Award taxes/fees/surcharges - Rant thread
Oct 5, 2015, 7:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: GVA,OPO
Programs: BD the last decent FFP
Posts: 1,856
Award taxes/fees/surcharges - Rant thread
M&M has been perfecting the rip-off (taxes/fees/surcharges) on awards vs what is charged for the equivalent revenue ticket.
This thread is really just to vent the frustration as the topic appears across many threads. And a bit of public shaming can only be good for change to occur.
so, to my rant
Exhibit A
>1000 CAD for an award flight vs the respective revenue ticket for a YYZ-GVA-JFK Biz ticket.
Details here
Our FT LH team's feedback on these made-up charges:
This thread is really just to vent the frustration as the topic appears across many threads. And a bit of public shaming can only be good for change to occur.
so, to my rant
Exhibit A
>1000 CAD for an award flight vs the respective revenue ticket for a YYZ-GVA-JFK Biz ticket.
Details here
Our FT LH team's feedback on these made-up charges:
Dear GBM.flight - please be advised that the fees and surcharges are levied on all tickets. Lufthansa carries some of these fees on certain revenue tickets in order to stay competitive. This is simply not possible with award tickets, as they are paid for with miles. We are unable to furnish you with any additional information.
Best regards, Ella
Best regards, Ella
Oct 6, 2015, 4:40 pm
#5
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: ZRH
Programs: LX HON Circle
Posts: 3,253
Banking where? I have yet to find a suitable program. Being DUS based currently being a SEN is mandatory as we often have to take 4U. But next year is a dead year for me so I could bank somewhere else. Maybe UA 1k. Unrealistic though as most of my longhauls are on SQ.
Oct 7, 2015, 9:18 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
Oct 7, 2015, 9:28 am
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
1K gives more rewards, be it SWUs, extra miles or waived fees.
Oct 7, 2015, 10:20 am
#10
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,859
Not to mention the SWUs working on actual LH flights, mileage bonus working on LH flights and waived fees working for LH flights (awards).
Oct 7, 2015, 12:39 pm
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: PVG, FRA, SEA, HEL
Programs: UA Premier Gold
Posts: 4,783
Not to mention the SWUs working on actual LH flights
The following Lufthansa fare classes are not eligible for Global Premier Upgrades: Z, P, V, W, S, T, N, L, K, R, X, I, O,
mileage bonus working on LH flights
If I read the page correctly, then 1k wont give passenger any bonus for flights after March 1, 2015.
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/mar...spx?ItemId=298
Oct 7, 2015, 1:04 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,859
True, but not disqualifying.
You're not reading it correctly.
"MileagePlus Premier members receive the following mileage bonuses for flights flown before March 1, 2015, and on tickets that do not start with "016" purchased from an airline other than United or from a travel agency or other travel website for flights flown on or after March 1, 2015."
Only if UA issued the ticket.
If I read the page correctly, then 1k wont give passenger any bonus for flights after March 1, 2015.
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/mar...spx?ItemId=298
If I read the page correctly, then 1k wont give passenger any bonus for flights after March 1, 2015.
https://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/mar...spx?ItemId=298
"MileagePlus Premier members receive the following mileage bonuses for flights flown before March 1, 2015, and on tickets that do not start with "016" purchased from an airline other than United or from a travel agency or other travel website for flights flown on or after March 1, 2015."
Oct 7, 2015, 2:54 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: ZRH
Programs: LX HON Circle
Posts: 3,253
I would do 1k for the upgr vouchers only. I would then use them on LH to upgr to F. I am not looking for *G privileges as I already have 3 of them (SEN, SQ PPS and A3 Gold). But then again on my main route to SIN upgrades are hard to come by. And why all this lottery when I can just take SQ.
Oct 8, 2015, 1:50 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,622
But surely you still have to pay the absurd surcharges and fines with these programmes? Isn't there a requirement with TK to do a minimum number of segments on their own metal, a bit like on BA and UA. I am tempted by A3 Gold but I seem to recall that it is not as easy to get these days as it used to be.
Oct 8, 2015, 7:03 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
@:-) No carrier-imposed surcharges on any redemptions with UA miles. Carrier-imposed surcharges only on some airlines when redeeming AC miles. No minimum carrier requirement to reach TK tier status (although with 20+ TK segments, that would not have been an issue).