Award flights don't require the straightforward round-trip booking most travelers assume. Instead, using creative routing strategies can slash the miles needed for your redemption.
The key strategy involves booking open-jaw tickets. Instead of flying from City A to City B and back to City A, you fly from City A to City B, then return from City C to City A. This works particularly well when multiple airports serve the same region. Flying into New York and returning from Boston, for example, often costs fewer miles than a traditional round-trip to either city alone.
Another tactic uses hidden city ticketing concepts legally. Book separate one-way awards instead of a round-trip. If two one-way awards cost fewer miles than a round-trip, split them up. Airlines price these differently, and you can exploit that gap. For instance, a round-trip to London might cost 60,000 miles, but two separate one-ways might total 45,000 miles.
Positioning flights also create savings. Fly cheaply on cash to a major hub, then book your award flight from that hub. Some frequent flyer programs charge less for awards originating from hub cities like Dallas (American), Atlanta (Delta), or Chicago (United). If you live in a smaller market, this positioning strategy can reduce your total cost significantly.
You can also combine short hops with longer awards. Book a short award flight to a connection point, then a separate longer award to your destination. Booking Dallas to Miami to Cancun with two awards sometimes costs less than a single Dallas to Cancun award.
Stopovers present another option. Many programs including United and American allow free stopovers on award flights. An award to London with a stopover in Dublin costs the same as direct travel to London alone.
The math requires research. Check what each one-way or segment costs in miles across your preferred airlines.