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Fees and Fares :

August 3, 2018

It seems that at least once a week I get a notice from an airline stating that my frequent flier miles are going to expire. I can use the miles to book an upgrade on an upcoming flight, book a new flight, or use them to purchase magazines, newspapers, or gift cards.

Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/Zuma Press It seems that at least once a week I get a notice from an airline stating that my frequent flier miles are going to expire. I can use the miles to book an upgrade on an upcoming flight, book a new flight, or use them to purchase magazines, newspapers, or gift cards. Using the miles to book an international flight is not as straightforward as it would seem though. I fly frequently to the United Kingdom. Fares to the United Kingdom vary dramatically depending on the carrier, whether I depart from Burlington, VT or New York, and the “carrier-imposed fees”. The carrier-imposed fees are usually lumped into “taxes and fees” and are separate from the base fare. What these fees are is not clear. I do not know why airlines should charge me something other than the fare. When I am paying for the flight on my credit card, I am miffed about the fees, but I still know the total amount I have to pay and can compare the total cost to fly on one airline with another. Where it is even murkier, and even more irksome, is when I want to use frequent flier miles to purchase an airline ticket. Often, and particularly on European carriers, frequent flier miles often do not cover the cost of the self-imposed fees. As reported in The Wall Street Journal, sometimes the difference can be staggering. For example, recently, the published round trip total fare between London and New York on a well-known international carrier was only $93. However, the carrier-imposed fees were $320 and the government taxes $225. Therefore, if I used frequent flier miles to purchase the ticket, I would still have to pay at least $320. As airlines know this, some airlines actually allow you to use frequent flier miles to pay all taxes, fees and surcharges. So, what is the savvy traveler to do? First, find out what the miles will actually pay for. Some United States based airlines do not charge additional fees on international flights or pass on partner surcharges. Second, scan for flights with lower self-imposed fees. Check frequently as these fees fluctuate just as fares do. Finally, consider booking on a discount airline to Europe and using the frequent flier miles for some other type of travel.

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