US Airways 2011 Grand Slam Promotion - How Are You Going to Use Your GS Miles?

Now that GS 11 has officially begun, what is your goal for using the miles that you earn?

Mine is to round out enough miles for a trip for 2 in C to PEK next June.


Love to hear what others have set as their goal.

A

good to have a goal in mind. My aim is 160K for a F RT to South Asia.

just looking for 25k to 35k from GS to add on miles I will buy for trip to Asia next year

I have ZERO miles with US. Nada. Zilch. I do intend to fly them a lot more when I move down South next year.

That being said the plan is to build up my US account so the wifey and I can take a nice trip to Europe in a couple of years. Probably Greece.

Why wait a couple of years? Becuse I am burning through 600,000 AA miles next year on a family trip to Thailand. :D

That being said the plan is to build up my US account so the wifey and I can take a nice trip to Europe in a couple of years.

Make sure to open a US account for the wife.

Having enough miles for two tickets at HIGH award rates might come in very handy.

I plan on going first class to Vegas next year for my 15th anniversary.

Only need 20,000 more miles!

Dunno. Still haven't used last year's! :)

I really wish I had been employed during the whole trackitback et al 150% bonus promo. I'd have a lot more miles than I do now!

Mike

Disney World First Class next year with my son

FIRST class to Australia from Europe

one thing-they say hits may be removed if you break contract conditions
but if youve already used the miles surely they cant do anything

goal is to order every single magazine from Miles for Mags.

na jk, hopefully 2 RT tickets.

one thing-they say hits may be removed if you break contract conditions
but if youve already used the miles surely they cant do anything

I wouldn't press my luck.

If you want to see what can be done with 120,000 miles (unofficial "around the world" trip in F), please take the time to check out the links in my signature below. Trust me, you'll enjoy it!

If you want to see what can be done with 120,000 miles (unofficial "around the world" trip in F), please take the time to check out the links in my signature below. Trust me, you'll enjoy it!

Only 120K? I thought transitting through BKK, you'd have to pay 160K -- how did you do it??

2 55K envoy seats to Europe in low season;)

Saver 60k r/t Envoy seats to Europe.

Have 60k now and awaiting 40k for the credit card....goal is 150k so that I can get a C ticket to PVG (with FRA/ZRH stopover)...and then two C tickets to Okinawa (with Tokyo stopover) for me + girlfriend.

Just cashed in 20,000 GS miles for a last minute (6 hours out) economy ticket from MKE-BGR. Ticket would have been normally $550, so I think I got a pretty good value.

First class trip to Canada from Europe...

2 first class tickets to the Caribbean!

Wait -- we get miles for doing this?

Wait -- we get miles for doing this?

I'm just here for the biscoff spread.

I'm just here for the biscoff spread.

Yeah, right -- and I'm just here to learn more about poetry readings in Charlotte.

I am burning as I earn,
i.e. booked a 55K F award to Cabo for later this week...

(to enjoy 11 nights at all-inclusive HI Resort,
which cost a grand total of 9K AA + $30... ^)

Yeah, right -- and I'm just here to learn more about poetry readings in Charlotte.

Good luck, the last show I tried to buy tickets for was sold out :eek:

Family trip to HNL summer of 2013.

Hopefully I will use the miles from the GS + CC sign up bonus to go to Europe in LH F. Super hopefully they open up F on the A380!




(to enjoy 11 nights at all-inclusive HI Resort,
which cost a grand total of 9K AA + $30... ^)


Seriously? 11 nights all-inclusive for 9,000 miles? That seems wrong.....

Being one of those older folks you hear about, all 110K are going into the hopper for my 2013 or 2014 *A RTW in the highest class I can get myself into based on where I go.

J class BNE-CLT so we can attend next year's poetry slam! LOL

OK seriously................this year will see my husband's account with enough for J class BNE-SJO with stop in LAX (2013 trip) but since it's hard to get NZ in J class and I don't want to route via Asia this time it will probably be Y.

My account will be used for the BNE-Spain trip in 2014 probably in J but maybe F if there are enough promos between now and then.

I budget 2-3 years of Grand Slamming per 2 x J tickets and plan pretty far ahead. We also have AA miles from Citibank, SQ from Amex and DJ also from Amex and Visa so we won't be buying major tickets for many years to come although we will need the occasional LCC for short hops at times.

Had 317k on the account from previous buy miles with x % off promos, and initially just wanted to top off the account to get to 360k in order to book 4 business tickets for the family to see the parents in winter. Now I'll end up with 140k from the promo... still toying with the idead to blow it all on 4 F tickets for 440k or save the 97k for a rainy day. :cool:

I am going to link them to Awardwallet and then look at them every day and smile.

