Getting an award on CX
 

Hello wonder if CX FF can help,

I would love to get back on a CX aircraft this year and wondered if anyone can help with a couple of queries?

I have currently do not hold an Asia Miles account, I see its US$50 to join!??Is there any way around this fee? As someone with no CX status would J class redemption be difficult? I do have a MH account (basic member) does MH have the same access to award inventory as CX offers there own members?

I will basically be looking to transfer my credit card miles for a couple of seats. As it appears you need an account to get most info would anyone know what I would need SYD-JFK in J and does CX allow any additional North American travel on AA say-trying to get to either TPA or SJU.

Thanks for any help and happy new year!

SYD/YYZ

The best way currently to redeem for CX J or F is through AAdvantage program and there is an extensive thread in the AA forum regarding this. The second best way (IMO) is with Avios, especially right now that they have a 40% bonus for transfers to Avios from Amex membership reward (US cardholders).

Also, I have an Asia Miles account and I never paid anything for it.

There's no fee for Asia Miles, the $50 fee applies on Marco Polo only.

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Asiamiles (award program) is free
Mpc (status) is normally $50. However if u ask for a form onboard in premium cabin, that form waives the $50

What's your status with QF? Do you have any miles with them?

You can look up the number of miles you need with any of these calculators:
https://www.asiamiles.com/am/en/rede...ghtawardfinder
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...r/public/en_gb

Distance wise, SYD to TPA (with stops in HKG and LAX) is about 14000 miles each way. Yes, you can include domestic USA flights on AA for free in an award.

http://www.gcmap.com/dist?P=syd-hkg-lax-tpa

According to the Asia Miles award chart, a plain vanilla return biz class award ticket will set you back 175k miles (per ticket) plus taxes and fuel surcharges

https://www.asiamiles.com/am/en/redeem/charts

A similar award using AA miles would require two tickets, as AA does not permit USA-Australia awards via Hong Kong. For a USA-HKG and HKG-SYD ticket, the total cost would be 180k AA miles (but AA won't charge you any fuel surcharges for travel on CX)

https://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/...rtnerChart.jsp

I didn't price an award using BA Avios for your preferred routing, but it will probably be similar in mileage cost since you are dealing with a minimum of three segments each way (BA's award chart is distance based PER segment)

Note that the above mileage costs would be lower if you were happy to fly a more direct (NO CX) routing across the Pacific, i.e., SYD-LAX-TPA/SJU will cost less in terms of miles on AA, BA and Asia Miles. For example, only 145k Asia Miles or 125k AA miles.

The best deal for your routing would be to use the US Airways award chart but US miles are no longer so easy or cheap to acquire (from Australia). They allow transits in HK and the total price would only be 110k miles in business. US Airways has the least flexibility though in terms of making date changes (you can't once travel starts).

http://www.usairways.com/en-US/Resou...wardtravel.pdf

Just fly NZ on SYD-Auckland-LAX and find a domestic flight on your own.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful replies, especially for a very informative post from fallinasleep.

I see I have confused Asia miles with Marco Polo.

I am dealing with credit card points and have limited FF accounts I can use (CX and MH being offered for One World carriers-AA, QF and BA are not options) and as I have MH already maybe I should stick with that. I was wondering if CX was more generous to its own FF for award availability even if a basic member?

I just wanted to try a CX premium cabin hence my post, I am trying to travel in Dec and into new year so also realise this may be very hard for 2 award seats in J or poss F. Does anyone know when CX open award inventory? However maybe a more direct routing is better as pointed out.

Thanks again for helping me clear a few points up!!

SYD/YYZ

You can use Asia Miles for awards on QF flights. QF has 1-stop flight from SYD-JFK via LAX.

CX releases awards 355 days out.

Which credit card points do you have?

360 I believe.

I stand corrected - I just found that info and was going to come correct myself but it's already been done. The 355 days was for BA - that's when you can start seeing CX awards on BA site to book with Avios.

I have a Westpac Altitude Black Card hence my limitations to CX or MH. The hope was to get to fly CX but it does appear cheaper direct say with Qantas. This is for close to Xmas travel so I may be out of luck anyway...

The Asia Miles site accepted my routing SYD-JFK-SJU/TPA-JFK-SYD so we shall see, are stops allowed on rewards? I hope to stop in SJU, TPA and JFK

Thanks again everyone for all this great help.

SYD/YYZ