Been around a while.

Or a low coach award at $700. No thanks.

Just to clarify -- This statement is for low coach domestic, not to Sydney. (which I'm certain BusTrav8yrs is aware of, but just want to make sure others don't get confused between the comment and the quote).

This has been reported to work with the regular platinum amex annual $200 airline fee rebate. Some FTers may find that this is a good use of the rebate.

sorry to pick on your example....

but 175,000 to TLV is a "good break" :confused:

I guess when you are using SkyPesos it is.

The award would be 115,000 with Star Alliance, and there is nearly daily availability in C.

Then you find that the 25,000 mile award you have been working towards is now 40,000 miles.

No MQMs, no care.

Why would anybody go for this Award Builder??:confused:

How about a comparable Delta Award Spender program that will help me get rid of the miles I have. I would be happy to sell them back to DL at the same rate it wants to sell them to me.

Wow. Notify the press. I'm sure DL is ready to jump on that offer. :D

You have just described "marketing."

Especially as it is applied in the airline industry. :D

Because many people are clueless at math and simply do not realize how bad the rate is.

Same people who buy all those $5 a month extras on services w/o even thinking; because it is just $5.

Same people who buy extended warrentes on electronics that they will likely replace in a couple years anyway.

Seriously, there is a large subset of the modern consumer that is really clueless.

To help reassure myself that I am not useless at math..

2,000 bonus for next 3 flights @ $168 is 6,000 miles.

Buying 6,000 miles costs ... er... $168.

So as far as I can see, the only benefit is that you can (if not a FF and who desperately needs to hit an award) is that you can buy miles (for that is all this truly is) in an odd number. Whereas buy miles is in multiples of 2000 only.

There was lots of talk about people being short of an award ticket and it being helpful ... the question to which I would please like a short answer is this:

Why is it any more helpful than the regular "buy miles" when they cost the same?? The only answer is flexibility in the exact amount of miles needed?

I am asking for help (not criticizing previous posts .. not my style :) ). If I look like an idiot (a possibility :rolleyes:) it is simply because I have NEVER bought miles .. I have a lot of BIS miles and MQMs and use other products where I collect them for free....

(eg needed to spend $300 at homedepot anyway so used amex (gets 1Mp$) to buy a GC from Skymilesshopping when 4 miles were on offer. Cost? 0. Miles = 1600 plus 300 on amex bill at month end).

Please let me know if I have missed an awesome deal to "build" rather than "buy" miles. The prominence of the offer on dl.com suggests I have not.

Advice gratefully received.

I wonder if the implied target market is really people who would be comfortable billing the ticket cost (including the Miles Builder or whatever it's called) to their expense account / client.

Note that I think this would be unethical, but for those who might be inclined to do this, it renders the relative value of buying miles through this channel vs. the normal buy miles option somewhat irrelevant.

Ah the beauty of raw capitalism. If only I didn't feel dirty when I did immoral things I could clean up... ;)

Oh my gosh - that is depraved ... I like the way you think.

And thus confirms the previous post.

Clearly, rather than "Driving Every Loyal Traveller Away", DL is Satan's plaything, corrupting us MilesJunkies with ways to sell our souls for skypesos. Please count me in :D

No $30 transaction fee.

Hello again Javabytes

Oh my gosh. That's IT? In that case it's as much of a waste of time as I thought and it'll be BIS for me - will leave the "builder" to others.

Thanks for the response. ^

I read thru the T&C and it seems there may be another difference. If you use Award Builder, and your plans change, they will expire after 12 months. Miles you Buy, don't seem to expire.