MilesBuzz! - Potential way to buy US miles cheap.

I have stumbled on a potential way to buy miles cheap, and want to discuss this with a few select people to test, and theorize on how to best do this. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years I do not want this in the blogs or general public so I will start with requesting a few of the more senior members here to PM me to get their thoughts on the way to do this......

I will provide the scenario in PM for further discussion and testing.

To be clear this is not free miles, this would be a way to buy miles but at a significant discount.
my calculation is that you can buy miles at .0097 cpm vs US charging .035 cpm
additionally this would not be a way to go buy 10s of thousands of miles in a shot. It would be a way to cultivate miles slowly.



Correction This is US Air not United. my bad...



I have enough people to test this for now. thanks for all the responses.


Please ignore my spelling mistake in the title

.01 a mile isnt very cheap imo.

.01 a mile isnt very cheap imo.

Depends what you use them for. Could get you from US to Bangkok and back with a stopover in Asia for $650. You won't find that deal anywhere.

I'm only at 49 posts but spend a lot of time on here soaking up information. I'm interested.

Imy calculation is that you can buy miles at .0097 cpm vs united charging .0375 cpm
Your calclulation (or the posting of it) seems off by 100. If United really lets you buy miles for 4/100 of a cent each (that's what .0375 cpm means!), then that's good enough for me. (It would mean I could buy enough miles for a business-class trans-atlantic flight for way less than the cash cost of an economy ticket!)

However, I doubt it. Remember, the "c" in "cpm" stands for cents, not dollars! So the number before the "cpm" has to be in cents, not dollars.

I presume you meant 3.75 cpm? And thus 0.97 cpm for your method?

0.97 cpm means just over 100 miles per $. Or 1000 miles per $10. Or 10000 miles per $100. Or 50000 miles per $500. Does that sound correct for what you're talking about?

Depends what you use them for. Could get you from US to Bangkok and back with a stopover in Asia for $650. You won't find that deal anywhere.

I'm only at 49 posts but spend a lot of time on here soaking up information. I'm interested.

And last weekend, you could have gone to China for $0.04.

:)

Buy them at a corporate rate?

Your calclulation (or the posting of it) seems off by 100. If United really lets you buy miles for 4/100 of a cent each (that's what .0375 cpm means!), then that's good enough for me. (It would mean I could buy enough miles for a business-class trans-atlantic flight for way less than the cash cost of an economy ticket!)

However, I doubt it. Remember, the "c" in "cpm" stands for cents, not dollars! So the number before the "cpm" has to be in cents, not dollars.

I presume you meant 3.75 cpm? And thus 0.97 cpm for your method?

0.97 cpm means just over 100 miles per $. Or 1000 miles per $10. Or 10000 miles per $100. Or 50000 miles per $500. Does that sound correct for what you're talking about?


my bad. at united in a minimum of 2000 miles for $75 yeilds 3.75 cpm

On mine i mean slightly less than 1 cpm

I have stumbled on a potential way to buy miles cheap, and want to discuss this with a few select people to test, and theorize on how to best do this. I do not want this in the blogs or general public so I will start with requesting a few of the more senior members here to PM me to get their thoughts on the way to do this......

(underline mine)

This "secretive" way of discussing miles/points strategies on FT,...sigh. If history has taught us anything (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1325847-man-i-am-starting-feel-like-idiot-wanting-share-my-mint.html)....

(underline mine)

This "secretive" way of discussing miles/points strategies on FT,...sigh. If history has taught us anything (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1325847-man-i-am-starting-feel-like-idiot-wanting-share-my-mint.html)....

This is no Mint, but If it bears out in tesst as a loophole to buy miles cheaper than the market rate, I don't want to just throw it out there and get it killed in <24 hours. Suggestions to socialize, share and test without killing are welcomed.

There are current, very public methods to getting UA miles for much less than .97 cpm (UR points)

This is no Mint,...

You completely miss my point. I didn't say it's MINT. My comment was about nothing but my underlined part in your OP (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18969962-post11.html).

FWIW, I've never seen any discussion/thread go well on FT in the way you had proposed in OP.

Why did you post it here OP? If you have no intention of sharing it in public, don't post it in the public forum.

Why did you post it here OP? If you have no intention of sharing it in public, don't post it in the public forum.

LOL, are there private forums here to post this stuff to interested parties? Point the way and i'll post it there.

LOL, are there private forums here to post this stuff to interested parties? Point the way and i'll post it there.

Keep it to yourself... Or it's fun for you to get everyone excited over nothing?

LOL, are there private forums here to post this stuff to interested parties? Point the way and i'll post it there.

There are, but you need to know the secret knock to be able to get in.

There are, but you need to know the secret knock to be able to get in.

how do i learn the secret knock?

