US Airways Dividend Miles - cashing out -- best award strategy

My wife and I have lifetime platinum status at CO, so now that CO is in Star, there's really no point in maintaining our Dividend Miles accounts. So we want to "top off" our DM accounts, and cash in the miles for award travel (and then I'll have one less ff program to keep track of!). As you're probably aware (otherwise see thread), there's an official DM "trade" offer now underway, so this would seem a good time to top off the accounts at little more than a penny a mile. So I'm trying to decide which awards to utilize. Since we now live on the East Coast, I'm particularly interested in Pacific awards (I can usually buy cheap tickets to Europe, and I use my AA miles to travel to South America).

Assuming the award charts are "firm" for a few months, it looks like there are some "bargains" in the US chart (compared to the CO chart). "North Asia" is still only 60,000 in coach and 90,000 in biz. Biz class to Australia is 110,000. Hawaii in coach is still 35,000.

But since I'll be using partners, I'll get hit by US's steep fees. Am I correct that I'll have to pay a per-ticket "call center fee" of $30 to Hawaii, and $40 for int'l? And THEN I have to add on an additional "award processing fee"? That fee would be $50 for Hawaii. The chart seems to omit reference to Asia -- any chance I could book that for no "award processing fee"? ;)

https://membership.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/usemiles/booktravel.html

The best "deals" would therefore seem to be for biz travel, since the award chart is most advantageous (CO is brutally expensive for biz award travel) and, as a percentage of "cost," the fees work out to be less.

I'm also "terrified" by US's award change fees. Am I correct that I can make NO changes whatsoever to award travel (even date changes) without getting hit for a $150 or $250 per ticket fee?

Anything I'm missing here -- like other potentially lucrative awards of potential problems with reward availability? I know from personal experience that transpacific coach is pretty easy to get on Star, and what I've read suggests that it's relatively easy to find biz, too (although any tips on this would be greatly appreciated).

Thanks for the help!

I´m not too familiar with DM, but here are my thoughts:

- if you fly from North America to the South Pacific, you can make a stopover in Asia at no additional cost which can make a great trip
some people have been successful in getting other "creative" routings, e.g. NA to Africa with a stopover in Europe.
- I would consider redeeming for a F flight as it is only slightly more expensive and would give you far more (enjoyable) options

They no longer charge the call center fee for awards that cannot be booked online. Just the $50 'award processing fee' for long-haul international (includes all inter-continental flights, contrary to what you're hoping but I'm certain know better :)), and $75 close-in fee if departing in 14 days or less.

And you're right - it's basically a non-refundable ticket based on the high cost of changes. That change / redeposit fee is waved for top-tier, however.

- if you fly from North America to the South Pacific, you can make a stopover in Asia at no additional cost which can make a great trip.

Interesting. Does the stopover have to be at a hub? Like I'd have to fly ANA and stopover in Tokyo? Any China stopovers possible?

They no longer charge the call center fee for awards that cannot be booked online. Just the $50 'award processing fee' for long-haul international (includes all inter-continental flights, contrary to what you're hoping but I'm certain know better :)), and $75 close-in fee if departing in 14 days or less.

And you're right - it's basically a non-refundable ticket based on the high cost of changes. That change / redeposit fee is waved for top-tier, however.

I read a couple threads on this and I thought the LATEST info was that they are charging BOTH fees. No? I hope you're right, because it gets pretty fee crazy when you combine the two.

A couple of years ago, I booked tickets on UA to Hawaii using Dividend Miles and then -- for free -- changed the dates when more inventory became available. But that's now impossible without paying a huge "change" fee, right?

Interesting. Does the stopover have to be at a hub? Like I'd have to fly ANA and stopover in Tokyo? Any China stopovers possible?

I read a couple threads on this and I thought the LATEST info was that they are charging BOTH fees. No? I hope you're right, because it gets pretty fee crazy when you combine the two.

A couple of years ago, I booked tickets on UA to Hawaii using Dividend Miles and then -- for free -- changed the dates when more inventory became available. But that's now impossible without paying a huge "change" fee, right?

Yes. There's a stopovers thread here. Generally, with rare exceptions / screwups, must be a US destination or a *A hub for a stopover, and you must arrive on that hub's carrier though you may depart on another. The South Pacific via Asia loophole is nice but I suspect it will eventually be closed.

The change or redeposit fee applies but evidence has shown they are not charging the phone fee for *A awards, just like the few other circumstances where that fee is waived as there's no other way to book but by calling. I just booked PHX-LAX-LHR / AMS-FRA-IAH-PHX and paid only the $50 processing fee, no $40 ticketing fee. They stopped charging that in the spring I believe, as I was able to email customer service and get a refund for an award I'd booked the day before.

Interesting. Does the stopover have to be at a hub? Like I'd have to fly ANA and stopover in Tokyo? Any China stopovers possible?


The rules regarding stopovers are (from the US website):

"One en route stopover is permitted at a US Airways hub city, a US Airways international destination or ticketed partner's hub city per direction."

There is a long (IMO very useful) thread about which redemptions are possible with a focus on which stopovers are possible:

www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-dividend-miles/936729-star-alliance-award-ticket-stop-overs-conslidated-thread.html

The consensus is that every call center agent has a different interpretation of what the rules exactly mean, but it seems to be the case that you´d have to arrive (not not necessarily depart) on TG if you wanted to make a stopover in BKK or ANA if you wanted to make a stopover in NRT (unless your stopover is a US Airways destination)

With regards to China, I´m not an expert but I think it should be possible if you travelled on China Airlines from the US.
(Some have also been sucessful having a stopover at an airline´s hub outside of their homemarket)

Thanks.

That "South Pacific via Asia loophole" sounds great, but one problem: who has time to go to Bangkok and Australia on the same trip? :)

Thanks.

That "South Pacific via Asia loophole" sounds great, but one problem: who has time to go to Bangkok and Australia on the same trip? :)

:) Some people do, surprisingly. I would have preferred coming home from my honeymoon in Tasmania a more direct route. We went PHX-LAX-AKL-SYD which was fine. The return SYD-ICN-LAX-PHX with two hours in ICN was brutal, even in C. Actually, after that experience I probably won't pick OZ again unless there's no other option in the future. It's fine, just felt impersonal, the food - western and Korean - wasn't appealing and it was very hot on SYD-ICN and despite my request, it was kept very warm. The same aircraft was used for ICN-LAX and was fine so I know it wasn't a MX issue.

I'm also "terrified" by US's award change fees. Am I correct that I can make NO changes whatsoever to award travel (even date changes) without getting hit for a $150 or $250 per ticket fee?

Thanks for the help!

I thought you are going for international * award thus I remember date can be changed if same route (if award seat available).

Biz class to Asia is good. I am in west coast so I am looking for Biz class to Europe.