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My answer to OP . . . I have about 2.7 mil miles and points. But since retiring that stash is dwindling (no more a Road Warrior!). With three long international trips a year, sooner or later I will pay. But right now, the only flight I will pay for is using AS companion ticket.
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Originally Posted by brooklynmatt
(Post 18313155)
An example of my predicament is a flight to Japan I am thinking of taking.
From NYC to Tokyo May 22nd- May 29th C on AA I would pay about $1200 and earn about 14.5K Miles RT. If I route through BOS on the Dreamliner (assuming its up) I would get to take advantage of Double Miles... the flight is about $60 more, and then I would need to get to Boston ($400 on AA $200 on JB) so I could earn 29K miles for $1460. I could also expense the trip for business, so could take a third of the price off (roughly) so say $1050 for 29K Miles on AA. Or I could fly from NYC to NRT for 40K Miles RT with some fees (they say $271 but I have never seen it that high when redeeming in the past)... I currently have enough miles to redeem 40K with ease, but should I be spending them, or earning them? I ask humbly for your thoughts, as my gut is telling me that it is better to redeem than earn, but maybe I am not taking the second trip into account properly (where I would use those 29K miles). http://www.aa.com/viewPromotionDetails.do?fN=BOSTYO.xml |
Originally Posted by brooklynmatt
(Post 18313155)
From NYC to Tokyo May 22nd- May 29th C on AA I would pay about $1200 and earn about 14.5K Miles RT. If I route through BOS on the Dreamliner (assuming its up) I would get to take advantage of Double Miles... the flight is about $60 more, and then I would need to get to Boston ($400 on AA $200 on JB) so I could earn 29K miles for $1460. I could also expense the trip for business, so could take a third of the price off (roughly) so say $1050 for 29K Miles on AA. Or I could fly from NYC to NRT for 40K Miles RT with some fees (they say $271 but I have never seen it that high when redeeming in the past)... Whether or not you need status miles (EQMs) looks like a big part of the calculation to me. And the fact that you can deduct the cash fare for tax purposes, but not the miles is possibly the tipping point. Let the IRS subsidize your business travel and redeem for non-deductible leisure trips. |
Originally Posted by hard2please
(Post 18322678)
I try to save my miles for a trip where I can get an interesting stopover. I've seen some great ones that I haven't been able to take advantage of yet (a SYD stop on the way to China, for example!)
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Originally Posted by toomanybooks
(Post 18325538)
Also purchase Costco AA gift cards to save 10%, and get 2% more as a Costco Exec. member.
Whether or not you need status miles (EQMs) looks like a big part of the calculation to me. And the fact that you can deduct the cash fare for tax purposes, but not the miles is possibly the tipping point. Let the IRS subsidize your business travel and redeem for non-deductible leisure trips. However, once we start getting into (slightly) more elaborate pricing like this then I have to bring up points again. What about UA points gained through UR portal - I am sure that there are AA ones too, so sorry about comparing apples and oranges a bit, but I just got the Chase cards... 65K on UA from Newark to Narita for same dates (with about $55 in fees). I can earn 65K Points on UA (without counting the CC Signup bonus or regular spend as follows) Purchase a little under 10K in Visa Giftcards from Staples, paying under $595 in fees. So the flight on UA is $595 if I use points like this (IE I 'buy' points in a more efficient manner than regular channels). Was even better value when it was 9X points on the INK card VS 7X now... but still there is a RT to Japan for the equivalent value of under $650. Therefore, why would a person buy a regular ticket to earn some miles back when they can use points like this and fly for half the cost? FYI the same flight purchased would cost $1035, so its like saying you would buy 65K miles for $635 and buy 14.5K miles for $400... Yeah, you get EQMs again but are they priced properly? Sorry for the rambling, half baked ideas :) |
Originally Posted by LizzyDragon84
(Post 18325891)
What program offers that SYD stopover?
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Originally Posted by brooklynmatt
(Post 18326075)
A little fruity, but that's what the forum is for right? I must admit that I have gone to Costco hoping to find these but didn't see them in my store in Brooklyn.
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