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Maximum exploitation. What Flyertalk thread led to the highest ever gain for you?

Maximum exploitation. What Flyertalk thread led to the highest ever gain for you?

Old May 15, 2008, 5:32 pm
  #31  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 120
25,000 miles for switching my long distance service to MCI.

I got 50,000 AA miles for switching my two landlines. I got 25,000 DL miles by switching one of my landlines to another carrier, then switching it back to MCI. (I was too lazy to get another 25,000 DL miles for my other landline :-( .)
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Old May 15, 2008, 5:34 pm
  #32  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 120
And....I'm grandfathered into an MCI plan that charges low direct-dial rates for international credit card calls from the US with no surcharges or setup fees (when I want to make an international call from my cell phone, I use my MCI credit card). I get the same low rates for all my "call home" calls back to the US from overseas.
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Old May 15, 2008, 11:24 pm
  #33  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SJC/SFO/OAK
Programs: BD Gold (and future SEN), 0.2MM AA EXP, HHonors Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 3,107
My best so far has been the UA AKL CNZ fare. I bought 6 tickets initially, had 3 cancelled, and flew the others. Used my SWUs to upgrade to F. Yes, I spent a lot of money, but I also consider the MR a ton of fun ( i got to meet Punki and Hunki and see SYD) but also had an amazing 10-day trip with my girlfriend.

However, the gain from that one thread pales compared to what I've gained from FT in general. I have flown over 350,000 miles in premium cabins over the last few years as a result of the research and understanding that FT has given me, and I find ways to redeem miles for awards that Joe Schmoe can only dream of.
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Old May 17, 2008, 9:20 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: SPG,HH,DL,CO,AMEX
Posts: 262
Hilton Honors / City of Hope

Can't remember the # of points for each $25 donation but my wife and I were able to accrue 500K HH points between the two of us and donate to a worthy cause, too.
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Old May 17, 2008, 10:51 am
  #35  
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Back to TX after living across the pond
Posts: 116
Vulcan's list and the Continental/AMEX deal/Hilton Honors

This was spring of 2001, I think... it has been so long but I still think of him when we fly. There was a deal with AMEX to double you miles if your European trip was purchased on AMEX, then there were other codes to enter for Hilton Honors to double and double and double..... My 2 year old at the time got something like 70,000 miles to go across the pond and back. Vulcan ran a list and updated it often. That was when I convinced my family I wasn't crazy for following FT.
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Old May 17, 2008, 5:43 pm
  #36  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: MRY/SFO/SJC
Programs: AS MVP, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 7,769
Off the top of my head:

-- Conrad BKK - the 1B Exec Deluxe Suite for 1/35 of the nightly rate. THB$635 instead of US$635. My first and only trip to Thailand.

-- LCA in AZ/CY J/C, 2 x $43++. Never considered going to Cyprus, let alone twice in two weeks!

-- CNZ to CHC for the Nov '07 ZQN DO $1700. UG'd with a gifted SWU + 30k. First time south of the equator.

-- UA ATL-HNL $132 combined with NW HNL-YOW CAD$188 and 5k to MKK. First time faced with Canadian Customs & Immigration.

-- DL SEA-SYR B fares 4 x $130. Flew the last two Memorial Day weekend '07, VDB'd twice in ATL for $800.

-- Missed the NAN fare. It was posted during my first FT day and I didn't have the wherewithal to get myself booked.

-- VJ's MR seminars (DCA, PHX and SFO) that taught me to maximize and not to be afraid of public transportation and sleeping in airports.

-- the several dozens of friends I've made.

Last edited by boxo; May 17, 2008 at 5:49 pm
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Old May 17, 2008, 5:54 pm
  #37  
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: YOW
Programs: AC E75K *G
Posts: 7,099
The UA AKL fare afforded me the privilege of making someone wet his pants.
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Old May 17, 2008, 8:53 pm
  #38  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Sunny SYDNEY!
Programs: UA Million Miler. (1.9M) Virgin Platinum. HH Diamond + SPG Gold
Posts: 32,330
The KLM crazy points matching deal that gave me 1.6 MILLION free KLM/air France miles - and KLM Platinum membership for 3 years!

One FT'er I know got over 6 million miles from that.

I am still using up those miles many years on.

We have taken Biz class flights to Libya, Tunisia and Morocco in the last year or so.

We've done many of the 24 hours flights each way SYD-Europe in First class. We've been to Suriname in South America Biz class, to Zanzibar and Kenya and Addis Abbaba business class.

To Alaska (twice) in First on Northwest, and all over Asia including Korea and Malaysia.

And STILL have many miles left over.
.
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Old May 17, 2008, 8:58 pm
  #39  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 15,788
Originally Posted by bseller
Probably the "Fly Concorde for $1100" which made its debut in 2002. Buy a few magazine subs from Randy, obtain SPG * points, convert them to QF miles at a 1:2 ratio, use QF miles to purchase an F fare (usable on Concorde) from NYC to LHR on BA!!! $1100 later, you've been on Speedbird!
+1 ms. birdstrike and I scored two Concorde flights on this one!

Runner up was a single CO flight that with all the associated promotions gave us enough miles for two tickets to Australia in C.
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Old May 17, 2008, 9:07 pm
  #40  
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: OAK
Programs: AS MVPG 100k
Posts: 3,756
Radioman's PC bonus/promo sticky on the PC forum - has netted me close to 1m PC points so far, and counting.
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Old May 17, 2008, 9:11 pm
  #41  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: MRY/SFO/SJC
Programs: AS MVP, Hilton Diamond, IHG Gold
Posts: 7,769
Forgot to mention the NW BUH B fares!

Booked two - 1) YYZ-MAD $265 and 2) YVR-HAM $226

How will I ever make Plat again this year?!
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Old May 18, 2008, 6:28 am
  #42  
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Programs: AA PLT 2MM
Posts: 571
FT has been pretty good to me... highlights:

2001: Valumags et al -> Goldpoints -> 400K AA miles

2004: Icelandair to Rekjavik for free (at the summer solstice!) -- there were quite a few FTers visiting Iceland on this deal; happened to sit next to Spiff on the return flight.

2004: AA buy two transcons, fly anywhere for free: netted two tickets to Santiago (on top of all the miles/bonuses from flying four transcon roundtrips.)

Since then: Flew a bunch of great places in style, got million-mile status on AA, but I keep missing the amazing opportunities... one of these days!
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