Jan 23, 2017, 12:30 pm
1.3 is conversion rate to Mileageplan
Dec 19, 2016, 7:46 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: B6 Mosaic, Bonvoy LT Titanium (x SPG LT), IHG Spire, UA Silver
Posts: 5,848
1.3 is conversion rate to Mileageplan
...according to AS thread.
SFO based flyers are really getting shafted. DL partnership ending, very few additional flights from AS, and now a bad exchange rate and mileage based plan making it less attractive to pay high F fares.
Oh well, it was nice run with VX but time to move on...
SFO based flyers are really getting shafted. DL partnership ending, very few additional flights from AS, and now a bad exchange rate and mileage based plan making it less attractive to pay high F fares.
Oh well, it was nice run with VX but time to move on...
Dec 19, 2016, 9:12 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: New York
Programs: Bonvoy LifetimeTitanium, UA Plat 2MM, LHW LeadersClub, IHGPlat, HiltonDiamnd, ASMVPG100K, WyndDiamnd
Posts: 1,227
It is also posted on the DifferentWorks website under "More Rewards."
Dec 19, 2016, 9:39 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,642
...according to AS thread.
SFO based flyers are really getting shafted. DL partnership ending, very few additional flights from AS, and now a bad exchange rate and mileage based plan making it less attractive to pay high F fares.
Oh well, it was nice run with VX but time to move on...
SFO based flyers are really getting shafted. DL partnership ending, very few additional flights from AS, and now a bad exchange rate and mileage based plan making it less attractive to pay high F fares.
Oh well, it was nice run with VX but time to move on...
Dec 19, 2016, 11:24 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: New York City, Northern NJ
Programs: AS, AA, Hilton, Hyatt
Posts: 1,041
I think AS is shooting themselves in the foot. I was hoping for a good incentive to stick with AS/VX post merger. Being based out of EWR/PHL with lots of travel to OH, MI, KY, TN during the year, it will not make sense for me to go out of my way to fly them. I was hoping a more generous exchange rate would be used to entice me.
I am sitting on 150k elevate points and will have to just burn them in the near future.
I am sitting on 150k elevate points and will have to just burn them in the near future.
Dec 19, 2016, 11:29 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: New York City, Northern NJ
Programs: AS, AA, Hilton, Hyatt
Posts: 1,041
Dec 19, 2016, 11:30 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: YOW
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 583
Dec 19, 2016, 11:31 am
#8
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: Virgin America
Posts: 95
So we don't have to do the transfer? I can keep all my points in VX? Why would anybody willingly transfer their points from 2 to 1.3?
Dec 19, 2016, 11:33 am
#9
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: LAX, LGB, SNA
Programs: AA EXP OWE, DL DM ST+, AS MVPG, UA, BA, WN CP, Hyatt E, Ritz Plat, HH GM
Posts: 3,185
Dec 19, 2016, 11:46 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: West Hollywood
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Alaska MVP, Delta Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 173
Just dismal
This is a really terrible exchange rate, but I think I can see where this is going. The value of VX miles is at least 1.5x if not 2x that of Mileage Plan IF you're looking at domestic redemptions. But I think AS was looking at the possible costs of people with piles of VX points redeeming for international partner awards when they made this calculation and wanted to minimize the financial impact.
It would also explain why they reduced the miles required for short and medium haul domestic economy awards– It would bring a bit of equity to what VXers are used to paying in eleVAte points for a ticket on VX metal if they exchanged points.
Clearly Alaska prefers that you opt to burn those eleVAte points on VX metal.
It would also explain why they reduced the miles required for short and medium haul domestic economy awards– It would bring a bit of equity to what VXers are used to paying in eleVAte points for a ticket on VX metal if they exchanged points.
Clearly Alaska prefers that you opt to burn those eleVAte points on VX metal.
Last edited by socalgecko; Dec 19, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Dec 19, 2016, 11:49 am
#11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Programs: Virgin America
Posts: 95
This is a really terrible exchange rate, but I think I can see where this is going. The value of VX miles is at least 1.5x if not 2x that of Mileage Plan IF you're looking at domestic redemptions. But I think AS was looking at the possible costs of people with piles of VX points redeeming for international partner awards when they made this calculation and wanted to minimize the financial impact.
It would also explain why they reduced the miles required for short and medium haul domestic economy awards– It would bring a bit of equity to what VXers are used to paying in eleVAte points for a ticket on VX metal if they exchanged points.
It would also explain why they reduced the miles required for short and medium haul domestic economy awards– It would bring a bit of equity to what VXers are used to paying in eleVAte points for a ticket on VX metal if they exchanged points.
Dec 19, 2016, 11:57 am
#12
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: West Hollywood
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Alaska MVP, Delta Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 173
It'll really depend on the flight. Long haul seats will run you 12,500 Alaska miles "minimum" in economy, if saver seats are available. Right now you can get seats going SFO-JFK in January on the VX site for 5k points each way. In this case, transferring points would be a terrifically crappy deal.
Dec 19, 2016, 12:36 pm
#13
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
I think this was also a matter of not biasing folks heavily towards crediting towards one program or another. Ignoring status, a lower-fare SFO-JFK TCON flight might run $850 plus fees in F (for 4250 Elevate points) while a similar flight on Alaska in F would get you roughly 4500 miles on Alaska.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.
Dec 19, 2016, 1:54 pm
#14
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: West Hollywood
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Alaska MVP, Delta Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 173
I think this was also a matter of not biasing folks heavily towards crediting towards one program or another. Ignoring status, a lower-fare SFO-JFK TCON flight might run $850 plus fees in F (for 4250 Elevate points) while a similar flight on Alaska in F would get you roughly 4500 miles on Alaska.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.
Dec 19, 2016, 1:54 pm
#15
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: SF
Programs: UA, VX, QF, EY, VA
Posts: 756
I think this was also a matter of not biasing folks heavily towards crediting towards one program or another. Ignoring status, a lower-fare SFO-JFK TCON flight might run $850 plus fees in F (for 4250 Elevate points) while a similar flight on Alaska in F would get you roughly 4500 miles on Alaska.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.
At a conversion rate of 1.3:1 there's an advantage to using Elevate (you get 5525 miles) but at 2:1 you'd actually get to a point that an Alaska elite might well do better on VX than on crediting "internally", leading to complaints and/or distortions. Move the fare up to $1000 (5000 Elevate points) for the same flight and I can already hear the crowing from an MVP member that they'd get more points as a newbie over on VX for the same flight, to say nothing of a VX Gold now taking them to the cleaners in terms of post-conversion points piles...for a Gold Elevate account a $1000 F fare TCON on VX would, in that case, rack up 22,000 redeemable miles:
((1000*5)*2.2)*2=(5000*2.2)*2=11000*2=22000
For an MVP 75K member, they'd earn:
(2600*1.75)*2.25=4550*2.25=approx. 10200
Going with 1.3 keeps that differential to 14300 vs 10200, which while substantial isn't a total massacre. Granted, on some of the higher fares ($1500+) the damage is still substantial, IIRC those are also well above AS' refundable fares.