Hasn't USAir sold them for this price in the past?

Hi

Can you PM or let me know how you can buy UR points?

Thanks

There are current, very public methods to getting UA miles for much less than .97 cpm (UR points)

Hasn't USAir sold them for this price in the past?

Right. At about 1 penny a mile.

It is not a cheap bargain for those who have lots of miles in various programs. But for those who dont have a big pile, this is a reasonable price though folks need to bear in mind that having miles dont mean having seats... Availability can be issues depends on where and when you want to travel.

so how before this "circle of trust" ends up on the blogs? whats the over/under

Hi

Can you PM or let me know how you can buy UR points?

Thanks

You can't. But there are easy ways of getting them cheap. OP, don't PM me.

Thanks. Any pointers for getting UR points cheap.

You can't. But there are easy ways of getting them cheap. OP, don't PM me.

The offer is for 40k and for 79$ a year, you get 10k miles on the anniversary
I calculate that at 79$ per 10k miles = 0.0079$/m or 0.79 cpm.
You can get limited amounts (i.e., 10k a year) and SLOWLY build your stash.
In 10 yrs, you will have enough to go to EU in C (assuming US is not gone by then)
Total cost 790$ over 10 yrs.

Thanks. Any pointers for getting UR points cheap.

Think UR mall and gift cards.

The offer is for 40k and for 79$ a year, you get 10k miles on the anniversary
I calculate that at 79$ per 10k miles = 0.0079$/m or 0.79 cpm.
You can get limited amounts (i.e., 10k a year) and SLOWLY build your stash.
In 10 yrs, you will have enough to go to EU in C (assuming US is not gone by then)
Total cost 790$ over 10 yrs.

Lmao; I'd be more willing if I had my lifespan extended by tenfolds.

The offer is for 40k and for 79$ a year, you get 10k miles on the anniversary
I calculate that at 79$ per 10k miles = 0.0079$/m or 0.79 cpm.
You can get limited amounts (i.e., 10k a year) and SLOWLY build your stash.
In 10 yrs, you will have enough to go to EU in C (assuming US is not gone by then)
Total cost 790$ over 10 yrs.

There is no annual fee for the first year. I agree that anyone who can should grab this card, and then another one in a few months because it's churnable.

Please don't send me a PM.

Unless it involves treasure.

They're always after me lucky charms! :eek:

To original poster, if all someone has to do is say, "Ok i'll do it, pm me." How is that any type of quality control? If this is something you want to guard, then guard it closely. I would share it with 5 or so people and see what happens. To be transparent definitely anyone under 300 posts and less than a year is out. People need to prove their investment in this forum for others to trust.

I would NOT share it with anyone who hasn't been on this forum a long time or posted a lot, but that is just me. This is how deals get squashed too much sharing leads to one person telling too many people then it gets put on other sites etc. there is no stopping it at that point.

Careful and good luck.

I have not recd anything so far

The same here. Either op does not want to share or this is just *****...

This type of threads should be closed if not followed through.

this would not be a way to go buy 10s of thousands of miles in a shot. It would be a way to cultivate miles slowly.

Correction This is US Air note United. my bad...



Just get the US card

The offer is for 40k and for 79$ a year, you get 10k miles on the anniversary
I calculate that at 79$ per 10k miles = 0.0079$/m or 0.79 cpm.
You can get limited amounts (i.e., 10k a year) and SLOWLY build your stash.
In 10 yrs, you will have enough to go to EU in C (assuming US is not gone by then)
Total cost 790$ over 10 yrs.
Yes, that's the main point that most people in this thread seem to be missing. US is desperately trying to merge with someone, including AA. If they succeed, it'slikely to be the other airline's FFP that survive, so all US-specific ways of earning miles slowly but cheaply will disappear.

So you have to ask yourself with both of these methods, will I get enough miles to do anything useful (for the not-so-great price I paid) before it all changes or goes away?

Take a lesson from all the people who jumped on the BMI ship too late, just because it offered ways to earn miles faster than any other airline. Then suddenly it merged with BA, and all went poof.

"Slowly" and "US Airways" are not ttwo things that go together well, in my opinion. Given the uncertain future of US Airways, I would suggest focusing on getting redeemable amounts quickly enough, or not bother. (I don't mean you need to redeem right away, I'm just saying to forge a plan which will get you stuck with just 18k miles or so in 2 years, if in 2 years the plan for "buying" them cheap ends.)

It's one thing to collect miles almost "free" (by spending money on something you would have spent it on anyway, just slightly differently), and then end up with them not being quite usable. It's another thing to pay cold hard cash for them and then not have them be quite usable! :eek:

Yes, that's the main point that most people in this thread seem to be missing. US is desperately trying to merge with someone, including AA. If they succeed, it'slikely to be the other airline's FFP that survive, so all US-specific ways of earning miles slowly but cheaply will disappear.

