How to Use Airline Miles on Things You Need for Your Family
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An image of gift cards on a colorful background.
Getty Images (1). Art: Jillian Sellers.
If there s one thing globetrotters with oodles of airline miles in their rewards accounts would like you to know, it is this: using miles to purchase anything
other than rewards travel is rarely the most cost-effective option yes, even if you and the kids have been skipping air travel for (we can t believe it either) a whole year already.
In fact, airline reward programs are often structured to discourage such purchases, typically providing less than a cent per airline mile when consumers opt for gift card redemptions or merchandise. Plus, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a few cash-strapped airlines have ceased retailer gift card and merchandise programs altogether. (American and Delta, to name a few.) Though Delta still allows program participants to purchase Delta gift cards, which can be redeemed for flights or D