Jun 19, 2017, 9:34 pm
Last edit by: ernestnywang
oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards Wiki v0.1
Rules
1. You need two non CX/KA carriers
2. You are allowed 5 stopovers, 2 transits (<=24hrs) and 2 open jaws. You can use your stopover allowance as a transit, possibly by asking for it to be ticketed as such (extra taxes?). [Using stopover for transit is no longer possible since 2021/22?]
3. The open-jaw points do not count towards your stopover allowance. Neither does the final city on the itinerary
4. You must start and end in the same country.
5. To determine the miles required, add up all flight sectors on your itinerary and look up the award chart (ignore the distance between open-jaw points). gcmap.com is handy, though best to go via asiamiles' calculator.
6. Co-terminals (NRT/HND, LHR/LCY) do not count as an open-jaw (takes up 1 stopover/transit allowance).
If an itinerary clears the above, it is valid, though you may have to argue a lot back and forth. Keep your patience suit on and and keep referring to the terms & conditions ("What in the T&Cs makes this invalid" tends to work).
For the examples below, x=transit, o=stopover, and capitalized alphabets represent airports.
Some valid routings that have commonly been pushed back on
1. "You cannot go through the start, destination, or enroute point more than once". A-oB-oA-oC-oD-A is a valid itinerary.
2. "An open-jaw point is a stopover". A-oB-oC-D//E-oF-G//H-oI-oJ-A is valid, as is A-oB-xC-D//E-oF-G//H-xI-oJ-oK-oL-A.
Other tips
1. Tickets are valid for 1 year from the date of issuance. Potentially a pain when planning that dream RTW trip involving LATAM/AA which release seats 330 days out, that you're trying to tee-in with CX award seats released a year out.
2. A combination of BA/AA/LATAM/QF sites works well to research availability (look for saver availability)
3. You can go crazy on the routings- A-oB-A//C-oD-C//E-A is fine if A,B,E are in country/Region # 1, and, C,D are at the other end of the world.
Rules
1. You need two non CX/KA carriers
2. You are allowed 5 stopovers, 2 transits (<=24hrs) and 2 open jaws. You can use your stopover allowance as a transit, possibly by asking for it to be ticketed as such (extra taxes?). [Using stopover for transit is no longer possible since 2021/22?]
3. The open-jaw points do not count towards your stopover allowance. Neither does the final city on the itinerary
4. You must start and end in the same country.
5. To determine the miles required, add up all flight sectors on your itinerary and look up the award chart (ignore the distance between open-jaw points). gcmap.com is handy, though best to go via asiamiles' calculator.
6. Co-terminals (NRT/HND, LHR/LCY) do not count as an open-jaw (takes up 1 stopover/transit allowance).
If an itinerary clears the above, it is valid, though you may have to argue a lot back and forth. Keep your patience suit on and and keep referring to the terms & conditions ("What in the T&Cs makes this invalid" tends to work).
For the examples below, x=transit, o=stopover, and capitalized alphabets represent airports.
Some valid routings that have commonly been pushed back on
1. "You cannot go through the start, destination, or enroute point more than once". A-oB-oA-oC-oD-A is a valid itinerary.
2. "An open-jaw point is a stopover". A-oB-oC-D//E-oF-G//H-oI-oJ-A is valid, as is A-oB-xC-D//E-oF-G//H-xI-oJ-oK-oL-A.
Other tips
1. Tickets are valid for 1 year from the date of issuance. Potentially a pain when planning that dream RTW trip involving LATAM/AA which release seats 330 days out, that you're trying to tee-in with CX award seats released a year out.
