Last edit by: Tokyoite
Please do your homework before buying Lifemiles. It is what it is... for some that's useful, for others it's not.
Biggest complaints are about
- mixed class bookings are available but now many of the suitable connections dont show
- not being able to book anything that isn't available online (there are work-arounds, see screenshot method below)
- the quality of the call center (English speaking agents are scarce, you might get thrown in a loop with call transfers within their call center)
- no stopovers (>24H) or open jaws, but you can book one way awards
- no reservations on Certain subsidiaries of Star Alliance carriers (Lufthansa Cityline, Germanwings)
Problems with ticketing / lack of confirmation screen or email
- write down the confirmation number shown on the screen after confirming your purchase.
check here: http://serviciosenlinea.avianca.com/...doReserva.aspx
Sometimes, even if you cannot see the PNR, the record may have been created, so better to call them and give them flight details you were trying to book. They can find the PNR from those details.
- ticketing usually takes place within 10-15 min of booking
- but it may also take up to 2 days
- if miles have been deducted from your account and a temporary authorization has been placed on your CC, you're probably fine even if you did not see a confirmation screen
- if no e-ticket number is visible on checkmytrip.com after two days, you should contact LifeMiles. You can expedite the ticketing by emailing with your booking reference to: [email protected] after you have booked, especially if you have booked last minute flights, and need ticketing straight away
Screenshot method.
So, on a date you are looking for in the future, there is availability for LAX-NRT and NRT-BKK. But not LAX-NRT-BKK.
It may be a case of the LM system not offering the through connection.
Take three screen shots - two 'available' screen shots for LAX-NRT and NRT-BKK and the 'not available' screen for LAX-BKK.
Send them all off with a scan of your passport page (PDF) and LM will make the booking manually for you.
Send to these two email addresses, and CC yourself (just for your records)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sample email:
====
Email topic: Urgent request for booking Lifemiles Award
====
Dear Sirs,
I have tried several times, over several days, but the following itinerary does not show on the website.
Please see the three attached screenshots I took just now.
Please do the manual booking First Class/Business class for xx,000 miles. (*Know how many miles the whole award should cost-here, to avoid surprises once ticketed)
The availability is only 1 seat for this date, so please process this request urgently before it is gone.
Los Angeles (LAX) - Bangkok (BKK)
Saturday August 11th 2018
NH 175 connecting to NH 807
(*Provide the specific flight numbers you want, to avoid surprises once ticketed)
My passport copy (Number xxxx, expiry 20xx/xx/xx, Nationality xxx) is attached in this email.
LifeMiles Number: xxx
First Name: xxx
Last name: xxx
Date of Birth: Month, date, year
Gender: Male/Female
Email: xxxx
Phone Number: +1-xxxx
Regards,
XXX
=========
Biggest complaints are about
- mixed class bookings are available but now many of the suitable connections dont show
- not being able to book anything that isn't available online (there are work-arounds, see screenshot method below)
- the quality of the call center (English speaking agents are scarce, you might get thrown in a loop with call transfers within their call center)
- no stopovers (>24H) or open jaws, but you can book one way awards
- no reservations on Certain subsidiaries of Star Alliance carriers (Lufthansa Cityline, Germanwings)
Problems with ticketing / lack of confirmation screen or email
- write down the confirmation number shown on the screen after confirming your purchase.
check here: http://serviciosenlinea.avianca.com/...doReserva.aspx
Sometimes, even if you cannot see the PNR, the record may have been created, so better to call them and give them flight details you were trying to book. They can find the PNR from those details.
- ticketing usually takes place within 10-15 min of booking
- but it may also take up to 2 days
- if miles have been deducted from your account and a temporary authorization has been placed on your CC, you're probably fine even if you did not see a confirmation screen
- if no e-ticket number is visible on checkmytrip.com after two days, you should contact LifeMiles. You can expedite the ticketing by emailing with your booking reference to: [email protected] after you have booked, especially if you have booked last minute flights, and need ticketing straight away
Screenshot method.
So, on a date you are looking for in the future, there is availability for LAX-NRT and NRT-BKK. But not LAX-NRT-BKK.
It may be a case of the LM system not offering the through connection.
Take three screen shots - two 'available' screen shots for LAX-NRT and NRT-BKK and the 'not available' screen for LAX-BKK.
Send them all off with a scan of your passport page (PDF) and LM will make the booking manually for you.
Send to these two email addresses, and CC yourself (just for your records)
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sample email:
====
Email topic: Urgent request for booking Lifemiles Award
====
Dear Sirs,
I have tried several times, over several days, but the following itinerary does not show on the website.
Please see the three attached screenshots I took just now.
Please do the manual booking First Class/Business class for xx,000 miles. (*Know how many miles the whole award should cost-here, to avoid surprises once ticketed)
The availability is only 1 seat for this date, so please process this request urgently before it is gone.