So you have to ask yourself with both of these methods, will I get enough miles to do anything useful (for the not-so-great price I paid) before it all changes or goes away?

Take a lesson from all the people who jumped on the BMI ship too late, just because it offered ways to earn miles faster than any other airline. Then suddenly it merged with BA, and all went poof.

"Slowly" and "US Airways" are not ttwo things that go together well, in my opinion. Given the uncertain future of US Airways, I would suggest focusing on getting redeemable amounts quickly enough, or not bother. (I don't mean you need to redeem right away, I'm just saying to forge a plan which will get you stuck with just 18k miles or so in 2 years, if in 2 years the plan for "buying" them cheap ends.)

It's one thing to collect miles almost "free" (by spending money on something you would have spent it on anyway, just slightly differently), and then end up with them not being quite usable. It's another thing to pay cold hard cash for them and then not have them be quite usable! :eek:

Points:

1) The cost to acquire US miles based on the claim, is hardly a bargain.

2) A very cheap way to do that has already gone poof beginning of this year, supposedly terminated by US itself. (the relationship with the partner.)

3) BMI miles do not go poofed, it turned into BA Avios.

To original poster, if all someone has to do is say, "Ok i'll do it, pm me." How is that any type of quality control? If this is something you want to guard, then guard it closely. I would share it with 5 or so people and see what happens. To be transparent definitely anyone under 300 posts and less than a year is out. People need to prove their investment in this forum for others to trust.

I would NOT share it with anyone who hasn't been on this forum a long time or posted a lot, but that is just me. This is how deals get squashed too much sharing leads to one person telling too many people then it gets put on other sites etc. there is no stopping it at that point.

Careful and good luck.


This is exactly what I am doing. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years. I have sent to a few people outside that who i have conversed with before.

Points:

1) The cost to acquire US miles based on the claim, is hardly a bargain.

2) A very cheap way to do that has already gone poof beginning of this year, supposedly terminated by US itself. (the relationship with the partner.)

3) BMI miles do not go poofed, it turned into BA Avios.

*poof* :p

I can confirm that the OP has sent an email outlining his method. Even though it's too cumbersome/slow for my personal taste, I applaud the OP for thinking outside the box.

This is exactly what I am doing. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years. I have sent to a few people outside that who i have conversed with before.

Knew I shouldn't have lurked for years :rolleyes:

True enough, Grand Slam will get slammed and my cheap winter in Europe trips will go the way of Pam Am.

However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D

True enough you can buy US Airways and then find flights cheaper with cash than miles and BA-inspired junk fees. But like BA, US Airways Dividend Rewards can come in handy sometimes. You just need to make a portfolio of miles from a variety of programs so that you can pick and chose which miles are good for what flights at what time.

And paying for miles is not always bad if you pay on the cheap and consume them before they turn rancid.:D

Yes, that's the main point that most people in this thread seem to be missing. US is desperately trying to merge with someone, including AA. If they succeed, it'slikely to be the other airline's FFP that survive, so all US-specific ways of earning miles slowly but cheaply will disappear.

So you have to ask yourself with both of these methods, will I get enough miles to do anything useful (for the not-so-great price I paid) before it all changes or goes away?

Take a lesson from all the people who jumped on the BMI ship too late, just because it offered ways to earn miles faster than any other airline. Then suddenly it merged with BA, and all went poof.

"Slowly" and "US Airways" are not ttwo things that go together well, in my opinion. Given the uncertain future of US Airways, I would suggest focusing on getting redeemable amounts quickly enough, or not bother. (I don't mean you need to redeem right away, I'm just saying to forge a plan which will get you stuck with just 18k miles or so in 2 years, if in 2 years the plan for "buying" them cheap ends.)

It's one thing to collect miles almost "free" (by spending money on something you would have spent it on anyway, just slightly differently), and then end up with them not being quite usable. It's another thing to pay cold hard cash for them and then not have them be quite usable! :eek:

This is exactly what I am doing. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years. I have sent to a few people outside that who i have conversed with before.

Well if that is the case then you should have made it clear in the opening post such that it would save me of the effort.
Good luck

True enough, Grand Slam will get slammed and my cheap winter in Europe trips will go the way of Pam Am.

However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D

True enough you can buy US Airways and then find flights cheaper with cash than miles and BA-inspired junk fees. But like BA, US Airways Dividend Rewards can come in handy sometimes. You just need to make a portfolio of miles from a variety of programs so that you can pick and chose which miles are good for what flights at what time.

