Bending the rules for Banff

Ever feel like you're breaking the law, or at least the rules, even when you're not? And by "not," I mean you're operating within the boundaries set by a company when making a purchase.

My heart is still beating a little bit fast. I'm just not used to taking these kinds of risks. But it was a risk that paid off.

I've booked flights for our next trip, and we're going to the Canadian Rockies. Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise, here we come! Purchasing our flights was a somewhat convoluted and complicated process (with me, what isn't...), but the tickets were cheaper than they could have been.

The vacation-planning process started before we left for Puerto Rico when B checked to see his status with the airline we were flying. His lack of travel on the airline in the last year and a half left him with no status whatsoever (bummer), but he somehow had over 50,000 miles in his account.

You know what 50,000 miles means. If you fly during the cheap times, you can get 2 round-trip tickets to a North American destination.

I'm sure you can imagine the tizzy that this newfound bonus got me into. Free airline tickets? To anywhere we wanted? Did I mention the free part?

Then I began analyzing the situation to try to figure out how to get the most out of these miles.

We could go to one of the places we've been thinking about, such as New Orleans or San Antonio or Jackson, but the flights to these destinations are relatively cheap. I wanted to fly somewhere expensive to get the most out of the miles.

Enter Banff. Oh, Banff, how I have worshipped you from afar, your glaciers (ok, they're in Jasper) and your lakes and scenery and animals and outdoorsiness (which can be observed from the comfort and glamor of one's Fairmont hotel room). Banff, secret honeymoon contender, faraway land, where the dollar can still buy something and the locals speak my language. Oh, Banff, how have I ignored thee for so long?

I'll tell you why. Because it's expensive to fly there! A ticket to Banff costs about the same as a ticket to Europe. But--aha!--it's the same cost, miles-wise, as any other domestic ticket.

Bang! Bang! Bang! (That's the sound of more bang for my miles buck.)

After we got back from PR, I started investigating our options. To purchase 2 round-trip tickets, we wouldn't be able to fly on our ideal dates, and dates were literally being snatched up from day to day. If you fly on "super-saver" days, a one-way flight for one person is only 12,500 miles. But those dates go fast, and most routes have only the 25,000 one-way flights available.

However--interestingly enough--there were several first-class options available for only 25,000 miles.

I soon realized that 50,000 miles might not be as awesome as I hoped. But I still had hope.

I reasoned that at least we could use the miles for one-way travel. One-way flights on other airlines were reasonably priced, and I decided that I could suck up the extra security that would likely accompany us and our one-way tickets. And maybe if we were lucky, we could get first-class flights for that one way.

I called the airline earlier in the week to explain my plan, but their stupid policies thwarted me. The first agent explained that a one-way ticket costs the same number of miles as a round-trip ticket (that is, 100,000 miles), and her computer was not showing the same availability for miles awards as their computer system was showing me on their website. She also said that there were no first-class options available for our route.

I didn't like what she had to say so I hung up and called back. Sometimes this policy works, as you might reach a more experienced person who can help the next time. Unfortunately, the second person, though perhaps more competent, was not any more helpful than the first.

I went to bed that night with a heavy heart. Would we have to--gasp--pay for our tickets? The trip, which in the beginning involved free flights (in my mind, anyway), was suddenly getting more complicated.

That night and the next day, I pondered the situation and came up with two options:

• We could pay cash for our flights. The disappointment I felt at being unable to book the one-way flights told me that I really wanted to take this vacation. Sometimes, it's worth it to pay more than you expected for something you really want.
• We could buy miles and use them to attempt to buy flights. This proposition was risky because we didn't know if flights were actually available, and if they weren't, we'd be stuck paying for miles we couldn't use. The website said that the flights we wanted were availalbe, but when the people on the phone give a different story, you start to wonder.

I proposed the options to B, and he was willing to try whatever I wanted, so I went with the second option. It involved greater risk but greater reward. I wanted to buy one ticket just to see if it would be possible, but B convinced me to wait until the miles cleared in his account. Having 100,000 miles would be better than having one ticket, 50,000 miles, and no more availability on the flight.

I called the airline and spoke to one of the less competent representatives, asking how long it would take for purchased miles to appear in my account. After I explained the situation 3 times, she said that they'd appear within 24 hours. It seemed like a long time to wait, but I was in a gambling mood.

Back to the computer--bought the miles--and bang! (there it is again)--the miles showed up right away. I selected the flights, chose our seats, put in the card number, and waited for the website to tell me that it sensed I had scammed the system and it wasn't going to let me buy the tickets.

You see, the cost of the miles plus the taxes on the tickets (even the free ones aren't free) was still several hundred dollars less than the cheapest airline's service for that route. In coach.

And we're flying first class.

But the confirmation is in my inbox, so it's official--Banff, here I come, and I'm coming in style.