Los Angeles (LAX) - Bangkok (BKK)
Saturday August 11th 2018
NH 175 connecting to NH 807
(*Provide the specific flight numbers you want, to avoid surprises once ticketed)
My passport copy (Number xxxx, expiry 20xx/xx/xx, Nationality xxx) is attached in this email.
LifeMiles Number: xxx
First Name: xxx
Last name: xxx
Date of Birth: Month, date, year
Gender: Male/Female
Email: xxxx
Phone Number: +1-xxxx
Regards,
XXX
=========
Lifemiles serious booking problems - Beware (old legacy thread)
#586
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 192
Planning a honeymoon to SE Asia, have enough UR points for 1 seat in EVA biz but torn how to get the second: Buy MileagePlus with current 100% bonus (that way I can book the whole trip with UA) or buy LifeMiles with 130% bonus (saving $600 in the process).
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
#587
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 9,118
Planning a honeymoon to SE Asia, have enough UR points for 1 seat in EVA biz but torn how to get the second: Buy MileagePlus with current 100% bonus (that way I can book the whole trip with UA) or buy LifeMiles with 130% bonus (saving $600 in the process).
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
#589
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,404
Planning a honeymoon to SE Asia, have enough UR points for 1 seat in EVA biz but torn how to get the second: Buy MileagePlus with current 100% bonus (that way I can book the whole trip with UA) or buy LifeMiles with 130% bonus (saving $600 in the process).
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
How scared should I be of LifeMiles booking issues/availability with EVA?
#590
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: TLV
Posts: 522
Say what?
The new website seems a disaster on first attempt... Looked up TLV-DEN and it came back with a very low mileage of 10930. I clicked to expand and it had a flight available TLV-FRA and then no availability on two UA connections. So why'd it even present this as an option, does it think that I could be convinced to go only as far as FRA instead of all the long way to DEN?
Also, when you click right or left on the dates bar, it only shifts two days at a time.
Not a promising start.
Also unfortunate: two you-know-what have been corrected. They weren't useful so far but there was the hope that some day...
Also, when you click right or left on the dates bar, it only shifts two days at a time.
Not a promising start.
Also unfortunate: two you-know-what have been corrected. They weren't useful so far but there was the hope that some day...
#591
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: AY Platinum, UA Premier Platinum, OneWorld Emerald, VA Platinum
Posts: 558
I was doing some testing with the new GUI yesterday and found that on some searches the miles required changed. For example a TG F SYD-BKK was 90,000 in First. A few searches later it had jumped to 200,000. I then closed the browser, opened a new session, did the same search and it was back to 90,000.
#592
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
OK, new interface (via Argentina).
I did a search for MEL-HKT. That is appearing on most of the dates picked from the slider at the top. However one of them is giving me results for DFW - TGU!
I did a search for MEL-HKT. That is appearing on most of the dates picked from the slider at the top. However one of them is giving me results for DFW - TGU!
#593
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: Once a somebody now a nobody
Posts: 514
So I booked a CDG-FRA-ORD business award using lifemiles but unfortunately the CDG-FRA segment was only available in coach (even though UA & LH site showed business saver availability). If the saver business award becomes available using lifemiles, can I email support to have them put me in business without any cost?
Even if the space does open up I'm reluctant to reach out as there seem to be too many horror stories concerning Lifemiles.
Even if the space does open up I'm reluctant to reach out as there seem to be too many horror stories concerning Lifemiles.
#594
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,722
I was doing some testing with the new GUI yesterday and found that on some searches the miles required changed. For example a TG F SYD-BKK was 90,000 in First. A few searches later it had jumped to 200,000. I then closed the browser, opened a new session, did the same search and it was back to 90,000.
#595
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,838
So I booked a CDG-FRA-ORD business award using lifemiles but unfortunately the CDG-FRA segment was only available in coach (even though UA & LH site showed business saver availability). If the saver business award becomes available using lifemiles, can I email support to have them put me in business without any cost?
Given LM history, this could be a whole lot of fun if they do it
#597
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: AY Platinum, UA Premier Platinum, OneWorld Emerald, VA Platinum
Posts: 558
I saw one of those as well. Was looking for BNE>SIN and AKL>somewhere came up
#598
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Brisbane
Programs: QF gold, HH Diamond, VA plat, Aegean Gold
Posts: 683
Just a data point sent two screenshot requests this week neither have been replied too
#599
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,404
The last time I did this it took four days or so before they contacted me, but the booking was made within a couple hours of the email (it was easy to check as there was one seat which disappeared about an hour after i sent the screenshot)
#600
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
So I booked a CDG-FRA-ORD business award using lifemiles but unfortunately the CDG-FRA segment was only available in coach (even though UA & LH site showed business saver availability). If the saver business award becomes available using lifemiles, can I email support to have them put me in business without any cost?
Even if the space does open up I'm reluctant to reach out as there seem to be too many horror stories concerning Lifemiles.
Even if the space does open up I'm reluctant to reach out as there seem to be too many horror stories concerning Lifemiles.