Last edit by: italdesign
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)
- no availability showing at all on the website (try logging out and logging back in)
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.
You need to have 40% of the miles in your account for them to make the booking. On some occasions, credit card points do not transfer over immediately. In such cases also send screenshots of the points being debited from your credit card. In some cases the LM account will immediately show the points transferred in the account activity section. Send a screenshot of that as well.
After a day or two, you will get a reply via email saying the matter has been escalated to an internal area. The next day someone will call you from 305 447 2819 and will process the payment over the phone. You will need to set a PIN which you can do in your online LM account (under the account access section of your online profile).
Send to these two email addresses, and CC yourself (just for your records)
[email protected] (invalid as of July 2022)
[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 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)
- no availability showing at all on the website (try logging out and logging back in)
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.
You need to have 40% of the miles in your account for them to make the booking. On some occasions, credit card points do not transfer over immediately. In such cases also send screenshots of the points being debited from your credit card. In some cases the LM account will immediately show the points transferred in the account activity section. Send a screenshot of that as well.
After a day or two, you will get a reply via email saying the matter has been escalated to an internal area. The next day someone will call you from 305 447 2819 and will process the payment over the phone. You will need to set a PIN which you can do in your online LM account (under the account access section of your online profile).
Send to these two email addresses, and CC yourself (just for your records)
[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 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 (from January 2022 onwards)
#31
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: DL Diamond, Hilton Diamond, AS 75k
Posts: 82
#32
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,837
It's one of the things they implemented to stop the boomerangs.
#33
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: DL Diamond, Hilton Diamond, AS 75k
Posts: 82
Usually I'm good with the terminology here, but boomerang is stumping me. Is that basically circuitous routing, or like trying to fly JFK to YYZ via NRT and claiming that it should price as a US to Canada ticket?
#34
Join Date: Apr 2014
Programs: QF, LM
Posts: 250
Barabbbas, first thing, LM is truly fickle. Often when you select a specific airline it gives that dreaded message that "this route is unavailable with that airline", but even so, if you allow it to use "other" airlines, it suddenly lets you book via the same airline you tried in the first instance... Second thing, many LM award fares are only available either almost a year out, or in the next few weeks. I have found recently for my routes that Turkish is in the middle. And thirdly, and perhaps useful, is that some airlines will show availabilty as a multi-segment A-B-C when a simple search of A-C brings on that dreaded message. But if you go down this latter path you pay for individual segments, which is expensive.
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,401
If segments A-B-C are showing, but A-C is not, that’s when the screenshot booking process can be used. You pay only the through fare, not the sum of each segment.
#36
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
#38
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: DRO
Programs: AS MVP, A3*S
Posts: 521
I had booked DRO-DEN-ONT on UA with Lifemiles. After a flight cancellation, they automatically put me on DRO-DEN-SFO-ONT. Unfortunately, the Avianca site would not allow me to manage this booking online. I called AV and asked if they could change me to DRO-DEN-LAX, they could not. However, while working on my reservation, they cancelled my DRO-DEN-SFO-ONT reservations, and then said that they can not get it back due to no availability... As I've seen others post about, she instructed me to call UA and have them create space for me again on the DRO-DEN-SFO-ONT flights.
While on the call, I am seeing the DRO-DEN-LAX flight that I wanted is available on lifemiles.com for the same number of miles I redeemed for the original reservation, so I asked that they refund my booking so I can rebook on my own. After being transferred to a Lifemiles agent, they agreed to issue a refund of miles and taxes.
So, while I did ultimately get the flights I wanted, it was certainly in a roundabout way.
While on the call, I am seeing the DRO-DEN-LAX flight that I wanted is available on lifemiles.com for the same number of miles I redeemed for the original reservation, so I asked that they refund my booking so I can rebook on my own. After being transferred to a Lifemiles agent, they agreed to issue a refund of miles and taxes.
So, while I did ultimately get the flights I wanted, it was certainly in a roundabout way.
#39
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 1
Why am I the only one have problem wtih LM booking engine. I select my flights, it takes me to the details, I enter my credit card and click redemption but nothing happens. Tried over 20 times, with different browsers, including the app and different credit cards. I am experienced traveled agent. Maybe they flagged my account? Does anyone have any thoughts. I did one ticket about a year and it worked then. Thanks.
#40
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: in the air
Posts: 30
Is it just me or is there barely any availability for UA tix? Looking to get on UA metal in J or F and it looks like only last-minute space is open. Has this always been the case, or is it worth working with the booking center via email to uncover some UA space?
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,401
If you can find availability on individual segments, but not the whole trip, you can use the screenshot method to have LM book it. (For example if you find A-B and B-C separately, but nothing for A-C you can email them and request they put it together).
#43
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: in the air
Posts: 30
Tomasz Pa : Although I'm not sure it's fair to compare MP miles to LM 1:1 in terms of redemption threshold, I totally get what you're saying. Has this scarcity in UA award F/J via LM always been the case? I'm trying to figure out if UA premium award space went to the dogs with this Jan 2022 site refresh...
LHR/MEL/Europe FF : Was hoping the booking center might offer some premium availability as it seems they've done with SQ at their discretion on rare occasion. I'm just having a tough time stomaching UA F/J is so scarce on LM--almost seems like an error. Alas, perhaps this is reality now and reflective of LM being at the bottom of the *A feeding chain.
LHR/MEL/Europe FF : Was hoping the booking center might offer some premium availability as it seems they've done with SQ at their discretion on rare occasion. I'm just having a tough time stomaching UA F/J is so scarce on LM--almost seems like an error. Alas, perhaps this is reality now and reflective of LM being at the bottom of the *A feeding chain.
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,401
LHR/MEL/Europe FF : Was hoping the booking center might offer some premium availability as it seems they've done with SQ at their discretion on rare occasion. I'm just having a tough time stomaching UA F/J is so scarce on LM--almost seems like an error. Alas, perhaps this is reality now and reflective of LM being at the bottom of the *A feeding chain.
The call centre wouldn't have been able to see the SQ-SQ, And LM only offered it because TG had gone.