How To Book an entire Trip With Skymiles?

 
Old Nov 30, 2008, 11:38 pm
  #1  
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How To Book an entire Trip With Skymiles?

Hello Everyone (Happy Holidays)!

Here's a Skymiles newbie question:

Since my girlfriend and I are looking to go to Cancun right after the first of the year, to save money, we wanted to use the 190K Skymiles we (she) has, to pay for the entire trip (just Flights & Hotel).

But it's not really clear to us how to actually do that, even after going on the Delta site (for the Flights), And after googling a bit for direction on how to use Skymiles to pay for Hotel.

So could anyone here breakdown the best way(s) to book our Flights and Hotel using our Skymiles to pay for it all, for me? (should we use a travel agent? is there a streamlined website I can go to to book it all? Is it even possible?)

Thanks in advance for everyone's wisdom, and chiming in to help us figure this seemingly simple endeavor out.

Also, just to add to the details: We'd be leaving from Atlanta (ATL) and Flying to Cancun, Mexico (CUN), anytime between 1/2/2009 to 1/17/2009 (figured the prices would be better then, than during the upcoming holidays).

Thanks All.
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 3:19 am
  #2  
 
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How is this a mileage run, since the stated intent is to use miles rather than earn them?

Not to usurp the Moderator's job, but this thread belongs in the Delta Skymiles forum. This forum is for discussion of flying for the sake of earning bonus and elite-qualifying miles/points.
benzguy80 is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2008, 6:55 am
  #3  
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Thanks for your response. Sorry if I post this in the wrong place. Do you or anyone else have any ideas?
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 7:02 am
  #4  
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How To Book an entire Trip With Skymiles?

Hello Everyone (Happy Holidays)!

*I just searched through the Skymiles FAQ here, & I still have a Question*:

Here's a Skymiles newbie question:

Since my girlfriend and I are looking to go to Cancun right after the first of the year, to save money, we wanted to use the 190K Skymiles we (she) has, to pay for the entire trip (just Flights & Hotel).

But it's not really clear to us how to actually do that, even after going on the Delta site (for the Flights), And after googling a bit for direction on how to use Skymiles to pay for Hotel.

So could anyone here breakdown the best way(s) to book our Flights and Hotel using our Skymiles to pay for it all, for me? (should we use a travel agent? is there a streamlined website I can go to to book it all? Is it even possible?)

Thanks in advance for everyone's wisdom, and chiming in to help us figure this seemingly simple endeavor out.

Also, just to add to the details: We'd be leaving from Atlanta (ATL) and Flying to Cancun, Mexico (CUN), anytime between 1/2/2009 to 1/17/2009 (figured the prices would be better then, than during the upcoming holidays).

Thanks All.
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 7:23 am
  #5  
 
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You can book the flight through the Delta website. Just click on "skymiles award ticket' link, which is in the 'book a trip' section.

As far as using miles to pay for your hotel, I didnt know you could do that...so I will defer to the experts and will be interested in hearing the answer as well.
AAPlatRN is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2008, 9:36 am
  #6  
 
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Isn't it a bit late in the game to try for award tickets, ATL/CUN, during tourist season?

AMEX may be able to convert soime of your Skymiles to points in several of the hotel programs, but most of the Notell Motels in Cancun are not "Chain Names".
TMOliver is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2008, 10:25 am
  #7  
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Thanks AA.
I'm Not really sure TMOliver. Not too knowledgeable about the best times to book, and the best destinations to travel to to use these Skymiles for Hotel. Please elaborate on what you know.

We really just want to get to a foreign tropical beach, after the holidays are over (but before the spring break rush): using skymiles to pay for it.

Sounds simple right?

Any ideas?
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 10:44 am
  #8  
 
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Originally Posted by Insighttrader
Thanks AA.
I'm Not really sure TMOliver. Not too knowledgeable about the best times to book, and the best destinations to travel to to use these Skymiles for Hotel. Please elaborate on what you know.

We really just want to get to a foreign tropical beach, after the holidays are over (but before the spring break rush): using skymiles to pay for it.

Sounds simple right?

Any ideas?
I am not aware of any way to pay for hotels using skymiles and if there is, it will be at a horrible rate that will make it not worth it. Just use priceline or something.
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 12:24 pm
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Originally Posted by Insighttrader
Thanks for your response. Sorry if I post this in the wrong place. Do you or anyone else have any ideas?
Maybe you'll find more answers in the right forum for your question - which is the Delta Skymiles forum where I've moved this thread.

Kind Regards


rcs85551
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Old Dec 1, 2008, 2:32 pm
  #10  
 
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Originally Posted by TMOliver
Isn't it a bit late in the game to try for award tickets, ATL/CUN, during tourist season?
It's reactions like this that I think give FF programs a bad name.

TMOliver, on 23 of the 31 days in January 2009, I see outbound awards ATL-CUN with the SkyMiles "Low" price, according to the award calendar. The other 8 days are "Med" price. (This is assuming that the calendar is accurate -- that's another story that actually is deserving of attacks.)

For the return to ATL from CUN in Jan 2009:
14 Low
8 Med
4 High (Jan 2-5)

However, I don't know of any way to use SkyMiles efficiently for booking hotel rooms or flight/hotel packages.
sc flier is offline  
Old Dec 1, 2008, 5:50 pm
  #11  
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Hey Folks,
Thanks for chiming in.

I ended up calling Delta finally, and found out that they currently Don't have a two-way type of partnership with Hotels, wherein you can pay for hotel stays with Delta Skymiles (as well as earn miles otherwise).

You can only earn them (Hilton Hotels).

I found out that, among others, American Express, and American Airlines allows earning and 'paying for with', when it comes to their type of Skymiles.

Thanks for being a sounding "board" anyways.

What I ended up doing was booking a nice RC Cruise using our WorldMiles. And we may possibly use just some of our Delta skymiles to fly down to the the Port of Call for the cruise.

And by the way, sc flier is right.
I was told by an agent that I spoke with along the way, that actually the peak season for sunny/beach vacation travel, is more toward March and June. Major Holidays hold their own too, but the times I was looking into were right after those holidays had passed.

The flights to and from the port don't look bad at all.

Thanks again everyone.
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