Suggestions for Earning 20k AQMs

Old Nov 15, 2017, 11:18 am
  #46  
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: YYZ
Programs: Aeroplan, Asia Miles
Posts: 12
YYZ-YVR-TPE. Best bang for buck as far as I can tell.

Quite easy to get tickets for around $1600-$1800 CAD.
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Old Nov 15, 2017, 1:35 pm
  #47  
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Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: MEX
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Originally Posted by Staniel
YYZ-YVR-TPE. Best bang for buck as far as I can tell.

Quite easy to get tickets for around $1600-$1800 CAD.
Yes...

Originally Posted by capedreamer
Decided to pull the trigger on this. YYZ-YVR-TPE-YVR-YYZ with a 1h 45m turn in TPE (I feel like @canadiancow!). Came to US$1,298 and used an eCoupon I had to bring the out-of-pocket charge to US$1,180.

Per gcmap and considering the 125% AQM earning rate for N fares, this should get me 20,140 miles (does anyone have a more accurate estimate?). That will get me to 99,178 miles at the end of the year, which makes me a bit nervous.

For my repositioning flight, I used an AP J redemption on SFO-YYC-YYZ-YOW-YYZ-SFO to work in a couple days at home in YOW over American Thanksgiving.

So I'll be in air quite a bit between Nov 22 and Nov 27 :

Nov 22: AC8568 SFO-YYC CR7
Nov 23: AC158 YYC-YYZ 763
Nov 23: AC103 YYZ-YVR 77W
Nov 23: AC11 YVR-TPE 789
Nov 24: AC12 TPE-YVR 789
Nov 24: AC182 YVR-YYZ 789
Nov 25: AC472 YYZ-YOW 190
Nov 27: AC473 YOW-YYZ 320
Nov 27: AC759 YYZ-SFO 320
​​​​​
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Old Nov 19, 2017, 9:02 pm
  #48  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,731
Two questions:

1. Can someone help me (or better yet, just figure out) what YQR-YVR-TPE-YVR-YQR would net me in terms of AQM on a PY fare?

2. I'm very much on the fence about doing this as a MR to get to SE. It'd have to be late this week as after that I have other travel and commitments that mean I can't be away for the several days it'd take. So, other than concierge services what are the main benefits that would make a MR worthwhile? I'd be spending about $1600 for the ticket plus a few hundred for a hotel in TPE as I'd plan to at least do a quick look around while there. I'll be an E75 for sure next year in any case, so should be doing ok for most benefits but am trying to weigh in whether the pluses are truly worth it.

Thanks!
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Old Nov 19, 2017, 9:30 pm
  #49  
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
Originally Posted by arf04
Two questions:

1. Can someone help me (or better yet, just figure out) what YQR-YVR-TPE-YVR-YQR would net me in terms of AQM on a PY fare?

2. I'm very much on the fence about doing this as a MR to get to SE. It'd have to be late this week as after that I have other travel and commitments that mean I can't be away for the several days it'd take. So, other than concierge services what are the main benefits that would make a MR worthwhile? I'd be spending about $1600 for the ticket plus a few hundred for a hotel in TPE as I'd plan to at least do a quick look around while there. I'll be an E75 for sure next year in any case, so should be doing ok for most benefits but am trying to weigh in whether the pluses are truly worth it.

Thanks!
Put each leg into a air miles calculator (google) and multiple by 1.25x. Then remove a bit in case AC doesn't 100% tie up.

SE advantages are well covered in many threads, depends what your travel is like. For me the lack of copay TATL/TPAC, IKK and no or less YQ on AP redemptions would be top of the list; along with concierge as stated.
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Old Nov 19, 2017, 11:17 pm
  #50  
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 6,220
So I've decided I miss being SE and want to requalify. I need 100k aqm and 20k aqd in a hurry. I have a budget of about $3k but would spend a little more to do it al in F.
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 7:00 am
  #51  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: YOW
Programs: AC-SE100K, AC-3MM, Marriott- LT Titanium, SPG RIP
Posts: 2,954
Originally Posted by arf04
Two questions:

1. Can someone help me (or better yet, just figure out) what YQR-YVR-TPE-YVR-YQR would net me in terms of AQM on a PY fare?

2. I'm very much on the fence about doing this as a MR to get to SE. It'd have to be late this week as after that I have other travel and commitments that mean I can't be away for the several days it'd take. So, other than concierge services what are the main benefits that would make a MR worthwhile? I'd be spending about $1600 for the ticket plus a few hundred for a hotel in TPE as I'd plan to at least do a quick look around while there. I'll be an E75 for sure next year in any case, so should be doing ok for most benefits but am trying to weigh in whether the pluses are truly worth it.

Thanks!
My calculations are:
Base AQM 13556
COS AQM 3390

Total AQM 16,946

The above is assuming that your YQR-YVR-YQR legs book into Latitude B and that you still get the 25% COS AQM on those flights as well.

