MFU - when do miles leave your account?
Sep 22, 2006, 3:08 am
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2002
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MFU - when do miles leave your account?
A few days ago I MFU'd a WT+ booking to New York (alas Club was only available in one direction, though I am keeping my eye on availability).
The cost for this is 12,500 miles and the EC agent confirmed this over the phone.
The u*****ed sector now shows up in MMB as Club World, but the miles have not been taken from my account. This is my first time doing this and I assumed that, as with other airline programmes I've used (BMI, United, Lufthansa) the miles would disappear as soon as the upgrade got confirmed in the booking.
Is this usual or is there a chance I might have secured a freebie u*****e (not that I would actually allow this to happen in case I actually lost the u*****e at check-in or the like)?
The cost for this is 12,500 miles and the EC agent confirmed this over the phone.
The u*****ed sector now shows up in MMB as Club World, but the miles have not been taken from my account. This is my first time doing this and I assumed that, as with other airline programmes I've used (BMI, United, Lufthansa) the miles would disappear as soon as the upgrade got confirmed in the booking.
Is this usual or is there a chance I might have secured a freebie u*****e (not that I would actually allow this to happen in case I actually lost the u*****e at check-in or the like)?
Sep 22, 2006, 3:21 am
#2
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I had exactly the same happen - it was an open jaw MFU so I had to book over the phone. I recall that it had been explained here how this system works and if the agent isn't up to scratch they can end up giving you the upgrade without debiting the miles.
However, I had to call back to sort out a seating request and it seems that they picked up on the fact the miles hadn't been debited at that point. I do wonder if I hadn't made this call whether the miles would still be in my account.
Like you, I was concerned that if the miles weren't debited then we would risk not getting the upgrade, especially if it came to an oversell situation or other problem. Furthermore, you'd risk ending up with a centre seat in WTP as all the good ones would have been taken already.
However, I had to call back to sort out a seating request and it seems that they picked up on the fact the miles hadn't been debited at that point. I do wonder if I hadn't made this call whether the miles would still be in my account.
Like you, I was concerned that if the miles weren't debited then we would risk not getting the upgrade, especially if it came to an oversell situation or other problem. Furthermore, you'd risk ending up with a centre seat in WTP as all the good ones would have been taken already.
) - over the phone, occasionally it'll go immediately, sometimes a bit later, or a lot later, or sometimes never! So your experience is normal.
Sep 22, 2006, 3:24 am
#4
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It's unusual but not unheard of. 99.99% of the times, the miles will go eventually...
Once your MFU'd booking has been re-ticketed (check the number on CheckMyTrip) then it's all confirmed and done & dusted IME so if the miles don't go by the time you've flown the trip, you probably did get very lucky. Do expect them to disappear at some point between now and then though.
Once your MFU'd booking has been re-ticketed (check the number on CheckMyTrip) then it's all confirmed and done & dusted IME so if the miles don't go by the time you've flown the trip, you probably did get very lucky. Do expect them to disappear at some point between now and then though.
Sep 22, 2006, 3:24 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: London, ARN, HEL, ..... or MAN
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Anecdotally it has been known to happen that miles on MFUs don't get taken from your account. However it is just more likely that there will be a few days' delay in them showing up. The last MFU I performed it took a week for the miles to go from my account, just as I was beginning to get excited...!
Sep 22, 2006, 3:24 am
#6
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 11,924
Originally Posted by House
A few days ago I MFU'd a WT+ booking to New York (alas Club was only available in one direction, though I am keeping my eye on availability).
The cost for this is 12,500 miles and the EC agent confirmed this over the phone.
The u*****ed sector now shows up in MMB as Club World, but the miles have not been taken from my account. This is my first time doing this and I assumed that, as with other airline programmes I've used (BMI, United, Lufthansa) the miles would disappear as soon as the upgrade got confirmed in the booking.
