Wiki/Reviewi For TYN 90K Fixed Redemption Strategies
Feb 10, 2009, 4:03 pm
#676
Join Date: May 2008
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 2,026
Is there any way in a multi-segment itinerary to book a segment in 'full fare economy' ?
Why?
Because on AA for example, a full fare ticket is allowed a 'free upgrade' to business class.
Some flights that I might use these days are actually way below the economy fare cap. Of course you put in a full fare ticket and it's way over the cap. If you get a segment or 2 in the full fare booking code, it might help out for those who actually want to use the tickets themselves.
I know this is not the best redemption, but, now that they're all 2 cents per point anyway, it's a thought.
Why?
Because on AA for example, a full fare ticket is allowed a 'free upgrade' to business class.
Some flights that I might use these days are actually way below the economy fare cap. Of course you put in a full fare ticket and it's way over the cap. If you get a segment or 2 in the full fare booking code, it might help out for those who actually want to use the tickets themselves.
I know this is not the best redemption, but, now that they're all 2 cents per point anyway, it's a thought.
Feb 10, 2009, 4:04 pm
#677
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,938
I redeemed two domestic RT ticket (20K points) that listed as $298 each in expedia last year (before I know about this and the lower I could find was south west $250). Total tax and fee came up to $92 for both. I asked about the tax and fee and was told they could not be reduced.
So did you just ask them to add the tax to the ticket price?
Thanks!
So did you just ask them to add the tax to the ticket price?
Thanks!
Feb 10, 2009, 8:33 pm
#678
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 812
I redeemed two domestic RT ticket (20K points) that listed as $298 each in expedia last year (before I know about this and the lower I could find was south west $250). Total tax and fee came up to $92 for both. I asked about the tax and fee and was told they could not be reduced.
So did you just ask them to add the tax to the ticket price?
Thanks!
So did you just ask them to add the tax to the ticket price?
Thanks!
Also, UA provides free refares on all their tickets. If you purchase a current ticket that is $400, and the price (for the exact same flights) later drops to $300, you can get an UA voucher for $100 back (you need to request this, as this is NOT an automatic process). This works for some routes that are not currently on sale, but will likely go on sale at some point in the future (eg SFO-NYC for trips after May). Get what you currently need, and keep an eye on the fares.
Feb 11, 2009, 5:08 am
#679
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: former {UA 1k // SPG Gold, HHonors Silver}, now starting up again
Posts: 298
Voucher for UA?
I'm sure a flavor has been asked before but I couldn't find anything after searching.
I want to turn my TYP into UA credit, I'm looking for a UA C to Hawaii for $2800. I found a DEN-LAX-HNL-LAX-DEN routing on Expedia, with the DEN-LAX r/t on UA metal, and LAX-HNL on CO metal.
Is there any way to tell if my credit will be to UA or CO? Since UA operates the first leg of the flight, I would hope credit would go to UA, but is there any way to tell for sure?
Thanks!
I want to turn my TYP into UA credit, I'm looking for a UA C to Hawaii for $2800. I found a DEN-LAX-HNL-LAX-DEN routing on Expedia, with the DEN-LAX r/t on UA metal, and LAX-HNL on CO metal.
Is there any way to tell if my credit will be to UA or CO? Since UA operates the first leg of the flight, I would hope credit would go to UA, but is there any way to tell for sure?
Thanks!
Feb 11, 2009, 8:54 am
#680
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,938
I'm sure a flavor has been asked before but I couldn't find anything after searching.
I want to turn my TYP into UA credit, I'm looking for a UA C to Hawaii for $2800. I found a DEN-LAX-HNL-LAX-DEN routing on Expedia, with the DEN-LAX r/t on UA metal, and LAX-HNL on CO metal.
Is there any way to tell if my credit will be to UA or CO? Since UA operates the first leg of the flight, I would hope credit would go to UA, but is there any way to tell for sure?
Thanks!
I want to turn my TYP into UA credit, I'm looking for a UA C to Hawaii for $2800. I found a DEN-LAX-HNL-LAX-DEN routing on Expedia, with the DEN-LAX r/t on UA metal, and LAX-HNL on CO metal.
Is there any way to tell if my credit will be to UA or CO? Since UA operates the first leg of the flight, I would hope credit would go to UA, but is there any way to tell for sure?
Thanks!
Feb 11, 2009, 10:02 am
#681
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 52,575
Bmir: are you just looking for credit? (Like the rest of us in this thread. 
) Or are you actually planning on flying to Hawaii on those flights?
If credit is your goal, avoid Hawaii unless you're finding a $5000-ish ticket that meets the criteria in the original post of this thread. There has been some good discussion here about 90k TYP awards on UA that yield between $2600-2700 in net credit, which represents $2450-2550 in actual value to you for your points (factoring in the $150 change fee).
I made sure to keep mine simple: all UA metal, SFO-JFK-SFO in C, one direction inside a week and the other outside a week. That kicked out a nonrefundable $2633 base fare and it was instantly recognizable in both United.com and Expedia.com.
Some other guys here have pushed the envelope closer to $2699 with some more creative routings, but the one advantage to mine was that it was bread & butter for the TYP booking agent and I knew it wouldn't get screwed up.
