AA BUY miles promo

[kamchatsky]

I have never really looked at AA as option for redemption.

Can someone confirm what I read at the redemption chart:
If I want to redeem SYD-HKG Y/J/F RETURN it would cost me 50K/70K/90K AA miles + taxes. If I want to redeem SYD-LHR Y/J/F RETURN it would cost me 90K/120K/180K AA miles + taxes. Is that right?

I am trying to figure out whether it is actually worth buying miles on AA given I never really collect AA miles before, and the artificial limit of buying miles per year. I have been collecting and purchase BMI Diamond Club points for their M+C award but with BD going to BA/IB soon I am looking at alternatives.

I guess unless you are already flying OW airlines and use this as topup it is not much point collecting AA miles? I do have Amex MR and can transfer to AA via SPG but is it actually worth it?

Finally, I noticed that CX SYD-HKG route have very limited awards available to Asia Mile members (always "full"), is it still worth collecting AA points, as I would not be able to redeem it? One of the things I don't like *A is no direct award on SYD-HKG route even though there is VS (but they are not *A yet).

 

[Pumbaa]

Can someone confirm what I read at the redemption chart: If I want to redeem SYD-HKG Y/J/F RETURN it would cost me 50K/70K/90K AA miles + taxes. If I want to redeem SYD-LHR Y/J/F RETURN it would cost me 90K/120K/180K AA miles + taxes. Is that right?

Yes that is correct

I do have Amex MR and can transfer to AA via SPG but is it actually worth it?

It is worth it only if you are a few points short of a F/J redemption. I wouldn't be converting Amex points for a full redemption as I value my AMEX points higher than that. For example you need to convert well over 200k AMEX points to be able to redeem a 1 way F Aust-USA. You could easily redeem a 1 way F with KF for less points

is it still worth collecting AA points, as I would not be able to redeem it?

Thats really up to you. I find the redemption availability to be very close to the same as QFF. Award flights are hard to find, but if you book early enough,you should be able to find some flights. Expert flyer is quite a handy tool to assist.

I just did a 2 x J Perth-Auckland return redemption for 70 000 points. To be able to pay for whY flights and redeem J flights, I think AA points are worth collecting. Even if you could not find much international availability, there is heaps of domestic availability. If you do the math, you can buy points and redeem J flights one way Perth-East coast for approximately $500 a pop.

 

[kamchatsky]

I just did a 2 x J Perth-Auckland return redemption for 70 000 points. To be able to pay for whY flights and redeem J flights, I think AA points are worth collecting. Even if you could not find much international availability, there is heaps of domestic availability. If you do the math, you can buy points and redeem J flights one way Perth-East coast for approximately $500 a pop.

Or if you have 35K Krisflyer miles (1:1 from MR) you can redeem the same itinerary NZ J PER-AKL as well. In fact you can even extend it to Pacific islands (RAR, PPT, NAN etc) with stopover at AKL. Wouldn't that be better as it is direct flight?


Actually, if you buy US Airways 30K miles at 100% bonus or 50% off (about $550USD) you can redeem return J PER-AKL as well. And US does not have yearly limit on buying miles.


I am still trying to understand why it is such a big deal here when it seems the US Dividend Miles promo is so much better?! Or is it just me?

 

[dfcatch]

Or if you have 35K Krisflyer miles (1:1 from MR) you can redeem the same itinerary NZ J PER-AKL as well. In fact you can even extend it to Pacific islands (RAR, PPT, NAN etc) with stopover at AKL. Wouldn't that be better as it is direct flight?


Actually, if you buy US Airways 30K miles at 100% bonus or 50% off (about $550USD) you can redeem return J PER-AKL as well. And US does not have yearly limit on buying miles.


I am still trying to understand why it is such a big deal here when it seems the US Dividend Miles promo is so much better?! Or is it just me?

Not all of us want to travel Asian *A airlines to get anywhere.

Unfortunately it's quite difficult to get transpacific redemptions on NZ or AC so for me personally - AA suits me much better.

If I could more easily redeem premium awards on NZ and AC - then dividend miles would be my choice.

 

[Pumbaa]

Or if you have 35K Krisflyer miles (1:1 from MR) you can redeem the same itinerary NZ J PER-AKL as well. In fact you can even extend it to Pacific islands (RAR, PPT, NAN etc) with stopover at AKL. Wouldn't that be better as it is direct flight?


Actually, if you buy US Airways 30K miles at 100% bonus or 50% off (about $550USD) you can redeem return J PER-AKL as well. And US does not have yearly limit on buying miles.


I am still trying to understand why it is such a big deal here when it seems the US Dividend Miles promo is so much better?! Or is it just me?

I wasn't aware that Air NZ released their flights so generously. I was under the impression that their J flights were hard to redeem and have limited availability.
On a side note I'm saving my US miles to travel J/F to Europe or USA.

I convert all my AMEX points to KF and would rather use those points to fly savers to Europe.

I guess the main reason why I like AA is it lets me fly Qantas and other OW airlines when I would otherwise not be able to. I don't like sending my credit card points to Qantas because their international availability is quite poor. KF and *A on the other hand are quite good for overseas flights.

One day I'm hoping to fly F on a Qantas A380. I would not be able to do this any other way but by buying AA points.

 

[QF WP]

Love the AA buy miles program....and the AUD/USD exchange rates going our way again.

