USAirways newbie question--need help earning and using miles
Apr 9, 2014, 1:07 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 1
USAirways newbie question--need help earning and using miles
I don't have enough for an award flight without buying miles. I had planned to wait for the merger completion to use these miles.
I have an international trip coming up, and I like to fly business on long hauls.
Any advice as to how to use miles from USAirways most productively? All of the news seems bad...
Thanks.
I have an international trip coming up, and I like to fly business on long hauls.
Any advice as to how to use miles from USAirways most productively? All of the news seems bad...
Thanks.
Apr 9, 2014, 1:33 am
#2
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 5,689
Burn em fast. Find something to redeem imho
Apr 9, 2014, 2:04 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
Programs: AA EXP, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Plat, Marriott Plat, Nat'l Exec Elite, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 16,273
Welcome to FT!
If you don't have enough to redeem for an award without buying miles, I'd be very careful... buying more than a small handful of miles to top up your balance can easily negate any value you get out of the miles.
Yes, AA/US announced some devaluations today, but as much as it stings for AA/US members, it's probably the softest hit taken by any legacy carriers in the last 6 months. I'd be cautious, but not panicked.
How many US miles are you currently holding? And where is your long haul travel to? (Europe, Asia, South Pacific, Middle East, etc...?)
If you don't have enough to redeem for an award without buying miles, I'd be very careful... buying more than a small handful of miles to top up your balance can easily negate any value you get out of the miles.
Yes, AA/US announced some devaluations today, but as much as it stings for AA/US members, it's probably the softest hit taken by any legacy carriers in the last 6 months. I'd be cautious, but not panicked.
How many US miles are you currently holding? And where is your long haul travel to? (Europe, Asia, South Pacific, Middle East, etc...?)
Apr 9, 2014, 7:47 am
#4
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CLT
Programs: AA, UA, BA, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,074
Sharing miles gets a 100% bonus if you share 30K-50K miles this week. Cost comes out to 1.1x cpm, MUCH cheaper than buying miles. So if you have at least 30K, share with a family member / trusted friend, get the bonus miles, and book a flight for yourself from their account. If you have < 30K, don't worry about trying to get value out of them prior to the program merger as you have little value at stake.
However, the sky isn't falling. Devaluations occur, and if you were planning to wait until USDM merges with AAdvantage, you had to have thought there was > 90% chance of a devaluation prior to or at the time of program merger. Probably best to hold tight.
However, the sky isn't falling. Devaluations occur, and if you were planning to wait until USDM merges with AAdvantage, you had to have thought there was > 90% chance of a devaluation prior to or at the time of program merger. Probably best to hold tight.
Apr 9, 2014, 11:42 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
I don't have enough for an award flight without buying miles. I had planned to wait for the merger completion to use these miles.
I have an international trip coming up, and I like to fly business on long hauls.
Any advice as to how to use miles from USAirways most productively? All of the news seems bad...
Thanks.
I have an international trip coming up, and I like to fly business on long hauls.
Any advice as to how to use miles from USAirways most productively? All of the news seems bad...
Thanks.
Please note this thread originated in the flame-free Information Desk forum.
jackal
Moderator, Information Desk
Apr 9, 2014, 1:36 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
There is also a restriction on mixing and matching class of service. If you book a round trip with even one segment in Business you pay the miles for Business for the entire trip. That's built into the award chart so if it says 120K miles for Business from the U.S. to Europe that's the price you'll pay even if only one segment is in Business.
Jim
Jim
Apr 10, 2014, 11:28 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: NC
Posts: 1
I'm also new at earning/using miles, and am really confused about how many miles it actually takes to earn a free domestic roundtrip flight. From what I've read on various blogs, and watched in videos on the topic of earning points/redeeming miles, people commonly indicate that 25,000 miles gets you a free roundtrip domestic.
But I'm trying to plan a trip for July from RDU to SEA. I've looked around at miles needed for several airlines, and almost all are 25,000 - 30,000 EACH WAY, making the trip cost about 60,000 miles a piece.
I just got approved for the US Airways Dividend Miles Mastercard and can get 30,000 miles for that, coupled with 30,000 SPG points from my AmEx I was going to transfer to US Airways Dividend Miles. But it looks like 60,000 will only get one roundtrip ticket from Raleigh to Seattle.
Am I doing something wrong? When looking at redemption values on various airlines, I made the dates as flexible as possible, and that was about as cheap as it would go. I'd appreciate any insight. Thanks!
But I'm trying to plan a trip for July from RDU to SEA. I've looked around at miles needed for several airlines, and almost all are 25,000 - 30,000 EACH WAY, making the trip cost about 60,000 miles a piece.
I just got approved for the US Airways Dividend Miles Mastercard and can get 30,000 miles for that, coupled with 30,000 SPG points from my AmEx I was going to transfer to US Airways Dividend Miles. But it looks like 60,000 will only get one roundtrip ticket from Raleigh to Seattle.
Am I doing something wrong? When looking at redemption values on various airlines, I made the dates as flexible as possible, and that was about as cheap as it would go. I'd appreciate any insight. Thanks!
Apr 10, 2014, 2:38 pm
#8
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
Most if not all U.S. carriers have tiered mileage requirements for travel to places they serve - US, for example, is 25K, 40K or 60K miles for a domestic round trip coach ticket for low, medium or high awards. Alliance award charts usually only have a set number of miles for one way travel and class of service between points - 1W is 25K miles for travel within the USA and Canada each way, for example.
Of course, for domestic travel the AA/US merger means that there isn't another 1W carrier you can use so ignore that award chart for domestic travel. However, since the two haven't integrated operations each can have it's own award chart but to use US miles you'd book through and use miles from US.
