For years we have been collecting points/miles intending to use them one day. We decided on a family Alaska cruise and I fell into American Airlines Travel which had better rates than the cruise line themselves. Since the miles/points we had werent enough to cover, we decided to pay for the trip using my Aviator Aadvantage card where I am now going to get 4x AA points. I still have flights to book for 8 people (6 from MCO to SEA and 2 from LAX to SEA) and want to maximize what I already have and what I am working on. Now I am committed to learn this game but my head is spinning and I need help PLEASE.
Current scenario:
1. Just shy of about a million Amex Points
2. 184k AA miles with another 100k to hit after the cruises get charged
3. Boyfriend and I each opened a Cap One Venture card and will have 80k points in a month or so.
4. Beyond the 6 flights, I have one night hotel to book in Seattle and then need 2 rooms for 4 nights in San Diego.
I desperately need advice as to how to maximize/points/cash to get the best bang and start on my next trip, likely (hopefully) to Europe

I feel it's unclear, what do you want to do. Use points or grow your points/miles balances for the future?

Well Yoshi, I'm not sure...maybe some of each. We orignally thought we were going to get more out of the Amex points, but they weren't worth much on the cruises themselves and don't seem to work as well on hotel stays, unless I am missing something (which very ikely is true), so I thought we should just use them for air fares. As I mentioned we still need 8 flights and I don't mind using them directly for that but it didn't seem like the Amex travel portal was giving me all the flight options and it seemed like they were priced higher than they normally would be.


I originally booked 2 flights on Delta through Amex Travel and then realized that I could "save" 10,000 points by transferring them from Amex to Delta and booking directly there. I did get charged $70 by Amex for something to do with government fees on the transfer. I'm not exactly sure what that was all about and whether I would have incurred that cost on the orginal Amex booking or not. But saving 10k in points seemed like a deal.


In the end I want to use points/miles for this trip and want to get in the game for the next trip too. I've confused myself to the point where I'm not sure what to do...I think using the Amex points to book these flights would be a good way to go, but would like direction. THanks!

Also, since I need 8 flights and 8 nights of rooms, I didnt know if I should be using points fof flights one, the other or both. Still trying to understand the hotel-thing.

Have you looked for Saver Award availability for the route and dates you need to travel? If there is none then you may be better just paying cash.

I would suggest you start reading up on the different airline and hotel programs that you have a balance with, and where you can transfer your flexible points currencies (such as Amex MR) to.


See also: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...faqs-more.html

Begin educating yourself about the BA Avios program. It's tricky, as it is decidedly different from other airline programs, but it does have some sweet spots. Wait for a promo and move some of your AMEX points to BA. Right now, you'll only get .8 Avios for 1 AMEX point, thus my caution to wait for a promo. You can then use Avios for AA and AS flights. Avios are charged per segment and per distance flown. I wouldn't want to use Avios for AA or BA redemption to Europe, though. The fuel surcharge will end up costing you almost as much as a coach ticket. You'll find better deals on coach seats domestically.

Should you want to go to Asia, consider the ANA program. You can move AMEX points to it. Do not do so until you are sure you can find your award seats. Once moved, any points in the ANA program expire in 3 years. It's been awhile since I've done an ANA booking, but I flew F to Singapore via Tokyo and then stopped in Tokyo on my return. I've also used an ANA award for a trip to the southern part of Japan, stopping in Tokyo on my return.

+1.

If the OP can find MileSAAver award space for LAX-SEA on AA or AS nonstops at aa.com, those flights should be bookable at ba.com for just 7,500 BA Avios each way.

But it's always a good idea to compare cash fares on the route before redeeming miles for an award flight.

Can you tell me the best place to learn about BA Avios. I'm truly a newbie at this!

Most of the airlines have their own forum here on FT and within those many have "stickies" about the reward programs.

See: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...7-edition.html

Plenty more information for each FF program in their specific forums:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/airli...-programs-374/
Similar for hotels: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hotels-places-stay-389/
And credit cards: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...-programs-390/

Read up on the Amex Plat cards. With the Business Plat, your Membership Rewards points are worth 2 cents each toward economy airfare on a specific airline of your choice (annually). Or any business/first ticket on any airline.

This often works out way better than other uses for Amex points. And you earn miles on the trip.

Note that Plat benefits are changing March 31.

THANK YOU EVERYONE! In the end, I choose American as my Platinum Airline and was able to book all but one ticket at the 50% points price. While it wasn't a stellar price, it ended up costing 26k miles per ticket, which was far superior to my other options. I was challenged by the fact that I really had specific time frames to work with on the flights, along with the number of tickets I needed, so actual award travel was seemingly impossible. I have learned much and appreciate everyone who bothered to help. Now I am looking forward to deciding on a dream points-only trip for next year as I continue to learn how to do that!

Although I have many miles stacked up in both Amex and American Airlines, I am just getting started in learning how to really make it all work for me. Like others, I want to turn this into my hobby. While Flyertalk is AWESOME, most of it is completely over my head. I don't know what fare classes are or even know where to look for them...basically, I'm clueless beyond the obvious. I would like to know if there is a good book, or course that I can get to really teach me. I want something that goes beyond applying for credit cards to get rewards. I want to be educated enough to understand the posts in Flyertalk! Can someone point me in the right direction?

The best resource is FT. You should read the four or five sticky wikis (Cricket fans would groan now) at the top of the Information Desk threads. Also, most of the main airline forums have sticky threads explaining the basics of their particular programme. Good luck!

I agree with LondonElite. The advice to read sticky wikis is very good.

Getting into this game is certainly daunting at times. If it was easy, everybody would be doing it and getting great benefits and premium-cabin award tickets. You should focus in on the programs that you intend to use. It sounds like you fly American Airlines mostly, so you should first immerse yourself in the AA forum and then branch out to learn more about their alliance, OneWorld, and their partner airlines.

Don't expect to understand everything on FT right away, or ever. I know a lot about Delta and European SkyTeam hubs, but there are many on the Delta board who put me to shame. When I head over into the British Airways forum, for example, I understand very little of their jargon and discussion. Focus on your airlines and interests and keep at it. You might need to read wikis 2, 3, or 10 times. Take the time to read whole threads on things that interest you, whether that's lounge access policies, getting elite status, understand fare classes, or booking award tickets.

It won't come immediately, but it'll be worth it. And hopefully you'll be able to enjoy the journey to becoming an expert!

Welcome to FlyerTalk!