MileagePlus Account Balance (How many miles do you all keep in your accounts?)
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: National EE, Hyatt Discoverist, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 508
Thanks everyone for the replies. Like some of you, I mainly use the miles to purchase tickets for family to come visit and usually at the last minute so the rates (and fees) can get expensive.
#17
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: 5280 feet
Programs: UA GS
Posts: 674
My account hit 350k at one point before buying the parents-in-law RT tickets to NZ, earning some more, and then sending my family to OSL on miles killed that (took it down to about 20k). Now with spend and travel its back up in the 225k range.
I also sent my wife and I to NZ way back in 2005 in C (on Air New Zealand), which killed what had been a mostly credit-card-miles pile.
I used to never spend miles on anything other than upgrades (or more accurately, upgrade attempts) on int'l flights untile those big trips above.
I also sent my wife and I to NZ way back in 2005 in C (on Air New Zealand), which killed what had been a mostly credit-card-miles pile.
I used to never spend miles on anything other than upgrades (or more accurately, upgrade attempts) on int'l flights untile those big trips above.
#18
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,100
I have 328k in one account, after having just booked two trips totaling 310k. In another account, I have 212k. Use it or lose it.
#19
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Dubai / NYC
Programs: EK-IO, UA-1K2MM, ETIHAD-GOLD, SPG-PLAT LIFETIME, JUMEIRAH SERIUS GOLD
Posts: 5,220
I try not to keep more then around 300K. With that I can either get 2 F tkts between DXB-USA or one STANDARD AWARD F tkt for my GF to fly to the US. this is all I use my miles for anyway & I always book last minute so LH F is usually avail for me.
There is no point in keeping millions of miles in my account since I must BUY a tkt (usually with EK in F) between DXB-USA every month so any time I can use LH for free is thousands of $$ I save for me & my company. (It must be LH F though, I tried UA last week for the first time & won't do that again (to much hassle, ground product sucks & IAD is out of my way since usually going to NYC (JFK). No other *A carrier can get me from DXB-USA with 1 stop in F
There is no point in keeping millions of miles in my account since I must BUY a tkt (usually with EK in F) between DXB-USA every month so any time I can use LH for free is thousands of $$ I save for me & my company. (It must be LH F though, I tried UA last week for the first time & won't do that again (to much hassle, ground product sucks & IAD is out of my way since usually going to NYC (JFK). No other *A carrier can get me from DXB-USA with 1 stop in F
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,215
500k for me and 150k for my wife. Tend to use them for friends and family only, although hoping for some F tickets to Australia in the next year or so. If I do spend for myself it would never be on UA as closing in on MM - once that's achieved, my options open dramatically.
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,714
Best policy. I have about 600k on account right now and feel uncomfortable about it - got to book some F travel for the wife and me. The miles will never be worth more than they are today. I fear and expect devaluations in the future.
#22
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: IAH
Programs: UA nada, Hyatt Disc, Hilton Gold
Posts: 846
I, too, fall in to the camp of those who believe there's no time like the present to use them up. I was up over 300k earlier this year, but my account will be down under 1k miles after I get done booking a round trip F award for the wife and I to Australia next year. She probably has around 50k in hers.
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Northern Calif./Eastern Ida.
Programs: Amethyst Premier Plutonium Medallion
Posts: 20,566
i use them when i need them and save them when i don't.
recently have made 3 OW and 2 RT redemptions so my balance is low by my standards. 62k. i prefer it to hover between 80-120k.
i expect in the future, it will be back up around 150k since i plan to be earning much more than redeeming until at least mid-2014.
recently have made 3 OW and 2 RT redemptions so my balance is low by my standards. 62k. i prefer it to hover between 80-120k.
i expect in the future, it will be back up around 150k since i plan to be earning much more than redeeming until at least mid-2014.
#25
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: PSP
Programs: UA Lifetime Platinum with 2.5MM. Current AA EXP
Posts: 135
640,000 Miles is Right for Me.....
Personally, I don't worry too much about the dreaded "devaluation". Seriously, the *A award chart hasn't changed that much in recent years. That said, I also ONLY use my miles for F or J Award seats.
While some award levels have been inflated in recent years, the quality of J has also improved on many *A carriers. Thus, while I prefer F, I'm now comfortable saving a few miles and taking the occasional J seat on many carriers.
So, for me, the magic number of miles to maintain in my account is 640,000. Given that most any F award on *A is 160,000 RT, I can get one for myself and a traveling companion for 320,000 miles.
I like to have double that amount in case:
1. I have to use Standard versus Saver (dreadful prospect)
2. I need to book two such trips simultaneously
3. I'm undecided on routings/carriers for a vacation so I need to "double book" so that I can "trip improve" on the routings/classes as the months go by.
Less than 640,000 in my account and I get a little nervous...
While some award levels have been inflated in recent years, the quality of J has also improved on many *A carriers. Thus, while I prefer F, I'm now comfortable saving a few miles and taking the occasional J seat on many carriers.
So, for me, the magic number of miles to maintain in my account is 640,000. Given that most any F award on *A is 160,000 RT, I can get one for myself and a traveling companion for 320,000 miles.
I like to have double that amount in case:
1. I have to use Standard versus Saver (dreadful prospect)
2. I need to book two such trips simultaneously
3. I'm undecided on routings/carriers for a vacation so I need to "double book" so that I can "trip improve" on the routings/classes as the months go by.
Less than 640,000 in my account and I get a little nervous...
#26
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Crystal City, VA
Programs: United Mileage Plus 1K 2 MM, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 2,627
On fire
I've been burning a lot lately. Down to ~40k. I have more EQMs!
#27
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: ASE, COR, EZE, SBP, OGG, NRT, LGA, ORD, PRG
Programs: AA Concierge Key UA 1K
Posts: 147
6.5 million miles down from over 9 million. Use for hotels and flying friends around.
#28
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: NYC, BDL, BOS
Programs: MileagePlus
Posts: 47
The highest I accumulated is 144,000 before flying to Australia on a Business Award. I'm back up to 66,000 but 50,000 came from switching from Mastercard to Visa.
#29
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SJC, SFO, YYC
Programs: AA-EXP, AA-0.41MM, UA-Gold, Ex UA-1K (2006 thru 2015), PMUA-0.95MM, COUA-1.5MM-lite, AF-Silver
Posts: 13,437
Agreed. I used to zero out my MP balance each year. But life / work changes happened in 2010, and as result my life/work balance is out of whack. I have been at over one million miles for a long time now.