And paying for miles is not always bad if you pay on the cheap and consume them before they turn rancid.:D


Ironic and funny but true.

This is exactly what I am doing. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years. I have sent to a few people outside that who i have conversed with before.
(bolding mine)

If that's your selection criteria for exchanging PMs, maybe you can edit and add it to your OP so those who fall short of your "requirements" will know better not to expect PMs nor post their PM requests in thread. @:-)

True enough, Grand Slam will get slammed and my cheap winter in Europe trips will go the way of Pam Am.

However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D

True enough you can buy US Airways and then find flights cheaper with cash than miles and BA-inspired junk fees. But like BA, US Airways Dividend Rewards can come in handy sometimes. You just need to make a portfolio of miles from a variety of programs so that you can pick and chose which miles are good for what flights at what time.

And paying for miles is not always bad if you pay on the cheap and consume them before they turn rancid.:D

Yes. Diversification of your portfolio is key. And mileage is all about the buy-redeem spread :)

I have well over 600 post (most of them idiotic) and been here for quite a few years. Don't bother sending me a PM , because I think you should either share it or keep it to yourself, not enforce an eligibility. I have gotten quite a few awesome deals from low-mileage or even new posters, and I feel the need to reciprocate. There are plenty of reasons to disagree, but coming to a public forum and restricting access is not in keeping with the spirit of FT.

I have stumbled on a potential way to buy miles cheap, and want to discuss this with a few select people to test, and theorize on how to best do this. looking for 600+ posts and greater than 2 years I do not want this in the blogs or general public so I will start with requesting a few of the more senior members here to PM me to get their thoughts on the way to do this......

I will provide the scenario in PM for further discussion and testing.

To be clear this is not free miles, this would be a way to buy miles but at a significant discount.
my calculation is that you can buy miles at .0097 cpm vs united charging .0375 cpm
additionally this would not be a way to go buy 10s of thousands of miles in a shot. It would be a way to cultivate miles slowly.



Correction This is US Air note United. my bad...


Please ignore my spelling mistake in the title

This is all great, but I found a way yesterday to buy UA miles at 0.007 cpm. Anyone can feel free to PM me.

This is all great, but I found a way yesterday to buy UA miles at 0.007 cpm. Anyone can feel free to PM me.

:D:D:D:D

This is all great, but I found a way yesterday to buy UA miles at 0.007 cpm. Anyone can feel free to PM me.


:D

"Slowly" and "US Airways" are not ttwo things that go together well, in my opinion.
I agree. Grand slam 2009 is gone. Thanks for a few M points for 0.4c each.
Share promo of 2009-2010 is gone - goodbye 0.9 - 1c each
Buy miles for 1.3c went by 2009 and 1.5 miles in 2011; now it is 1.93c
TIB is not coming every year; when it or something like it does, jump on it.
What I still have are the rubber duckys from FCT and FCL. They smile forever.

1
You just need to make a portfolio of miles from a variety of programs so that you can pick and chose which miles are good for what flights at what time.
2
And paying for miles is not always bad if you pay on the cheap and consume them before they turn rancid.:D
Well said!

BTW be sure to bag another 500 Delta for all your accounts (link below).

https://s-leclub.accorhotels.com/redirect-offer-detail.action?promoId=6872&promoDir=promo&lang=en

Been slacking today as I'm only up to 6,500 ff for the day and 3 $100 AVIS certificates.

But still have 2 hours to to spend $25 and pull the trigger on another 35,000.:D

BTW, I agree that US Airways value as a ummm...business partner is decreasing. You know its bad when you are booking 10 ff miles flights and Delta is coming out the star performer.:eek:

*poof* :p

Hahahahahahaha! So true... :D;):-:

It would be a way to cultivate miles slowly.


Don't tell me you're using that US storefront tool bar that earns 1 mile for every 3 searches. It's worse than watching grass grow :)

This is all great, but I found a way yesterday to buy UA miles at 0.007 cpm. Anyone can feel free to PM me.If you found it yesterday - how do you know if it works ? - has it been tested ? or is it just an idea ?

Don't tell me you're using that US storefront tool bar that earns 1 mile for every 3 searches. It's worse than watching grass grow :)

Plus the search results are just downright awful :eek:

BTW be sure to bag another 500 Delta for all your accounts (link below).

https://s-leclub.accorhotels.com/redirect-offer-detail.action?promoId=6872&promoDir=promo&lang=en



Just signed up. Thank you for sharing :D

Sadly, I don't meet the OP's requirements. Guess I need to post more and lurk less.

Just signed up. Thank you for sharing :D

Sadly, I don't meet the OP's requirements. Guess I need to post more and lurk less.

For now let's stick with the fairly safe assumption that OP has nothing of relevance to share.

