Originally Posted by
guv1976
I'm sorry for your misfortune. I also have some LifeMiles -- not merely as many as you did -- and I set a reminder on my cellphone at least one month before the expiration dates of all of my miles/points. This way, a last-minute glitch does not have disastrous consequences.
Even without flying, there are ways to extend the expiration date of LifeMiles without buying any: a one-day car rental; a one-night hotel stay; or a transfer of points in from Amex, Capital One, or Citi would all work.
Hope that things work out for you.
I tend to agree with guv1976 - last-minute glitches need to be proactively avoided. But I also value the input "boss" is making in sharing their experiences.
Lifemiles is IMHO a great program - if you use it properly. They are not "miserable" in their redemptions - they are super cheap and fantastic, IF the travel you desire is something they offer. Yes their site is chaotic and extremely frustrating - if it was not their bargains would be instantly snapped up. But if you put in the time and effort, and have some flexibility, there is gold to be mined. Over the years I have made it work gloriously for me - apart from cheap Europe - Colombia J with Avianca and Iberia, have also notched up many fabulous wins - such as ANA, Thai, and Asiana in F (when Asiana offered this) and really cheap J travel between the USA and Australia. But it does take some effort.
The Lifemiles site is renowned for being unreliable. I would never have risked losing such a cache of points by waiting till the last day or so. My technique for using Lifemiles is to learn and work with what actually works easily. Avoiding always any problem. Forget it as an all-availability redemption program and focus on what it does make easy.
Again, "boss", I hope you win your points back. But i hope you have learnt never to risk things at last minute with Lifemiles again. They are the last program on earth to rely on system availability
