Originally Posted by
LHR/MEL/Europe FF
If you want to stopover, or have an open jaw, those must be included in your ticket when you claim your award.
This rule is not stated on the US web site and seems like a bad idea for everyone. Changing one segment is much better value for them than to cancel and totally re-issue for the same revenue. Thankfully, this rule is not well enforced. I made a date change on an itinerary which created a stopover.
Originally Posted by
LHR/MEL/Europe FF
it's safe to assume 4+4 segments (4 outbound and 4 return) won't raise any flags.
If you go over that, particularly if you don't have any domestic USA connections, you might get flagged. But it's up to the agent.
I booked a 3+5 segment itinerary with no trouble at all a while back. Looks like 8 is the magic number, but I'm not sure they care whether it's split 4+4.