To redeem miles, WebMiles members contact the company's travel agency partner, Maritz Inc., by e-mail or phone. Members tell Maritz what ticket they want, and the company checks the database to make sure the customer has sufficient miles. Maritz then purchases the ticket. WebMiles' business model is based on economies of scale, explains Case. The revenue we make is the difference between what our partners pay us for miles and what we pay Maritz for those miles.
Case also touts another consumer benefit.
Because WebMiles buys members' reward tickets, members can actually accumulate new frequent flier miles on their own airline mileage programs with the WebMiles tickets. And if you have unused miles on your airline program, you can get a ticket through us and then use your airline program miles to get an upgrade. There are, however, a few restrictions, despite the premise that this mileage program is different from the rest because of its lack of onerous limitations. All redemptions, including discounts, are valid for round-trip travel. If a member chooses to use an award for one-way travel, no credit will be issued for unused flight segments.