Award Travel

[Lucky]

It is my goal to use up all of my frequent flyer miles before I die. So I am constantly looking for trips, but I am tight and want the best trip for the lowest miles.

AA offers a low 20,000 coach to get to Rio, but the return is always 60,000 miles. (That is, right now. In the past we have gotten both legs for 20,000 miles, but you have to be patient.) So I checked for a return from GRU (Sao Paolo) and was offered one for 50,000 miles. That's not only cheaper, but the return would be in Business class. Otherwise, I could return on United for just 30,000 miles in coach, but all choices are two stops. So AA wins this one. A GRU return allows me to fly to Porto Alegre from GIG and return to GRU for the flight home.

Delta. Who likes to book award travel on Delta? They are easily the worst for frequent flyer awards. We have only 60,000 miles left as we don't fly them anymore. But they wanted 95,000 miles plus $199 for an off-peak trip to London. I will probably just use them for a New York trip.

We have built up tons of miles by opening credit cards and checking accounts. Recently we got 50,000 to open a Chase Sapphire Account. Another Sapphire account gave us 40,000. Citicards usually offer 35,000, and 20,000 for each checking account. Once the first year free is up, we cancel the card unless we like it, as we do with both Sapphire and Citi Thank You Premier. The latter got me a nonstop flight to Chicago last year for 23, 500 miles. Without them, I would have had to pay 50,000 miles for the same flight.

So what deals have you found? Any secrets to share?

(All of my flying last year got me into United's Mileage Plus Silver medallion membership. So on all 4 flights to and fro New York last week I was upgraded free to Economy Plus. I liked that!)

[Guest FourAces]

Huh?is there a post that I missed?

You're not going anywhere soon old man so don't talk like that. You will have plenty of time to use up your miles.

It is my goal to use up all of my frequent flyer miles before I die.

[Guest EXPAT]

I'm almost finished using up all of my miles. But I won't open and close credit cards because that impacts your credit rating too adversely. But I will only fly 1st class so I'm using my points a lot faster. Being 6'5" tall, first class is the only way I will fly.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Oh EXPAT you are a giant!

[Guest rimchair]

Frequent flier miles never gain interest, use them!

[TotallyOz]

I just booked a flight to Sao Paulo on Delta and it was 2100 USD plus my certificates to upgrade to business class the entire trip. I was thrilled.

I had called last week and got a similar rate but when I called yesterday, the rate was 5600. I called back and today and it was 2600. I called again 20 min later and got it to 2100. That is the lowest upgradeable fare I have had to Brazil. I am happy I kept up my points!

[Lucky]

Isn't it amazing how fast, and how often, the fares change? Sure would be a bummer to pay the higher fare and them learn it went down.

Confidential to FourAces: Thanks for your concern! All I meant to say was that whenever it happens, I don't want to leave any unused miles!

[paulsf]

All my miles are with American. I usually use them on Cathay Pacific in first, twice a year to go to Bangkok. I just got back from being there for New Years, but I got such a good rate to fly AA to Tokyo and then Japan to Bangkok, i bought the ticket. AA was offering so many mile bonus last month the trip got me close to 60k more miles. Living in Ft. Lauderdale, Brazil is doable in coach if I have to, then use the miles for very long Asia trips. I also have system wide upgrades to use that helps a lot . AA isn't fare based like Delta to use upgrades.

[JKane]

I'm almost finished using up all of my miles. But I won't open and close credit cards because that impacts your credit rating too adversely. But I will only fly 1st class so I'm using my points a lot faster. Being 6'5" tall, first class is the only way I will fly.

Opening cards is fine, as long as you don't do too many too often. It's closing cards (especially older ones) that can lower your rating.

I just haven't seen any great miles offers in a while. There was a time you could get 75k AA miles per card and Citi/AA HAD THREE CARDS. Still, I try to keep an eye on the flyertalk forums for similar deals.

Chip's Money Tips has some interesting ones that'll give you $500 or more in cash though, and ways to help hit the minimum spend.

[RA1]

Frequent flier miles never gain interest, use them!

The most sensible post from this poster in quite a while.

Best regards,

RA1

[TownsendPLocke]

I have miles in all three aliainces(OneWorld/Skyteam/Star)and I keep enough in my accounts for emergencies as well as using them for trips. I have a lot of miles and I have burned through a lot of miles.

While they do not earn interest they can be a nice little pillow to have...and also a goal to aim for.

That being said the game is becoming a lot more work than it used to be.

I hope everybody has looked over at Flyertalk.com for some advice. If that is a little to hard core my friend Brian has a neat site- ThePointsGuy.com he has a LOT of advice on milage earning credit cards etc.

[Lucky]

I have miles in all three aliainces(OneWorld/Skyteam/Star)and I keep enough in my accounts for emergencies as well as using them for trips. I have a lot of miles and I have burned through a lot of miles. While they do not earn interest they can be a nice little pillow to have...and also a goal to aim for. That being said the game is becoming a lot more work than it used to be. I hope everybody has looked over at Flyertalk.com for some advice. If that is a little to hard core my friend Brian has a neat site- ThePointsGuy.com he has a LOT of advice on milage earning credit cards etc.