I bought 40K miles on 22 October for my AAccount. Exchange rate was parity, so cost me $1,212.50 USD (or $1,223.78 AUD charged on the Amex)

Topped up my AAccount with the additional 20K (plus bonus) on 31 December. Cost was $621.25 USD (or $635.11 AUD charged on the Amex)

At the same time, bought the full 60K (plus bonus points) in my wifes account, cost was $1,803.75 USD (or $1,844.02 AUD charged on the Amex)

Last night, bought the full 40K (plus 15K bonus - using the January offer) for both AAccounts, so cost me $1,212.50 USD. Exchange rate has gone my way, now up to $1.00USD = $0.94AUD. Charges haven't hit the Amex yet, but expecting to see ~$1,157 AUD.

The AA burn rate is so good, these points (plus the ones already in our AAccounts) should get us J returns (or F if available) to USA later this year.

 

[cove]

Lindsay when you go to redeem on AA.com is the availability quite generous or is it tight like with QF for J and F to get to Los Angeles out of OZ?

 

[Danger]

Less than 10 minutes remaining on this promo. Talk about pressure!

 

[ozdunker]

offer extended for another month

 

[Danger]

offer extended for another month

You're kidding me???

I bit the bullet and bough 31k (plus 4k bonus) with six minutes to go.

 

[hummel]

Am I right in thinking the AA promo is the OW equivalent to USAir promos?

 

[casanovawa]

Yes, and different folks seem to like different programs....

 

[QF WP]

cove, don't know as I use EF and Skype AA USA to secure the seats (already knowing the flight numbers and availability). As I'm using AA points, I only see QF availability 335 days out (I think the number of days is correct) - so QFF'ers are getting first choice at 355 days.

When I did it in 2010 (for our 2011 Europe trip), we were able to access 4xJ on the outbound legs (CX/QF) and 2xF + 2xJ on the return legs (QF). It was done 11 months before the flights.

Now to replicate for our USA trip in Sept/Oct, so only 8 months and it will straddle Qld School holidays so more logistically complex

Lindsay when you go to redeem on AA.com is the availability quite generous or is it tight like with QF for J and F to get to Los Angeles out of OZ?

 

[dfcatch]

When I cash back up I will have to buy some more for my account.

Doing F one way and J return to the USA in a few weeks - all on AA awards.

Booked as Lindsay said - Expertflyer and Skype to AA in the US. Booked it last July.

 

[JohnK]

I am still trying to understand why it is such a big deal here when it seems the US Dividend Miles promo is so much better?! Or is it just me?

Nothing wrong with having a foot in both camps, so to speak!

 

[QF WP]

Actually, if you buy US Airways 30K miles at 100% bonus or 50% off (about $550USD) you can redeem return J PER-AKL as well. And US does not have yearly limit on buying miles.

I am still trying to understand why it is such a big deal here when it seems the US Dividend Miles promo is so much better?! Or is it just me?

It's not just you - I'm sure there are others like you who prefer *A and have success in gaining award seats, in exactly the same way that there are those of us that prefer OW and have success with award seats.

From my own situation, I have had very limited experience with *A programs and even less experience on traveling on *A carriers - so it would take a massive differential in price for me to take up a new situation - it would mean a lot of research or questions (like a newbie ).

Yes, not having a cap on purchaed points is interesting.

Another barrier to exit for me is already having points in two OW programs, so adding to those existing balances was easier. If I didn't have any legacy programs then using the US Airways program would have worked.

 

[grussellt]

I almost forgot to do my miles top-up with the last offer but completed it at 16.59 yesterday (still not finished US time on 31.1.12). At 17.00 the bonus offer disappeared but was then immediately re-instated for another month. Better late than never!

 

[bam71]

Anyway around that 40K barrier per annum?

 

[kamchatsky]

It's not just you - I'm sure there are others like you who prefer *A and have success in gaining award seats, in exactly the same way that there are those of us that prefer OW and have success with award seats.

From my own situation, I have had very limited experience with *A programs and even less experience on traveling on *A carriers - so it would take a massive differential in price for me to take up a new situation - it would mean a lot of research or questions (like a newbie ).

Yes, not having a cap on purchaed points is interesting.

Another barrier to exit for me is already having points in two OW programs, so adding to those existing balances was easier. If I didn't have any legacy programs then using the US Airways program would have worked.

For me, the attractiveness of OW would be:

- CX (Covers SYD-HKG route, *A doesn't have this option, and also one of better carriers)
- QF to USA only (much better than UA!).

However it seems that CX SYD-HKG award is always not available using Asia Miles (always "full"), and QF seems to have no decent availability at all for any international routes, not to mention expensive. This really puts me off using OW recently. I ended up spending more time in the air for SYD-HKG via BKK/SIN (TG/SQ) because they seemed to have more availability via Krisflyer or other *A awards. Also a lot of *A FFPs have agreements with VS which is lots of availability for SYD-HKG.

With all of these that's why I stick with *A at the moment, unless AA has access to QF/CX awards separately with lots of availability I doubt I will change. Last thing I want is collecting lots of miles and cannot redeem anything meaningful or has to do it 365 days in advance.

 

[QF WP]

Yes, wait until nearing the end of the year when they have in recent years, increased it to 60K (plus bonuses).