Need 14,000 points - What are my options?
Aug 16, 2014, 12:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 424
Need 14,000 points - What are my options?
OK I need 14,000 points in addition to what I have. What is the best way to go about getting those points?
- I have no plans to fly to earn points between now and when I need them.
- I don't have the VX CC because I can't get approved (even though I had the old Barclays CC with an $8000 limit).
When does VX usually have their point purchase bonuses? Is that just once a year?
Also, is there a place where I can purchase points from people and have them transfer them to my account at a discount?
Any other options here?
Ethan
- I have no plans to fly to earn points between now and when I need them.
- I don't have the VX CC because I can't get approved (even though I had the old Barclays CC with an $8000 limit).
When does VX usually have their point purchase bonuses? Is that just once a year?
Also, is there a place where I can purchase points from people and have them transfer them to my account at a discount?
Any other options here?
Ethan
Aug 16, 2014, 3:48 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 460
Sounds like you're stuck.
Seems like they're almost always having promotions that award status points, but you'd have to fly to get those. No other way to get them other than the methods you mentioned. You can't do any bulk transfers of points and have them increase your balance.
You might look into their status match promotion, but if you aren't planning on flying, you probably wouldn't meet the challenge at the end of the 90 days. A lot of people just do that to try the airline out.
Seems like they're almost always having promotions that award status points, but you'd have to fly to get those. No other way to get them other than the methods you mentioned. You can't do any bulk transfers of points and have them increase your balance.
You might look into their status match promotion, but if you aren't planning on flying, you probably wouldn't meet the challenge at the end of the 90 days. A lot of people just do that to try the airline out.
Aug 21, 2014, 1:26 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 4
Any of your friends flying soon? VX is allowing current Elevate members to invite friends to join the program, after their first flight both parties get 2500 points if the new member flys coach, 5000 points for coach+ and 7500 points for F ticket. Unlimited invitations, maybe you can piggyback off someone elses trip? GL
Aug 21, 2014, 4:31 pm
#5
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: SFO
Posts: 266
you can also use a middleman type service to convert you existing United points to Elevate:
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-....html?id=17201
Note, in your case, you'll need 2 middleman type services b/c United is a bit disjointed from the broader group.
Elevate is part of Points.com, the easiest and broadest online exchange (also free if you're exchanging within your own accounts), but it doesn't allow United to exchange in this service. So you need to use another middleman like Diner's Club to convert United into US Airways or the like, which then can be used to exchange into Elevate at Points.com
You also have to note, these exchanges are not always point for point (even though there is not out of pocket fees), but on the monetary value, you give up a bit of value upon each exchange transaction:
Case in point, if I exchange US Airways miles for Elevate, I have to give up 5565 US Air points to get 1000 Elevate points. Converting points to dollars, I am effectively exchanging $112 worth of US Airways fare for $50 of Virgin fare based on each respective airline's points to dollars conversion and this exchange rate. Make sense?
Finally,
On points.com, they also offer peer-to-peer exchanges, but it costs a fee, and often what you get in return are horrible results, often netting to $0 or losses when you covert points to dollars. There are offers to get 500 virgin points in exchange for X airline miles, but it also costs $50 of fees in some cases. 500 Elevate points= $13 in Virgin airfare; so you're giving up airline miles, and paying $50 to get $13 of airfare...not a good deal. But people who offer exchanges are asking and offering exactly what they need and what they are willing to give up...so you need to counteroffer with your own exchange bid. Fees are standardized by points.com and paid on both sides of the transaction.
read the article, and do the math beforehand.
http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-....html?id=17201
Note, in your case, you'll need 2 middleman type services b/c United is a bit disjointed from the broader group.
Elevate is part of Points.com, the easiest and broadest online exchange (also free if you're exchanging within your own accounts), but it doesn't allow United to exchange in this service. So you need to use another middleman like Diner's Club to convert United into US Airways or the like, which then can be used to exchange into Elevate at Points.com
You also have to note, these exchanges are not always point for point (even though there is not out of pocket fees), but on the monetary value, you give up a bit of value upon each exchange transaction:
Case in point, if I exchange US Airways miles for Elevate, I have to give up 5565 US Air points to get 1000 Elevate points. Converting points to dollars, I am effectively exchanging $112 worth of US Airways fare for $50 of Virgin fare based on each respective airline's points to dollars conversion and this exchange rate. Make sense?
Finally,
On points.com, they also offer peer-to-peer exchanges, but it costs a fee, and often what you get in return are horrible results, often netting to $0 or losses when you covert points to dollars. There are offers to get 500 virgin points in exchange for X airline miles, but it also costs $50 of fees in some cases. 500 Elevate points= $13 in Virgin airfare; so you're giving up airline miles, and paying $50 to get $13 of airfare...not a good deal. But people who offer exchanges are asking and offering exactly what they need and what they are willing to give up...so you need to counteroffer with your own exchange bid. Fees are standardized by points.com and paid on both sides of the transaction.
read the article, and do the math beforehand.
Aug 22, 2014, 10:25 am
#7
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 460
Sounds like you're stuck.
Seems like they're almost always having promotions that award status points, but you'd have to fly to get those. No other way to get them other than the methods you mentioned. You can't do any bulk transfers of points and have them increase your balance.
You might look into their status match promotion, but if you aren't planning on flying, you probably wouldn't meet the challenge at the end of the 90 days. A lot of people just do that to try the airline out.
Seems like they're almost always having promotions that award status points, but you'd have to fly to get those. No other way to get them other than the methods you mentioned. You can't do any bulk transfers of points and have them increase your balance.
You might look into their status match promotion, but if you aren't planning on flying, you probably wouldn't meet the challenge at the end of the 90 days. A lot of people just do that to try the airline out.