Thanks to all who responded, I have a small group to move forward with.

Don't tell me you're using that US storefront tool bar that earns 1 mile for every 3 searches. It's worse than watching grass grow :)

LOL no, that's not it. That would be REALY SLOW.

3) BMI miles do not go poofed, it turned into BA Avios.
I did not mean the miles themselves went poof, I meant the opportunities to earn miles way faster than at other airlines (including BA) went poof, because they became BA Avios points, which do not have the same astounding earning rates at some partners that BMI had.

However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D
I've had BA for a long time so I know BA is. I was not referring to redemption.

I was referring to the people who started accumulating BMI because they could accumulate them quickly, but didn't start early enough to get to anything redeemable before the BMI party ended. Now they're faced with about the same "slow" earning at BA as everywhere else (to be able to "top off" to the next award).

My point is not that the BMI miles went away, just as I don't particularly expect US miles to go away. My point is that BMI-specific earning methods went poof the moment BMI turned into BA, and that US-specific earning mehtods will likely go poof the moment US bmerges with someone else (if not earlier!).

*poof* :p

Have you booked any BA reward flights in Asia? Australia? Africa?

BA can have incredible value only if you know how to use it, just like any other FF miles.



However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D


@:-)

Thanks to all who responded, I have a small group to move forward with.

Five dozen "PM me" requests have been deleted. Those wishing to communicate with aviator8 by PM should use the PM system :rolleyes: .

The thread will remain open to facilitate discussion of the side issues which have arisen along the way.

Worst. Thread. Ever.

Have you booked any BA reward flights in Asia? Australia? Africa?

BA can have incredible value only if you know how to use it, just like any other FF miles.

@:-)

Of course haha, I have 100K or so BA that I use quite often (I probably redeem them more often than any of my other miles). I fly from the US to Canada quite often and as soon as you hit the Canadian border prices double. So my favorite redemption is for AA flights over the border. SFO-ORD/JFK-SFO for $200 + ORD/JFK-YYY-ORD/JFK on AA for $50 in taxes and 4500mi. Sure beats the $650 SFO-YYY-SFO on AC and I still get to earn all but 500mi.

With the new consolidated fuel surcharges on intra-europe BA metal, they're great for hopping around Europe. South America is the traditionally pointed to award. West-coast to Hawaii is also a startlingly good value (25K round trip on AA in Y).

But really they're not what they used to be. I'd take the old chart back in a heartbeat. Not to mention they're definitely not what BMI used to be. I see the DC->Avios as a pretty substantial downgrade. I'm not saying the miles are worthless, but it would have felt a lot better moving them with a 50% transfer bonus ;)

The big reason I saw value in DC is that their aspirational awards were well within reach (especially under cash & points) and they seemed to have access to a ton of Singapore space. Aspirational awards on the BA chart just cost so damn many points in addition to the insane fuel surcharges that I personally see less value in them even if I'm using them more.

Of course haha, I have 100K or so BA that I use quite often (I probably redeem them more often than any of my other miles). I fly from the US to Canada quite often and as soon as you hit the Canadian border prices double. So my favorite redemption is for AA flights over the border. SFO-ORD/JFK-SFO for $200 + ORD/JFK-YYY-ORD/JFK on AA for $50 in taxes and 4500mi. Sure beats the $650 SFO-YYY-SFO on AC and I still get to earn all but 500mi.

I dont ever understand why any flights from US hubs to Canadian airports suddenly become insanely expensive, despite the Canadian airports do have doubled the taxes, but the flights themselves also are much more expensive.

Does BA continue to wrongfully charge some taxes on the flights to the Canadian airports within 200 miles of the border? This, together with the AA flights to Caribbeans, that BA insists to collect 3 types of taxes that the IRS specifically said not applied because tickets have no value (no YQ in those cases.) I read someone actually challenged BA and eventually got the overcharged taxes back. Yet BA still wouldn't correct its booking engine.:rolleyes:


With the new consolidated fuel surcharges on intra-europe BA metal, they're great for hopping around Europe.

It depends on which routes in Europe you fly. I recently priced a MXP - VIE route - the taxes and fees were an insane $120 on NIKI, not to mention the Avios costed. Though a paid ticket on Austrian would still have $90 taxes. Some European routes have very high taxes.


But really they're not what they used to be. I'd take the old chart back in a heartbeat. Not to mention they're definitely not what BMI used to be. I see the DC->Avios as a pretty substantial downgrade. I'm not saying the miles are worthless, but it would have felt a lot better moving them with a 50% transfer bonus ;)

It depends on where you originate from when the flight starts from US. For those of us who have to get to the gateway city, the old way was not the same good deal as those who started from the gateway city.


