Easy way to get small amount of miles to hit preferred level?

koreyb · Nov 27, 12, 9:30 pm

My wife is so close to hitting silver again for 4 years in a row. After our holiday trip home she'll need about 43 miles to get her status again! Any ideas on getting a small amount of preferred miles?

I've looked at a short mileage run to LAS and even Flagstaff, AZ from PHX. All tickets seem to be in the $200 and up range. Seems a bit overkill.

Buying preferred is $249+.

Ideally we could get it done in the $50 or less range.

Cloudwanderer · Nov 27, 12, 10:08 pm

Have you booked your holiday trip? Could you add in an extra stop to bump up the total?

There are some runs from PHX-LAS for $112 if you look here

LM225 · Nov 28, 12, 4:48 am

This is riskier, but if either of your holiday flights are not first thing in the morning and have at least one connection, try to MoveUp to an earlier flight that connects through a different airport that adds at least 43 miles to your trip. Just make sure there are flights within 6 hours with the same number of connections.

koreyb · Nov 28, 12, 7:36 am

Shoot, already booked the holiday trip w/o trip insurance. They seem to be inflexible on changes after purchase. I'll look in to that though!

Right, that's an idea. Roll the dice day of to get an earlier connecting flight instead of direct.

LM225 · Nov 28, 12, 7:45 am

Yep, just make sure you do your research on the exact segments you would want (and the availability on those segments), and get there early.

bevoinva · Nov 28, 12, 7:57 am

MoveUp program now requires the new flight(s) to have the same number of segments as your original routing.

LM225 · Nov 28, 12, 8:40 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevoinva

MoveUp program now requires the new flight(s) to have the same number of segments as your original routing.

That's why I said

Quote:

Just make sure there are flights within 6 hours with the same number of connections.

Good to clarify, though, this is very important. I should've said segments.

bevoinva · Nov 28, 12, 9:38 am

Doh! I missed the second part of your sentence! You had it covered!

Cloudwanderer · Nov 28, 12, 10:07 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by koreyb

Right, that's an idea. Roll the dice day of to get an earlier connecting flight instead of direct.

koreyb

Just to overkill spell it out for you - I don't think that this is going to be possible because of the reasons that LM225 & bevoinva gave above. I wouldn't want you to put all of your eggs in this basket and be disappointed!

Another option is that flying First Class earns 50% more Preferred-qualifying miles. You could try doing a dummy booking on one of your flights and see what the price differential in one of the segments for first class would be... Although you might of course be hit with a change fee (for either a reroute or an upgrade)...

I would try phoning US airways DM and explain exactly the situation - that your wife has almost qualified for silver four years in a row and now is just a few miles short. They may let her slide through (it has been know before..) or perhaps be very kind and wave a change fee...

Good luck.

koreyb · Nov 28, 12, 11:00 am

This is great info everyone!

So, I called in to US Airways and asked about paying for an upgrade to first class (as any other award or class upgrade wouldn't count). $175/leg and you can only do it within 24hrs of the flight.

Buying straight out first class today would be $336 for the lowest cost leg of the trip. Paid a total of $350.60 for the coach flight. Not sure what each leg cost, but with no change fee that might put it under $160 to change the ticket to first class.

Next step is to try to sweet talk them in to waving the change fee!

Cloudwanderer · Nov 28, 12, 11:30 am

I think that your chances of buying an first class seat on the day of the flight would be very slim. (Most of the seats in first class will be given to preferred). Try doing a dummy booking for your flight today - and see how many 1st class are left - and then combine that with it being a holiday flight.....

You would have more chance of the flight being overbooked - and your wife taking a voluntary bump & re route - but I wouldn't risk it.... (although this would be the dream solution - esp. with compensation!)

Do you mind telling us where you are flying for the holidays? There maybe a short hop from there that would be worth doing?

geo1005 · Nov 28, 12, 11:50 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloudwanderer

I think that your chances of buying an first class seat on the day of the flight would be very slim. (Most of the seats in first class will be given to preferred).

I don't think you get the class-of-service bonus if you buy up to FC at online check-in or day of departure. I think you will still get the miles for the originally ticketed coach class. If you pay in advance to change your ticket to a F seat, then you should get the class-of-service bonus.

koreyb · Nov 28, 12, 11:58 am

@Cloudwanderer Agreed, think the odds are low on being able to buy up within 24 hrs. There are about 6 of 8 seats open on each leg. PHX -> MSP 12.21 to 12.23 late flights for both

@geo1005 That would be a good question to ask the next time I call in.

bevoinva · Nov 28, 12, 12:15 pm

geo1005 is correct. The same day upgrade wouldn't get you any bonus miles - you'd only get credit for the originally booked coach class.

Cloudwanderer · Nov 28, 12, 12:47 pm

I am pretty sure what geo1005 was saying is true - and he was right to spell it out. Upgrades that you get when you check-in or at the airport don't give you the bonus miles... I thought that is what you were alluding to when you said that "(as any other award or class upgrade wouldn't count)" - but it did surprise me when you said that you could only purchase the upgrade at T-24...

Assuming that you can get a bonus points earning flight at T-24 - well PHX-MSP doesn't seem elite heavy - but it is the holidays... Also unfortunate that MSP doesn't seem to have any short hop flights nearby (I was hoping that you would say somewhere like BLT - where your wife could get a cheap o/w and you could drive and meet her at the other end....)

(On that note - your wife might want to take a one-way to Tucson for $110 - $130 and you could drive and meet her... it wouldn't be cheaper than a Las Vegas rtn - but at least you might be able to make a day trip out of it.... )

Also getting an extra segment into the PHX-MSP flight is going to be a push...

It is such a shame that the dates are so tight. The points from the last flight will likely post on the 26/27th. And I think that if you were to call on that day - there would be a good chance of your wife being able to slip through to silver given the circumstances. But if it were not to happen - then you might well be stuck with having to buy a considerably more expensive last minute flight. (I looked at having a security refundable ticket to LAS and from the prices I saw it would be cheaper to buy up..)

I think that your best bet is
i) To try sweet talking for No change fee for a bonus point gaining 1st class ticket
ii) Booking a LAS mileage run
iii) Making a day trip to TUS

or crossing yr fingers and hoping for
a) Bump on PHX/MSP flight
b) Sweet talking US DM forgiving the extra 43 miles
c) and failing a) & b) hoping that ii) and iii) are not last minute really expensive that your final option is
d) Buying up