Free First Class Next Month 4.0: Using Expert Flyer to Redeem Delta and American Airlines Awards

This is the twentieth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

Free First Class Next Month 4.0: Searching Delta.com to Redeem Delta Miles

This is the nineteenth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

Free First Class Next Month 4.0: Searching Qantas.com to Redeem American Airlines Miles

This is the eighteenth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go. Previously Using BA.com to Search for Awards.

Using qantas.com for award searches can help you get maximum value from your American Airlines miles.

Free Giveaway Friday: Pair of United Club Passes

The contest is over. There were 209 comments and 107 retweets. Congrats to Mike Faust (twitter retweet) on winning! Check back every Friday for potential MileValue giveaways.

Longtime reader Jeff is generously donating two United Club passes that expire 2/28/15 to one lucky winner. There are two ways to win: a comment or a retweet.

United has lounges all over the world. The clubs are a pleasant place to relax in a comfortable chair, use free wifi, and enjoy free snack and drinks. Here are the amenities.

Delta to Fly Los Angeles to Cancun Daily with Surprisingly Good Award Space

Delta miles are the worst. I would rather have United, US Airways, American, and in most cases British Airways Avios. But that doesn't mean Delta miles are useless. When a good use pops up, I like to spotlight it, so that people with a stash of Delta miles can see the valuable possibilities.

British Airways Improves Award Search Tool (Again!)

According to this thread on FlyerTalk, British Airways has made some enhancements to their Avios booking functionality on BA.com. I normally cringe when I hear the word "enhancement" associated with a frequent flyer program, but this is actually good news!

Back in December I wrote up British Airways improving their online award search functionality. Once a frustrating experience with multiple unnecessary clicks, BA.com could now display oneworld partner availability immediately and allow you to hop around to different dates on the calendar.

Free First Class Next Month 4.0: Searching BA.com to Find oneworld Award Availability

This is the seventeenth post in a monthlong series that started here. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.

Anatomy of an Award: US Airways Last Hurrah, a Nine Segment First Class Award through Europe and Asia

The balance in my US Airways account was practically blinking like a giant Las Vegas neon sign.

120,368!

120,368!

120,368!

As luck would have it, 120,000 miles is the exact amount needed for a roundtrip first class award to North Asia. United charges 140,000 miles for the same award.

Best of MileValue July 2013

July was MileValue's most popular month to date. Readership continues to grow, which is really exciting to everyone who writes for the site.

Greetings from Johannesburg, South Africa. My Impressions on O.R. Tambo Airport

I just arrived in Johanneburg, South Africa about 90 minutes ago from Buenos Aires, Argentina on a direct flight operated by South African Airways in Business Class (and paid for with US Airways miles.)

The flight was enjoyable--I slept for five of its nine hours by depriving myself of sleep the night before--but arriving in Johannesburg has already been an adventure.

We taxied to a remote stand and took buses to the terminal.