The big reason I saw value in DC is that their aspirational awards were well within reach (especially under cash & points) and they seemed to have access to a ton of Singapore space. Aspirational awards on the BA chart just cost so damn many points in addition to the insane fuel surcharges that I personally see less value in them even if I'm using them more.

Also DC was so loosely run that one could even credit reward flights on other Star flights to the program and earned miles from what I heard!

BA has never be a good program for aspirational award even in the old form. ;)

Check out AS award charts. Some redemption are pretty amazing. Though I wish the change fee is not that darn expensive at $100. (US has a $150 change fee, and no change allowed after travel started! )

I dont ever understand why any flights from US hubs to Canadian airports suddenly become insanely expensive, despite the Canadian airports do have doubled the taxes, but the flights themselves also are much more expensive.

Me neither :(


Does BA continue to wrongfully charge some taxes on the flights to the Canadian airports within 200 miles of the border? This, together with the AA flights to Caribbeans, that BA insists to collect 3 types of taxes that the IRS specifically said not applied because tickets have no value (no YQ in those cases.) I read someone actually challenged BA and eventually got the overcharged taxes back. Yet BA still wouldn't correct its booking engine.:roll eyes:

Last time I flew YOW-ORD on AA I paid an XT of 49.12:

7.00 XY Immigration User Fee - USA
5.00 XA Animal & Plant Health User Fee (Aphis) - USA
19.70 SQ Airport Improvement Fee - Canada
11.92 CA Air Travellers Security Charge - Canada
5.50 YC Customs User Fee - USA

That's less than a paid itinerary incurs, because it doesn't include XG, RC or US. And YOW is definitely within 200mi of the border (some 60mi to Ogdensburg, NY).


It depends on which routes in Europe you fly. I recently priced a MXP - VIE route - the taxes and fees were an insane $120 on NIKI, not to mention the Avios costed. Though a paid ticket on Austrian would still have $90 taxes. Some European routes have very high taxes.


Only applies to BA metal flights, unfortunately. A recent DUS-PRG flight I helped a friend book was *way* cheaper as DUS-LHR-PRG on BA than DUS-PRG
direct on AB.


It depends on where you originate from when the flight starts from US. For those of us who have to get to the gateway city, the old way was not the same good deal as those who started from the gateway city.


To Europe I suppose, but due to the prohibitive surcharges I wouldn't have booked that before either. I was thinking more of the flights to Asia on Cathay. It's become kind of unrealistic to fly to DPS for instance from anywhere in North America.


Also DC was so loosely run that one could even credit reward flights on other Star flights to the program and earned miles from what I heard!


That's why I adore US Airways :D


BA has never be a good program for aspirational award even in the old form. ;)

Check out AS award charts. Some redemption are pretty amazing. Though I wish the change fee is not that darn expensive at $100. (US has a $150 change fee, and no change allowed after travel started! )

Agreed, but I always felt like AS were kind of hard to earn and yet still charged pretty high mileage amounts. I'll look into the chart again.

Last time I flew YOW-ORD on AA I paid an XT of 49.12:

7.00 XY Immigration User Fee - USA
5.00 XA Animal & Plant Health User Fee (Aphis) - USA
19.70 SQ Airport Improvement Fee - Canada
11.92 CA Air Travellers Security Charge - Canada
5.50 YC Customs User Fee - USA

That's less than a paid itinerary incurs, because it doesn't include XG, RC or US. And YOW is definitely within 200mi of the border (some 60mi to Ogdensburg, NY).

This seems to suggest BA has corrected the issue. This is good to know.


Only applies to BA metal flights, unfortunately. A recent DUS-PRG flight I helped a friend book was *way* cheaper as DUS-LHR-PRG on BA than DUS-PRG direct on AB.


That is very interesting!

How do you force it to go thru LHR? When I priced MXP-VIE, the only options it offered were the NIKI flights.


To Europe I suppose, but due to the prohibitive surcharges I wouldn't have booked that before either. I was thinking more of the flights to Asia on Cathay. It's become kind of unrealistic to fly to DPS for instance from anywhere in North America.

Actually on CX to Asia. Even under the old plan, the domestic segment to CX gateway is not covered by BA miles - the only time it worked actually was to Europe, when you could take AA flights to the gateway to Europe and still paid the same miles as a one partner award even you have AA and BA on the itinerary. When using AA and CX, it became 2 partners, or more like a distance-based award even under the old program. It was for this very reason instead of using BA avios I wound up using AA miles to fly MIA-ORD-HKG-YYZ-MIA - because on top of the YQ, I would need to "pay" the MIA-ORD, and YYZ-MIA on top of the BA award. Using AA miles everything is covered with same award, AND free change of dates... as you know, rather important when redeeming CX flights in J/F...


