Mileage Run Deals - Need 5336 AA Points--Quick!

I am coming to the end of a Platinum Challenge and find myself 5336 points short. Can anyone suggest a mileage run I can to in the next four days that will get me the points I need as cheaply as possible? C'mon all you mileage runners--let's see what you got! This would be from the San Francisco Bay Area (SFO, SJC, or OAK).

Thanks in advance!

Um, yeah. Coming to the end of a challenge? You've only progress 50+% of the way. :confused:

C'mon all you mileage runners--let's see what you got!

No, let's see what you have first, then we might suggest improvements on it.

More than 5000 EQP short of a Platinum Challenge is not even halfway there!

What did you do for the 4600+ points, and why? (did you just "accidentally" accumulate it on a business trip, etc.), since it seems like very little planning went into your challenge, if you only have four days left from the 90 you had.

I am coming to the end of a Platinum Challenge and find myself 5336 points short. Can anyone suggest a mileage run I can to in the next four days that will get me the points I need as cheaply as possible? C'mon all you mileage runners--let's see what you got! This would be from the San Francisco Bay Area (SFO, SJC, or OAK).

Thanks in advance!

Forget about meeting this challenge; start one again when you can plan a little better. But you could always get a last minute SFO-SYD on QF. Full fare F should get you enough points and will only cost $12,000.

You're welcome!

The "good news" is that if travelling in the next 4 days, the only fares available will likely earn 1 point per mile. In that case a R/T through DFW to anywhere in the northeast would give you enough points.

I do agree with other posters that it would be more cost-effective to just give up and do another challenge later.

I do agree with other posters that it would be more cost-effective to just give up and do another challenge later.

AA has not been allowing repeat challenges recently. Ofcourse, YMMV, but I would not count on being able to do this.

AA has not been allowing repeat challenges recently. Ofcourse, YMMV, but I would not count on being able to do this.

Does that apply to failures though?

You need to fly SFO-FLL on a V fare. $450 all in and can be done in a day SFO-ORD-FLL-DFW-SFO.

Fare actually shows available for tomorrow.

You may now provide all posters with a frosty beverage of their choice for bailing you out.

I'm sure there are better and fancier runs out there, but I only had 45 seconds. :)

Steve

Thanks for the tips folks. It does look like poor planning--I got laid off when our company did not make its quarter. Prior to that I had plenty of travel on the books.

What I came up with is about $1200 SJC<->DFW<->BOS<->DFW<->SJC.

Anything better out there?

I would look for you but sllevin's SFO-FLL looks very good for a last minute. I don't know the SC market well but always look at leisure destinations when needing something cheap last minute.

SJC-JAX and SFO-PBI have the same fares (399 + taxes).

The SFO/FLL idea is a great one, esp. if you can creatively play with the routings. If you're STILL a little shy of points with that, you can always nest a short FLL-to-?? trip, or see what's avail. up/down the west coast.

The SFO/FLL idea is a great one, esp. if you can creatively play with the routings. If you're STILL a little shy of points with that, you can always nest a short FLL-to-?? trip, or see what's avail. up/down the west coast.

I agree with skye1
SFO / FLL
SFO / PBI - SFO-ORD-PBI-ORD-SFO is over 7400 miles rt.....but fares are N / O so you'd need a couple of trips
both are coming in $260+

How about the 'brute force' approach -- SFO-LAX a half-dozen times ? :D

If you're doing the FLL idea, find out what allowable connections are avail. for this (fare rules, a call to AA, what other posts say, etc.). I'm SURE it's changed since then, but last year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that on a $100+/- sale fare STL-FLL, LAX (yep, LAX) was an allowable routing...and, once connecting thru LAX, I could connect to/from LAX & STL thru DFW, SFO, SEA, ORD, etc. Again, I'm sure that's changed since then, but the "check the allowable routings/cnxn's" concept still holds.

Does that apply to failures though?

I think it only applies to successes. FWIW CS told me that just before booking to LON next month. My prior (failing) challenge will expire 10/15 and the new one will start 10/16 (and end successfully 10/30).

If you're doing the FLL idea, find out what allowable connections are avail. for this (fare rules, a call to AA, what other posts say, etc.). I'm SURE it's changed since then, but last year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that on a $100+/- sale fare STL-FLL, LAX (yep, LAX) was an allowable routing...and, once connecting thru LAX, I could connect to/from LAX & STL thru DFW, SFO, SEA, ORD, etc. Again, I'm sure that's changed since then, but the "check the allowable routings/cnxn's" concept still holds.

Skye1 also regularly buys doughnuts for AA CSR's to find out about these routings. :D

Thanks for the tip on that one, Skye ^

Skye1 also regularly buys doughnuts for AA CSR's to find out about these routings. :D

Thanks for the tip on that one, Skye ^

Thanks guys. It looks like I can do a SFO-fLL-SFO run in V class thta gets me 1 pt per mile for $439 all in. Life is sweet!

If you're doing the FLL idea, find out what allowable connections are avail. for this (fare rules, a call to AA, what other posts say, etc.). I'm SURE it's changed since then, but last year, I was pleasantly surprised to find that on a $100+/- sale fare STL-FLL, LAX (yep, LAX) was an allowable routing...and, once connecting thru LAX, I could connect to/from LAX & STL thru DFW, SFO, SEA, ORD, etc. Again, I'm sure that's changed since then, but the "check the allowable routings/cnxn's" concept still holds.

Hey--great idea! I saw this before I booked and added in a stop in SEA at no extra charge! So now I go SFO->SEA->DFW->FLL->La Quinta ($59)->FLL->LAX->SFO.

Total miles & points 6485. Confirmed with AA that this will set me up again for Plat for 1.5 years or so.

I could do FLL->ORD->SFO for another $30.

Awesome--thanks all.

Have fun!