Aug 17, 2013, 12:43 am
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)
Mar 14, 2018, 9:28 am
#781
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3,723
To my astonishment, I successfully booked two different *A itineraries just now, with no errors and no need to involve LifeMiles support. A few things about the process:
1. Surprisingly, United didn't show the flights I was interested in, but LifeMiles did. I was convinced this was a LM glitch, but I was wrong.
1. Surprisingly, United didn't show the flights I was interested in, but LifeMiles did. I was convinced this was a LM glitch, but I was wrong.
But LM sometimes shows ghost availability. At what point do we know if not a LM glitch?
Mar 14, 2018, 12:51 pm
#782
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: HPN
Programs: not anymore! I'm FREE!
Posts: 3,459
You're on the right track 
.
Ha, when you try to book and it gives you an error. But then it still might be a glitch, in which case you email support. By the time they get to it, the seats will be gone. Either way, no soup for you.
.Ha, when you try to book and it gives you an error. But then it still might be a glitch, in which case you email support. By the time they get to it, the seats will be gone. Either way, no soup for you.
Mar 15, 2018, 7:43 am
#783
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
My rule of thumb is to triple check using United, Aeroplan and ANA websites. If at least two of the three websites show the availability, then it is not phantom space.
Mar 15, 2018, 7:28 pm
#784
formerly 1984SW
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
Programs: UA
Posts: 1,058
On a recent booking (about 10 days ago) I found that United lags on updating Saver availability on at least OZ:
I was checking daily for my preferred flights on OZ BKK-ICN-JFK. One day, LM suddenly showed one seat open a day earlier than I wanted. I verified on Expert Flyer that one seat was open in X. UA didn't show it available. I thought about it a couple hours, and then decided to depart a day earlier to get that one X seat. By then UA showed it available, as well as LM.
After I had a confirmation number from LM and went to the OZ website to verify it was ticketed, I went back to UA web site and it was still showing available, while ExpertFlyer and LM didn't. The next day it was gone on UA.
I was checking daily for my preferred flights on OZ BKK-ICN-JFK. One day, LM suddenly showed one seat open a day earlier than I wanted. I verified on Expert Flyer that one seat was open in X. UA didn't show it available. I thought about it a couple hours, and then decided to depart a day earlier to get that one X seat. By then UA showed it available, as well as LM.
After I had a confirmation number from LM and went to the OZ website to verify it was ticketed, I went back to UA web site and it was still showing available, while ExpertFlyer and LM didn't. The next day it was gone on UA.
Mar 15, 2018, 8:02 pm
#785
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,319
I find a lot more availability on UA site than on LM, pretty much for any route. Is that not usual?
Mar 15, 2018, 11:09 pm
#787
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: OOL
Programs: VA Plat, QF LTS, UA MM, Hilton Diamond, Rydges Black, ,Le-Club Gold
Posts: 3,659
With the new booking engine I've been really struggling with an Air Canada award on the newish flight out of BNE, which appears on the Star Alliance list but errors out when selected. Also the new SYD-IAH on United (on which I did manage to book an award when the old search engine briefly appeared one night.) It's clear these flights haven't been programmed into the AV engine because you can't select AC and choose BNE-YVR, it responds route not available for AC. Similarly with UA SYD-IAH. But they do come up if you select *A, however it fails on the next screen.
AC awards on regular routes have also been failing most times recently. And don't even mention awards on SAS, this airline desn't exist for Avianca.
Whereas the MP award booking engine (United) seems to have improved a lot and is showing ingenious if somewhat contorted routes rather than saying nothing-available.
AC awards on regular routes have also been failing most times recently. And don't even mention awards on SAS, this airline desn't exist for Avianca.
Whereas the MP award booking engine (United) seems to have improved a lot and is showing ingenious if somewhat contorted routes rather than saying nothing-available.
Mar 16, 2018, 11:00 am
#788
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: HPN
Programs: not anymore! I'm FREE!
Posts: 3,459
LM certainly didn't show me that route!
Mar 17, 2018, 8:46 am
#789
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
If it weren't for UA's "expedited" award fees, I would have been done with Lifemiles quite sometime ago. Amusingly in a way, UA is the reason I still find Lifemiles useful. How so? I still find Lifemiles a good value for redeeming for UA flights booked say 1-2 days before travel on domestic UA flights. Otherwise, my use for Lifemiles is a fraction of what it used to be.
Mar 18, 2018, 2:57 pm
#790
Join Date: Mar 2018
Posts: 4
I am considering getting into Lifemiles now that it is a TYP transfer option. The no YQ policy, and the supposedly short transfer time, makes it look very attractive, especially for flights to Europe. Based on the problems I see here do you guys think its worth using Lifemiles or sticking with Krisflyer for TYP star alliance awards?
Mar 19, 2018, 4:18 am
#791
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Tokyo
Programs: Marriott Plat, HH G,Hyatt E,*A Gold, OW Emerald.
Posts: 3,023
Depends on your tolerance for the various frustrations of LifeMiles. Also depends on what routes you are looking for, since the two programs have different award pricing rules and region definitions.
You'll likely need to research both before coming to a conclusion. Any questions about Krisflyer should be addressed in their forum and not here.
You'll likely need to research both before coming to a conclusion. Any questions about Krisflyer should be addressed in their forum and not here.
Mar 19, 2018, 6:49 am
#792
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: HPN
Programs: not anymore! I'm FREE!
Posts: 3,459
I am considering getting into Lifemiles now that it is a TYP transfer option. The no YQ policy, and the supposedly short transfer time, makes it look very attractive, especially for flights to Europe. Based on the problems I see here do you guys think its worth using Lifemiles or sticking with Krisflyer for TYP star alliance awards?
By the way, the one time I had a credit card --> airline transfer not go through, it was from Citi to LM. The points disappeared from my Citi account but didn't show up in LM. The next day I logged in to Citi and the points were back, with a note in the activity log saying the transfer had failed. It went through instantly when I tried again.
Finally, it could be that the website glitches are slowly being worked out with the implementation of the new interface. Selling miles seems to be quite lucrative for LM - maybe they realize that they could sell even more with a functional web interface. Time will tell.
Mar 19, 2018, 5:07 pm
#793
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
Glad to see it looks like things have finally been more or less fixed (at least on my end). Searches seem fairly quick. Was able to complete bookings. It is interesting the way it is charging mixed cabin awards. I booked IAD-FRA-HAM for 63K all in C on LH and then WAW-ORD-IAD for 58+K in C on Lot and then Y on UA.
I wish their website would show more details of booked itineraries.
I wish their website would show more details of booked itineraries.
Mar 20, 2018, 4:41 am
#794
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: GIG
Programs: AAdvantage ExP 1MM, Smiles/GOL Diamond, TudoAzul/AZUL Diamond, HHonors Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 190
Sorry to ask, but what is a TYP transfer option?
Last edited by broland; Mar 20, 2018 at 4:42 am Reason: typo
Mar 20, 2018, 7:02 am
#795
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
Citi Thank You Points