Originally Posted by
rcross23
We tried to sign her up for the Marriott card but unfortunately she didn't get approved; she is in grad school and her income isn't high enough.
There is a thread in the Marriott forum about combining points. Some people outlined other scenarios that worked for them. I think combining with a parent was one of them. Marriott is apparently not very strict about it.
I was assuming that the US Airways points could be combined with the UA miles. Now that I know that isn't possible, you are right, I would still need 40k more.
If you had a way of accumulating enough US miles, you could redeem for one round trip ticket with them and one with United, and they could be for the same flights. Maybe you could get a second US card? Some people in that thread have had success when they had a legitimate reason. (splitting types of expenses or the like)
How valid is this fear, considering we are 11 months away?
You would be amazed how much time people on FT spend hypothesizing about it. One thing is for certain: if it's available now, it's available now. The less you wait, the better.
How do I make sure it has standard award availability? I looked to see if I could redeem points straight up on those dates and this is available. Is this what you mean?
Click through all the way to the final booking page (stop just short of making the reservation). Sometimes, the Marriott website will show availability but, when you go to actually book it, all the rooms require an "upgrade co-pay".