US Airways Dividend Miles - Award redeposit fee for CPs

I was hoping to get some info on the specifics of the redeposit fee waiver for CPs on awards reservations.

1. Is the fee waived for *A awards and not just US awards?
2. How does the process work? Specifically are changes to an existing reservation possible or does the entire reservation need to be cancelled and rebooked?

I will be making a reservation soon as a GP for an award next year. I will likely make CP before the year is out so I'm interested in learning exactly how this works. Thanks for the help.

I was hoping to get some info on the specifics of the redeposit fee waiver for CPs on awards reservations.

1. Is the fee waived for *A awards and not just US awards?
Yes, for all award tickets.

2. How does the process work? Specifically are changes to an existing reservation possible or does the entire reservation need to be cancelled and rebooked?
It depends on how complicated the changes are, which partners are involved and the agent helping you. I've had it handled both ways. When I have flights ticketed that include some flights that no longer have available award seats, I've been able to get an agent to 're-issue,' making the changes I wanted, without canceling the rest of the ticket. I believe I've always done that, though, without changing carriers for the re-issued portions.

When the entire 'new' itinerary is available with award seats, it seems much easier for them to just make the new reservation and cancel the old one. If you don't have enough miles to temporarily hold both, I'm sure they can make, confirm and hold the second reservation, then cancel the original one and redeposit the miles (which is immediate) in order to ticket the new one.

I will be making a reservation soon as a GP for an award next year. I will likely make CP before the year is out so I'm interested in learning exactly how this works.
I'm sure that the status you hold at the time you make the change/redeposit is all that will matter.

I recently changed a *A CLT-MUC-CLT (on LH), to CLT-IAD (UA)-MUC-CLT(LH) and I only had to pay a slight tax difference (7$). This was a change of dates but not city pairs.

HTSC

That is pretty much what I expected but thanks for the information. I'm going to be booking a fairly complicated multi-segment F award to SE Asia via Europe for two that will involve either a stopover or an open jaw.

If I do make changes the destination will remain the same but I might want to change cities in between, carriers and dates slightly. I doubt I will have enough miles to book a new award while still holding the exisiting award. It sounds like it's possible to just make changes to the award without cancelling, but this will be very dependent on the agent. Thanks again for the help!

I'm sure that the status you hold at the time you make the change/redeposit is all that will matter.

I'm running into this just now. I'm currently Plat and will make CP before the end of the year. Booked an award reservation on a lark today for this weekend and learned shortly thereafter learned that my traveling companion doesn't have her documents in order, so we can't make the trip. If I did a mileage redeposit now, it'd cost me $300. Is it true that if I wait until I'm CP, I could call the desk and have the miles redeposited for free?

I'm running into this just now. I'm currently Plat and will make CP before the end of the year. Booked an award reservation on a lark today for this weekend and learned shortly thereafter learned that my traveling companion doesn't have her documents in order, so we can't make the trip. If I did a mileage redeposit now, it'd cost me $300. Is it true that if I wait until I'm CP, I could call the desk and have the miles redeposited for free?

I believe you have to cancel the reservation prior to the departure date/time of the outbound flight or you will lose the miles entirely. Since it's this weekend, you obviously don't have time to become CP before doing so.

You might try canceling the reservation and just asking the agent to leave the miles attached to it until you are ready to re-book it, explaining that you will pay the change fee at that time. I don't know if this is even possible, but it's worth a try. Then, once you are CP, you could call and ask for the miles to be redeposited, which would be done at no charge.

If you get a good agent on the phone, you could explain your situation and see what they recommend. Perhaps it is possible to get the miles back if you don't cancel and don't show for the flight, then request the re-deposit once you are CP; I don't know, as I've never been in that situation.

This free redeposit used to be a benefit for both CP and Platinum levels, then a year or two ago they quietly changed it to CP only. It's really too bad they did so.

This might be a little off topic, but I have another couple award travel questions related to the trip I'm planning to book soon.

First, I want to begin my trip departing from JFK on a JFK-FRA segment. If I ultimately end the award at LGA - not JFK - that won't count as an open jaw, will it?

Second, if I end the trip FRA-BOS-LGA and decide not to get on the BOS-LGA leg (I want to end my trip in Bos), will this create any problems?

I want to use a stopover elsewhere so I'm trying to figure out if there is a way for me to begin my trip at JFK and end it at BOS.

You might try canceling the reservation and just asking the agent to leave the miles attached to it until you are ready to re-book it, explaining that you will pay the change fee at that time. I don't know if this is even possible, but it's worth a try. Then, once you are CP, you could call and ask for the miles to be redeposited, which would be done at no charge.

If you get a good agent on the phone, you could explain your situation and see what they recommend. Perhaps it is possible to get the miles back if you don't cancel and don't show for the flight, then request the re-deposit once you are CP; I don't know, as I've never been in that situation.

This is exactly what I'm trying. I have cancelled the reservation, but it's still "alive" in the system with the miles attached. Once I hit CP, I'll just call and nonchalantly ask for a mileage redeposit.

This might be a little off topic, but I have another couple award travel questions related to the trip I'm planning to book soon.

First, I want to begin my trip departing from JFK on a JFK-FRA segment. If I ultimately end the award at LGA - not JFK - that won't count as an open jaw, will it?

Second, if I end the trip FRA-BOS-LGA and decide not to get on the BOS-LGA leg (I want to end my trip in Bos), will this create any problems?

I want to use a stopover elsewhere so I'm trying to figure out if there is a way for me to begin my trip at JFK and end it at BOS.

First, NYC (LGA, JFK or EWR) should be considered 'co-terminal' for this purpose, so when you are booking, tell the agent you want to start from and return to NYC. Then give the segments that your research indicates are available. Starting out of JFK and returning to LGA or EWR should not be a problem -- provided the agent knows what he/she is doing.

Having said that, it's not a problem to just stay in BOS and not board the onward connection back to NY. You will have to go through customs and immigration with any checked baggage in BOS anyway, so just walk out and don't re-check your bags after you exit customs.

So, if you want it to end in BOS, and you plan to just walk off at that point, you really don't care whether it's ticketed to JFK, LGA, or EWR right? Assuming that's true, I would just ask for a return to BOS, then back to New York, your starting point. They can book you on whatever is available, to any of the airports.

This will accomplish your goal and leave you with the open jaw or stop-over somewhere else in the trip. (Just be sure you understand the rules governing those as well.)

This is exactly what I'm trying. I have cancelled the reservation, but it's still "alive" in the system with the miles attached. Once I hit CP, I'll just call and nonchalantly ask for a mileage redeposit.

If they were willing to do that, then your plan should work. The res won't auto-cancel because of a no-show, so your miles should sit there attached to that 'live' PNR and once you are CP you can call a CP agent and say, "You know. . . the miles from XYZ reservation were never put back into my account. Can you do that for me?" :)

If they were willing to do that, then your plan should work. The res won't auto-cancel because of a no-show, so your miles should sit there attached to that 'live' PNR and once you are CP you can call a CP agent and say, "You know. . . the miles from XYZ reservation were never put back into my account. Can you do that for me?" :)

FYI this worked like a charm. I wasn't even on the phone with a CP agent, it was a PL one because I don't have my CP card yet.

"This is the first time I've talked to a Chairman before!" --> get whatever you want