Answer: Trading miles for magazines is still a smart way to take advantage of frequent flier accounts that you might not be using on a regular basis or for members to receive more added value and flexibility from their miles.

Airlines have offered this exchange option to members for a long time, but they were mainly invitation only — that is, you didn’t see these promotions inside member newsletters.

In the past, a company called MilePoint made it very easy to convert miles into magazines. One of the best things was that you could combine miles from a number of different accounts to finish your order. MilePoint has since been bought out by points.com.

For any member holding unused miles, this is a creative way to make those frequent flier miles work for you. Don’t forget to check the airlines’ own websites for updated magazines for miles promotions.