Shifting frequent-flier miles is costly
Combining them into one account isn't always easy
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James Forest has more than 50,000 miles with American Airlines through his Citibank credit card and his girlfriend has more than 90,000 reward points through her American Express card.
"Is there any way we can transfer our miles and points to a common card or company that will honor them so we can travel together on a given airline?" he asked.
The short answer is yes, but the cost is pretty steep.
Most individual reward programs don't allow participants to convert their points or miles into other airline currencies. Delta Airlines doesn't accept American miles, for example, and American doesn't accept Continental miles.
Forest's girlfriend has an American Express membership rewards card, which does offer more flexibility. Points earned with the card can be redeemed for travel with 21 airlines, including Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Continental, and a large number of foreign airlines. Unfortunately, American is not included.
A number of point-pooling programs allow members to convert miles with one airline into miles with another, but few seemed to work for Forest.
Points.com, for example, allows members to convert American miles into miles with a handful of other airlines -- none of them among the 21 affiliated with the American Express card.
Priority Club Rewards, which is affiliated with Six Continents Hotels, allows members to convert miles into club points and then convert those club points into miles with another airline. But a club spokeswoman said the conversion cost is steep. She said the 90,000 American Express reward points would convert to just 20,000 American miles.
The Diners Club credit card allows similar conversions, but at a slightly better rate. The card, which comes with an annual fee of $95, would allow Forest to convert his 50,000 American miles into 25,000 Delta miles. Forest's girlfriend could convert her American Express points into Delta miles, and the couple would have a way to book flights together.
If readers are aware of other options out there, pass them along.
Change fees
John Perkins of Waltham found himself in a change-fee Catch-22 with American Airlines over the Christmas holidays.
Perkins had flown to California using a nonrefundable ticket. Shortly after he arrived, his grandfather passed away. He called American to move his return flight up to Dec. 25 so he could attend the funeral. That change in itinerary cost him $100, which he willingly paid.
But his return flight was canceled because of severe weather in the Boston area. When he discovered the next flight wouldn't get him home in time for the funeral, he decided to stay in California and return to Boston on his original return flight.
The change in plans meant another change fee of $100, infuriating Perkins. He said he complained, but the best American had to offer was a $100 voucher, which he reluctantly accepted.
A spokesman for American said company policies were appropriately followed in this case.
Tax refunds
Several readers responded to the Feb. 9 Sensible Traveler column on claiming value-added tax refunds while traveling abroad, many of them recounting horror stories of trying to collect the money on their own.
Richard Macchi of Belmont said he tried to collect about $85 in taxes he paid on lodging during a trip to Nova Scotia in 2001. He submitted all the documentation, but received only a portion of the refund, with no explanation for the missing funds.
Undeterred, Macchi sent away to the Canadian government for a protest form, filled it out, and mailed it back. Several months later he received a check for the balance, again with no explanation for why the entire amount wasn't included in the first place.
"Was it worth it," Macchi asked. "No. Although it is possible to obtain a refund, I think in many cases it is not worth the time, unless the refund amount is significant, maybe $100 or more."
David Woodhouse of Nashua, N.H., said Macchi's analysis is correct. He thinks as much as $200 million a year in Canadian accommodations taxes goes unclaimed, primarily because it's not worth the time for travelers to pursue it.
But Woodhouse thinks more of that money could be claimed if the travelers had to do minimal work and the proceeds were going to a favorite charity. He is trying to launch Tax Refund Systems (www.refundsforcharity.com) to do just that.
Woodhouse is trying to interest several nonprofit groups in his idea. They would contact their supporters and encourage them to submit their lodging receipts whenever they travel to Canada. Woodhouse would take it from there, transferring the refunds collected (minus a commission for his firm) to the charity.
"When you're dealing with small amounts of money, you can't always be bothered to do it yourself," Woodhouse said. "But you may be willing to do it for an organization you're interested in supporting."
Those driving to Canada rather than flying have the advantage when it comes to collecting the tax refund: If you have all your receipts, the duty-free shops on the borders also issue refunds, immediately -- and in cash.
Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.
