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Game Plan for 2014

Game Plan for 2014

Old Apr 24, 2012, 9:17 am
  #1  
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Game Plan for 2014

I have benefited tremendously from this community and I wanted to go the well one more time! My newly betrothed and I are planning for an exotic vacation in Jan 2014. We will have two weeks total and our current intention is South Africa (ex West Coast). However this is still up for debate. The primary question is how to accumulate sufficient miles points to be able to lock down J or F seats 350 days out.

We are pretty max'd out on new cc apps*, but are planning to go for chase BA and Amex Plat. We currently have 140K UR, 100K MR, 200K BA, 220K AA, 110K DL, and 80K SPG

At present I see a few options:
(1) Try to get another 100K UR for UA (using SAA in J)
(2) Try to get another 80K AA for BA
(3) Maybe get another 260K AS for CX (I already have card)
(4) Transfer MR to Aeroplan and find another 170K.

We will spend about $50K on cc by Jan 13, but could goose it with taxes and gift cards a bit.

What do you guys think would be the best option, or should we just scratch it and hunt for a dif't exotic vacay?

* Happy to share which ones, but keepin it brief...
econjon is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2012, 10:51 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 385
Originally Posted by econjon
I have benefited tremendously from this community and I wanted to go the well one more time! My newly betrothed and I are planning for an exotic vacation in Jan 2014. We will have two weeks total and our current intention is South Africa (ex West Coast). However this is still up for debate. The primary question is how to accumulate sufficient miles points to be able to lock down J or F seats 350 days out.

We are pretty max'd out on new cc apps*, but are planning to go for chase BA and Amex Plat. We currently have 140K UR, 100K MR, 200K BA, 220K AA, 110K DL, and 80K SPG

At present I see a few options:
(1) Try to get another 100K UR for UA (using SAA in J)
(2) Try to get another 80K AA for BA
(3) Maybe get another 260K AS for CX (I already have card)
(4) Transfer MR to Aeroplan and find another 170K.

We will spend about $50K on cc by Jan 13, but could goose it with taxes and gift cards a bit.

What do you guys think would be the best option, or should we just scratch it and hunt for a dif't exotic vacay?

* Happy to share which ones, but keepin it brief...
You're best option as far as feasibility and low cost would probably be to accumulate a few more AA miles and fly CX F from SFO-HKG-JNB. It costs 400k AA miles but you almost have enough already w/ the SPG points. 80k SPG--->100k AA miles. Or, if you haven't signed up for the citi personal or biz cards that's an option too instead of the BA cards (or in addition to the BA card?)

Don't forget about the fidelity offer you can take advantage of 3 times for a total of 150k AA miles & 150k Delta miles as an added bonus. Just sign up once for you and the wife, then once as a joint application.


I don't know a lot about BA so someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but a second option could be to get the Chase BA card ASAP and spend the 30k on it. Then you get a companion pass and can get the flight to London and down to CPT or JNB for half price. You would still have to pay YQ for both people though I believe


Star Alliance probably has the best availability to South Africa since they have SAA, especially if you route through Europe. However, your lack of miles in a *A program makes it difficult to redeeem for 2 F awards
captaincool is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2012, 3:38 pm
  #3  
 
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(1) Try to get another 100K UR for UA (using SAA in J)

I think that's your best option. Have you both gotten the Sapphire Preffered, Ink Bold, and United card?

That will be your best for low taxes and fees, good routing, and flying beds.

I think flying BA metal with AA or BA miles is a mistake because taxes and fees could be $1,000 per person.

Just get to 200k United miles and fly South African.
milevalue is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2012, 6:16 pm
  #4  
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@Captaincool - thank you for the ideas. I forgot that we can do the jt fidelity. I got shut out of the AA/UA due to prior retirement acct. So only got DL. Wife is currently working on AA and then DL.

@Milevalue and Captaincool....

As far as CC's go I have in the last 10 months I have gotten:
AMEX - Plat, SPG, Biz gold
Chase - BA, (Denied CSP...argh)
Citi- Personal Visa and Amex, Biz
BofA- AS

Wife has gotten:
AMEX - Plat, SPG, Biz gold
Chase - CSP, Ink Bold
Citi- Personal Amex, Biz (denied

I was thinking that wife could handle one more Chase--either BA or UA--but they are mad at me right now. The main problem I see with using the companion pass is that the BA tix have $1400YQ each. So while we'd love the 100K BA, the 30K on a new 65K UA puts us in range for SAA.

Finally, as far as AA + SPG, we would still be short 80K AA. I just started looking into the OWE awards, but am not sure it would work out. Ideally we'd hit JNB and back, then add on a RT to SA or Europe later in the year.

