Asia Miles extension -- does redeeming and canceling "reset" the expiry clock?
 

Hi gang -- just realized I've 100,000 AM expiring in January 2021. Don't expect to be on a plane between now and Jan 2021, so I'm thinking of ways to keep my miles alive (nope, I don't want to redeem my AM for swag).

Been reading about CX's current offer of free, unlimited changes to tickets. Was thinking of making a random long-haul booking for up to 100,000 AM, issuing the ticket, then cancelling it.

Questions if I go down this path:
1) If I redeem, issue the ticket, and then cancel, do the 100k AM go right back into my account?
2) Does the "extension clock" on my 100k AM reset? What does it reset to?
3) Do I need to actually issue the ticket, then cancel it for this to work? Or can I just make a redemption booking, then cancel that booking?

In short, am thinking if this the best way to keep AM miles alive -- group opinions or alternative ideas most welcome :)

The old 3-year expiry miles can’t be reset.

either use it or lose it unless AM extends it.

Issue a ticket before January 2021 say, for flight(s) in March 2021, pray for the flight(s) be cancelled, then you can request a refund of the ticket without penalty, those miles will then have an expiry of January 2022, assuming the refund is done after Jan 2021.

But what do AM/CX expect their customers to do with all the miles? Turn it into wine? Without doing something, they will essentially be zeroing millions of AM and expect us all to come back next time and not remember that?

you should feedback CX/AM and let us know what AM/CX thinks.

CX expects us to redeem for the many useless brick-a-bats available on AM... the cost is lower for them, and value is terrible for us! (I'm speaking as someone in the same shoes, with 100K+ expiring in Dec 2020).

Yes, pray for one of the flights being cancelled. Even if all flights are not cancelled, you can still refund by paying 120USD or deducing 12000AM. As long as the refund is made after Jan. 2021, the expiration date will change to Jan. 2022.

As sadly as it sounds, CX does not care. In fact, it is best people don't deal with them and let them expire.

So, you are letting your miles expire?

I don't have many inside (less than 1,000). So yes - I am letting them expire.

So there will be a refund due to cancellation of award ticket. Question I have is "How long does it take for refund to happen after cancellation? Immediately?" I am asking since in the case of poster above, his miles expire at the end of Dec 2020. What if he cancels on 30 or 31 Dec 2020? Will the miles only have a day before expiration? Does not make sense. Thank you.

you did not understand what they mean. Refunded Asia Miles maintain original expiry date. It is only because the refunded miles are already expired, as a gesture of good will, they extend it for another year. However, according to TnCs, they don't have to extend it.

The miles come back pretty fast. I would wait till Jan. 1st to request the refund. Just don't answer CX's calls when they tell you the flight is cancelled and wait till Jan. 1st (if the flight is cancelled).

I'm in a pretty similar situation as the OP. Anyone have advice on which routes get cancelled most often? Majority of my travel (when COVID isn't happening) is US domestic, so I don't have a good sense of what CX's operations look like these days.

Short-haul. Long-haul suffer less due to cargo issue.