MilesBuzz! - Need Advice Using Points/Miles SFO to HKG

Hello FT Members.

I am planning a trip for April 5 to April 21...

There will be two adults, one 3 yr old child, and one 6 month infant (will be born in October :)

Date can be somewhat flexible for the best usage of miles/points.

I have 200k BA miles and 300 SPG ...

Would like to fly business class if possible...

Please help me route my trip, thank you FT members in advance

I'm seeing availability on CX outbound on the 4th, return on the 25th.

As @Gamecock writes, CX is direct and available (and a great airline). Your best bet is to transfer Starpoints to AA for the most efficient redemption, though you run a risk of getting left hanging since Starpoints do not transfer instantly (SPG-->AA will likely take a couple of days to a week, depending on what day of the week you initiate the transfer; I believe Starwood does a weekly "sweep").

Your best free resource is likely using the BA.com engine to see what availability is like (using partner availability) SFO-HKG on CX/JAL/AA. Best of luck.

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"Your best bet is to transfer Starpoints to AA for the most efficient redemption, though you run a risk of getting left hanging since Starpoints do not transfer instantly (SPGAA will likely take a couple of days to a week, depending on what day of the week you initiate the transfer; I believe Starwood does a weekly "sweep")."

AA permits award reservations to be held for up to five days at no charge. That might be long enough for the Starpoints to be converted to AAdvantage miles.

Avios

140000

Inclusive total

$ 371.77

looks like i need 420k Avios for this trip...

i m short 220k Avios...

is there a limit on the number of SPG points i can transfer to Avios?

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If you plan to redeem for CX flights, why on earth would you want to transfer SPG to BA? AA charges fewer miles than BA does, and assesses no fuel surcharges on CX redemptions.

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If you plan to redeem for CX flights, why on earth would you want to transfer SPG to BA? AA charges fewer miles than BA does, and assesses no fuel surcharges on CX redemptions.

Agreed. Just stick with AA for this one if you can

Agreed. Just stick with AA for this one if you can

Yeah, there is no reason to deal with BA at this point since SPG transfers to AA. As everyone else said, AA charges less miles and you won't pay the fuel surcharge. Save the BA Avios points for short-haul domestic or trip down to South America.

Convert the SPG to AA as soon as possible.

110,000 a person in Business class for AA
70,000 in economy

If you are short some points, you can always fly economy one way and business the other.

The inclusive price of $371 on BA, does that include fuel surcharge?

I m a newbie to the miles/points game ;)

The inclusive price of $371 on BA, does that include fuel surcharge?

I m a newbie to the miles/points game ;)

Yes, if $371 is the inclusive price than that would include the fuel surcharge. You won't be able to price out a ticket on AA.com because their search engine doesn't allow you to book partner awards, but it should be CONSIDERABLY less than $371 since AA doesn't charge you a fuel surcharge if you use their miles, whereas BA does.

I'd expect to pay around $100 a ticket going SFO-HKG on AA, as opposed to the $371 on BA.

If you call up AA, they can tell you the exact price.

One of the issue here is that CX charges 25% for lap infant (sometime full fare of the travel class). I would look at Singapore (maybe F for a bit more) you transfer SPG to SQ, and fly SQ1/2 SFO-HKG, decent availability

The inclusive price of $371 on BA, does that include fuel surcharge?

I m a newbie to the miles/points game ;)

Yes.
And don't transfer your SPG to avios. Transfer it to AA instead. It uses the same award availability (for CX) as avios.
Like mentioned above, it's only 110k miles and no fuel surcharge, so total i'm thinking $50 or less (per award ticket).

Why in the world you want to use Avios?! It is a whole lot more expensive than using AA miles both in terms of miles and in terms of cash.

Using AA miles for a sample itinerary SFO-HKG-SFO, it is 55K one way in J and 67.5K one way in F. The cash portion is either $2.50 or $5.00 outbound (I dont remember which one) and about $38 inbound.