Last edited by econjon; Apr 25, 2012 at 9:54 am Reason: Changed wife's cards...Copy/paste mistake
econjon is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2012, 9:01 pm
  #5  
 
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Why not fly one two one ways? cuts what you need in each program in half?

Or--

You could trade those MR for UR, people have been known to do that trade.

You can transfer UR points to anyone's UR card, and could dump your MR into someone's FF account in return.
Stubtify is offline  
Old Apr 25, 2012, 4:55 am
  #6  
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both of you take the ua mi 40% purchase deal for 100k mi....it ends today....
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Old Apr 25, 2012, 6:29 am
  #7  
 
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Originally Posted by clacko
both of you take the ua mi 40% purchase deal for 100k mi....it ends today....
Purchasing airline miles at over 2cpm isn't really a deal... I would recommend opening the Ink Bold to get enough UA miles for the trip. Would you mind trying for a business card again?
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Old Apr 25, 2012, 9:01 am
  #8  
 
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Agree on the biz cards. Usually they don't require too much proof, and you just have to be persistent. Citi turned me down even though I had a business, but approved me after I wrote them a note. Chase approved my wife after we opened a business account with them (though we did form an LLC). Going the biz route is pretty easy, and seems to open up a lot of possibilities.


@Captain Cool - was unaware of the fidelity joint account option. My wife and I both opened individual accounts 6 months ago. Is it safe to apply for a joint at this point, or will we have to close our existing accounts? I thought they checked these things by SSN.
MisterSelfish is offline  
Old Apr 25, 2012, 10:08 am
  #9  
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Originally Posted by Stubtify
Why not fly one two one ways? cuts what you need in each program in half?
This is a great idea...don't know why I forgot about that. It's what we're doing this August on CX for honeymoon to DPS (out via AA and back on old BA)

Originally Posted by Stubtify
You could trade those MR for UR, people have been known to do that trade.
You can transfer UR points to anyone's UR card, and could dump your MR into someone's FF account in return.
I'd be willing to go this direction if still short by December. Never done it before. (Also not yet eligible to get in

@dshargorodsky and clacko -- I agree that buying the miles at $.022 is a bit much. I think we

@wanderlustre -- I'll have wife pick up the citi biz and ua cards. But I don't have the magic touch with Chase, even after reconsideration...too many apps, I even tried the horse trading bit. Maybe I'll give it a shot again in the fall.
econjon is offline  
Old Apr 25, 2012, 10:23 am
  #10  
 
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Originally Posted by econjon
@Captaincool - thank you for the ideas. I forgot that we can do the jt fidelity. I got shut out of the AA/UA due to prior retirement acct. So only got DL. Wife is currently working on AA and then DL.
Don't count on your wife can doing the Fidelity AA then DL in the same 12-month period--they've tightened the screws on this deal and now most (if not all) of us are being denied the second opportunity. I know hubby got the 50K on UA and then went for DL and was "not allowed". This was effective sometime in early April....

Another option you might consider is flying across the pond on one airline and picking up a JNB flight via another. It's possible to fly MAD to JNB on BA for 50K Avios in J with 0 taxes and fees...disregard totally if it's on IB, not worth it.

Likewise you can leave CDG > JNB on AF in J; the A380 is a nice ride, quite long so you get your points worth. Bonus would be time in Paris. {We did this last summer}

Offbeat but very economical option if you have more time than money is to do a transatlantic one-way repositioning cruise, they are usually extremely cheap. We live in Florida and we see them advertised all the time leaving Miami or Fort Lauderdale, usually to Madrid or Barcelona, rates as low as $449 for 10+ days, usually in the area of $549-$700 p/p. Frequent stops enroute include Tenerife, Morocco, Portugal.

We're in the same spot as you are and we're trying to think creatively.

Last edited by elizadoo; Apr 25, 2012 at 10:52 am
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Old Apr 25, 2012, 1:09 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by elizadoo
Another option you might consider is flying across the pond on one airline and picking up a JNB flight via another. It's possible to fly MAD to JNB on BA for 50K Avios in J with 0 taxes and fees...disregard totally if it's on IB, not worth it.
Unfortunately, only BA routing available is via LHR and must pay taxes (and add segments).
Originally Posted by elizadoo
Likewise you can leave CDG > JNB on AF in J; the A380 is a nice ride, quite long so you get your points worth. Bonus would be time in Paris. {We did this last summer}
I like this! DL awards still baffle me. e.g. I see space on AF, but I need to learn how to make connections w/ DL ex west coast.

We're not really cruise ppl, but nice work thinking outside the box.
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Old Apr 29, 2012, 5:14 pm
  #12  
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BTW - Just discovered that we can use 125K ANA for SAA. Might be best use of MR?!?
econjon is offline  

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