Amex free flight upgrade?

[Plutonus]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

is this still a valid process? I'm not interested in getting an upgrade-able ticket but rather using the credit to fly Perth to Launceston one way rather than return to melb/syd.

Can you use the credit on anything - a different route is OK?

Last time I got told you can only rebook on the same route. But there's no harm in you calling and asking what happens if you cancel, then you'll get a definitive up-to-date answer.

 

[Chicken]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

is this still a valid process? I'm not interested in getting an upgrade-able ticket but rather using the credit to fly Perth to Launceston one way rather than return to melb/syd.

Can you use the credit on anything - a different route is OK?

I just made a booking this week, and this is what is printed on my ticket

American Express Complimentary Flight - Virgin Australia Fare Rules
Changes: Permitted at least 24 hours prior to scheduled departure:
A. A standard charge of AUD80 for Domestic bookings & AUD100 for Tasman bookings will be levied by Virgin Australia.
B. A service fee of AUD27.00 per person will be charged by American Express for all changes.
C. Fare may be used as a credit towards payment of an equal or higher ticket value provided conditions of the new fare have been met. Any higher fare difference will be paid by card member in addition to the airline and service fees. On day of departure Changes are not permitted. Fare is forfeited.
Ticket Validity: 1 Year. All travel must be completed within 1 year of original ticketing date.
Restrictions: Non Refundable / Non Endorseable / No reroutes / No name changes permitted
Cancellations and Refunds: Not permitted. Tickets are non-refundable
Baggage: 1 piece up to 23kg allowance is included per sector
Food and Beverage: NOT included. Available for purchase on board.
Frequent Flyer:Frequent flyer points will not be earned on this ticket.

I have always earned points on this offer, but I am a member of VS not VA, haha

Looks possible, but posts earlier in this thread indicates the value of this ticket is priced so low that, booking maybe a silly exercise. You may as well add a cheap J* ticket from Melbourne.

 

[Moopere]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

C. Fare may be used as a credit towards payment of an equal or higher ticket value provided conditions of the new fare have been met. Any higher fare difference will be paid by card member in addition to the airline and service fees.

Looks possible, but posts earlier in this thread indicates the value of this ticket is priced so low that, booking maybe a silly exercise. You may as well add a cheap J* ticket from Melbourne.

I am of this opinion these days. I'll be cancelling my velocity Amex next year as there is no longer any value in it.

The problem with point C. above, which otherwise seems fair and reasonable, is that you don't know the value of the credit until you actually book a flight ... Amex simply won't tell you. In fact, even after booking, they still won't tell you, you have to reverse engineer the probable original cost by taking your new Flexi cost and accounting for the rebooking costs. Last year these costs were 80 + 27 = 107 + another 27 to book the new fare = $134 which left about $250-300 and something in the kitty to utilize towards the overpriced flexi fare ... and this is on a PER-SYD run ... if you weren't doing a transcon then there simply wouldn't be any value in this at all, none.

All in all, after an hour or so on the phone, you might break even on the annual cost of the card. The problem manifests, really, for those who need status points. Other demographics probably won't care and would wonder what the hell I'm up to. But for anyone who needs SC's from every flight taken, because you barely fly enough - its a problem. Come November this year I'll have 4 of these damn things hanging around my neck. 2 previous bookings/credits and two current. 8 sectors worth of flying with no SC's unless I do some serious gymnastics and waste a -lot- of time on the phone.

I think the new Amex card deal with a fixed credit of $400/year is a much better proposition. You know what its worth and can use it directly without all these shenanigans.

 

[Skrambled]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

I came to a similar conclusion and gave up on attempting this as I didn't want to be on the phone for hours to maybe save a couple of hundred bucks with the credit. Ended up just booking the flights and still have some time to use the free return flight for something else.

 

[Chicken]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

I think the new Amex card deal with a fixed credit of $400/year is a much better proposition. You know what its worth and can use it directly without all these shenanigans.

The $400 can only be used via americanexpress.com.au/travel . Do they charge more than booking direct with VA or anything?

I just made a book last week using this offer: SYD HBA return 18/11 07:35 VA1528 21/11 10:10 VA1531

Just checked these flights, on VA web site, total $444 , via AmEx (to claim the $400 you mentioned) also $444

My card only costs me $395 (plus it comes with a free Edge card from old offer, which gives me another flight, but off topic here).

So I am already ahead, paid $395 for the card instead of $395 to AmEx plus $44 to Virgin Australia. Plus I earn VS (not VA) mile (no status).

I think you just need to be smart when using your ticket e.g. don't waste it on SYD / MEL / BNE flights.

 

[Moopere]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

The $400 can only be used via americanexpress.com.au/travel . Do they charge more than booking direct with VA or anything?

I don't know as I haven't done it - but I'd strongly suspect the 'standard' Amex 27$ handling fee would be in there ... possibly offset by some sort of discount that Amex themselves might get and pass on to some degree.

I think you just need to be smart when using your ticket e.g. don't waste it on SYD / MEL / BNE flights.

The problem here though is that for most of us who directly gained the Edge or Velocity card the destination choices are severely limited. Starting from the east coast I don't think you can travel west at all .. maybe ADL, but not PER. With the Velocity card, the wrote rule is east to SYD only ... not MEL or even ADL (from memory). I am led to believe that some lucky folks who gained the card in other ways (as a companion to a higher card for example) have additional choices, some reports that even AKL is available.

In a couple of weeks I'll make WP on VA for the first time and I think I'll just take these 4 'free' flights at face value and not bother with all the silliness. Following that I'll ditch the Velocity plat in favour of a card that won't take as much 'management' from me to use its benefits.

 

[Chicken]

Re: Amex complimentary hotel night

I don't know as I haven't done it - but I'd strongly suspect the 'standard' Amex 27$ handling fee would be in there ... possibly offset by some sort of discount that Amex themselves might get and pass on to some degree.

See my last post, they seem to be the same from my unscientific test of one sample only sample size.

"Just checked these flights, on VA web site, total $444 , via AmEx (to claim the $400 you mentioned) also $444"

The problem here though is that for most of us who directly gained the Edge or Velocity card the destination choices are severely limited.

I am led to believe that some lucky folks who gained the card in other ways (as a companion to a higher card for example) have additional choices, some reports that even AKL is available.

I have the Reserve card, so I can fly to AKL, even ZQN. Thing is, my ticket to HBA this time (I'm booking late, only 1 month ahead) costs most than a ticket to AKL.

So what I am saying is, try to value it, with the maximum value you can get. Pick a ticket with expensive fare, not longest destination. Just like you would use your points for FFP, not gift cards.