FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - See required points [for awards] without points in account
Old Mar 19, 2023, 5:04 am
  #6  
hhdl
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Programs: Flying Blue, Hilton Honors, Amtrak Guest Rewards
Posts: 2,337
Given that datapoint, it's possible that there's something new. It's not (just?) based on not having enough miles.

There is a pattern which suggests that AFKL might view point transfers as a service for people who earn miles organically as a top-up (which is arguably the single highest cpp value transferrable points redemptions can have: if you need 10k miles or will otherwise have to buy the miles for $350, those points are worth at that moment at least 3.5 cpp), not as a means to quietly sell discount J inventory to American credit card holders/churners who have no relationship with AFKL beyond transferring and redeeming.

So it's entirely possible that there's been a recent website change which won't show award prices to some combination of: not having any miles or never having earned an XP.

At this point it's pure speculation what the workaround would be. It's possible that it's just the website: in which case, calling in might be sufficient (at this point there's no evidence I'm aware of that pricing is affected by FB account). Alternatively, getting your mile balance above zero or clearing the "never earned an XP" flag might be useful. Transferring a small amount of points (1000, e.g.) might do it if we're talking about just a check for a zero balance. Signing up for the BofA AFKL credit card (not a bad card by any means) will get you XP (whether or not you hit the signup bonus, which would also lift your balance above zero). Flying the cheapest Delta revenue flight you can find and crediting to Flying Blue would also clear both.
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