EDIT: I *think* my math is right, but now I'm seeing people booking 90k / $1800 tickets. Did TYP devalue *again* in the past week?
) Or are you actually planning on flying to Hawaii on those flights?If credit is your goal, avoid Hawaii unless you're finding a $5000-ish ticket that meets the criteria in the original post of this thread. There has been some good discussion here about 90k TYP awards on UA that yield between $2600-2700 in net credit, which represents $2450-2550 in actual value to you for your points (factoring in the $150 change fee).
I made sure to keep mine simple: all UA metal, SFO-JFK-SFO in C, one direction inside a week and the other outside a week. That kicked out a nonrefundable $2633 base fare and it was instantly recognizable in both United.com and Expedia.com.
Some other guys here have pushed the envelope closer to $2699 with some more creative routings, but the one advantage to mine was that it was bread & butter for the TYP booking agent and I knew it wouldn't get screwed up.
EDIT: I *think* my math is right, but now I'm seeing people booking 90k / $1800 tickets. Did TYP devalue *again* in the past week?
Last edited by pinniped; Feb 11, 2009 at 10:10 am
Feb 11, 2009, 10:05 am
#682
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 101
Some new information
I just spoke with Thankyou and they are willing to honor the $2700 point cap because I'm a SB client (not FMA, though). I picked out some united flights that fit in the cap. However, they said that ALL United business class flights are refundable so I would get the refund in points. This thread mentioned that I should get non-refundable united business tickets, but that doesn't seem to be an option. How are you guys able to get non-refundable business tickets for United?
Feb 11, 2009, 10:50 am
#683
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Varies :-)
Programs: AS; AA; UA; DL; VS; BA; Nat'l Emer. Exec.; AGR
Posts: 2,250
I just spoke with Thankyou and they are willing to honor the $2700 point cap because I'm a SB client (not FMA, though). I picked out some united flights that fit in the cap. However, they said that ALL United business class flights are refundable so I would get the refund in points. This thread mentioned that I should get non-refundable united business tickets, but that doesn't seem to be an option. How are you guys able to get non-refundable business tickets for United?
Feb 11, 2009, 11:32 am
#684
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 29,763
I just spoke with Thankyou and they are willing to honor the $2700 point cap because I'm a SB client (not FMA, though). I picked out some united flights that fit in the cap. However, they said that ALL United business class flights are refundable so I would get the refund in points. This thread mentioned that I should get non-refundable united business tickets, but that doesn't seem to be an option. How are you guys able to get non-refundable business tickets for United?
Feb 11, 2009, 12:00 pm
#686
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Chicago
Programs: AA UA Delta. HH Diamond, PC Platinum, Club Carlson Gold, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 809
If credit is your goal, avoid Hawaii unless you're finding a $5000-ish ticket that meets the criteria in the original post of this thread. There has been some good discussion here about 90k TYP awards on UA that yield between $2600-2700 in net credit, which represents $2450-2550 in actual value to you for your points (factoring in the $150 change fee).
How about Europe for 60k? Thanks!
Feb 11, 2009, 12:03 pm
#687
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SJC
Programs: former {UA 1k // SPG Gold, HHonors Silver}, now starting up again
Posts: 298
Bmir: are you just looking for credit? (Like the rest of us in this thread. ) Or are you actually planning on flying to Hawaii on those flights?
If credit is your goal, avoid Hawaii unless you're finding a $5000-ish ticket that meets the criteria in the original post of this thread. There has been some good discussion here about 90k TYP awards on UA that yield between $2600-2700 in net credit, which represents $2450-2550 in actual value to you for your points (factoring in the $150 change fee).
I made sure to keep mine simple: all UA metal, SFO-JFK-SFO in C, one direction inside a week and the other outside a week. That kicked out a nonrefundable $2633 base fare and it was instantly recognizable in both United.com and Expedia.com.
Some other guys here have pushed the envelope closer to $2699 with some more creative routings, but the one advantage to mine was that it was bread & butter for the TYP booking agent and I knew it wouldn't get screwed up.
EDIT: I *think* my math is right, but now I'm seeing people booking 90k / $1800 tickets. Did TYP devalue *again* in the past week?
) Or are you actually planning on flying to Hawaii on those flights?If credit is your goal, avoid Hawaii unless you're finding a $5000-ish ticket that meets the criteria in the original post of this thread. There has been some good discussion here about 90k TYP awards on UA that yield between $2600-2700 in net credit, which represents $2450-2550 in actual value to you for your points (factoring in the $150 change fee).
I made sure to keep mine simple: all UA metal, SFO-JFK-SFO in C, one direction inside a week and the other outside a week. That kicked out a nonrefundable $2633 base fare and it was instantly recognizable in both United.com and Expedia.com.
Some other guys here have pushed the envelope closer to $2699 with some more creative routings, but the one advantage to mine was that it was bread & butter for the TYP booking agent and I knew it wouldn't get screwed up.
EDIT: I *think* my math is right, but now I'm seeing people booking 90k / $1800 tickets. Did TYP devalue *again* in the past week?
