Hi, first time ask question here and please feel free to give me advice.
I need to find a best award program to enroll, so i can use the points for my flight to Shanghai.
IAD is my main hub for travel, since it is a big hub for United, I took united a lot, but recently discovered that award ticket would cost 100,000 points for a round trip to Shanghai. AA or NW need less points than United. So, need your advice which airline program should I use for the most.
I like United since it offer a lot direct flight for where I am going, but wouldn't mind take any other airline.
Thank you,
added.
My travel patter are nation wide travel for business, but for the next few months, I'll travel to Austin weekly. United is the only airline offer non-stop from IAD. So I take that flight if possible.
My Mileage Balance.
UA 20k
NW 40K
AA 0
I use diners club card for business expenses, average 5k/month.
Hope these information can help.
soitgoes
Aug 21, 06, 5:05 pm
IAD is my main hub for travel, since it is a big hub for United, I took united a lot, but recently discovered that award ticket would cost 100,000 points for a round trip to Shanghai.
Welcome to FT.
How do you figure that? The UA awards North America to China are 60K for Economy, 90K for Business, and 120 K for First. NW awards are 60K for Coach, 120K for Business/First/BusinessFirst. AA has offpeak economy awards for 50K, peak economy awards for 65K, business for 90k, and first for 125k.
I think more information about your travel patterns, current mileage balances, and credit card usage/points earning potential to advise you.
soitgoes
Aug 21, 06, 5:09 pm
I think I know where the 100K figure came from. Each airline offers non capacity controlled award tickets on that carrier's metal only (no partner travel). At 100K, UA's "Standard" Awards come out ahead of NW's PerkPass (120K) and AA's AAnytime awards (120K). UA, however, is increasing this award to match the competition's 120K level for bookings made after October 16.
dciso
Aug 21, 06, 5:20 pm
Thanks for the quick reply.
I read 100k from United Mileage Plus member guide. But you are right; it is 60K/90K/120K for United.
My travel patter are nation wide travel for business, but for the next few months, I'll travel to Austin weekly. United is the only airline offer non-stop from IAD. So I take that flight if possible.
My Mileage Balance.
UA 20k
NW 40K
AA 0
I use diners club card for business expenses, average 5k/month.
Hope these information can help.
ameriken
Aug 26, 06, 3:11 am
Thanks for the quick reply.
I read 100k from United Mileage Plus member guide. But you are right; it is 60K/90K/120K for United.
My travel patter are nation wide travel for business, but for the next few months, I'll travel to Austin weekly. United is the only airline offer non-stop from IAD. So I take that flight if possible.
My Mileage Balance.
UA 20k
NW 40K
AA 0
I use diners club card for business expenses, average 5k/month.
Hope these information can help.
As a new FT member and a fairly new FF, I am still in diapers, but I will at least give you what I have learned through my baby steps, and hopefully others can add to it. Aside from that, my wife is from PVG so I am PVG fan.
I would stick to UA MP program for several reasons:
1) You like UA and live in their hub, stay with what you like and what works
2) They have the flights you want (at least to Austin)
3) They fly to PVG regularly and reasonably
4) You should quickly add up some EQM's with your UA travel and
5) With the amount you spend on Diners, if you can get the MP Platinum Visa, switch the spending, you'll rack up some benefits and miles pretty quick
*20,000 signup miles ($200 in Choices)
*1 mile per dollar spent, thats 60k a year for you,
*Choices: every $1 you spend is 1 mile in choices. Choices are the same FF miles you accrue, but these are designated to use as cash toward a UA ticket put on the MP visa. At $5000/mo spending, thats 60000 miles per year you can save toward that 120,000 mile award ticket, or you can use them as choices (60,000 miles = $600 in choices) which is a cash credit toward a ticket bought on the MP card.
A ticket bought with choices is a regular paid ticket that does not have the limitations of an award ticket (like no upgrades). So if you dont want to use all the miles in your account toward an award, you can just buy a ticket to PVG and use the miles as choices.
i.e.: If you have 120,000 in miles, 60,000 of which are choices, you have the option of A) using the 120,000 toward an award ticket or B) buy the ticket, and use the choices. They would deduct the 60,000 miles from your account to give you the $600 choices credit. So, you still have 60,000 miles left in your account. (And actually, with the 20,000 mile signup bonus, thats another $200 in choices they add).
*With the Platinum you also get 5000 EQMs signup bonus, and up to 5000 EQMs for spending up to $5000 united.com purchases on your MP card (like your Austin tix). Plus another 5000 EQMs after spending $35,000 on the card in regular purchases (which you already do).
*With the 20,000 miles you are already accrued you will hit 25,000 and get 2P (Premier) which qualifies you for 25% mileage bonuses on future flights, and when you get 1P (50,000-PremExec) the bonus jumps to 100%.
*Did I mention you already like United and they have the flights you want?
Its a lotta stuff and took me a while to figure it all out, but you should be able to find it all on united.com. Perhaps some other folks can fill in any blanks I left.
Again, I am just a newbie here, but that is what I have learned so far about MP, the credit card, the choices, etc