A Cautionary tale...Did I do the right thing changing award booking?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: NC
Programs: AA, Marriott/SPG, AMEX
Posts: 272
A Cautionary tale...Did I do the right thing changing award booking?
Around the time I joined FT I booked 2 Business class tickets R/T for 220,000 miles (each) to FRA. After months of reading and learning I did a new search today and decided to rebook with a less desirable itinerary but a lot less miles and, as a bonus, better planes. It cost me $300 to put 440,000 miles back in our accounts but I got our desired destination and dates, I got them on one PNR and I was able to use knowledge gained on FT to realize 105,000 miles X 2 is worth the change fee. So, thank you FT advisors. Anyone new or unsure ASK questions and read topics you don't even realize you need to read.
#2
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP 2MM, HH DIA, Hertz PC, GE + Pre✓, Amazon Super Special Prime
Posts: 1,007
You live and you learn in this game.
$300 for the miles you got back via re-booking is a palatable learning experience in my opinion.
I think we have all "overpaid" a time or two for an award when there was better inventory/routing/planes to be had. But does that negate the great deals and savings we usually find? Not by a long shot.
But do realize that sometimes, if you need to get somewhere, that you might just have to pay the big bucks (or big miles in this case) to make sure you get a ticket. The primo inventory may never appear in time to get it ticketed.
$300 for the miles you got back via re-booking is a palatable learning experience in my opinion.
I think we have all "overpaid" a time or two for an award when there was better inventory/routing/planes to be had. But does that negate the great deals and savings we usually find? Not by a long shot.
But do realize that sometimes, if you need to get somewhere, that you might just have to pay the big bucks (or big miles in this case) to make sure you get a ticket. The primo inventory may never appear in time to get it ticketed.
#3
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP/2mm, SPG Gold
Posts: 424
You live and you learn in this game.
$300 for the miles you got back via re-booking is a palatable learning experience in my opinion.
I think we have all "overpaid" a time or two for an award when there was better inventory/routing/planes to be had. But does that negate the great deals and savings we usually find? Not by a long shot.
But do realize that sometimes, if you need to get somewhere, that you might just have to pay the big bucks (or big miles in this case) to make sure you get a ticket. The primo inventory may never appear in time to get it ticketed.
$300 for the miles you got back via re-booking is a palatable learning experience in my opinion.
I think we have all "overpaid" a time or two for an award when there was better inventory/routing/planes to be had. But does that negate the great deals and savings we usually find? Not by a long shot.
But do realize that sometimes, if you need to get somewhere, that you might just have to pay the big bucks (or big miles in this case) to make sure you get a ticket. The primo inventory may never appear in time to get it ticketed.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: New York City + Vail, CO
Programs: American Airlines Executive Platinum, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
Posts: 3,215
Optimally, the OP would have found a schedule or equipment change that would have caused the redeposit fee to go back to $0, but it's great that the OP is satisfied with the outcome!
#5
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 522
Around the time I joined FT I booked 2 Business class tickets R/T for 220,000 miles (each) to FRA. After months of reading and learning I did a new search today and decided to rebook with a less desirable itinerary but a lot less miles and, as a bonus, better planes. It cost me $300 to put 440,000 miles back in our accounts but I got our desired destination and dates, I got them on one PNR and I was able to use knowledge gained on FT to realize 105,000 miles X 2 is worth the change fee. So, thank you FT advisors. Anyone new or unsure ASK questions and read topics you don't even realize you need to read.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: NC
Programs: AA, Marriott/SPG, AMEX
Posts: 272
He paid $300 to get back 210k miles and sit on better planes, albeit with a worse itinerary. Hardly a "learning experience". The learning was the months of FT reading that got him to find the new itinerary and essentially buy back his miles for ~1/10th of a cent per mile. No brainer really.
@jtav559 "The primo inventory may never appear in time to get it ticketed." Exactly why I booked originally and I may do it again but y'all taught me how to save on the change fee among so many other things.