Update - My wife returned 3 March. I called about a week later. Mileage difference (2 x one-way minus round-trip) was refunded on 11 March.

bringing life to old topic:

I'm assuming this 2 one-way trip clears to get a refund for difference to a full roundtrip award only works for bookings on a SAME ticket, right?

For example, say if I have situation
HKG-SYD on Ticket 1, upgrade one-way
SYD-HKG on Ticket 2, upgrade one way

Can I claim this as a "round-trip" award and request a refund? I am guessing not...

I would also like to resurrect this thread, as I am in the following situation:

I have already booked a confirmed award ticket in U from NYC-SIN for 85k miles per pax. Now I have decided that I would also like to book an award ticket in the opposite direction, i.e. SIN-NYC. Common sense tells me that instead of having to pay 2 x 85k = 170k miles for two one-way awards, CX should allow me to book the return, attach it to the already existing booking, and only charge me 145k miles, i.e. the going rate for an outright return award on this route.

However, I called the DM line in HK just now, and the agent there said that given I had already ticketed a one-way, I would have to book the other award as a one-way, too, and that no refund would be given.

What gives? HUACA?

I think the DM agent is correct, since your one-way award has already been issued.

I suppose the alternative is to reissue your award from a one-way into a roundtrip (and have the return segments waitlisted?) but that's going to cost you the reissuance fee. Then, your return sectors clear, pay 85K, then ask for the refund in the difference.

I've been frequently given r/t vs 2x one-way refunds on Asia Miles redemption HKG-SYD-HKG or v.v. when the tickets were issued as one-ways under same PNR:
a) outbound was issued first, and inbound was issued after outbound
b) a r/t (e.g. in Y or PE) was ticketed, and the outbound was reissued to J close-in (starting one-way pricing), and inbound to J was reissued after outbound (again as one-way) (happens quite a lot these days with CX holding J seats til very close in)

Conditions precedent:
1) Straight return, no transit, second stopover or open jaw is involved
2) No partners were involved (I was refused reissue on a SYD-(QF)HKG-(CX)HKG)
3) Same PNR (if different PNRs, no refund)

Availability is becoming so shi...unsatisfactory the way I fly that I pay for all reissues with miles these days.

So, after calling in again this morning, I got a more amenable CS agent who made it happen. She said she would have to ask first, and then came back confirming that "as an exception", they would allow me to tag on the second set of flights (Which happen to be the outbound ones) to the existing booking and only charge me the 145k miles for the return award.

Thank you, CX! ^

This is really an exception (probably because you are DM) as we have always been told by agents that in order to qualify for refunding the difference, you have to have the inbound booking record made at the time you book your outbound (waitlist is ok but you have to have that record on the system)

Reasonable or not, this is the rule, or the way they handle such issue. Reasonable to certain extent though (two one way tickets is always more expensive than one round trip, and you can't buy the return leg simply by paying the fare difference between two one way tickets and a round trip tickets for the inbound leg)