Are Airline Miles Trading Markets Worth It?

As someone who flies frequently but whose only loyalty is to the airliner that can get me the cheapest seat to where I'm going, I almost always find myself with a bunch of miles spread out over a bunch of frequent flier programs. Which is why I have subscriptions to several fine magazines, but very few free flights.

As an article in the New York Times reveals, a few sites are trying to make your miles a bit more valuable by adding in a virtual marketplace. The most useful site, Points.com, allows you to buy miles from other folks, barter away your miles for other people's more useful miles, or swap within your own hodgepodge of accounts. Of course, there are hefty and obnoxious fees for doing so, but it makes sense if you're oh-so-close to scoring a free trip on one of them.

Be warned, though. Joining and using the site is a frustrating experience, mainly because many airlines deliberately occlude their frequent flier programs and opt out of certain parts of the site.

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