long as you meet the basic requirements of the program. It might be better to opt for such programs whether you are an occasional or a frequent flyer. There are of course exceptions to air miles expiring. For example, JetPrivilege member’s JPMiles will never expire
- Award Flight Ticket Cannot Be Booked to Any Destination
While you might be excited to book a free flight ticket to your dream destination, you should know that the award flight ticket in most programs is not available for any destination of your choice. There is generally a list of select flights and destinations whose tickets you can book for free with your collected air miles.
Also, the free tickets are limited to only a few members in a particular flight. You can check the official website of the flying program to know more. Some programs allow you to book tickets across destinations worldwide.Again as an exception, with JetPrivilege, you can book flights across any airline partner to any destination in the world (both domestic and international)
- Award Flight Tickets are Not Completely Free
When you book an award flight ticket with your air miles, you are still required to pay convenience fee along with the applicable taxes for every ticket, irrespective of the destination, seat, or cabin you select.
So, make sure that you go through the terms and conditions of your frequent flying programs and the additional charges levied on reward flights before redeeming them.
- You Can Use Air Miles and Cash to Book Tickets
In case if you do not have adequate air miles to book a free flight ticket, the remaining payment can be made in cash in some flying programs. However, there is generally a minimum number of miles that you are required to use in the transaction compulsorily.
Once you use your air miles, the price of the flight ticket will be reduced as per the value of the miles. You can then pay the remaining amount in cash to book your ticket.
- Understand All the Different Redemption Options
Apart from flight tickets, your air miles can now be used in many ways in some frequent flying programs. While it is generally said that award flight tickets provide maximum value for air miles, you sure can explore other options that better suit your requirement.
For instance, you can redeem JPMiles of JetPrivilege program for booking a hotel room, shop from their online rewards store, purchase fuel, and gift/transfer to another member of the same program.
Ready to Redeem Your Air Miles?
If you are new to a frequent flying program, it can be a little difficult to understand the redemption process. But once you have got the basics right, the rest can be understood easily.
So, if you are planning to redeem your air miles anytime soon, do keep the rules mentioned above in mind.