Agreed, but I always felt like AS were kind of hard to earn and yet still charged pretty high mileage amounts. I'll look into the chart again.

The major drawbacks of AS program are: 1) cannot mix partners, 2) change fee, 3) hard to use for those who are on the East Coast when very few AS flights would work to get to the international departure gateways. However for folks on the West Coast, AS is a very interesting program that has some hidden gem on aspirational travel.... Study the F charts of each region you will find them.

This seems to suggest BA has corrected the issue. This is good to know.

That is very interesting!

How do you force it to go thru LHR? When I priced MXP-VIE, the only options it offered were the NIKI flights.


I did it one leg at a time. I found the space using the ba.com search tool and then phoned in the award. I know some bonus fees were charged for using the phone system, but it still worked out better. Although I don't see why you couldn't book it as two tickets online...

FWIW I've had it show connections via LHR too, but not always.


Actually on CX to Asia. Even under the old plan, the domestic segment to CX gateway is not covered by BA miles - the only time it worked actually was to Europe, when you could take AA flights to the gateway to Europe and still paid the same miles as a one partner award even you have AA and BA on the itinerary. When using AA and CX, it became 2 partners, or more like a distance-based award even under the old program. It was for this very reason instead of using BA avios I wound up using AA miles to fly MIA-ORD-HKG-YYZ-MIA - because on top of the YQ, I would need to "pay" the MIA-ORD, and YYZ-MIA on top of the BA award. Using AA miles everything is covered with same award, AND free change of dates... as you know, rather important when redeeming CX flights in J/F...


Somehow I forgot about that. I guess I didn't pay too much attention being SFO-based.


The major drawbacks of AS program are: 1) cannot mix partners, 2) change fee, 3) hard to use for those who are on the East Coast when very few AS flights would work to get to the international departure gateways. However for folks on the West Coast, AS is a very interesting program that has some hidden gem on aspirational travel.... Study the F charts of each region you will find them.

Yeah I took a look, there's some good stuff in there ^ Thanks for the tip!

True enough, Grand Slam will get slammed and my cheap winter in Europe trips will go the way of Pam Am.

However, you missed the gate on BMI as my BMI just migrated to BA which has value, so long as you show your loyalty by not flying BA.:D

True enough you can buy US Airways and then find flights cheaper with cash than miles and BA-inspired junk fees. But like BA, US Airways Dividend Rewards can come in handy sometimes. You just need to make a portfolio of miles from a variety of programs so that you can pick and chose which miles are good for what flights at what time.

And paying for miles is not always bad if you pay on the cheap and consume them before they turn rancid.:D
Yes And I think US will be around longer than some think, merger is NOT a given and will take a lot longer than suggested by some. So you still have a fair amount of time.

Just signed up. Thank you for sharing :D

Sadly, I don't meet the OP's requirements. Guess I need to post more and lurk less.

Newb Here. However learning as I go. I better start participating in more topics and set a base of statusship for future posts such as this.

3 $100 AVIS certificates.


Any more info on this?

The major drawbacks of AS program are: 1) cannot mix partners, 2) change fee, 3) hard to use for those who are on the East Coast when very few AS flights would work to get to the international departure gateways. However for folks on the West Coast, AS is a very interesting program that has some hidden gem on aspirational travel.... Study the F charts of each region you will find them.

There are, and they'll be adding another redemption chart for EK soon. Curious what that will look like (though now I need to figure out how to earn AS miles quickly).

Aspirational awards are pretty much non existent on BA, and charging segment per segment (extra for connections) is a REAL problem for those not living in a Oneworld hub.

But I digress...

Let me guess this involves paypal in one way or another.

Aspirational awards are pretty much non existent on BA, and charging segment per segment (extra for connections) is a REAL problem for those not living in a Oneworld hub.

But I digress...

Not true.

Flew JFK-LIM-SCL-MDZ-AEP//EZE-LIM-JFK and flying LGA-MIA-LIM-CUZ-LIM-MIA-JFK in September. Both in business class on LAN. And we all know that LAN business class prices are outrageous.

Not true.

Flew JFK-LIM-SCL-MDZ-AEP//EZE-LIM-JFK and flying LGA-MIA-LIM-CUZ-LIM-MIA-JFK in September. Both in business class on LAN. And we all know that LAN business class prices are outrageous.

I'm guessing those routings (at lease the first one) were booked pre-Avios? I did JFK-LIM-IPC-SCL one way for 40K, but that'd be 90K in J today.

never receive PM from OP...wonder if he knows anything or just posting cause he was bored.

never receive PM from OP...wonder if he knows anything or just posting cause he was bored.

I have a small group to evaluate already. I update the original post a few days ago with the information.

