Stupid newbie request for advice...
Jul 21, 2013, 11:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: N Georgia
Posts: 14
Hey, y'all! New to this stuff and studying diligently. I think I made a really dumb (okay, uneducated) move (back when I knew even less). I need advice on minimizing the loss ... or on writing it off entirely!
My husband and I each had 10,800 miles with Iceland Air. After he died in 2011, I was trying to consolidate and close accounts where I could. Since I was trying to get United Miles (to fly to a wedding this year), I used Points.com to transfer those miles to United (getting just 2,846 United Miles for the 10.8k Saga points in each of our accounts). (No, alas, it didn't even occur to me to try to move his points directly into my United account -- I mentioned I'm a newbie?)
AFTER I did that, I headed to United to get them to move his points into my account. (Delta did that for me.... although, annoyingly, if I remember correctly, we had just paid some ridiculous amount to move MY (lesser no. of ) miles into his Delta account a month or so before he died.) United, as it turns out, is VERY EXPENSIVE to TRF miles, so I didn't. Now, I'm still consolidating and doing more research.
I CAN transfer 2,000 of those miles from his United account into my United account -- but it will cost $60 (and I suppose I just lose the 846 other miles. {sigh}) So, for 3-cents a mile, I can pull the 2,000 miles into my United account. But I don't know enough to know if it's worth it. I'm guessing not? Any advice for me? Thanks!
Elenor
Oh, p.s., at the time, they DID offer to TRF his mile to me (as a kindness, not a policy) for "only" $150!!) Whew!
My husband and I each had 10,800 miles with Iceland Air. After he died in 2011, I was trying to consolidate and close accounts where I could. Since I was trying to get United Miles (to fly to a wedding this year), I used Points.com to transfer those miles to United (getting just 2,846 United Miles for the 10.8k Saga points in each of our accounts). (No, alas, it didn't even occur to me to try to move his points directly into my United account -- I mentioned I'm a newbie?)
AFTER I did that, I headed to United to get them to move his points into my account. (Delta did that for me.... although, annoyingly, if I remember correctly, we had just paid some ridiculous amount to move MY (lesser no. of ) miles into his Delta account a month or so before he died.) United, as it turns out, is VERY EXPENSIVE to TRF miles, so I didn't. Now, I'm still consolidating and doing more research.
I CAN transfer 2,000 of those miles from his United account into my United account -- but it will cost $60 (and I suppose I just lose the 846 other miles. {sigh}) So, for 3-cents a mile, I can pull the 2,000 miles into my United account. But I don't know enough to know if it's worth it. I'm guessing not? Any advice for me? Thanks!
Elenor
Oh, p.s., at the time, they DID offer to TRF his mile to me (as a kindness, not a policy) for "only" $150!!) Whew!
Last edited by iluv2fly; Jul 21, 2013 at 4:26 pm Reason: merge
Jul 21, 2013, 11:35 am
#2
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,857
Welcome to FT!, IceWoman
With the death of a spouse / close family member there are few things one can do.
UA will allow points to transfer for a minimal fee (the $50 sounds high but makes sense for large accounts) in these case but sound like you transfer these from Iceland Air later, so suspect UA may push back and could raise the point of an invalid transfer (into an account that should have been closed).
In account with enough total points, you could book directly out of those accounts without transferring but if a few thousand miles is all that is the account, that appraoch will not work.
As for paying to transfer miles into your account -- because of the processing fee this is a poor value for your money. There are ways to buy miles directly from UA for the same or less dollars.
Additionally there are bonus programs from the credit cards to get much large amounts of "free" miles.
It might be better to take a step back and look at the objective.
How many miles are in each account?
What do you wish to do with the miles (wedding travel?), when is that and how many miles are need?
Do you have any rewards programs with your present credit cards?
With the death of a spouse / close family member there are few things one can do.
UA will allow points to transfer for a minimal fee (the $50 sounds high but makes sense for large accounts) in these case but sound like you transfer these from Iceland Air later, so suspect UA may push back and could raise the point of an invalid transfer (into an account that should have been closed).
In account with enough total points, you could book directly out of those accounts without transferring but if a few thousand miles is all that is the account, that appraoch will not work.
As for paying to transfer miles into your account -- because of the processing fee this is a poor value for your money. There are ways to buy miles directly from UA for the same or less dollars.
Additionally there are bonus programs from the credit cards to get much large amounts of "free" miles.
It might be better to take a step back and look at the objective.
How many miles are in each account?
What do you wish to do with the miles (wedding travel?), when is that and how many miles are need?
Do you have any rewards programs with your present credit cards?
Jul 21, 2013, 7:03 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: N Georgia
Posts: 14
Thanks WineCountry!
Yeah, I figured the Iceland/United miles was a lost cause. (And it wasn't $50 -- they really and truly wanted $150 to transfer 2,864 miles after Michael's death!! Amazing! Or maybe horrifying...) (And $60 now for transferring just 2k of the 2,864!)
I did get an Ink Bold, so gained the miles to go to the wedding with; although I ended up paying $$ to fly home on Delta, as the only flight that worked coming home required a 5-hr layover in Phoenix and next-day arrival.
I will keep studying, and keep working to gain miles.
Thanks for the warm welcome, and I'll be seeing you here, I'm sure!
I did get an Ink Bold, so gained the miles to go to the wedding with; although I ended up paying $$ to fly home on Delta, as the only flight that worked coming home required a 5-hr layover in Phoenix and next-day arrival.
I will keep studying, and keep working to gain miles.
Thanks for the warm welcome, and I'll be seeing you here, I'm sure!
Jul 22, 2013, 5:07 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: AADULtArer
Posts: 5,690
Miles are worth something like 2 cents US each, so paying 50-100 USD to transfer 10,000 miles is getting pretty marginal. Might be better off buying merchandise online to get some value out of them, IMHO.
My condolences on your loss.
My condolences on your loss.
Jul 22, 2013, 8:27 am
#5
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Nexus, GE
Posts: 2,123
I'll also add my condolences. It sounds like you under 3,000 miles at this point in your husband's United account. I really don't think it's worth bothering. For a domestic flight, you need 25,000 miles, so if we say it's a $500 flight on average, these miles are worth about $60 themselves at most. I'm guessing though, that you don't do a lot of flying (at least on United), and you're so far away form an award that the miles might expire before you get to use them.
If you'd like to score some miles in a hurry, I might suggest a United credit card which will give you around 50,000 miles depending on the offers out there.
Again, sorry for your loss, and welcome to Flyertalk. We'll do our best to be helpful.
If you'd like to score some miles in a hurry, I might suggest a United credit card which will give you around 50,000 miles depending on the offers out there.
Again, sorry for your loss, and welcome to Flyertalk. We'll do our best to be helpful.