Townsend, thanks for the link to thepointsguy.com. As you point out, using points takes work, and good advice can make it easier.

[Guest EXPAT]

I used to obsess with points and maintaining my priority etc. But now if I never get on a plane again it will be too soon. I know that may be hard to understand but I spent 20 years flying all over the world to 89 different countries and it wore me out to the point where I no longer enjoy traveling. So I'm using the rest of my points for either seeing my family back in the midwest or going to NYC to visit my best friends. Outside of that my miles I accumulate are on my hybrid Ford Fusion or on my king size bed with various visitors.

[Lucky]

I'd be surprised if there was anyone who enjoyed commercial flying anymore. First or business class may ease it somewhat, but the hassles of airports and security remain. Every flight seems so crowded, everyone seems to be carrying on as much as they can, flight attendants seem harried, and there are lines for lines. It's a means of getting from Point A to Point B, but no fun whatsoever.

[RA1]

I have ridden on the airlines exactly 7 times since 9/11 and 5 were "required" by business and 2 at the insistence of a friend. The experience totally unsatisfactory start to finish but I am spoiled.

Best regards,

RA1

[AdamSmith]

The day cannot come too soon for me when North (and Central!) America are crisscrossed by maglev bullet trains.

(As many know, rail travel anywhere between DC and Boston is already such a mercy compared with stuffing oneself through the commercial air travel system. Even some short-haul routes elsewhere. Recently I took Amtrak Raleigh-Charlotte for $62 round trip. 3 hours each way. So blessedly easier than driving; far less expensive and frazzling than flying.)

Regrettably I will be lying lower than the railbed ties long before.

[TownsendPLocke]

I enjoy travel and just look at the flights as a means to an end. I drive when I can but the reality of a 6 hour drive versus a one hour flight makes me grateful for choice.

And until I can teletubbietransport to Montreal/Berlin/Prague (My foreign ports of call this year)then flying it is since those places have the fellas that I want to play with!

Even friends who do travel via train from NYC to Montreal(one of those 5 hours on a train versus 1 hour on a plane)have run into hassles so nothging in this world is guarenteed!

[Lucky]

Someone must have told the NY Times about this thread, because today they covered the topic themselves: http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/travel/how-to-get-a-seat-out-of-your-award-miles.html?hpw

[Guest CharliePS]

The day cannot come too soon for me when North (and Central!) America are crisscrossed by maglev bullet trains.

(As many know, rail travel anywhere between DC and Boston is already such a mercy compared with stuffing oneself through the commercial air travel system. Even some short-haul routes elsewhere. Recently I took Amtrak Raleigh-Charlotte for $62 round trip. 3 hours each way. So blessedly easier than driving; far less expensive and frazzling than flying.)

Regrettably I will be lying lower than the railbed ties long before.

Amtrak used to be my transport mode of choice in the northeast, but the last time I used the Acela, between Philly and DC, it was as bad as the trans-Atlantic flight I had just stepped off, and almost as expensive. Every single seat on the train was occupied--(my partner and I ended up sitting five cars apart), the train was late, the little food available was poor and overpriced. I've had better domestic flights recently.

[Lucky]

Award travel may sound like fun, but it's usually coach we fly. Those long trips to Asia are hard for someone of my ever growing size. I did it when I was younger much better, but arthritis doesn't help the knees endure ten to twelve hours on a plane to Tokyo, followed by another eight to Bangkok. I think growing older just makes it harder, but then I remember that my traveling companion on my early flights to Bangkok was in his late seventies and never complained once! Weren't the planes bigger and softer back then? (1987)

[Guest EXPAT]

You couldn't pay me any amount of money to sit that long in coach.

[AdamSmith]

Amtrak used to be my transport mode of choice in the northeast, but the last time I used the Acela, between Philly and DC, it was as bad as the trans-Atlantic flight I had just stepped off, and almost as expensive.

Agree Amtrak is slipping (if such were possible). My recent trip Raleigh-to-Charlotte was on a nice clean set of Acela cars with a cafe car. But the return train, although badged Acela, was inexplicably a string of third-world rattle traps such as those that used to link the northern terminus of the Harlem & Hudson line to the far wilds of Poughkeepsie and above.

[citylaw1]

I'm surprised at how quickly my Expedia points added up. I currently qualify for a flight to Hawaii or a voucher for $1000 towards a hotel. I almost always book on Expedia, so the airline miles and points are a double win.

[Guest rimchair]

Isn't it amazing how fast, and how often, the fares change? Sure would be a bummer to pay the higher fare and them learn it went down.

International airfares can change 3 times a day.

[eeyore]

This is a really good thread you started Lucky; lots of good tips here. I'm going to research the Citi accounts when I get home. I wish I had something great to add. I do use the United Chase Explorer card since it had a great sighing bonus and I keep it since the annual fee seems to pay for itself in free baggage checks and two annual free united club lounge passes.