I’ve heard a lot more about Frontier from you guys lately. This seems to be for one of the following reasons…
- You have miles from their credit card. 40,000-ish or 50,000-ish,
- You have trouble using these miles (unless you’re going to Denver),
- You can’t believe you have to pay for carry-on baggage.
Lately, the issue is that these miles now expire after 6 months of inactivity. Wow, that’s not just bad. It’s an unfunny joke. So, yeah, I decided to make a call. AwardWallet didn’t even have an expiration date for my Frontier miles. I dialed the number for this craptastic airline…
Terrible Customer Service Rep:
“Thank you for calling Frontier Airlines. How may I help you?”
Me:
“Hi, I wanted to see when my miles are going to expire.”
Terrible Customer Service Rep:
“6 months after last activity.”
Me:
“Can you give me that exact date please?”
Terrible Customer Service Rep:
“I can’t do that. But it’s 6 months after the last activity.”
Me:
“You realize every other mile and point program in the world gives exact expiration dates, right?”
Terrible Customer Service Rep:
“I’m sorry but we can’t do that.”
Me:
“Can I speak to a supervisor who would know the answer please?”
Terrible Customer Service Rep:
“Hold please.”
(I then hold for a few minutes. The supervisor picks up).
Even Worse Supervisor:
“Yes, can I help you?”
Me:
“Hi, can you tell me when my miles expire? Exact date please?”
Even Worse Supervisor:
“6 months after last activity.”
Me:
“Can you tell me what that date is?”
Even Worse Supervisor (sighing):
“August.”
Me:
“Ok. This is getting frustrating. Can I just transfer my miles to another program…hotel points, car rentals, anything?”
Even Worse Supervisor:
“No.”
Me:
“I’m seeing here on the internet that I can do it. Can I speak to someone who knows more about this?”
Even Worse Supervisor:
“I am the supervisor.”
Me:
“I understand that. But since you’re the supervisor and don’t have an answer, can I speak to someone who does?”
Even Worse Supervisor:
“Hold please.”
(He then hangs up on me).
Ok, so where did that leave me?
First, Frontier is near the top of my shit list. Terrible customer service, crazy miles that expire every 6 months, carry-on bag fees, hard to find flights, etc. Clearly, they are bad.
So, what did I do with my 50,000 miles?
This isn’t for everyone, but…
…I went to points.com and exchanged 50,000 Frontier miles for 12,500 Audience Rewards points.
(wait for it)
AUDIENCE REWARDS POINTS???!???!?!!?!????????!!!!!!!!!!??????
I know. But here’s the math. Again, this isn’t for everyone. Probably just for people who live in New York or LA and like theater. But, here’s why I did it…
- For 500 points + $24, I can get an Orchestra seat here in LA for Phantom of the Opera. Among other shows.
- These seats are on Stubhub for $200 to $300+ each.
- If I burned all of my 12,500 points, I would get tickets worth $5,000+.
Again, it isn’t for everyone.
But, really, does anyone think 50,000 Frontier miles are worth more than this?
(Hint: They’re not)
