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Can Award Tickets Earn Miles?

Award Tickets Earn Miles

As a general rule that award tickets do not earn frequent flyer miles since they are paid for with miles, the same way you do not earn hotel points when you redeem points on an award stay. Frequent flyer programs will usually exclude award booking classes from mileage accrual. This applies to partners as well.

With that being said, there are a few exceptions or situations when award tickets might earn you miles after.

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Korean Air Partner Awards Now Bookable Online

One of the highlights of the year so far in the points and miles world was a recent revelation with Korean Air. Even though they’re late to the party, you can now book certain SkyTeam partners online, a much-needed improvement over the previous system.

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Comparing Air France and Air Tahiti Nui’s Business Class Cabins

air france business class

If you’re planning a trip to the South Pacific and want to fly into Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) in French Polynesia, your flight choices are pretty limited. It’s a long haul from the United States–Los Angeles to Papeete takes about 8.5 hours–so you’ll probably want to fly in business class. Let’s compare two airlines that can get you from Los Angeles to Papeete in style: AirFrance and Air Tahiti Nui.

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How to Book Amtrak Guest Rewards

amtrak

Amtrak Guest Rewards is a solid frequent traveler program offering members decent redemption rates, particularly for last-minute bookings and peak travel. Program members can earn points through train travel or with one of Amtrak’s co-branded credit cards. Amtrak also has a few hotel transfer partners, including Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest.

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JetBlue Has the Cheapest Cost To Cuba on an Award Ticket

JetBlue Has the Cheapest Cost To Cuba on an Award Ticket

Cuba is all the rage now. Since the U.S. Department of State announced a new course in relations with Cuba in December 2014, we’ve come a long way in getting people there. Traveling restrictions have been considerably relaxed – actually, traveling to Cuba has never been illegal, but spending money on the island was, and it’s hard to do one without the other. Technically speaking, it’s not like anyone can fly to Cuba just as you fly to any other place in the world, as you must cite one of 12 reasons so the airline could sell you the ticket.

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10 Ways to Redeem Miles with Air Canada Aeroplan for Maximum Value

10 Ways to Redeem Miles with Air Canada Aeroplan for Maximum Value

Air Canada no longer operates Aeroplan, its own loyalty program, but it still offers plenty of great redemption options. There were significant changes to how miles are valued in recent years following the spinoff, yet you can find great value if you know where to look and what to book. For instance, Aeroplan still allows stopovers and open jaws, which are a great way to increase award ticket value. And it has a round-the-world in business class fare for just 300,000 miles. Read on for more details.

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8 Ways to Redeem Miles with Lufthansa Miles&More for Maximum Value

Lufthansa miles

How much value you can you get with Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program? These miles don’t have a big presence in North America, but it’s still possible to accumulate them with Star Alliance carriers, by transferring points from Starwood Preferred Guest, or getting a credit card from Barclaycard. The program offers a few unique values despite collecting additional carrier surcharges on most international award tickets.

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Singapore KrisFlyer Miles Get You the Best Premium Class Values

People are traveling in record numbers so airlines have few reasons to feel generous. With a load factor of 84%, the carriers are constantly tweaking the cost of award flights by either raising redemption levels or reducing the saver award inventory, especially in first and business classes. Airlines are increasingly unwilling to give away seats they are hoping to sell for cash.

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Best Way to Redeem Miles on United and Star Alliance for Premium Class Seats to New Zealand, India and Africa

star alliance redeem miles

Between United Airlines and its partners, there is an unmatched number of destinations around the world you can see with a United MileagePlus award ticket.

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Oneworld Best Business Class Redemptions to Europe

Europe is small and very nicely interconnected. Don’t get bummed if you can’t get a business class award seat to your final destination there. The most important part is to cross the ocean and arrive relaxed and happy in that premium seat. Connecting from one point in Europe to another is a breeze compared to getting your perfect ticket across the pond.

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American Airlines Devaluation: Book AA Seats at Former Levels via Etihad Airways

Etihad is an American Airlines partner that still features old AAdvantage award levels. At some point in the future, they will update their chart, but for now you can book American Airlines awards the old way.

Unfortunately, there is no way to book partners on the Etihad website. You have to search for an award on AA.com and then call Etihad to book it.

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Transcontinental in Style: East Coast to West Coast in Premium Cabins

As a rule, it’s not worth splurging miles for premium travel domestically. The flights are usually short, the seats are old-school recliners, there are no individual entertainment systems and the food is usually average at best.

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Are First and Business Class Seats Worth the Extra Miles?

Award travel offers incredible opportunities. The most amazing aspect of flying on miles is that it can put business and first class travel within your reach. Not everyone can afford to pay cash for a premium-class ticket. However, first and business class seats are within your reach with miles, especially if you’re flexible.

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How to Place Your Next Award Ticket on Hold Before Booking

There are many times when you’ll want to put your travel plans on pause before you book. Maybe you hope to find something better or you need to check with a companion. Whatever the reason, it can be helpful to be familiar with the award change and hold policies before you book your ticket. If you fail to book or hold your award, there’s no guarantee that it will still be available when you check back later.

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Change and Cancellation Policies for 12 Common Airline Loyalty Programs

Planning the perfect travel award can be difficult and time consuming, which makes it especially frustrating when those plans go astray.

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The Best Cities to Find Emirates Award Space in North America

Unlike many domestic airlines with hub-and-spoke systems in the U.S., Emirates is a long-haul carrier with routes to and from its Dubai headquarters. This central location in the Middle East makes it an ideal connecting point between North America and destinations in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. It’s not a bad choice to visit Europe either, if you’re originating on the West Coast.

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Spirit Air Big Front Seat is the Airline’s First Class Equivalent

Spirit Air is an ultra low-cost airline that’s earned a bit of bad rap, some of it well-deserved. Its 28-inch pitch is the worst in the industry, and they charge for just about everything on board. However, Spirit’s burning desire to upsell extra services can be used to your advantage.

For a small fee you can get a seat that by just about every measure is first-class quality. Spirit’s calls it the Big Front Seat.

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How to Lock in Cheap Awards Before the American Airlines Devaluation

aa devaluation

American Airlines is making several significant changes to its award chart for travel booked on or after March 22. Fortunately, American allows customers to book flights up to 331 days in advance. The last day to book before the devaluation takes effect is on March 21, 2106, meaning you could lock in current rates for travel through February 15, 2017. 

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The Best Cities to Find Cathay Pacific Award Space in North America

Cathay Pacific offers one of the best first- and business-class products in Asia, with non-stop service to eight North American gateways: Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and New York (JFK and EWR). The carrier no longer operates the Boeing 747 to the United States or Canada, so all of these routes are instead served with the Boeing 777-300ER.

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How to Search for Award Space on Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific, like most Asian carriers, is known for its good service. A reverse herringbone business-class and spacious first-class suites provide some of the best award redemption opportunities for those crossing the Pacific Ocean. Cathay even operates a “fifth freedom” route between Vancouver and New York-JFK.

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