2. A combination of BA/AA/LATAM/QF sites works well to research availability (look for saver availability)
3. You can go crazy on the routings- A-oB-A//C-oD-C//E-A is fine if A,B,E are in country/Region # 1, and, C,D are at the other end of the world.
oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards - sharing ideas
Apr 9, 2018, 8:30 am
#631
Join Date: May 2017
Location: HK
Programs: MPC Diamond
Posts: 101
Just booked my first one of these, so wanted to share!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
Apr 11, 2018, 1:25 am
#633
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ORD [formerly] + HKG
Programs: CX Diamond, AA exExPlat, BAEC exGold, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Starriott Titanium, GE
Posts: 2,966
Just booked my first one of these, so wanted to share!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
Apr 11, 2018, 9:16 am
#634
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Singapore & Globe trotting
Programs: QR Gold, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, GHA Titanium, Taj Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 423
Just booked my first one of these, so wanted to share!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
HKG-SFO//LAX-oDFW-oLGA-xBOS-xDOH-oDPS-oKUL-HKG
CX/KA: HKG-SFO, KUL-HKG
AA: LAX-DFW, DFW-LGA-BOS
QR: BOS-DOH-DPS
MH: DPS-KUL
All booked in J. Doing the trip over the span of a month, managed to get some extended time off. Didn't completely max out, but still very excited (in particular to check out QR J, though unfortunately doesn't look like any of those flights will be Q-Suites). 160k AM and ~HK$1,350 in taxes.
Thanks for all of the inspiration and helpful info from everyone posting here, otherwise would never have known about this!
Apr 12, 2018, 8:13 pm
#636
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: UA, QF, VS, AA, US, HH, SPG
Posts: 974
hi I'm pretty new to this but am looking at doing the following:-
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
Apr 12, 2018, 9:39 pm
#637
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London, or thereabouts
Programs: Tesco Clubcard, Heathrow Rewards, M&S Sparks, Caffè Nero, HSBC rewards... BAEC defector
Posts: 132
hi I'm pretty new to this but am looking at doing the following:-
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
After confirming the ticket (they've emailed me an itinerary and I now have a PNR), how long does it take to actually ticket the award? I've tried Google, and a thread from 2012 (I've lost the thread now) seemed to suggest they could take a few weeks to ticket?!
Apr 13, 2018, 3:45 am
#638
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Toronto
Programs: HGP Globalist, SPG P100, Hilton Dia
Posts: 425
You can try calling up Asia Miles to "book" the ticket, and then tell them to hold the ticket while you process the transfer. Recently did that and they were fine with it. I called up a few hours afterwards to check, and the ticket was still on hold. I've since moved on to the actual ticketing... which leads onto the question below:
After confirming the ticket (they've emailed me an itinerary and I now have a PNR), how long does it take to actually ticket the award? I've tried Google, and a thread from 2012 (I've lost the thread now) seemed to suggest they could take a few weeks to ticket?!
After confirming the ticket (they've emailed me an itinerary and I now have a PNR), how long does it take to actually ticket the award? I've tried Google, and a thread from 2012 (I've lost the thread now) seemed to suggest they could take a few weeks to ticket?!
Apr 14, 2018, 4:29 am
#639
Join Date: May 2017
Location: HK
Programs: MPC Diamond
Posts: 101
Apr 14, 2018, 4:33 am
#640
Join Date: May 2017
Location: HK
Programs: MPC Diamond
Posts: 101
BOS seemed to be a better outport for getting QR redemptions (though strangely, not so for CX ones). I would have skipped BOS and done JFK-DOH-DPS, but that wasn't available.
Apr 14, 2018, 4:39 am
#641
Join Date: May 2017
Location: HK
Programs: MPC Diamond
Posts: 101
hi I'm pretty new to this but am looking at doing the following:-
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
SYD-oSIN-xDOH-SEZ-oDOH-oSIN-SYD on QF/QR for (according to my calculations) 140,000 pp in J
Now I would need to transfer the miles into AM from AmEx - so can I put the award on hold then transfer the points - I'm worried that if I transfer the points first and then have difficulty securing the award I would be stuck with the miles in AM. For my dates I have checked that seats are currently available and as far as I can determine the above itinerary complies with the multi-carrier award rules.
