The whole point of creating frequent flier miles was to reward consumers for using an airline frequently, right?  So why does it seem that an increasing number of airlines are adding new fees and hassles to their programs?  When they make consumers jump through hoops to get their rewards, it sort of negates the idea of being “rewarding”, in my opinion.  Here’s what to expect if you’re part of Delta’s frequent flier program, Skymiles, at least as of August 2008:

  • Unless you use your rewards to book a flight more than 21 days of flying, the flight will be booked a fee between $75 and $150
  • Traveling domestically with your Delta frequent flier miles will result in a $25 fuel charge
  • Traveling internationally with your Delta frequent flier miles will result in a $50 fuel charge
  • If you have to/want to use another airline for part of the trip, you pay $25 to Delta
  • Earned miles expire sooner and can be lost if not used.  Miles expire 2 years from the date of the last qualifying activity
  • You need to earn minimum miles to redeem your frequent flier miles as a free round trip ticket, as is true of just about every rewards program – but Delta’s site is a bit tricky about this now!  While you still need 25,000, 40,000 or 60,000 miles to get your round trip tickets (depending on where you’re going), their website displays ONE-WAY trips making it appear that you need less mileage for redemption.  And why is it that whenever you want to redeem your 25,000 mile flights, the 25,000 mile seats are always taken?

If you fly rather frequently, you may be interested in earning miles and rewards that can be used on ANY airline rather than a specific airline.  One way to earn rewards that can be redeemed on any airline is to use credit cards with frequent flier programs.  For example, Capital One No Hassle Miles Rewards card lets users earn miles good toward any airline.  The other benefit of earning your flight rewards via a credit card rather than a specific airline is that most offer additional protection at no additional cost- travel accident protection, emergency roadside assistance, car rental insurance, and other features great for traveling is often included when you book travel tickets with your credit card.