The Pros And Cons Of Transferring Air Miles

If you are an avid air miles collector, you know how important it is to hold on to every mile that you can get. There are several instances where transferring air miles may be a good idea. Still, although the transferring of miles is usually advisable, there are downsides. These are a few of the perks and punishments of air mile transfers.

Perk – Save Miles Before They Expire

One of the best opportunities to transfer your air miles is during times when your miles balance is about to expire due to inactivity. Maybe you aren’t thrilled with the airline that you currently have the miles with or maybe you just haven’t had anywhere to go lately. When you transfer your miles to a new account, you start fresh and can close that old account knowing that you are leaving nothing behind.

Punishment – Transferring Will Cost You Money

Of course, nothing ever comes for free, and that also goes for miles transfers. As with many services, there is clerical work and administrative costs that go into helping you move those miles around, hence the fees. It is important to look at the fine print in your mileage agreement when you first sign up so that you know what you are getting yourself into. Fees range in price depending on the company you are working with, but they can really add up. Essentially you would be paying a small fee per mile transferred with the average fee being around 15 cents per mile. Fees are never easy to digest but they may sometimes be a necessary evil. Which leads us to the next mileage transfer punishment…

Punishment – Sometimes Miles Transfers Can Be A Catch Twenty-Two

Sometimes you are better off using the miles you have with the company you already have them with. The need to transfer those miles may lead you into a deadly catch-22. You don’t want your points to expire, but if you transfer those points then you are left with fees that can really add up. The decision to transfer your miles should not be taken lightly.

Perk – Can Help You Reach Your Goal

A big-time perk of transferring air miles is that you can use points from one account to get a reward with another account. Let’s say that you want to take your family on that big Hawaiian getaway. You have most of the miles you need, but you are short those few necessary miles with no time left to earn what you need. This would be a good time to transfer any miles you have in a less important account to the Hawaiian vacation account in an effort to get your reward. You will still have to pay those fees but it will have been well worth it.