We are looking for tickets to Rome in mid-May but can only find flights at around $900 from Chicago. American's award travel is sold out for all flights around our dates but they will be happy to sell me an "anytime award" for 100,000 miles (normal economy flight at that time is 60,000; business class, also sold out, is 90,000). I know that it is almost impossible to value ff miles but can anyone tell me what makes the most sense here- the anytime award or the paid flight? Thanks!

You never know, you might find a flight even lower cost than $900. But even if you didn't - - unless you have an inventory of 400,000 miles or more (and accumulating a lot more, on an ongoing basis)...

I would hang on to the FF miles, and go for the paid ticket(s).

Best wishes,

Rex

I'm with Rex. The $900 sounds fairly reasonable to me. I've been watching American's fair to Europe from DFW for the summer - it's steadily going up and is now over $1400. May is such a popular time for travel to Italy. We secured FF tickets to Rome in May 2006 as soon as they became available (330 days out). 100,000 miles would take me forever to accrue! I vote for paid flight. Happy travels!

You don't need to hurry with the AAnytime award. I'd just wait and see if you can get a better fare. If nothing comes up between now and late spring, then use the AAnytime miles.

I posted a similar query (within another thread) about hotel points - what is the value you put on them.

Really I think the answer is as Rex point out - It all depends on how many points you have and how fast you are likely to accumulate additional points. However in my situation the factor that tipped the balance was my current financial situation - It was a good time to fly and stay for free! Whichever way you go - enjoy your trip.

P.S. Financial guru Dave Ramsey asserts that most people that accumulate points don't use them - they just hoard them.

I agree with Rex. I value banked miles at 1.5 cents each. Getting a ticket for 100,000 miles translates to $1,500. Then you have to add the miles that you won't get, because you flew on an award ticket. Assuming just straight miles -- (no promotions or premium for elite status, etc.) -- you would be giving up around $1,650 worth of value -- (100,000 miles, plus 10,000 more that you won't get) -- for $900 worth of avoided costs, by my math. Throw in any impact on your elite status, for good measure.

On the other hand, it's true that miles don't earn interest. It's also true that most people have to pay for their tickets with after-tax dollars, which means you have to earn a lot more than $900 in order to have the bucks to spend on a ticket (maybe not $1,650 -- but you get the picture.)

The bottom line: if you've got plenty of miles, then you should do whatever makes you feel good!

Here's a similar, but not identical, scenario in our household.

For upcoming Christmas 2005, three people going to Italy from Houston. Two are Continental Elites, the other nothing. Fares are just under $900.

If we use miles, it's possible to get standard award for the outbound, but return must use Sleazy Pass (CO's equivalent to AAnytime. CO allows one to use Sleazy Pass for one way, standard the other). So, it'll cost 75K, not 50K.

So, what do we do? The two CO Elites bought their fares; as being Gold Elites, a roundtrip will earn over 20K miles. [EQM isn't a factor in this case.] The third person uses 75K miles for his trip.

Each one's situation is different, so you have to calculate your own.

We had a similar experience recently on United. We chose to fly to a different city that requires less miles and are planning on catching a cheap flight in Europe.

Orcas' idea is one I like.

But I also think that spending miles is a good thing. We can figure the cash value, but really, what's the point?

And if you have them, I say spend them. Who knows what airline will be there in the future? For me, it wouldn't really be much of a question if that time period for the trip were important to me. 900 USD pp is just too much for us to spend. But I don't mind "spending" miles to get to where I want to go when I want to go there.

We don't get a lot of miles, but we never hoard them. When I've got enough to go somewhere, I go.

Use miles when prices are high;buy tickets when prices are low.

First - where and how did you check award availibility? if it was on www.aa.com, then.....

I suggest calling AAdvantage. The website is very limited. It only checks availibility on AA metal. It does not check availibility with AA's many partners. That can only be done by an agent.

Second - just because the lower priced award is not available now, it's not sold out for good. Award inventory gets released all the time. About 2-3 months before your flight is the best time to check. You may be pleasantly surprised.

But, again, if you just checked availibility on line, you short changed yourself, Call AAdvantage and you may get exactly what you want, it just may involve an extra connection.

For me, it is quite easy to "value" the miles I get mainly from using a credit card so most of them "cost" a buck apiece (in some cases I do get two for one) so I'm always aware of how much it cost me when I spend those miles.

Frankly, I agree with spending the miles when ticket costs are high and buying tickets when costs are low.

Spending thousands of miles on what would otherwise be a three-four hundred dollar ticket, for example, seems foolish. Actually, I think upgrades may be the best use of miles but that's obviously my own opinion.

Marsha, I hope you checked the cost of tickets using every possible engine, aggregator, and consolidator site, as well as the airline's.

<< We don't get a lot of miles, but we never hoard them. When I've got enough to go somewhere, I go. >>

<< Use miles when prices are high;buy tickets when prices are low. >>

I, too, do not hoard FF miles, or not excessively, at least (I think) - - but I think that the latter statement by GSteed is "spot on". You have two kinds of "currency" at your disposal - - they're quoting you a fairly good deal on the cash purchase, and a clearly "less-good-than-usual" deal, using FF miles. Spend the cash now, and spend the FF miles when your needs and their availability match up to provide you a "better-than-usual" opportunity to fly on those.

One such opportunity to cash in miles is when a new route begins. My wife and I are taking the ATL-Maui nonstop this December (31) and we got the seats with only about three months notice at the lower-than-typical "cost" of 75,000 miles per seat (Biz Class Elite), because the route had just been newly announced two days earlier. They can't "inventory out" seats on flights they haven't announced before!

We're a tiny bit nervous about Delta's precarious financial position nowadays, but all the more reason to empty out our SkyMiles accounts.

AAFrequentFlyer is right. Call them and keep checking online as well. I got the award tix I wanted to Hawaii by checking every day until they popped up. Apparently many people reserve them just in case. Have you also considered flying into or out of another city? It is less convenient, but it increases your options. Good luck.

I booked our flights from JFK to Barcelona (flying out of Madrid back home) through American. We had the same quandry: pay 900 for the tix, or blow 100,000 miles. I decided to pay the 900, and then took 50,000 miles and upgraded to business class - which would cost thousands more. Granted, this is just one way - but for an overnight flight im more than happy to give up 50K miles for a good nights sleep!

<b>thereadbaron</b>,

these days the same deal would be 50K miles <b>plus</b> $500.

Upgrades on AA to Europe, Japan and South America are 25K miles plus $250 each way.

Rather than do the 100,000 miles for the ticket, you might sell them on ebay and come out with more money than the dollar cost of the ticket.

The best &quot;bang for your buck&quot; with FF mile can be using them for FC or BC tix.

I try to use miles only when there is a sell for them, for example last month continental had a sale on flights to china, 15000 miles each way to Bejing. this was a deal no matter what. Normally a flight to china would be upwards of $900 dollars or 60000 miles each way. If I wasnt travelling alone I would be on my way to china instead of amsterdam next week.

I value my United miles at 1 to 1.5 cents a mile. It's 50,000 points to Europe (from SF). Flights are often $450-600 to major cities like London, so we usually buy those. However, next year we're going to Spain where the same 50K is getting us a ticket worth a thousand dollars or so. Last year we used 60K miles each to go to Japan, where buying our tickets would have cost $1100 or more.

We also use the opportunity to fly in &amp; out of different airports if we're booking with FF miles, where as that can cost us much more when we're buying. We're flying into Barcelona but out of Madrid, and in Japan we went into Tokyo but home from Osaka.

If this is a rare opportunity for you to travel and to use your miles, then you might as well. However, if you think you'll have other trips (especially to smaller or less popular destinations that can be expensive), then I'd go for the paid tickets (and EARN miles!).