I will likely need to top up my qpoints (rather than qmiles) to make EXP this year. With booked travel I am at approx 70k qpoints and 51k qmiles. Almost all of the cheapest fares are 0.5 qpoint earning fare codes. So what should I be looking for in structuring MRs (or is that QpRs)?

If you are looking for cheap fares that will provide max q-points, you will need to structure your MR with sub-500 mile flights since you get a minimum of 500 q-points/flight no matter your fare class.

One thing that can make a huge difference is take full advantage of canceled flights, especially on bad weather days. The airline agents are usually very open to suggestion when rebooking becuase they just want you to go away. (I know, I worked in AA reservations years ago) If your nice and show that your flexible and easy to please becuase you want the miles, you can make out like a bandit.

Rebookings are almost always in a higher class which will be worth 1x or even 1.5x points instead of your base fare.

A good example is what I recently did for my platinum challenge. I has a MR booked from DFW to ORD for that three trip / 25k mile bonus. The fare was somewhere around $150. So I would have only gotten a thousand points but taken care of the third round trip.

It was scheduled the sunday after that really bad wind storm in DFW. They canceled the return flight fairly early so I called res to get rebooked. I told them I was really flexible since I was doing this for miles anyway and that I'd be perfectly willing to come back through anywhere, I even had a passport. They were so busy and had canceled so many flights he was having trouble finding anything. He checked everywhere: LAX, SEA, LAS, MIA, SFO and finally found a connection through LGA and booked it in Y. So I went from 500 points to about 3,000 points on just that reroute.

When the morning came my originating flight was cancled as well, when I talked to the agent I took the same approach. He couldn't find anything for me that weekend but rebooked the trip for the next weekend. The cool thing was that he didn't check my original ticket and saw it as a LGA round trip not ORD so he rebooked my exact same itinerary still going through LGA. But it's all in Y now so I get 1.5x points on the dfw-ord leg as well.

It gets better. The next weekend the ORD-LGA flight cancels due to a crew shortage (it's about time those pilots did something that actually helped me) The agent still saw it as a LGA round trip so she was concerned about getting me to LGA and back. The later flight would have missed my LGA-DFW flight so she had to rebook that. Well I took the same approach and suggested that she try Miami. I don't think she even looked at the non-stops and just took my suggestion. Well this was around spring break and the flights were full so all that was available was first class to MIA and coach to DFW but she booked it anyway. To top it off the agent in MIA gave me a compimentery upgrade becuase I was a reroute!

So the original ticket was DFW - ORD -DFW for about $150 and would have earned 1000 points and picked up 2,004 miles (w/gold bonus)

I ended up with:
DFW - ORD - LGA - MIA - DFW booked all in Y except the first class LGA-MIA and earned 5,630 points and 4,691 miles (w/gold bonus) and the two longest legs were in first class and I didn't pay an extra dime or use any upgrades.

So the original ticket was DFW - ORD -DFW for about $150 and would have earned 1000 points and picked up 2,004 miles (w/gold bonus)

I ended up with:
DFW - ORD - LGA - MIA - DFW booked all in Y except the first class LGA-MIA and earned 5,630 points and 4,691 miles (w/gold bonus) and the two longest legs were in first class and I didn't pay an extra dime or use any upgrades.

WOW!

If only that were repeatable!

I will likely need to top up my qpoints (rather than qmiles) to make EXP this year. With booked travel I am at approx 70k qpoints and 51k qmiles. Almost all of the cheapest fares are 0.5 qpoint earning fare codes. So what should I be looking for in structuring MRs (or is that QpRs)?

DUB is a good option for you.

It goes on sale for under $500 all in in W class - 1 point per mile so over 10K Q points possible.

DUB is a good option for you.

It goes on sale for under $500 all in in W class - 1 point per mile so over 10K Q points possible.

Is that on AA metal or EI metal AA codeshare? B/c I would want to eVIP.

Is that on AA metal or EI metal AA codeshare? B/c I would want to eVIP.


In the slow times AA has these GREAT fares to DUB and SNN. I took advantage of it in February. $315 all in after applying a discount code. W fare. eVIP applied both ways. NGBC both direstions ^

In the slow times AA has these GREAT fares to DUB and SNN. I took advantage of it in February. $315 all in after applying a discount code. W fare. eVIP applied both ways. NGBC both direstions ^

Yes this does sound like a good option - especially as we near the end of the year and I am sure how many more qpoints i need. I assume LAX-ORD-DUB-ORD-LAX can be done over a weekend (leave Sat - get back Sun)?

It's also worth running searches for 1.0 Q point inventory between city pairs that have generally good fares anyway. Sometimes for not much more you can upgrade yourself to a full point earning fare class.

I assume LAX-ORD-DUB-ORD-LAX can be done over a weekend (leave Sat - get back Sun)?


No trouble. you can even pad it out a bit, for example LAX-DFW-ORD-DUB-ORD-DFW-LAX. Or, if you are prepared to take a Friday night red-eye, you should be able to take in MIA as well: LAX-MIA-ORD-etc or even, as I have done, LAX-MIA-MCO-DFW-ORD-etc

No trouble. you can even pad it out a bit, for example LAX-DFW-ORD-DUB-ORD-DFW-LAX. Or, if you are prepared to take a Friday night red-eye, you should be able to take in MIA as well: LAX-MIA-ORD-etc or even, as I have done, LAX-MIA-MCO-DFW-ORD-etc

Yep i was thinking that - maybe just lax-dfw-ord-dub. The only routing restriction seems to be MPM of 6195 - I assume that's one way?

In the slow times AA has these GREAT fares to DUB and SNN. I took advantage of it in February. $315 all in after applying a discount code.

LAX does not not go that low...but under $500 happens from LAX.

I don't know your schedule. If it were me, I would route LAX-MIA on a wide body, overnight in MIA, then MIA-DFW on wide body, then DFW-ORD 777, then ORD-DUB 767.... this would exceed the MPM a little but still be doable.

LAX does not not go that low...but under $500 happens from LAX.

I don't know your schedule. If it were me, I would route LAX-MIA on a wide body, overnight in MIA, then MIA-DFW on wide body, then DFW-ORD 777, then ORD-DUB 767.... this would exceed the MPM a little but still be doable.

I see a W fare LAX-DUB for 285+

In my experience asking GA for more direct routing often results in an upgrade in fare class (e.g. LAX-ORD-BOS to LAX-BOS).