This is only a major issue if you fly a premium cabin out of the UK. Elsewhere the taxes are minimal. In college I racked up 135k United miles through credit

This is only a major issue if you fly a premium cabin out of the UK. Elsewhere the taxes are minimal. In college I racked up 135k United miles through credit cards and then used them for a first class ticket to Thailand and Singapore after graduation. The taxes came out to less than $100.