When you are trying to extract the most out of your travel dollar, understanding the frequent flier programs will give you a huge edge.
| Program | My Value of Mile | Carrier | Alliance | Finding Awards | Award Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aeroplan | $0.0125 | Air Canada | Star Alliance | www.aeorplan.com Tel: |
Aeroplan Award Chart Aeroplan Upgrade Chart |
| Aeroplan Basics Writeup Aeroplan Hacking Writeup Best Uses: Flights with stopovers, Mini round-the-world trips, short-hauls, flights on partners Cautions: High fuel surcharges on some carriers, website rejects many complicated itineraries |
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| Westjet | Westjet | N/A | www.westjet.ca | Westjte Dollars | |
| Dividend Miles | $0.0150 | US Airways | Star Alliance | www.usairways.com | US Airways Award Chart |
| US Airways uses write-up Best Uses: Flights on Air Canada (minimize fees), off-peak awards, better award chart than Aeroplan Cautions: Awful website, tighter restrictions on stopovers, last minute booking charges, no one-way awards |
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| United MilagePlus | $0.0175 | United Airlines | Star Alliance | www.united.com | United Airlines Award Chart |
| Best Uses: One-way travel for 1/2 of roundtrip, easy to add free one-way flight to roundtrip award booking, low taxes/fees Cautions: No stopovers on travel within a single zone |
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| Delta Skymiles | $0.011 | Delta | SkyTeam | www.delta.com | Delta Skymiles Award Chart |
| Best Uses: Free one-way flight on many roundtrips (if your home is Delta hub), low taxes and fees Cautions: Very bad award flight availability |
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| AAdvantage | $0.0165 | American Airlines | One World | www.aa.com | AAdvantage Award Chart |
| Best Uses: All flights priced as one-way, Free stopover allowed in North American gateway city, Distance-based explorer awards Cautions: Fuel surcharges on British Airways flights, website doesnt show availability for all partners |
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| British Airways Avios | $0.0115 | British Airways | One World | www.ba.com | British Airways Chart |
| Best Uses: Short flights (chart is based on distance), direct flights, itineraries with many stopovers Cautions: Fuel surcharges on British Airways flights, each leg charged independently |
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