As for whetehr it is worth it, that is really up to you.

My bro-in-law is at 87,000 AQM and would never think of bumping up to SE. He is already at $20 AQD... I convinced him on the weekend to go for it and he is now taking some flights to HNL. The reasoning was simple- some time in the next two years, he wants to take his family of 5 to Europe. I showed him an SE example and non-SE example to FRA...
YOW-FRA in Economy
Non-SE- 120,000 AP Miles using E50K Priority Rewards plus $715.00 in taxes and fees
SE- 60,000 AP Miles using SE-100K Priority Rewards plus ~$215 in taxes and fees...

For him , a savings of 60,000 AP Miles and ~$500 per ticket--- multiplied by 5 = 300,000 AP Miles saved and $2500 saved.

Plus the possibility of accumulating enough and getting J reward seats instead of Y.

Once he understood the math, (plus other SE benefits- concierge, Eupgrade priority etc) it was a no-brainier for him.

So it depends on what you plan on doing in the next while.

Good luck!
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 8:35 am
  #52  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,731
Originally Posted by Plumber
My calculations are:
Base AQM 13556
COS AQM 3390

Total AQM 16,946

The above is assuming that your YQR-YVR-YQR legs book into Latitude B and that you still get the 25% COS AQM on those flights as well.

As for whetehr it is worth it, that is really up to you.

My bro-in-law is at 87,000 AQM and would never think of bumping up to SE. He is already at $20 AQD... I convinced him on the weekend to go for it and he is now taking some flights to HNL. The reasoning was simple- some time in the next two years, he wants to take his family of 5 to Europe. I showed him an SE example and non-SE example to FRA...
YOW-FRA in Economy
Non-SE- 120,000 AP Miles using E50K Priority Rewards plus $715.00 in taxes and fees
SE- 60,000 AP Miles using SE-100K Priority Rewards plus ~$215 in taxes and fees...

For him , a savings of 60,000 AP Miles and ~$500 per ticket--- multiplied by 5 = 300,000 AP Miles saved and $2500 saved.

Plus the possibility of accumulating enough and getting J reward seats instead of Y.

Once he understood the math, (plus other SE benefits- concierge, Eupgrade priority etc) it was a no-brainier for him.

So it depends on what you plan on doing in the next while.

Good luck!
Thanks! Much appreciated as it helps a lot. I wish I had been on top of this earlier in the year as I could have planned my time better. Time is the main challenge I have right now. Even this week is closing up, alas, so it may not be possible to get away. And I'm well aware that I'm no longer a young pup who can do a TPE turn and roll right into a TATL, which is my only other option. I would still be recovering in the new year if I did that... lol
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 9:06 am
  #53  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Posts: 2,954
Originally Posted by arf04
Thanks! Much appreciated as it helps a lot. I wish I had been on top of this earlier in the year as I could have planned my time better. Time is the main challenge I have right now. Even this week is closing up, alas, so it may not be possible to get away. And I'm well aware that I'm no longer a young pup who can do a TPE turn and roll right into a TATL, which is my only other option. I would still be recovering in the new year if I did that... lol
Come to TPE Dec 1-2...I'll be on those flights...
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 11:29 am
  #54  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,731
Originally Posted by Plumber
Come to TPE Dec 1-2...I'll be on those flights...
Ooh, that'd be cool.
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 11:57 am
  #55  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE MM, Bonvoy Plat, Hilton G,Nexus, Amex MR Plat,IHG Plat
Posts: 4,405
Originally Posted by capedreamer
Decided to pull the trigger on this. YYZ-YVR-TPE-YVR-YYZ with a 1h 45m turn in TPE (I feel like @canadiancow!). Came to US$1,298 and used an eCoupon I had to bring the out-of-pocket charge to US$1,180.

Per gcmap and considering the 125% AQM earning rate for N fares, this should get me 20,140 miles (does anyone have a more accurate estimate?). That will get me to 99,178 miles at the end of the year, which makes me a bit nervous.

For my repositioning flight, I used an AP J redemption on SFO-YYC-YYZ-YOW-YYZ-SFO to work in a couple days at home in YOW over American Thanksgiving.