The 3 years old would have the same cost as the adult. The infant would pay a % of a published fare of the cabin s/he travels in - so whatever the adult redeems, it would be X% of the fare for the infant - though it has not bee a clear cut matter whether it is the non-restricted fare or the discounted fare. You would need to call AA to find out. Or search the AA forum on the topic. It has been discussed many times in the past so you should be able to find multiple threads on it.

As several posts pointed out, SPG pts to AA miles would be the no brainer option.

One of the issue here is that CX charges 25% for lap infant (sometime full fare of the travel class). I would look at Singapore (maybe F for a bit more) you transfer SPG to SQ, and fly SQ1/2 SFO-HKG, decent availability

It will cost much more miles to redeem the same award in Krisflyer.

Can I transfer all 300k SPG points to AA? How long would it take for the transfer?

Can I transfer all 300k SPG points to AA? How long would it take for the transfer?

20k SPG -> 25k AA.
So 300k -> 375k AA.
You only need 330k AA for 3 biz roundtrip, so 260k + 5k spg.
Someone mentioned upthread that it might take a week or so, and AA allow you to hold award for 5 days or so.

Not an expert on Avios redemptions, but right now the are offering a 25% bonus on SPG transfers. Expires 20 June.

As far as how long it takes to transfer SPG to AA, there are reports of <24 hours, others of a week.

Just make sure you do the transfer in multiples of 20,000 points. I believe I read (someone help me out here:)) that you can only transfer 60K a day, and that only one transfer per day is allowed.

When transfer a large amount SPG sometimes would be overly cautious because of fraud alert. Dont do it online but call in and explain that you need to book AA award for the family of 3 therefore requires that many miles...

AA award can be held for 5 days. If availability is there, the hold can be extended.

Your number 1 order is to transfer the SPG pts asap. Then call AA to put the awards on hold, inquire the infant fare. You would need to ticket by phone anyway. If needed, ask to extend the hold. The infant fare may require a few calls to sort it out.

I would seriously consider flying CX F one way and CX J the other way. You should have enough SPG to get this worked out via AA miles. CX F is a special experience. I day dream about it all the time.

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"Your best bet is to transfer Starpoints to AA for the most efficient redemption, though you run a risk of getting left hanging since Starpoints do not transfer instantly (SPGAA will likely take a couple of days to a week, depending on what day of the week you initiate the transfer; I believe Starwood does a weekly "sweep")."

AA permits award reservations to be held for up to five days at no charge. That might be long enough for the Starpoints to be converted to AAdvantage miles.

if its not, there is a chance they'd extend it further. Just depends on availability. If you call up 1 day prior to your hold expiration and tell then you're transferring miles you *may* be able to extend further. Not guaranteed, but a possibility.

Hello FT Members.

I am planning a trip for April 5 to April 21...

There will be two adults, one 3 yr old child, and one 6 month infant (will be born in October :)

Date can be somewhat flexible for the best usage of miles/points.

I have 200k BA miles and 300 SPG ...

Would like to fly business class if possible...

Please help me route my trip, thank you FT members in advance

Realize that you'll probably be charged up to 10% of the full fare F or C rate for the infant in seat option. My sister got hit with this 2 years ago on a INTL F seat and it was not cheap.

Yes, if $371 is the inclusive price than that would include the fuel surcharge. You won't be able to price out a ticket on AA.com because their search engine doesn't allow you to book partner awards, but it should be CONSIDERABLY less than $371 since AA doesn't charge you a fuel surcharge if you use their miles, whereas BA does.

I'd expect to pay around $100 a ticket going SFO-HKG on AA, as opposed to the $371 on BA.

If you call up AA, they can tell you the exact price.

My AA SEA-SFO and CX SFO-HKG in F came out to ~$130 total on a F redemption.

I would seriously consider flying CX F one way and CX J the other way. You should have enough SPG to get this worked out via AA miles. CX F is a special experience. I day dream about it all the time.

I second that. CX F is well worth the miles premium if you can afford it. It was a great experience SFO-HKG in CX F on a 747. I can't wait to book aa award trip to Thailand just to get CX F again.

Granted, it's a tough choice between CX F on a 747 and QF F on an A380 (I've done and enjoyed both), but the CX F is easier to find/book.

My AA SEA-SFO and CX SFO-HKG in F came out to ~$130 total on a F redemption.