Similar to what 07L 25R said, I asked about putting my itinerary on hold initially through the phone when making the booking. Maybe it was because the flights were closer in, but they said they would only be able to place it on hold for 24 hours, and during that time it was possible that the other non-CX/KA airlines might cancel the tickets without notification. It sounded like a bit of a scare tactic, but I decided to just go ahead and book since I had the AM and was willing to pay the change fee if I needed to change my itinerary later. Agree that best option seems to be to ask if longer hold is possible to allow for AM to deposit.
My ticketing was done within 24 hours after making the booking I believe.
Apr 17, 2018, 9:00 am
#642
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Singapore & Globe trotting
Programs: QR Gold, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, GHA Titanium, Taj Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 423
I'm looking for some advice from folks here, given the news of an impending devaluation of the AM award charts (rumoured). I will like to book a multi-carrier award ticket for my honeymoon but the dates for which I want to fly haven't opened up yet (given the 360/330 day rule of when airlines release award space). Hence, as I see it there are two options:
1) Wait for a couple of months and try and book when award space opens up 360/330 days prior to departure + pray that the devaluation doesn't happen in the next two months. With this option I'm basically playing a waiting game of when the announcement will be made and how long after that it comes into effect.
2) Book the itinerary I want now, but for dummy dates, that I later change when my actual dates open up, against a change fee. Here I'm assuming that when the devaluation comes, I will still be allowed to make date changes to my booking, without the new mileage requirements kicking in.
Any thoughts on which option I should go for? Is my assumption for option 2 valid?
Thanks!
1) Wait for a couple of months and try and book when award space opens up 360/330 days prior to departure + pray that the devaluation doesn't happen in the next two months. With this option I'm basically playing a waiting game of when the announcement will be made and how long after that it comes into effect.
2) Book the itinerary I want now, but for dummy dates, that I later change when my actual dates open up, against a change fee. Here I'm assuming that when the devaluation comes, I will still be allowed to make date changes to my booking, without the new mileage requirements kicking in.
Any thoughts on which option I should go for? Is my assumption for option 2 valid?
Thanks!
Apr 17, 2018, 11:04 am
#643
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TPE / HSZ
Programs: CX GO (=SPH), IHG Diamond Amb, Hertz 5*, Accor, Hilton, National
Posts: 6,436
2) Book the itinerary I want now, but for dummy dates, that I later change when my actual dates open up, against a change fee. Here I'm assuming that when the devaluation comes, I will still be allowed to make date changes to my booking, without the new mileage requirements kicking in.
Any thoughts on which option I should go for? Is my assumption for option 2 valid?
Any thoughts on which option I should go for? Is my assumption for option 2 valid?
Apr 17, 2018, 5:22 pm
#644
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Singapore & Globe trotting
Programs: QR Gold, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, GHA Titanium, Taj Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 423
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Here, I'm going by SQ's example. When they devalued their chart last year, a date change did not trigger a ticket re-issue, hence, date changes could be made with the old award chart. Only if one changed the route, carrier or cabin class did it trigger a ticket re-issue which was then subject to the new award chart.
Apr 18, 2018, 6:13 am
#645
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London, or thereabouts
Programs: Tesco Clubcard, Heathrow Rewards, M&S Sparks, Caffè Nero, HSBC rewards... BAEC defector
Posts: 132
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Here, I'm going by SQ's example. When they devalued their chart last year, a date change did not trigger a ticket re-issue, hence, date changes could be made with the old award chart. Only if one changed the route, carrier or cabin class did it trigger a ticket re-issue which was then subject to the new award chart.
As unlikely as it may be, depending on the award ticket routing you're trying to make, sometimes it may work in your favour to wait for the new award chart should it come out. There would probably be new 'sweet spots' that didn't exist, while existing ones will no longer be as great, not that I would know, but that's how award charts generally work, right? With your travels that far ahead, there would probably be room for fine tuning to make the best out of any new award chart. You'd probably also need to factor in the costs associated with changing your tickets, and that there may not be availability anyway on the dates you want to travel, in which case you'd be stuck with a semi-useless ticket, or worse, be forced to change your itinerary purely to match available flights.