I have a small group to evaluate already. I update the original post a few days ago with the information.

Your OP still says "US Air" and "UA" miles.

To those bagging on the OP, his method seems to have merit and as he has stated it isn't a get rich quick scheme. It can yield moderate US Air miles over a long period of time for relatively cheap.

Once he has more data perhaps it can be more widely distributed, that is up to him, but for the time being don't think you are missing out on 100,000 miles for $10 or something. He has done some work on his own and kudos for him for it appears he has figured something out on his own.

Can it gain enough for a redemption in one day?

That would be a stretch and a likely way to meet dear old Cardinal Fang. For a day job you might wait for the Slammer. But that said, I have this odd feeling the Slammer may be a nohitter for me this year. When I'm finding Skymiles being more valuable than than Dividend Rewards I have to wonder if USAirways margin plumping for the merger is bad for business.:p

**Ya know another day job would be to take your meds - see the pet meds deal for Skymiles. Seems doable to bag a trip in one day just feeding Fido or Fidette.**

Can it gain enough for a redemption in one day?

Your OP still says "US Air" and "UA" miles.

Sorry, I misstated UA in the post I did and cleaned it up later. I missed part of the edit, I have corrected those now.

To those bagging on the OP, his method seems to have merit and as he has stated it isn't a get rich quick scheme. It can yield moderate US Air miles over a long period of time for relatively cheap.

Once he has more data perhaps it can be more widely distributed, that is up to him, but for the time being don't think you are missing out on 100,000 miles for $10 or something. He has done some work on his own and kudos for him for it appears he has figured something out on his own.

This requires a certain condition to occur to work this. I am waiting for the condition to arise again then it can be tested. If it all pans out I will be more than happy to share with more people who can be discreet about using it and not push it over the cliff to kill it.


This is not going to get you enough miles for a flight in one day without killing the deal. Think 5K miles a pop, maybe 10k but that might be pushing it.

I am betting 20 very hard to get DL miles that OP has nothing.

I am betting 20 very hard to get DL miles that OP has nothing.

Are those different that the ones I earn by the thousand??

This requires a certain condition to occur to work this. I am waiting for the condition to arise again then it can be tested. If it all pans out I will be more than happy to share with more people who can be discreet about using it and not push it over the cliff to kill it.


This is not going to get you enough miles for a flight in one day without killing the deal. Think 5K miles a pop, maybe 10k but that might be pushing it.
Well, that kind of yield with an immediate or short turnaround is definitely welcomed. I'd like to be kept on your short list should you decide to share the info. Thanks in advance! ^

aviator8-

I realize you already have your "test group", but in the event you'd be up for expanding it, I'd appreciate a PM.

Add me to it.

Are we waiting for promos or a blue moon?

Promos and napping cardinals.:p

Add me to it.

Are we waiting for promos or a blue moon?

Promos and napping cardinals.:p

Add me to it.

Are we waiting for promos or a blue moon?

Napping cardinals are my second favorite kind. Right after 'absentee cardinals'

The offer is for 40k and for 79$ a year, you get 10k miles on the anniversary
I calculate that at 79$ per 10k miles = 0.0079$/m or 0.79 cpm.
You can get limited amounts (i.e., 10k a year) and SLOWLY build your stash.
In 10 yrs, you will have enough to go to EU in C (assuming US is not gone by then)
Total cost 790$ over 10 yrs.

For those less patient or with limited lifespans, two improvements versions this method:

A) Churn this same card twice a year for the bonus.

OR

B) Acquire concurrent cards, which means you'll get only the first 40K bonus, but if you have, for example, four cards, you'll be getting 40K US/year for $316 = the same $0.0079/mile.

how do i learn the secret knock?

The Grand Poobah at the Water Buffalo Lodge can tell you. ;)

Knew I shouldn't have lurked for years :rolleyes:

No doubt, If there was an hours meter like on machinery I would have over 1000. :p

This is all great, but I found a way yesterday to buy UA miles at 0.007 cpm. Anyone can feel free to PM me.

Put me down for 1 MILLION MILES and I will pay the $7000 gladly for 8 or more business class round trips to Thailand. Hell I can do that many in a year put me down for 5 MILLION Miles ;):D

7 pages I guess it is dead now

If beta test 1.0 is still open, please add me to the roster. If it's closed, please add me to the expanded list. I won't call the airline nor tell another soul, Scouts honor.

If this is true I am willing to invest in a miles factory in a third world country to churn out a billion miles a day!

Put me down for 1 MILLION MILES and I will pay the $7000 gladly for 8 or more business class round trips to Thailand. Hell I can do that many in a year put me down for 5 MILLION Miles ;):D

Sure thing. Send me PM

I'm interested send me the info.