Get The Most Out Of Your Airline Miles With These Expert Strategies

Picture this: Lounging in a spacious seat, champagne in hand, while waiting to hit the skies on a business-class ticket to Europe. Total cost: zero dollars, and about 60,000 airline miles. The thing about airline miles is that, when used right, they can open up a world of travel opportunities — from domestic weekend getaways to international adventures, luxury upgrades, and the occasional spontaneous vacation. However, despite their potential, there are plenty of travelers out there still struggling to make the best use of them, which inevitably leads to some pretty costly mistakes (and plenty of missed opportunities).

Whether you're racking up miles through frequent flyer programs or as an extra perk for shopping online, understanding how to maximize their value and redemption options can make a difference between wasting points and making them count. All this while helping you secure better flights, more opportunities to travel, and even unlock savings you wouldn't find anywhere else.

Luckily, there are plenty of strategies and tips to help you figure out whether that dream trip is worth the miles you've so carefully accumulated, or whether you're better off paying cash and saving them instead. From researching ticket prices and maintaining flexibility to understanding the monetary value of your miles, careful planning can make those miles go, well ... the extra mile (and then some).

One of the most important things to keep in mind when you're hoping to maximize your miles is flexibility. After all, whether you're able to adjust your travel dates or consider alternate airports will ultimately help when the time comes to book your trip. Ideally, start by checking multiple departure dates. In some cases, this might be the winning strategy — especially considering the fact that prices in miles can vary significantly, even within the same week. In most cases, the best miles-based deals typically start to show up either about 11 to 12 months in advance, or around two weeks before departure.

Along with that, you'll also want to look beyond your local airport. Depending on your location, nearby airports might have better deals, so don't be afraid to venture out (so long as it's not costing you too much extra to get there).

The same goes for looking at partner airlines. For example, you might find better rates on a United Airlines route by booking through Air Canada or Turkish Airlines, since they're all Star Alliance members. This is also a great way to avoid overspending on any hidden costs or surcharges that might be more common to specific carriers. British Airways, for one, is notorious for adding hidden fees, which means you might be better off looking elsewhere (like Iberia or Qatar Airways, for example) for real money-saving deals.

Finally, once you've found a potential flight, make sure to always calculate the value you're getting before redeeming your miles. A great way to do this is to divide the cash price of the ticket, minus taxes and fees charged for the award flight, by the number of miles required. Let's say you find a $500 ticket that costs 25,000 miles. This means you're getting two cents per mile — a good redemption, considering most miles are worth around 1.5 cents each. However, if that same ticket costs 50,000 miles, you're really only getting about one cent per mile. In this case, you might want to hold off and save up those hard-earned points for when a better value comes along.

Additionally, while many airlines' miles never expire (including popular carriers' like Delta, JetBlue, and United), there are some programs that require your account to be active for 18 to 36 months in order to keep miles active, which is a good length of time. That said, don't hold onto your travel points for too long unless you're ready to deal with the potential consequences. In most cases, a simple purchase or mile transfer can usually reset the clock.