Part 2: Common Mistakes When Getting Free Flights

The Philadelphia Eagles are undefeated. I was there during the first Super Bowl championship, so I’m not sure that Philadelphia can survive a second championship.

This is Part 2 of common mistakes when booking flights with frequent flyer miles. Click here for Part one.

Quick Transfer - Transferring credit card miles before checking availability on a particular airline is a common mistake. Once you transfer points to an airline, the changes are irreversible. Make sure the flight is available to book before leaping. Flights have a limited number of seats allocated for reward redemption so make sure the flight has availability first.

Buying miles - Airlines charge a premium on buying or saving miles. Never do this! Buying miles is like buying points on interest rates; they rarely work out in your favor.

Not calling - The website may not always be updated, so don’t hesitate to contact an agent to double-check availability. Make sure you have the flight information handy.

Redeeming miles for anything other than flights - Airlines try to entice users to transfer points for items like gift cards. Most of the time, this isn’t a good deal. Stick with redeeming miles for flights. You’ll be alright.

Have you made any of these mistakes?