$0.01/mi redemption is pretty bad. Save your miles for international flights where the redemption value is higher, especially for business and first class.
Right, there's an average around 1 cent (across all domestic and international travel) and you're suggesting that you should save them for when it's to your advantage. I agree.
Personally, I've never seen a flight where redemption matched the article at around $0.10/mi, e.g. a $5000 ticket for 50,000 miles. Let me know when you see one and I'll book a ticket and we can discuss this over coffee.
International first class flights can cost $15-20,000+. Granted you're probably not willing to spend that much so you may value it at less than face value but the actual redemption rate is way higher than 1 CPM.