Why your taxes so high?

My MIA-DFW-SFO-HKG F, was only $7.50. The return HKG-YVR-JFK-MIA was $37.xx

I was reading on SPG site that u can transfer up to 94,999 SPG points per day, is that correct?

However, It says the first 74999 points transferred are 1:1, the next 20000 will get an additional 5k bonus...

Is this the best way to transfer or is there a strategy to get more bonus miles?

I can't find the link now, but BA charges only 10% of required miles for a lap child. Last time I made the reservation back in 2010, BA charged only 5,000 miles for my then lap child for an one-way C class on AA from US to NRT (50K for adult.)

You probably need to do all the math, but it may save you some money if you do ticket:

1. AA miles for you and your 3-year-old
2. BA miles for your spouse and lap child

Just my 2 cents.

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I was reading on SPG site that u can transfer up to 94,999 SPG points per day, is that correct?

However, It says the first 74999 points transferred are 1:1, the next 20000 will get an additional 5k bonus...

Is this the best way to transfer or is there a strategy to get more bonus miles?

You are misinterpreting the transfer rules.

You get a 5K-mile bonus for every 20K points you convert at one time. So if you convert 60K points on a single day, you will end up with 75K AAdvantage miles. If you convert 70K points on a single day, you will end up with only 85K AA miles, since you will get the bonus only on the first 60K.

If you want to maximize the bonus, convert 60K points per day for as many consecutive days as needed.

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(Deleted.)

Realize that you'll probably be charged up to 10% of the full fare F or C rate for the infant in seat option. My sister got hit with this 2 years ago on a INTL F seat and it was not cheap.

Does anyone know if AA charge for an infant in your seat option? If so, how much... i have not had time to call AA to ask... Thank you FTs

Can I transfer all 300k SPG points to AA? How long would it take for the transfer?
You can do ideally only 60k SPG at a time
Actually, you can do max SPG 79999 = 94999 on AA each day,
but you lose 5k bonus
The transfer takes place on Wed Am and the points show up on THU
All transfers until Tue noon post the same week in my experience

Suggest
Call AA and hold reservation now
Call SPG tomorrow and ask for their internal transfer desk
Starwood Lurker may help with this
Transfer 135k to your wife's acct - should show up at once

On Mon
Transfer 60k from your acct to your AA acct
Transfer 60k from your wifes acct to her AA acct
(names must match exactly for AA transfers)
On Tues
Transfer 75k from your acct to your AA acct
Transfer 75k from your wifes acct to her AA acct
(names must match exactly for AA transfers)

By this, you have 75k on Mon Transfer
You get 90k on Tue Transfer
Total on Wed = 165 = 1 full r/t ticket + one half
Or better - 3 tickets in J oneway outbound
The other person can book 3 tickets on return

Use the Avios for the last ticket and pay the extra taxes on that
I always book myself as the oddball and keep the family together.
Helps with IRROPS I can fight my way through the problems, harder to do that for kids and family. better to keep them all grouped in 1 ticket.

Realize that you'll probably be charged up to 10% of the full fare F or C rate for the infant in seat option. My sister got hit with this 2 years ago on a INTL F seat and it was not cheap.

I once booked PHL-FRA-SIN-FRA-EWR instead of PHL-FRA-SIN-FRA-PHL for adult with child as the taxi cab was cheaper from EWR.
This was a short notice booking
At the airport, when paying for the infant, we had to pay 2000$ for the kid (instead of 1200$ for LH F class back to PHL) The fare was 20k for EWR return (open jaw/multicity) vs 12k for PHL return for round trip pricing.
With more time, (and TIB US miles) I would have paid for the infant in F as well.
Most expensive cab ride ever that I "saved" on.

A couple of other items for comparison:

Alaska Airlines can put you on Cathay Pacific. I flew San Francisco to Bangkok (via Hong Kong) that way. Very nice in business class. Alaska often has different inventory than American, but also has different hold restrictions.
You can use Starpoints to buy a ticket on any flight. It's points per $1 spent. Not sure if they can get the get the best prices, but if you notice a sale price on Cathay Pacific, it might be worth looking into.

