Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Yes, but often it's better to pay with money if you can find a good cheap fare for flights you want, as the award tickets might cost lots of miles or require inconvenient times and additional connections. YMMV.
Remember that award tickets don't earn MQMs/MQDs/MQSs for status next year, which if you're PM or DM, I assume would matter to you. Also, it's the status of the account from which the miles come (and not the passenger's status) at the time of the cancellation that matters in determining whether the $150 fee will be charged.
Yeah it would be tough to miss out on almost 10k in MQM. I have no shot at DM and am rolling over 15k plus will get 30k bonus MQM with card spend so I don't expect to need these 10k if I had to miss them. The fare was $600, the miles flash sale right now is 41,000 so it's a pretty decent value. $ fare was 1 stop there in ATL and direct back, miles fare is 1 stop each way in ATL so not too bad.
I'm the PM, would be booking both, she has no status.