Welcome New Readers

I've had a lot of new readers joining the site lately, so I wanted to let them know of some of my best posts that they should read right away to get a feeling for what they can expect from milevalue.com.

Free Oneways on United Awards

Free Oneways on United Awards is my most viewed post of all time.

Free First Class Next Month: Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 2

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the twenty-first post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

Not Anatomy of an Award: Just Book with Cash

This is a blog about frequent flier miles. Almost everything I write is designed to help you accumulate miles and points efficiently then redeem them for free travel--up front if possible.

But sometimes using points for a ticket is a huge mistake. Sometimes, just book with cash. JBWC. I'll give two examples, and I'll tell you how to figure out whether you should book with cash or miles on a particular trip.

LAX to Honolulu

The first example comes from yesterday.

Free First Class Next Month: Saving Hundreds on Hotels with Priceline Part 1

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the twentieth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

Get on an A380, 787 Dreamliner, and New 747-8 on One United Award

Some people are plane enthusiasts. They'll do anything to fly the new mega-jet A380, which I'll be doing in Qantas business in January. Or one of the new Dreamliners, which United's taking more deliveries of and releasing the routes they'll operate on.

Free First Class Next Month: Using Kayak.com and Its Many Features

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the nineteenth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

Anatomy of an Award: Triangle Award in the US for $10 out of Pocket

This is another post in my Anatomy of an Award series, in which I take a real award I’ve booked and break it down step-by-step to elucidate the award booking process.

Free First Class Next Month: Exploiting the FlyerTalk Mileage Run Forum

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the eighteenth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.

Tricks to Avoid Hold Times with Airlines

Sometimes airlines have seemingly interminable hold times before you can talk to an agent. This mainly happens during disruptions to the normal routine like a big storm that is causing a ton of rebookings or the United/Continental merger.

Here are some tricks to lower or eliminate your hold times:

1) Call the highest tier elite line. Elite lines are answered immediately or with a much reduced wait time.

If you're a top-tier elite, I'm sure you're already doing this.

Free First Class Next Month: Airlines’ Codes, Hubs, and Alliances

Hey there, you're reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.

This is the seventeenth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete.