Look online and you’ll find dozens of agencies that claim to offer “discounted” premium economy, business, and first class air tickets. Most are legitimate, but you have to watch out for one important gotcha: fares that tote “unused points.”
Some fares that seem too good to be true are just that: They’re created when mileage brokers buy up frequent flyer miles—which violates airline terms. These agencies say they buy “unused” frequent flyer miles from businesses, and sell award tickets to the public based on use of those miles. That’s a big risk for the buyer.
The Mileage Broker Deal Risk
Selling frequent flyer miles is against airline rules, and airlines enforce them at least some of the time—meaning your ticket could be voided. The appeal is that frequent flyer award tickets at the usual “saver seat” level are notoriously hard to find in premium classes. These agencies may buy their miles at prices low enough to apply them to the much higher “any seat” award mileage levels and therefore be able to sell tickets at low prices—but using purchased miles is still risky.