How to spend/use miles?
Dec 12, 2007 | 12:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: LAS
Programs: AA EXP 0.4MM, SPG PLT
Posts: 28
You two should have quite a trip, not that there's anything wrong with that.
Dec 12, 2007 | 1:12 pm
#17
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Programs: UA 1M, 1K,AA 2M,HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium, IHG Platinum
Posts: 115
As I believe several previous posters have mentioned...
1. Use miles for upgrades on international travel (Europe & Asia)
2. Use miles for free tickets for friends and/or family.
3. Use miles for last minute, really-expensive domestic tickets.
This way you keep earning miles/status on relatively inexpensive coach tickets...but continue to travel first class as much as possible.
1. Use miles for upgrades on international travel (Europe & Asia)
2. Use miles for free tickets for friends and/or family.
3. Use miles for last minute, really-expensive domestic tickets.
This way you keep earning miles/status on relatively inexpensive coach tickets...but continue to travel first class as much as possible.
Dec 13, 2007 | 5:20 pm
#19
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: OOL Australia
Programs: QFF (Gold), Skywards, Rapid Rewards,United, Velocity, Hilton Silver
Posts: 2,440
Unfortunately it is difficult to upgrade on QF without status (that's me) so I am burning all my points next year on Business flight on BA Milan-London (I know it short but I have my reasons) First flight LHR-BOS on BA and 2 AA coach flights across USA before a Business flight home LAX-BNE on QF
Last edited by Lonely Flyer; Dec 17, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Dec 21, 2007 | 11:06 am
#21
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Mississippi
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 1,460
Dec 21, 2007 | 11:29 am
#23
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Northport, NY
Programs: Advantage 4MM
Posts: 1,742
I use most of my miles for peak season tickets to vacation destinations in the Caribbean. I have taken the family to St. Martin for Presidents week, Aruba for Easter week, etc. RT non stop tickets usually go for about $1500. a person from NYC. I have to use double miles, but it is cost effective. I have burned 1,680,000 AAdvantage miles on trips like this
Dec 22, 2007 | 8:29 pm
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Maryland
Programs: AAdvantage, Starwood
Posts: 51
I never imagined it would be this difficult, but i've tried the search function (either it won't let me search because "how to use miles" contains 3 words shorter than 4 letters, or when i change to other search terms i get stuff that's unrelated)
Dec 22, 2007 | 9:05 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: SF CA USA. I love large faceless corporations. And they cherish me in return (sometimes). ;)
Programs: UA Premier Gold/disappointed 1MM, HH Gold, IHG Plat, MB lifetime Gold, BW Diam Sel
Posts: 17,819
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=676224
I suggest you limit your search by using "Search this forum," "Advanced," and "Titles Only." (Maybe you already were doing that, but you didn't tell us.)
And using short, common words like "to," "of," "and," etc. is usually a waste of time (not to mention the length limitations), as it doesn't really find the meaning you were looking for, even when the words are of sufficient length. @:-)
You can also wildcard words, i.e., add an asterisk at the end of the word, but wildcarding words like "of" is still generally not useful.
Dec 23, 2007 | 1:25 pm
#26
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: WN, DL, UA, AA, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 1,303
Another valuable use of miles that I have found is:
flying out of a small-market domestic airport and then making a trip with a stopover in it. Useful for visiting both sides of the family with only one trip/FF payout.
We use some accounts for trips like that, and are saving up other accounts for overseas (J) trips.
flying out of a small-market domestic airport and then making a trip with a stopover in it. Useful for visiting both sides of the family with only one trip/FF payout.
We use some accounts for trips like that, and are saving up other accounts for overseas (J) trips.