So I'll be in air quite a bit between Nov 22 and Nov 27 :

Nov 22: AC8568 SFO-YYC CR7
Nov 23: AC158 YYC-YYZ 763
Nov 23: AC103 YYZ-YVR 77W
Nov 23: AC11 YVR-TPE 789
Nov 24: AC12 TPE-YVR 789
Nov 24: AC182 YVR-YYZ 789
Nov 25: AC472 YYZ-YOW 190
Nov 27: AC473 YOW-YYZ 320
Nov 27: AC759 YYZ-SFO 320
Yes, I have a very accurate AQM for YYZ-YVR-TPE round trip in PE having done it recently and have another one in Dec. It is 20,052 precisely as per my Altitude dashboard. It includes COS AQM.
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 12:04 pm
  #56  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Posts: 4,405
Originally Posted by Plumber
Come to TPE Dec 1-2...I'll be on those flights...
Or 05-09 Dec. I will be going to TPE via ICN (AC/BR) and back on AC (TPE-YVR-YYZ).
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 1:51 pm
  #57  
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Posts: 4,171
Originally Posted by vernonc
Yes, I have a very accurate AQM for YYZ-YVR-TPE round trip in PE having done it recently and have another one in Dec. It is 20,052 precisely as per my Altitude dashboard. It includes COS AQM.
Thanks. So that should get me...

79,038 + 20,052 = 99,090
+ 967 from my SFO-DEN run the following weekend = 100,057

Fingers crossed I don't run into any nasty surprises...
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Old Nov 20, 2017, 2:15 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE MM, Bonvoy Plat, Hilton G,Nexus, Amex MR Plat,IHG Plat
Posts: 4,405
Originally Posted by arf04
I'm kind of in the same boat--about17-18k AGM short of SE on the year. If I hadn't flown WestJet so often, and if my wife and I had just sucked up a J fare on one of our TATLs (we ended up buying an LMU anyhow bother ways...) I would have been a lot closer. KenH makes a compelling case for a mileage run, but at the same time for me spending 3-4 days traveling seems like a big commitment of time that I don't really have and that I'm not sure I can hack given that I feel like I've spent way more time on planes this year than ever before and it's stopped being fun (oh to be back in the days when every opportunity to travel was an exciting one!
!). A TPE mileage run is possibly workable at the end of the month at $1608 out of YQR, however.

Two questions: for those of you who have been to TPE, would a 24 hour stop there be enough to do a quick touristy recon to get a falvour of the place? And, are the benefits of SE so great that an inconvenient MR would be worth it? I rarely use lounges these days and all the upgrades I've received this year were due to latitude bookings, PE TATL so the domestic connector was upgradeable at booking, or Flex domestic bookings that I upgraded and as those flights weren't that long J wasn't that important (though nice). There were maybe 2-3 irops situations where a concierge would have been helpful, but as one was in J I was able to resolve easily and the others weren't too trouble so to sort out either. Thoughts...
Yes, 24 hrs would be enough to do a touristy thing in TPE. Very safe city. TPE airport to downtown about 45 mins by cab. Stay at a nice hotel (Grand Hyatt is my fav), visit TPE101, national musuem, buddhist temple, a couple of bars/restaurants downtown and you are good. Dep TPE you need to clear security and immig so leave yourself some time. PE on AC was not bad on this route.
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Old Nov 22, 2017, 6:01 pm
  #59  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: MEX
Programs: AC E75K
Posts: 4,171
Originally Posted by capedreamer
Decided to pull the trigger on this. YYZ-YVR-TPE-YVR-YYZ with a 1h 45m turn in TPE (I feel like @canadiancow!). Came to US$1,298 and used an eCoupon I had to bring the out-of-pocket charge to US$1,180.

Per gcmap and considering the 125% AQM earning rate for N fares, this should get me 20,140 miles (does anyone have a more accurate estimate?). That will get me to 99,178 miles at the end of the year, which makes me a bit nervous.

For my repositioning flight, I used an AP J redemption on SFO-YYC-YYZ-YOW-YYZ-SFO to work in a couple days at home in YOW over American Thanksgiving.

So I'll be in air quite a bit between Nov 22 and Nov 27 :

Nov 22: AC8568 SFO-YYC CR7
Nov 23: AC158 YYC-YYZ 763
Nov 23: AC103 YYZ-YVR 77W
Nov 23: AC11 YVR-TPE 789
Nov 24: AC12 TPE-YVR 789
Nov 24: AC182 YVR-YYZ 789
Nov 25: AC472 YYZ-YOW 190
Nov 27: AC473 YOW-YYZ 320
Nov 27: AC759 YYZ-SFO 320
AC8568 is delayed by over an hour so I was at risk of missing my AC158 connection to YYZ (and therefore everything else to follow).

Called Concierge and have now been rebooked on AC754 (SFO-YYZ non-stop, which I had originally avoided given lack of lie-flat seats). Better this than missing my whole trip!
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Old Nov 22, 2017, 6:13 pm
  #60  
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: YQR
Posts: 2,731
Originally Posted by capedreamer
AC8568 is delayed by over an hour so I was at risk of missing my AC158 connection to YYZ (and therefore everything else to follow).

Called Concierge and have now been rebooked on AC754 (SFO-YYZ non-stop, which I had originally avoided given lack of lie-flat seats). Better this than missing my whole trip!
Good luck!!
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