I am going to get Sunset and Cigar Aficionado magazine subscriptions for all of my 234 friends on Facebook.

I am going to link them to Awardwallet and then look at them every day and smile.

:)

I think I've worn out the "Update" button on AwardWallet's page these last few weeks.

I am going to get Sunset and Cigar Aficionado magazine subscriptions for all of my 234 friends on Facebook.

Can I be friend #235 or will that put you over?

Wait -- we get miles for doing this?

Ya know, I'm sick of answering these questions for newbies. Please do a search next time or see Post #1 in the "Other Hits" thread. :mad:

:D

Mike

Got 16 hits-totally satisfied. Was able to buy a 25k award back home for xmas time. Feel like its the best thing I can do since my parents are paying for college and all.

It looks like I'm just going to hoard mine. I've spent hours (2-3 a day) the last three days on the ANA website trying to find combinations for two tickets to Italy next year. I have pages of notes of flights and connections, and I can either get us there one way in Bus and the other in coach, but not the same. The US non-stop from CLT-FCO? 1 seat available but not two.

And the flight schedules I can find are grueling. One combination of double connects gives me a 6 hour layover at JFK going over a day before I really want to go (extra vacation day) and results in 22 hours of travelling. The return has a 6:50 am departure from Venice, a 3 hour layover in FRA and a 4 hour layover in EWR. Add the two hour drive home from CLT and that is a 23 hour travel day!

I thought with enough miles to book business class this would be easier. It's not. It's <insert choice of animal excrement here>. Bah!

Ya know, I'm sick of answering these questions for newbies. Please do a search next time or see Post #1 in the "Other Hits" thread. :mad:

:D

Mike

Hey relax Mike. We can barely handle one Beltway. Be nice to the newbies. :p

PS: I didn't ask that question.

It looks like I'm just going to hoard mine. I've spent hours (2-3 a day) the last three days on the ANA website trying to find combinations for two tickets to Italy next year. I have pages of notes of flights and connections, and I can either get us there one way in Bus and the other in coach, but not the same. The US non-stop from CLT-FCO? 1 seat available but not two.

And the flight schedules I can find are grueling. One combination of double connects gives me a 6 hour layover at JFK going over a day before I really want to go (extra vacation day) and results in 22 hours of travelling. The return has a 6:50 am departure from Venice, a 3 hour layover in FRA and a 4 hour layover in EWR. Add the two hour drive home from CLT and that is a 23 hour travel day!

I thought with enough miles to book business class this would be easier. It's not. It's <insert choice of animal excrement here>. Bah!

Depending when you want to go, it's probably quite early. Best to keep looking. I'd frankly not even consider US across the pond, the Envoy availability always sucks in my experience. I'll help if you'd like. You'll almost certainly have to double connect since your only single connection options are CLT-FRA on US or CLT-MUC on LH, then on to FCO. Yes, it takes a while but the whole point of being in business or first with lounge access is that it's not as grueling as coach.

Hey relax Mike. We can barely handle one Beltway. Be nice to the newbies. :p

I am going to use my miles to fly far, far away from the FT servers used by mean people to cruelly taunt me. :(

I am going to use my miles to fly far, far away from the FT servers used by mean people to cruelly taunt me. :(

Not a 'taunt' mate, just a mild 'tease'. ;)

Probably next summer's Northeast U.S./Canada trip.

I know that's a rather mundane use of miles, but (a) that's where US flies, (b) those tix are *always* around $500 a pop for us, (c) the CC enables them for 20,000 miles or - more typically with one direction in the mid-tier award - 27,500 miles each, and (d) we're using BA for our primary and longest international trip next year.

If we find a fare deal, then we'd buy that trip and hoard the US miles for a 2013 award to Asia on *A. I'd likely have enough for a couple of J awards...

I think that's a great use pinniped ^

With the CC 5,000 mile discount you save most miles on the lowest awards.

E.g. if you book 5 domestic coach roundtrips you save 25,000 miles total (100,000 miles instead of 125,000). But a 100,000 business r/t to Europe you save only 5% (95,000 instead of 100,000).

One of the best deals with this in mind is off-peak econ roundtrip to Europe for 30k miles. From the West coast to budapest that's a ridiculous redemption, only 5k more than a standard redemption to NYC for instance.

One of the best deals with this in mind is off-peak econ roundtrip to Europe for 30k miles. From the West coast to budapest that's a ridiculous redemption, only 5k more than a standard redemption to NYC for instance.

Except that off-peak awards are only on US metal and US doesn't fly to Budapest.

