Saver vs. Standard Award
Oct 1, 2007, 8:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: United Mileage Plus Premiere Executive
Posts: 7
Saver vs. Standard Award
Here's my question peeps.
Do the flights I see under the "standard award" ever get freed up to the "saver awards" closer to the date of flight. Any strategy around this would be appreciated. Looking to save 25,000 if I can.
Thanks in advance.
Do the flights I see under the "standard award" ever get freed up to the "saver awards" closer to the date of flight. Any strategy around this would be appreciated. Looking to save 25,000 if I can.
Thanks in advance.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:27 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: United Plat 2MM, Hilton Gold
Posts: 2,727
Yes, sometimes they do.
And sometimes they don't.
And sometimes they don't.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:34 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boulder, CO
Programs: UA, AA, WN; HH, MR, IHG
Posts: 7,054
If the flight is very open for revenue sales, it's quite possible they'll open up more Saver space closer to the flight date. If the flight is selling revenue seats quickly enough and looks like it will sell out, you'll probably be out of luck. Rule of thumb is to check and check and keep checking.
If you require a Saver award, I would recommend booking that you're OK with, then keep checking on your preferred flights and switch to those if/when they become available. If you are changing only the dates/times (not routing or number of connections), changes should be free.
If you require a Saver award, I would recommend booking that you're OK with, then keep checking on your preferred flights and switch to those if/when they become available. If you are changing only the dates/times (not routing or number of connections), changes should be free.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:35 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2003
Programs: UA1K 3MM, AS MVP 75K Gold
Posts: 2,706
That was funny. . . but true.
Getting saver awards especially to prime destinations is a crapshoot. You can get lucky or you can be miserable but the general rules are valid.
That is, book early, be flexible with routing and dates, etc.
But this forum is full of examples that go against the norm.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:35 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,242
Welcome to FT!
Yes, it happens, although now UA has started charging and extra fee if you book an award close to the date of departure.
In my experience it happens often when the flight is not very full. Check loadings on seatguru.com to see how full the flight is (seatmaps are not a good way).
If the flight is not heavy on load, and you are OK with risking the close-in fee for 25,000 miles, you might as well wait. You can always grab a Standard Award at the last minute if there are any empty seats.
Yes, it happens, although now UA has started charging and extra fee if you book an award close to the date of departure.
In my experience it happens often when the flight is not very full. Check loadings on seatguru.com to see how full the flight is (seatmaps are not a good way).
If the flight is not heavy on load, and you are OK with risking the close-in fee for 25,000 miles, you might as well wait. You can always grab a Standard Award at the last minute if there are any empty seats.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:40 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Boulder, CO
Programs: UA, AA, WN; HH, MR, IHG
Posts: 7,054
This is why I suggested finding an acceptable alternative and then changing dates/times if space opens up... I believe (although I am not 100% certain) that the close-in fee is not charged for date/time changes, although I could be totally wrong. The last time I changed award flights was due to a schedule change, so fees generally go out the window on that one.
Oct 1, 2007, 8:45 pm
#7
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.99MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,769
In a sense the seats available for Saver Awards have nothing to do with the seats available for Standard Awards.
Any available revenue seat is available for Standard Award -- there is no special inventory for Standard awards.
"Standard awards give you the flexibility to fly at any time seats are available for the flight and class of service you request."
There is special inventory for Saver awards and there does seem to be some relationship (but seems fairly weak) relationship between the availability of saver award seat and the number of available revenue seats in your choice of class of service.
Any available revenue seat is available for Standard Award -- there is no special inventory for Standard awards.
"Standard awards give you the flexibility to fly at any time seats are available for the flight and class of service you request."
There is special inventory for Saver awards and there does seem to be some relationship (but seems fairly weak) relationship between the availability of saver award seat and the number of available revenue seats in your choice of class of service.
Oct 1, 2007, 10:40 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23,999
Welcome to FlyerTalk, dan_in_colorado!
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