Originally Posted by shopgirlsw
Hello people,
I am in need of creative advice on how to get my Delta miles onto my United miles, reason being I have 100,000+ on United and 67,000 on Delta, but I plan on using them early this spring to take my mum to Australia, and it takes only 60,000 to go coach on United so I would like to be able to get both tickets and upgrades on United instead of Delta which charges 120,000 miles for the same fare. Any clever way of transferring is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Betty
Hi shopgirlsw and welcome to FT!
Couple ideas here that may get you thinkin':
1) consider that you only need 20k, and with United, one can transfer miles between members --to any member on their web site. Look for it in their mileage plus tab... do a little digging. Actually a couple airlines let you transfer miles but not to another carrier unless you go thru sites like the one mentiond in one post above, and there, the "exchange rates" can be costly. Even the UA==>UA transfers can get a bit costly with fees, etc and I do recommend printing every step of the transaction and watching it carefully, but it can help you if you find someone with some stray UA miles laying around. In turn, buy them some VB when Down Under, mate!
good on ya!
2) instead of the above possibility, find a "friend" or family member or trusted co worker who can let you fly on THEIR united award using THEIR miles to book YOUR ticket! That can legally be done as long as neither party ever alludes to any payments or barterships being carried out over your trip. However, in return, you can likely book them a trip on Delta with YOUR miles! Work out what's worth what for one another. Consider that Delta is partners with NWA, CO and a bunch of others. Finding that person and having it all work out can be a challenge but it works. If you do this, be prepared to play "administrator" for a while because all the booking and details takes some time. Its worth it in the end, however. PM me (private message me) if you have no clue what I mean here.
3) buy one ticket, earn tons more miles, use the 60k miles on the other ticket. Sit together, pay for only one ticket.
4) see what partners such as singapore airlines are offering. They happen to not only be part of the star aliance, of which UA is also a member, but they also partner with Delta for some things too. can you leave from different cities, etc to meet up someplace and continue the trip from there?
well, good luck and let us know what happens!
oh yeah if you do a seach in this massive forum of miles and travel, you may find links to a 20k bonus for United's visa card. You could sign up now maybe, and get it all sorted in time. By the way, they do referrals too so let me know if you wish for me to refer you (shameless of me of course, but hey, a mile is a mile!) But do avoid all things "United Mall" online because they cannot be relied upon to post your miles in time for anything planned. Dining does work and can be counted on 6-8 weeks out max, but not the shopping portals! Just thought I'd let you know. And whatever you do, KEEP THOROUGH RECORDS til after you fly!
MM