Note that while US does offer 25K mile round trip awards domestically it doesn't mean that they will be available on every flight every day. US would have a given number of award seats available on a flight with all of them available for 60K miles, less for 40K, and maybe none for 25K. So being flexible with travel dates and routing helps. The US website should work satisfactorily for domestic travel booked through US.
Jim
Of course, for domestic travel the AA/US merger means that there isn't another 1W carrier you can use so ignore that award chart for domestic travel. However, since the two haven't integrated operations each can have it's own award chart but to use US miles you'd book through and use miles from US.
Note that while US does offer 25K mile round trip awards domestically it doesn't mean that they will be available on every flight every day. US would have a given number of award seats available on a flight with all of them available for 60K miles, less for 40K, and maybe none for 25K. So being flexible with travel dates and routing helps. The US website should work satisfactorily for domestic travel booked through US.
Jim
Apr 10, 2014, 6:33 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Treasure Coast Florida
Programs: USA Dividend miles soon to be AAdvantage
Posts: 723
I thought I'd jump in on this discussion about buying miles and using them ASAP. I have 26,964 DM and would like to use them to upgrade to Envoy on a coming European trip. I would need to purchase 4K if I wished to use them for the east bound trip at end of April. If I wait till my return trip at end of June I will have at least 5K plus whatever my USAir cc racks up and not need to purchase miles. My question is, will there be a devaluation within that time period and risk being stuck with not enough miles to burn them on the return trip? Or should I purchase the 4K now and burn most of them on my outbound flight?
Apr 10, 2014, 10:43 pm
#10
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
Nobody knows what if any thing will be devalued in the future or when. The risk you have with waiting is that by the time you accrue the miles there may not be upgrade space available.
Is this an all US flight, no 1W segments? US has a GoEnvoy (or GoBusiness when the name changes) program for upgrading at OCLI if seats are available. Depending on your European destination, it'll probably be at least $600 for each one-way TATL segment and as above, the risk is that there won't be seats available to upgrade to.
Do you have anyone you can share miles with? Right now US has a bonus on sharing miles. You and they could share miles back and forth and both get the bonus which would be cheaper than buying the miles outright. I think this ends in the next few days - there's a thread about it.
Jim
Is this an all US flight, no 1W segments? US has a GoEnvoy (or GoBusiness when the name changes) program for upgrading at OCLI if seats are available. Depending on your European destination, it'll probably be at least $600 for each one-way TATL segment and as above, the risk is that there won't be seats available to upgrade to.
Do you have anyone you can share miles with? Right now US has a bonus on sharing miles. You and they could share miles back and forth and both get the bonus which would be cheaper than buying the miles outright. I think this ends in the next few days - there's a thread about it.
Jim
Apr 11, 2014, 6:33 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Treasure Coast Florida
Programs: USA Dividend miles soon to be AAdvantage
Posts: 723
Nobody knows what if any thing will be devalued in the future or when. The risk you have with waiting is that by the time you accrue the miles there may not be upgrade space available.
Is this an all US flight, no 1W segments? US has a GoEnvoy (or GoBusiness when the name changes) program for upgrading at OCLI if seats are available. Depending on your European destination, it'll probably be at least $600 for each one-way TATL segment and as above, the risk is that there won't be seats available to upgrade to.
Do you have anyone you can share miles with? Right now US has a bonus on sharing miles. You and they could share miles back and forth and both get the bonus which would be cheaper than buying the miles outright. I think this ends in the next few days - there's a thread about it.
Jim
Is this an all US flight, no 1W segments? US has a GoEnvoy (or GoBusiness when the name changes) program for upgrading at OCLI if seats are available. Depending on your European destination, it'll probably be at least $600 for each one-way TATL segment and as above, the risk is that there won't be seats available to upgrade to.
Do you have anyone you can share miles with? Right now US has a bonus on sharing miles. You and they could share miles back and forth and both get the bonus which would be cheaper than buying the miles outright. I think this ends in the next few days - there's a thread about it.
Jim
My PNR is all on USAirways metal. I did a 'dummy' booking and there are seats available right now for the FRA destination.
I am now wondering, if I could 'buy up' to Envoy/first class on my return PNR flight in June NOW?
Apr 11, 2014, 7:12 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
I'm pretty sure that you can buy up at any time, as opposed to the T-24 for GoEnvoy. If an upgrade seat is available you'll have to pay the miles when you purchase the upgrade though. You can't book it then wait to pay until you have the miles. But without looking I suspect that buying the needed miles is less expensive than the GoEnvoy.
You could do a dummy booking for 3-4 seats and keep an eye on availability. That way you could wait until the number of available seats drops to 1 or 2 before snagging the upgrade. Maybe you'd have the needed miles by then, or at least need to buy fewer miles.
Jim
You could do a dummy booking for 3-4 seats and keep an eye on availability. That way you could wait until the number of available seats drops to 1 or 2 before snagging the upgrade. Maybe you'd have the needed miles by then, or at least need to buy fewer miles.
Jim
Apr 11, 2014, 11:51 am
#13
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Treasure Coast Florida
Programs: USA Dividend miles soon to be AAdvantage
Posts: 723
I'm pretty sure that you can buy up at any time, as opposed to the T-24 for GoEnvoy. If an upgrade seat is available you'll have to pay the miles when you purchase the upgrade though. You can't book it then wait to pay until you have the miles. But without looking I suspect that buying the needed miles is less expensive than the GoEnvoy.
20/20 hind site, I should have taken advantage of the bonus miles buy back in March! I have been watching for one this month but I doubt very much that will be offered. *sigh*