As has been mentioned before, the challenge with Hawaii routings is to do it without having a first class leg - the UA + CO routing had no F, but I will try to find something on UA metal all the way.
Thanks for the tips!
Feb 11, 2009, 12:03 pm
#688
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 57
A bit of good news to report back. Thanks to information from tygirl and jfkeze, I called TYN for partial point return. A gentleman S from the office of customer advocacy researched my issue and said that my points will be returned proportionally (based on the refund amount from the airline). The case will need to be reviewed by the compliance department to confirm that the fund has actually been refunded (remember, the TYN credit card also has a billing cycle, so they need to wait until the statement comes out), after which the points will be returned. The time frame I was told was up to 6 weeks, but usually in several weeks.
An interesting tidbit from chatting with S: the point return is done by a VP from Citibank, and he has a spreadsheet that has up to several thousand entries every month. He is apparently still working on the December return at the moment.
The whole conversation was very pleasant.
An interesting tidbit from chatting with S: the point return is done by a VP from Citibank, and he has a spreadsheet that has up to several thousand entries every month. He is apparently still working on the December return at the moment.
The whole conversation was very pleasant.
Wonder if they can do anything for me... The one time not procrastinating burns ME!
Feb 11, 2009, 12:11 pm
#689
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: aa, onepass, skymiles
Posts: 116
$2800 Itineraries
For those of you still looking for that magic $2800 number, I ran across these while looking for a $1800 # (on Expedia):
New York, NY (JFK) to Redding, CA (RDD)
11/25 & 11/30
$2,770.02 + $45.78 taxes & fees = $2,815.80
11:30 am Depart New York (JFK)
Arrive Redding (RDD) 8:43 pm Wed 25-Nov
United United 53 / 170 / 5556
Connect in Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO)
10:40 am Depart Redding (RDD)
Arrive New York (JFK) 9:57 pm Mon 30-Nov
United United 5481 / 870
Connect in San Francisco (SFO)
Lots m ore were listed, all around $2800.
-- Scott
New York, NY (JFK) to Redding, CA (RDD)
11/25 & 11/30
$2,770.02 + $45.78 taxes & fees = $2,815.80
11:30 am Depart New York (JFK)
Arrive Redding (RDD) 8:43 pm Wed 25-Nov
United United 53 / 170 / 5556
Connect in Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO)
10:40 am Depart Redding (RDD)
Arrive New York (JFK) 9:57 pm Mon 30-Nov
United United 5481 / 870
Connect in San Francisco (SFO)
Lots m ore were listed, all around $2800.
-- Scott
Feb 11, 2009, 12:21 pm
#690
Join Date: Jan 2008
Programs: aa, onepass, skymiles
Posts: 116
Ready to go for $1800?
I am about ready to jump the gun on this and finally get it done.
Here's a tentative itinerary, please let me know what you think.
Since it is over the $1800 limit, I figure I'll have to buy some TYP,
at $50 per 5000 pts -- does that sound right???
Thanks
Scott
PS I only have CITIbank and Expedia accounts, plus a CITI Professional MC so I assume I am only eligible for the 2cpp vs 3. I also figure there's not enough time to open a SB accounts with the requisitie FMA card -- I checked the SB site and it seems I have to CALL to open an account, not do it online ??
Plus how long would it take to get that FMA card delivered anyway?
MY $1800 ITINERARY:
New York, NY (JFK) to Eureka, CA (ACV)
DELTA
11/24 & 11/30
$1,833.01 + $53.00 taxes & fees = $1,886.01
4:00 pm Depart New York (JFK)
Arrive Eureka (ACV) 8:55 pm Tue 24-Nov
Delta Delta 95 / 4699
Connect in Salt Lake City (SLC)
6:20 am Depart Eureka (ACV)
Arrive New York (JFK) 6:19 pm Mon 30-Nov
Delta Delta 4664 / 1254 / 164
Connect in Salt Lake City (SLC), Boston (Logan Intl.)
Here's a tentative itinerary, please let me know what you think.
Since it is over the $1800 limit, I figure I'll have to buy some TYP,
at $50 per 5000 pts -- does that sound right???
Thanks
Scott
PS I only have CITIbank and Expedia accounts, plus a CITI Professional MC so I assume I am only eligible for the 2cpp vs 3. I also figure there's not enough time to open a SB accounts with the requisitie FMA card -- I checked the SB site and it seems I have to CALL to open an account, not do it online ??
Plus how long would it take to get that FMA card delivered anyway?
MY $1800 ITINERARY:
New York, NY (JFK) to Eureka, CA (ACV)
DELTA
11/24 & 11/30
$1,833.01 + $53.00 taxes & fees = $1,886.01
4:00 pm Depart New York (JFK)
Arrive Eureka (ACV) 8:55 pm Tue 24-Nov
Delta Delta 95 / 4699
Connect in Salt Lake City (SLC)
6:20 am Depart Eureka (ACV)
Arrive New York (JFK) 6:19 pm Mon 30-Nov
Delta Delta 4664 / 1254 / 164
Connect in Salt Lake City (SLC), Boston (Logan Intl.)