Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards
I've had more of a play around with the Life Miles booking system today (looking at random dates from SYD and MEL 6 - 9 months out) and here is what I have learnt:
The following burn rates apply (+ minimal taxes):
- AUS - USA J return (NYC as dest) = 135K points ($4050). Max pay + min points = 54K points + $1033 ($2650). Where the min points are bought at a 100% bonus, total cost is $1843 + taxes.
- AUS - EUR J return (BCN as dest) = 170K points ($5100). Max pay + min points = 68K points + $1301 ($3341). Where the min points are bought at a 100% bonus, total cost is $2321 + taxes.
- AUS - North ASIA J return (NRT as dest) = 100k points ($3000). Max pay + min points = 40K points + $765 ($1965). Where the min points are bought at a 100% bonus, total cost is $1365 + taxes.
Half these amounts exactly for one-way, which are allowed (a return is counted as 2 x one-ways).
Also:
- You can search by carrier.
- When no carrier is selected, Thai, Lufthansa, United, ANA, Air China and most importantly, Singapore Airlines were often coming up. Interesting no Asiana.
- You cannot search SQ by carrier which was weird, though it came up in most 'no carrier' searches I did.
- When searching by carrier I could find Asiana availability, but no ANZ,
- I don't think I saw any F availability.
- Stopovers allowed but it will cost you another leg.
- A max pay and min points bought with 100% points bonus is not that much cheaper than using 100% points and no pay if all points were bought with 100% bonus ($200 - $300 per return).
- This is not the sort of program to use if you have an indirect, weird route you want to take because you can only get that by multi-city bookings which will cost a lot more. Or if you want to go F the whole way.
- Plenty of A380 J availability on SQ and Lufthansa (for the moment).
- This is the program to use if you have 1 destination in mind and want to get there on good carriers quickly and cheaply in J. I think this is the sweet spot of this program. USDM is for the more adventurous, flexible and patient.
- I expect SQ availability to dry up very quickly once people realise you can get it on LM.
- I will be buying miles at their next 100% bonus. The fact that you can search and book online (and their website is much better than ANA), do points + pay and, for the moment, there is plenty of SQ availability immediately makes this much, much better than USDM for me at least.
YMMV.
Thanks in advance 
now it is much easier to read for myself (and hopefully for everyone as well).