The closest you could get in the off season would be Munich.

I'm using the miles for two trips to LHR to visit a good friend that's in grad school at UCL. The remainder of my balance will be used in 2012 for a *A business class trip to either Kenya or somewhere in northern Asia.

And I've already started preparing for GS2012 by stocking up on eMiles and eRewards points.

Just used my miles this morning by booking 2 tickets to FCO from CLT in January. I usually travel east of Berlin, so this is my first time going to a big western European capital. I don't know what to expect, to be honest. Hopefully I'll be surprised since my expectations of Rome (along with Paris, London, or Madrid) aren't too high.

Got 16 hits-totally satisfied. Was able to buy a 25k award back home for xmas time. Feel like its the best thing I can do since my parents are paying for college and all.

That's awesome. Glad to see there are some other college students on here that collect miles. I got 16 hits (+1 safety hit) as long as they all post. Should have enough with my current balance and my hits to get an off peak reward to London this January/February which are usually only around 35,000 for Y.

Hope to book a Biz or 1st class from LAX to HAN , PNH to LAX for traveling in Dec. 2012

Someday the GF and I are going to go in F to OGG. And I don;t think its a bad value for miles, so please don;t bring it up. Some of us have no desire to go to europe or asia.

I started with a plan to do 32 hits and get most of the way to a J award to Europe. I decided to push to 36 hits (since even my four most expensive hits for the last 20k miles puts me at ~0.8cpm), so I'm within striking distance of North Asia via Europe in F.

For the time being, I'm waiting for hits to finish posting...

Boy, my 110,000 miles was only in the account briefly..lol..Just booked two round-trip first class tickets to the Netherlands Antilles. Wanted to book sooner rather than later so we could get the low miles for first class/envoy. Can't wait!!

That's awesome. Glad to see there are some other college students on here that collect miles. I got 16 hits (+1 safety hit) as long as they all post. Should have enough with my current balance and my hits to get an off peak reward to London this January/February which are usually only around 35,000 for Y.

I'm booked to LHR in January for 35K. Such an awesome deal. If you have the miles in your account and have dates picked, don't wait too long to book. With taxes, the flight was around $200 or so, which is $600 less than my ticket was when I went to LHR in September. $600/35K is $0.01714. Not too bad! ^

My wife and I are about to book an IAD-IST (stop)-BEY in J round trip to visit my brother-in-law in Beirut with a nice little stop in Istanbul. Definitely worth the hassle!

Just signed up for Awardwallet (thank for the link kendenton) - very impressed so far. I think I'd rather just look at my miles balances than actually do anything to use them ;)

Except that off-peak awards are only on US metal and US doesn't fly to Budapest.

The closest you could get in the off season would be Munich.

Still not a bad award... We've used MUC as the place to fly into for Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, etc. Our reasons have been related to cheap fares and the availability of United SWU's. :)

Hertz in MUC seems used to people renting there to immediately leave Germany. They have different rental agreements for different makes of cars - including some that can go pretty far east and south. (Former Yugoslav area in a Kia? No problem!)

Never done it in the dead of winter though. Not sure how passable the main roads through the mountains are. I guess if Budapest is the only destination you just tack on a cheap flight at the end.

Yeah sorry I actually meant Munich, I was thinking of their furthest east destination in Europe and for some reason thought it was BUD.

Still a very good reward.

I just booked two roundtrip tickets in Continental Business First: PIT->EWR-DEL for 5/25 return 6/4

Lots of availability in J in continental to DEL in May June July. It may not be F, but it is very nice (and nonstop)

Just signed up for Awardwallet (thank for the link kendenton) - very impressed so far. I think I'd rather just look at my miles balances than actually do anything to use them ;)

Ha! I totally agree. I don't know if I can bring myself to part with these miles; it is too fun to look at my balances!

Ha! I totally agree. I don't know if I can bring myself to part with these miles; it is too fun to look at my balances!

Haha, agreed! ^ I'm done with my hits so I'm out of "GS mode," but not all my hits/bonuses have posted. So I'm going to be incredibly ecstatic when I wake up with 40,000+ miles extra next week!

I'm going to go to South Africa in business class in 2013. 110K to Africa is one of the gems of the US chart, IMHO.

90k each for biz class to north asia between my wife's and my account the entire family is attending my grandma's 100th birthday next year :)

I'm going to go to South Africa in business class in 2013. 110K to Africa is one of the gems of the US chart, IMHO.
Same thought, but hoping for 2012

I just booked two roundtrip tickets in Continental Business First: PIT->EWR-DEL for 5/25 return 6/4

Lots of availability in J in continental to DEL in May June July. It may not be F, but it is very nice (and nonstop)

Whenever I have a choice, I'd rather redeem J than F except in rare cases (e.g., LH with a long connection in FRA). I guess my basic thought is that since most carriers have upgraded their J product in recent years and since most carriers aren't operating super-premium F experiences anymore, I'd rather hold the incremental miles for a later trip.

