Perhaps you're sitting on a bundle of frequent flier miles and would like to use them, but you can't afford the other costs associated with traveling. Or maybe you just want to treat yourself to a weekend of pure solitude. If you have miles to burn, and fancy a free stay in a hotel, you're in luck!
Airlines or credit-card companies that allow customers to cash in miles for hotel stays have different guidelines; so the first the thing you must do is contact the company you have miles with to determine the regulations.
For example, customers of Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus program can stay in hotels for 12,000 miles per night; hotel stays for members of United's Mileage Plus program began at 14,700 miles. Some credit-card companies also offer six nights of hotel stays free when you sign up with them.
Once you have determined how many miles it takes to stay in a hotel, figure out where you'd like to go. Log on to one of your airline's or credit company's partner websites and select a location. Keep in mind that your preferred destination or date might not be available. Create a backup plan in case your first choice doesn't work.
The thought of spending several days pampered in a hotel for free might be too much for some to pass up. However, if you're anticipating traveling when your pocketbook is a bit fatter, consider saving those precious frequent flier miles and using them later.
Four nights in the Radisson Hotel with United Airlines will set you back close to 60,000 miles; however, those same 60,000 miles would get you to Europe and home--even during peak season. That could amount to a savings of four or five times as much as you might have saved by cashing out your miles for hotel accommodations.
You might even need to get across the country for an emergency, and cashing out frequent flier miles for last-minute flights could help in such situations.
Turning in frequent flier miles for hotel stays clearly makes sense for some, but for those with wanderlust, it might make more sense to hang on to them and enjoy an all-expense-paid journey through the skies later.
