This morning, I enjoyed my new Wall Street Journal subscription. And I look forward to checking out Real Simple magazine when I get home.
I especially like how much these new subscriptions cost me. Nada!
Like many Minnesota travelers, Northwest had been my primary airline. But on occasion, I've flown on Midwest Airlines and a handful of other carriers, resulting in a smattering of frequent flier accounts with nowhere near the number of miles needed to earn a free flight.
I figured I'd just have to let these miles expire. But then I learned about Magazines for Miles, a company that exchanges miles for magazine and newspaper subscriptions. The titles are limited and the subscriptions don't always last for very long, but if it's between letting your miles go to waste and trying out a new publication, I'm all for the latter. Subscriptions start for just a few hundred miles.
Another option is to donate your miles to charity. Consider an organization that is doing work in Haiti, such as the Red Cross.
Many airlines also have their own merchandise malls that let you exchange your miles for goods from luggage tags to Legos. Head to any airline's web site for information.
Any other ways to use airline miles that I missed? Oh, right. For flights. But it's harder and harder to book a decent flight with 25,000 in frequent flier miles. Funny how at one point in time frequent flier miles were such a valuable perk that I paid a $55 annual for a Worldperks credit card. Today, I have no airline loyalty and doubt I'll ever book a flight with miles again unless I take a job requiring loads of business travel.