Is this usual or is there a chance I might have secured a freebie u*****e (not that I would actually allow this to happen in case I actually lost the u*****e at check-in or the like)?
The cost for this is 12,500 miles and the EC agent confirmed this over the phone.
The u*****ed sector now shows up in MMB as Club World, but the miles have not been taken from my account. This is my first time doing this and I assumed that, as with other airline programmes I've used (BMI, United, Lufthansa) the miles would disappear as soon as the upgrade got confirmed in the booking.
Is this usual or is there a chance I might have secured a freebie u*****e (not that I would actually allow this to happen in case I actually lost the u*****e at check-in or the like)?
Sep 22, 2006, 3:29 am
#9
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,353
The exact same happened to me. <deleted>
Edit: good point quitecontrary. Lurkers be gone. I even phoned up BA and told them they hadn't taken the miles a couple of months after booking. Did they go? Nope. They had their chance.
Edit: good point quitecontrary. Lurkers be gone. I even phoned up BA and told them they hadn't taken the miles a couple of months after booking. Did they go? Nope. They had their chance.
Last edited by BAW845_Matt; Sep 22, 2006 at 4:02 am
Sep 22, 2006, 3:50 am
#11
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London
Posts: 3,439
Too much info Matt -I would delete that in case of unfriendly lurkers!
I thought I had got away with not having the miles deducted on a recent redemption using an AMEX 2-4-1 in CW -the miles were still there the night before we travelled. The only clue as to something being wrong was that we couldn't OLCI. At the checkin desk i was told that there was an irregularity with my booking and was sent to the Ticketing desk where I had to queue with the hoi polloi to have the booking ticketed of course at which point they deducted the miles
With the current award booking in MMB they took the miles immediately which makes my balance pretty meagre looking 
I thought I had got away with not having the miles deducted on a recent redemption using an AMEX 2-4-1 in CW -the miles were still there the night before we travelled. The only clue as to something being wrong was that we couldn't OLCI. At the checkin desk i was told that there was an irregularity with my booking and was sent to the Ticketing desk where I had to queue with the hoi polloi to have the booking ticketed of course at which point they deducted the miles
With the current award booking in MMB they took the miles immediately which makes my balance pretty meagre looking
Sep 22, 2006, 4:00 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,929
Originally Posted by BAW845_Matt
The exact same happened to me. <deleted>
Edit: good point quitecontrary. Lurkers be gone. I even phoned up BA and told them they hadn't taken the miles a couple of months after booking. Did they go? Nope. They had their chance.
Edit: good point quitecontrary. Lurkers be gone. I even phoned up BA and told them they hadn't taken the miles a couple of months after booking. Did they go? Nope. They had their chance.
Originally Posted by quitecontrary
of course at which point they deducted the miles
Not sure the is particularly appropriate - you'd made the booking, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect BA to take the miles? Presently I owe BA about 85,000 miles or so in similar circumstances to the above. Our Corp Account Manager is aware of the situation - I'd rather keep such things above board.
Last edited by Shuttle-Bored; Sep 22, 2006 at 9:13 am Reason: Protecting BAW854_Matt's miles......
Sep 22, 2006, 4:47 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London
Posts: 3,439
Originally Posted by Shuttle-Bored
The BA gods must have been smiling on you then
Not sure the is particularly appropriate - you'd made the booking, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect BA to take the miles?
Presently I owe BA about 85,000 miles or so in similar circumstances to the above. Our Corp Account Manager is aware of the situation - I'd rather keep such things above board.
Not sure the is particularly appropriate - you'd made the booking, surely it isn't unreasonable to expect BA to take the miles? Presently I owe BA about 85,000 miles or so in similar circumstances to the above. Our Corp Account Manager is aware of the situation - I'd rather keep such things above board.
was me being 
As BAW845_Matt has amended his post maybe it would be kind of you to delete his origonal post.
Sep 22, 2006, 5:04 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
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Originally Posted by Smirnoff
NICE FONT.