Not an expert on Avios redemptions, but right now the are offering a 25% bonus on SPG transfers. Expires 20 June.

As far as how long it takes to transfer SPG to AA, there are reports of <24 hours, others of a week.

Just make sure you do the transfer in multiples of 20,000 points. I believe I read (someone help me out here:)) that you can only transfer 60K a day, and that only one transfer per day is allowed.


Even with the 25% SPG to Avios bonus, it would still be a better value to transfer them to AA.

Usually, SPG transfers from the preceding week are processed every Wednesday very early in the morning, and show up in your SPG account on Thursday.

Very true on the 20K multiples, 60K per day (to maximize bonus).

So, to transfer out the 122.5K x 3 = 367.5K AA points needed for 3 F there, and 3 J back, will take 5 days of transfers.

Why your taxes so high?

My MIA-DFW-SFO-HKG F, was only $7.50. The return HKG-YVR-JFK-MIA was $37.xx

I looked at it again and the ~$130 was for my friend coming from Paris to Hong Kong. For myself it was $40.40, and my other 2 friends from the US it was only $37.90/person in taxes + a $40 phone booking fee (was this right since award was booked from my EXP account and I did it on the phone for them?).

Does anyone know if AA charge for an infant in your seat option? If so, how much... i have not had time to call AA to ask... Thank you FTs

yes, AA will charge this. At least I know they charge it on AA, CX, or BA Flights. I would think they charge it on all, but those three are the only ones where I have family with direct experience with the lap-child co-pay for F. It was an AA redemption on which my sister was charged for AA & BA flights. You should call up AA as soon as reasonable to inquire about the lap child cost on an F award for the specific routing you are looking at. It can be a shocking amount.

OK so sdkingpin have you called AA or SPG yet? It has been 4 days and you have gotten a ton of invaluable advice to proceed. I hope you have heeded the various posters words of wisdom, now it is your time to act and report back.

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Thank you everyone for their invaluable advice, i decided to transfer the miles to AA...

Paying the $350 tax and fuel fee was just way too much, and on top of it 140000 Avios was way more than i was willing to use.

I will keep my Avios miles for our next trip to Hawaii, been reading that it only costs 12500 each way.... I can fly 7 family members with points to spare.

I looked at it again and the ~$130 was for my friend coming from Paris to Hong Kong. For myself it was $40.40, and my other 2 friends from the US it was only $37.90/person in taxes + a $40 phone booking fee (was this right since award was booked from my EXP account and I did it on the phone for them?).

I believe the phone ticketing fee only waived for the EXP's own ticket. I may be wrong as I am not EXP so I always have to pay the phone ticketing fee which actually is $25 when last times I was charged (Jan and Mar 2012) :eek:

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Thank you everyone for their invaluable advice, i decided to transfer the miles to AA...

Paying the $350 tax and fuel fee was just way too much, and on top of it 140000 Avios was way more than i was willing to use.

I will keep my Avios miles for our next trip to Hawaii, been reading that it only costs 12500 each way.... I can fly 7 family members with points to spare.

It has to be from West Coast and on a Non-Stop direct flight. Any additional connection would cost more.

That nonstop BA-AA stuff is a killer. No Texas-Florida BA availability, until you realize it has to be done as 2 tickets (here to DFW, DFW to MIA). Cheap, but low availabily during the weeks and a major hassle. But no BA fuel...ummm...I mean fraud charges.:D

It has to be from West Coast and on a Non-Stop direct flight. Any additional connection would cost more.

I will keep my Avios miles for our next trip to Hawaii, been reading that it only costs 12500 each way.... I can fly 7 family members with points to spare.


Using Avios for a trip to Hawaii from anywhere on the West Coast on AA or Alaska, is one of the best uses of Avios in my opinion.

25K Avios, roundtrip, whilst avoiding the burdensome fuel surcharges, is a good value for an economy ticket that usually retails for around $400-800.

You should call up AA as soon as reasonable to inquire about the lap child cost on an F award for the specific routing you are looking at. It can be a shocking amount.

When I did it, they charged 10% of the fare.