What Airlines and Blogs don’t tell you about collecting Points and Miles
Collecting airline points is sold as a game you can win if you’re clever enough.
Free flights. Luxury seats. Outsized value.
But after a few years of actually using points — not just collecting them — a pattern emerges. The disappointment isn’t random. It’s structural.
Below are seven uncomfortable truths most points pages won’t say out loud, because they don’t photograph well and they don’t sell aspiration.
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- “Free flights” that still cost £900
One of the most common shocks for new collectors is realising that a “free” reward flight can still come with a four-figure bill.
A long-haul business-class redemption via British Airways Executive Club, for example, can easily involve £800–£1,000 in taxes and surcharges — on top of six-figure Avios requirements.
The lie isn’t that the seat is free. The lie is that “free” is a useful way to describe the experience.
Truth: If the taxes are that high, the flight was never free — it was just discounted in a way that sounds better on social media.
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- Airlines calling devaluations “enhancements”
When loyalty programmes change pricing, they almost never use the word devaluation.
Instead, you’ll see phrases like: • “More flexibility” • “Improved reward options” • “Simplified pricing”
What this usually means in practice is: • More points required for the same flight • Fewer predictable sweet spots • Less certainty around future value
Each change is small enough to defend. Over time, the value quietly erodes.
Truth: When an airline says “more flexible,” it almost always means more expensive — just without admitting it.
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- Blogs pretending availability is normal
You’ve seen the posts: • “Booked this in minutes” • “Plenty of availability” • “Anyone can do this”
What’s rarely mentioned is how it actually worked: • Midweek travel • Odd dates • Booking at midnight • Checking daily for weeks • Last-minute luck
None of that fits neatly into a caption.
Truth: Most of those redemptions only worked because of luck, odd dates, or checking at exactly the right moment — not because availability is generally good.
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- Dynamic pricing pretending to be fair
Dynamic pricing is often defended as being “more transparent” or “closer to cash pricing.”
But cash fares go down when demand drops. Points prices often don’t.
On popular routes and peak dates, dynamic pricing simply removes any ceiling on how many points a seat can cost.
Truth: Dynamic pricing doesn’t reward loyalty — it punishes popular routes and normal travel patterns first.
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- “Saver seats” that never exist
Saver awards are marketed as the foundation of value redemptions.
In reality, for many travellers they’re theoretical: • Released when most people can’t book • Snapped up instantly • Rare during school holidays • Unreliable for more than one passenger
They exist just enough to be referenced — not enough to be relied on.
Truth: Saver availability is a marketing concept, not something most people can plan around in real life.
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- Peak pricing quietly becoming the default
What used to be labelled peak is increasingly just normal pricing.
If you travel: • With children • During school holidays • On popular routes • At sensible times
You’re effectively always paying the highest rate.
Truth: Peak pricing isn’t the exception anymore — it’s the default for anyone with a normal life.
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- Loyalty programmes gaslighting you on value
This is the hardest one to articulate — but the most important.
When prices change quietly, availability tightens, and taxes rise, the programme never tells you: • “Your points are worth less now” • “This used to be a better deal” • “Cash might be smarter here”
Instead, you’re left feeling confused: • “Am I bad at this?” • “Did I miss something?” • “Everyone else seems to get great value”
Truth: If you constantly feel like you’re doing the maths wrong, it’s not you — it’s the system changing underneath you.
That’s not an accident. It’s how loyalty programmes protect margins while keeping members engaged.
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Coming next
In the next part, we’ll look at: • Why flexibility matters more than balance size • Why hoarding points usually loses • And how to plan redemptions around reality — not hype
Because points can still be powerful — but only if you stop believing the lies first.