Milage runs is the most fun and entertaining way to get points. But why do you need points and what exactly is a milage run? I will try to explain this and give you some good tools to find fun milage runs.
Why are points important
I have earlier described low cost carriers as the real winner on the European travel sky. However they do miss point systems that could make you get very cheap flights. A traditional airline usually have a point system rewarding you with point. The points can give you higher membership tier and can be exchanged to flights, hotel stays or rental cards. A golden rule here is to never use points for domestic or international flight in economy. It erase the value of your point. Go for Business or First Class if it’s available.
Almost al airlines also have cooperation with different credit cards like SAS have with American Express so the more you shop, the more points you get. Depending on the card you choose you will get more or less points when you spend money with it. A more expensive card will also give you more points per 100 kronor. The sad part is that this points will only be exchangeable to services.
To get points that gives you a higher tier, you need to fly. The points you get when you are flying gives you both higher tier and are exchangeable to services. The higher tier you have the more benefits will you have when you fly with your prefer airline or up to gold level within same alliance. And this is where milage runs gets in to the picture
Milage runs
A milage run is something as simple as a flight taken just i the purpose to get points. Either because you like flying and for me this is the best reason. Or you don’t get enough points thru your shopping. So far its easy. But to make a good milage run you need to know the value of points earned. As an example a point at SAS Eurobonus is usually valued to about 0,1 – 0.2 Swedish Krona. So what you do is that you take the price and divide it with the points you will earn to see if its a good value. If the value is less then 0.2 kronor per point its an okej milage run in my opinion.
Some airlines also reward their best customer with a life time status. As an example SAS gives away life time gold if you succeed to get gold status ten years in a row. This could also be a reason to make a milage run. Say that you have earned gold i 8 years and then maybe change job but still like the benefits following the gold status. Then some well planned milage runs over 2 years would give you gold for life.
Where do I find high value milage runs?
As I mentioned above a good milage run is a flight where the points earned have a value of 0.2 kronor. With that said a higher price could be acceptable if you at the same times get’s an extraordinary experience. I personally use Travel Dealz to find well valued routes depending on the airlines campaigns. Here you can search from everything from Economy to First class. However, for a milage run I would never search for anything below economy extra. Economy never gives you a good value any way.
My favorite offer usual comes from the Lufthansa Group who have recurrent offers from Europe . Look out for their campaigns in Business and First. When you found a route and/or a campaign you are interested in, its time to find a suitable time to make your milage run. Most campaigns demands that you are away a week or over a weekend. But if you can take some day of that’s not a problem. To find some days with the right price I usually use the Matrix Airfare Search. On this site you can find tickets that is not easy to find on your travel agencies homepage or at Google flights. The reason is that many campaigns demands long layovers. Or they are in lower booking classes not sold thru travel agencies.
From the Matrix Airfare Search you can export the trip you found directly to the airlines own homepage and buy it your self. No need for expensive travel agents. The only price is you need to pay is some of your time. You will also probably need to take a position flight inside Europe. In many cases that is just an oppertunity to earn more money or you will be able to find low cos airlines like Wizz Air and Ryan Air to get you there.
Summit it up
A milage run is flights that you take to earn points. Even because the flights becomes relative cheap or that you need points to achieve or keep your tier. By taking high value milage runs you will in the end be able to exchange your points to flights world wide. Its a fun and not necessary an expensive way to get points. Use Travel Dealz and the Matrix Airfare Search to plan your milage run. Or send me a message and I will be happy to help you to find a good milage run in Business or First.
Blogging and creating content demands time and money. So please make an contribution