My 2011-2012 redemptions have been AA and BA, two airlines that seem to have more open F cabins and very tight availability on J. Just did AA to PVG in F, a pretty weak soft product. Going to DEL in fall '12 in BA F. I can't complain about it and I know we'll enjoy the trip, but there was ZERO business class availability, and that's what I looked for first.

If I end up holding these US miles through mid-next-year, I'll look to redeem to Asia in J.

. Going to DEL in fall '12 in BA F. I can't complain about it and I know we'll enjoy the trip, but there was ZERO business class availability, and that's what I looked for first.

If I end up holding these US miles through mid-next-year, I'll look to redeem to Asia in J.

I have about 300k BA Miles (or Avios points, as of today). How many did you redeem for that? It's interesting you need that much lead time.

Use the GS miles to take some kiddos to hike the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Mind you I have been teaching these kiddos to save their money and plan carefully while I have been investing in cookies, domain names, bonsai books, stuffed animals, and throwing credit all over town. After 2 months my $2,000 invested is worth about $5,000 in tickets while their $100 invested is worth about $100.05.:p

Booked 3 off-peak award seats from PHL-PAR for my father's 75th birthday, and my niece's HS graduation (my sister got the 3rd ticket)!

All for 90K miles (saved 15K miles using the US MC). Thanks GS2011!

It looks like I'm just going to hoard mine. I've spent hours (2-3 a day) the last three days on the ANA website trying to find combinations for two tickets to Italy next year.

After a week off at Thanksgiving I resumed my hunt this week. This morning I was successful in booking 2 biz class seats CLT-JFK-FRA-VCE with a return FCO-EWR-CLT. This is two years of GS points (200,000) with roughly $600 invested. The return is about $10,000 worth of tickets. I would never have booked this trip without GS.

Now that many of us have closed the books on the 2011 Grand Slam, I thought I'd see if anyone has some unique plans for using the miles you earned. This was my first year participating in the Grand Slam, and I'm definitely a newbie to booking awards using DM; the only experience I have was right out of college when I lived in Vegas and would save up 25,000 miles for a r/t flight back to the east coast. I now know that miles can go much further on partner airlines for complex or long-haul premium international flights, so I'm interested to hear other's thoughts on the best options out there

I took home just over 120,000 miles this year, so my account currently stands at 143,278. I am planning on keeping those until next year's GS so I can earn enough for some decent F/J international tickets for both me and my wife.

What else are people thinking?

Now that many of us have closed the books on the 2011 Grand Slam, I thought I'd see if anyone has some unique plans for using the miles you earned. This was my first year participating in the Grand Slam, and I'm definitely a newbie to booking awards using DM; the only experience I have was right out of college when I lived in Vegas and would save up 25,000 miles for a r/t flight back to the east coast. I now know that miles can go much further on partner airlines for complex or long-haul premium international flights, so I'm interested to hear other's thoughts on the best options out there

I took home just over 120,000 miles this year, so my account currently stands at 143,278. I am planning on keeping those until next year's GS so I can earn enough for some decent F/J international tickets for both me and my wife.

What else are people thinking?

Pretty much in the same boat....

Not sure. I missed 36 hits by 1, but have a total of 100,255 miles in my account.

Maybe go to napa valley envoy class next month, or save them until next year and go to Europe / Prague in low season.

Booked today, for DH and myself:
SBP-SFO-EWR/JFK-BRU<stop for a month>-NBO<destination for 17 days>-ZRH-PHL-PHX-SBP in Business class for 110,000 miles each.
Very, very happy with this redemption, though it really took a lot of work to find availability.

Booked last month. Earned 184K on my account for a bit under $675.

120K for F award to Asia (won't give exact routing, but highlights include FRA FCT, LX F, TG F, BKK Spa ... hoping to pull off LH F close in since schedule change might give me a freebie).
60K for 2 J awards within South Asia ... BKK to India, India to Vietnam. All in SQ J (including the 77W).

Next year, will definitely bring in another account or 2 into the game (under family's names).

Already went to BKK on UA for only 60K in Y and I have another trip booked for BKK again in September on Thai for 80K. I usually prefer traveling in Y so I can make more frequent short trips instead of a long one in J or F (I have g/f in BKK).

... (I have g/f in BKK).

You don't say....:o