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Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Old Nov 12th 2015, 5:28 am
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Default Re: Airberlin business class trans-Atlantic wide open next year

Originally Posted by tonrob
Use Avios, hardly any fees, much better seat than BA. Just booked 2x BOS-DUS one way for 120K and $11.

Wide Open Business Class Europe Awards With No Fuel Surcharges for American and Even BA Members! - View from the Wing
Do all the Air Berlin 332s have the newest J hard product? I'm avoiding it anyway because apparently if you are over 6' the new J seat is very tight.
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Old Nov 12th 2015, 9:59 am
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Default Re: Airberlin business class trans-Atlantic wide open next year

Originally Posted by g1ant
Do all the Air Berlin 332s have the newest J hard product? I'm avoiding it anyway because apparently if you are over 6' the new J seat is very tight.
Yes.

I'm not flying - it'll be Mrs tonrob and the Sprout-ette, so they'll be fine.
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Old Nov 13th 2015, 7:19 pm
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Default Re: Airberlin business class trans-Atlantic wide open next year

Originally Posted by tonrob
Yes.

I'm not flying - it'll be Mrs tonrob and the Sprout-ette, so they'll be fine.


Just booked the EK 380.
DFW-DXB-LHR in March.
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Old Nov 14th 2015, 10:41 pm
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Default Re: Airberlin business class trans-Atlantic wide open next year

Originally Posted by g1ant


Just booked the EK 380.
DFW-DXB-LHR in March.
Nice! Pissed up and squeaky clean by Heathrow!
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Old Nov 17th 2015, 2:45 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Amex is offering a $15 statement credit when you spend $60 at Amazon.
Also, I received an offer to upgrade my Delta Amex gold to the platinum card the other day. The fee is $195, but it offers a companion certificate each year which gives you a round trip flight. Assuming I get my choice of flights I can see this would work out well - we take at least one Delta flight each year which costs more than that. Does anyone have this card and know whether it's relatively simple to use the companion certificates - or are there blackout periods?
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 5:07 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

I have virgin atlantic flying club miles.... but at looking closer there really poor value for money...

I fly approx every 6 months home to the UK and back... either premium economy or upper class. (Family of 4)

Now would it be better for me to collect delta sky miles? I am trying to figure out which is the best to collect?
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 5:46 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by nick.simpson19

Now would it be better for me to collect delta sky miles? I am trying to figure out which is the best to collect?
They are not called Sky Pesos for nothing. I put my miles from flying Delta into my Alaskan Airlines account, much easier to get award tickets through Alaska on either themselves or their partners than with Delta. If I were you I think I would keep the Virgin account.
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 5:57 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by lansbury
They are not called Sky Pesos for nothing. I put my miles from flying Delta into my Alaskan Airlines account, much easier to get award tickets through Alaska on either themselves or their partners than with Delta. If I were you I think I would keep the Virgin account.
Haha.. I have approx 60k points but its cost about $30k to get them!!! I was hoping to get some hotels or nights away with them but virgin don't offer much but flights or upgrades!

Then I get an email saying you have enough miles for one reward flight for one person.... I was like well thanks!!
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 6:34 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by nick.simpson19
...
Then I get an email saying you have enough miles for one reward flight for one person.... I was like well thanks!!
This appears to be the case with most airline / hotel (insert any other) 'reward' or 'loyalty' program nowadays.

Saying that, I've made good use of the Chase Ultimate Rewards (and BA Avios) programs (until the recent Avios devaluation).

If you're creative, there's usually a way to maximize your reward. I.e. in March, I've booked 2 first class tickets on the BA A380 from IAD to LHR return, using the Chase companion voucher and Avios points. (Plus $2k in taxes & fees).
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 6:50 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by AlphaTangoMike
This appears to be the case with most airline / hotel (insert any other) 'reward' or 'loyalty' program nowadays.

Saying that, I've made good use of the Chase Ultimate Rewards (and BA Avios) programs (until the recent Avios devaluation).

If you're creative, there's usually a way to maximize your reward. I.e. in March, I've booked 2 first class tickets on the BA A380 from IAD to LHR return, using the Chase companion voucher and Avios points. (Plus $2k in taxes & fees).
I think the best way is just to use them as an added benefit of flying if you have to fly you may as well collect them think I will hit VA Gold member soon ..... I am going to upgrade my mother from economy to upper class if VA will allow me. I know you have to have certain tickets that are available to upgrade! (which I think is wrong)
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 7:12 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by nick.simpson19
I think the best way is just to use them as an added benefit of flying if you have to fly you may as well collect them think I will hit VA Gold member soon ..... I am going to upgrade my mother from economy to upper class if VA will allow me. I know you have to have certain tickets that are available to upgrade! (which I think is wrong)
Yep, best value (for BA Avios): buy a premium economy (World Traveller Plus) ticket and upgrade to business (Club World) with Avios. The issue is always a lack of available reward points (on the dates and to the location I need).
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Old Nov 23rd 2015, 7:54 pm
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Default Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points

Originally Posted by nick.simpson19
Haha.. I have approx 60k points but its cost about $30k to get them!!! I was hoping to get some hotels or nights away with them but virgin don't offer much but flights or upgrades!

Then I get an email saying you have enough miles for one reward flight for one person.... I was like well thanks!!
Very similar to Delta who now base the miles you earn on how much you spend, not the flight distance. Also Delta doesn't publish how many miles you need for free flights. You have to search online and there is no set amount, again it is based on the cost of the ticket if purchased for dollars.
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Old Dec 26th 2015, 10:33 am
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Default Which programme to credit miles to?

When (shock, gasp) paying for flights, many people don't realize that they have a choice to make in terms of which airline programme to credit the miles to. For example, if I'm flying BA from Heathrow to New York I don't have to credit the miles to BA Executive Club - I could credit instead to AA or any one of a number of OneWorld partners. The complications are that the miles I might earn could be different depending on the programme I credit to, and miles in each programme have different values on the redemption side to.

While the following doesn't help with the latter, I just spotted an interesting article about how to decide which programme to credit to, especially with the help of a website called wheretocredit.com.

Here's the whole article.

I haven't managed to look at it in depth myself but thought I'd share anyway.
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Old Dec 26th 2015, 10:37 am
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Default Using Chase Ultimate Rewards to book hotels

Here's a useful analysis of when it's a good idea (and when it's not) to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points to pay for hotel rooms.
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Old Jan 4th 2016, 10:59 am
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Default Finding hotel availability using points

Review of a site called Hotel Hustle, that is apparently good at finding rooms using points across a variety of chains. Not yet tried it myself.
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