US Dividend Miles - Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[Eggsbenedict]

Nothing wrong with this as long as it doesn't exceed MPM. JFK is the destination and YVR the stopover.

Thanks! Would YVR be the destination though and JFK the Stopover? Also is there any reason that I could not get a more direct return from YVR Something like

SYD- HKG - JFK - YVR - SYD

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi All, Any help would be amazing. Very new to USDM and still trying to get my head around the whole thing. Would the below be possible and considered a South Pacific - North America 110,000miles redemption.

SYD - HKG - JFK (2 week stop over) JFK - YVR (1 week stop over) YVR - JFK - HKG - SYD

i dont like like your chances with the massive backtrack jfk-yvr-jfk-hkg.

if you were to continue straight home from YVR to hkg or Toyko I'd like the chances better.

in your itinerary JFK will be the destination. YVR the stopover. but your stopover is not on the most direct route, nor is it a oneworld hub (that I can think of off the top of my head... happy to stand corrected).

 

[Eggsbenedict]

i dont like like your chances with the massive backtrack jfk-yvr-jfk-hkg.

if you were to continue straight home from YVR to hkg or Toyko I'd like the chances better.

in your itinerary JFK will be the destination. YVR the stopover. but your stopover is not on the most direct route, nor is it a oneworld hub (that I can think of off the top of my head... happy to stand corrected).

Good to know, would prefer to go straight home from YVR anyway. Looking to go over Christmas/New Year 2016. Found availability for SYD-HKG - JFK - YVR just waiting for the return to become available.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Good to know, would prefer to go straight home from YVR anyway. Looking to go over Christmas/New Year 2016. Found availability for SYD-HKG - JFK - YVR just waiting for the return to become available.

as I mentioned, unless yvr is a hub, you aren't technically allowed a stopover there anyway. USDM has been fairly strict in this of late, even denying DXB as a valid stopover.

 

[Alanslegal]

SYD - HKG - JFK (2 week stop over) JFK - YVR (1 week stop over) YVR - JFK - HKG - SYD

Yvr back to jfk is some serious backtracking there. Might be easier just to take CX yvr-hkg.

 

[anat0l]

Well Ill be, I always thought only one stopover per return, to me its two JFK & YVR.

Poor semantics...instead of two "stopovers", one was meant to be designated the stopover and another the destination.

You are allowed only one stopover. Every itinerary always has a destination, which of course you can spend more than 24 hours there (if you wish).

 

[smit0847]

thanks! Would yvr be the destination though and jfk the stopover? Also is there any reason that i could not get a more direct return from yvr something like

syd- hkg - jfk - yvr - syd

yvr - syd???

 

[MEL_Traveller]

yvr - syd???

via NRT or HKG. JAL's YVR-NRT and NRT-SYD flights are actually pretty wide open for award seats - just a pity it's on a 787/777 with angled flat beds (you can avoid the angled beds by routing NRT-HKG-SYD though using JL/CX).

 

[jgm]

Hi All, Any help would be amazing. Very new to USDM and still trying to get my head around the whole thing. Would the below be possible and considered a South Pacific - North America 110,000miles redemption.

SYD - HKG - JFK (2 week stop over) JFK - YVR (1 week stop over) YVR - JFK - HKG - SYD

I originally had something similar (PER-HKG-JFK-YVR YVR-JFK-HKG-PER), but found a SYD-YVR direct award. I still have YVR-JFK-HKG-PER on the return. I expect the backtracking here is what caused all the problems I had with trying to get an open jaw PER-MEL when I changed. QF are only doing the SYD-YVR direct return flight 6 times this year. There is speculation that the number may increase to 3 flights per week JAN-MAR next year.

 

[medhead]

I'm going to jump in without hardly reading the thread.

first question, I should call the US Airways reservations number to redeem an award?

SWP to SWP is showing 30000 points in J. Now what is this about return pricing? Does that mean I could would pay 30K point for doing xx_-YYY, and for xx_-YYY-xx_? Guessing I've stuffed up by booking ADL-AKL with QF, and then looking to use USDMs for AKL-ADL.

Is there a within Australia/NZ lower points cost similar to AAdvantage?

 

[legroom]

I'm going to jump in without hardly reading the thread.

first question, I should call the US Airways reservations number to redeem an award?

SWP to SWP is showing 30000 points in J. Now what is this about return pricing? Does that mean I could would pay 30K point for doing xx_-YYY, and for xx_-YYY-xx_? Guessing I've stuffed up by booking ADL-AKL with QF, and then looking to use USDMs for AKL-ADL.

Is there a within Australia/NZ lower points cost similar to AAdvantage?

Yes, you have to call US Airways. There is no online facility.

Yes, the chart shows return trip only. You can book one way, .... but pay for the return trip ( I did once until AFF came to the rescue).

Can't you cancel the ADL AKL segment with QF and then rebook the round trip with USDM ?

Or, defer to a future date maybe ?

 

[medhead]

Yes, you have to call US Airways. There is no online facility.

Yes, the chart shows return trip only. You can book one way, .... but pay for the return trip ( I did once until AFF came to the rescue).

Can't you cancel the ADL AKL segment with QF and then rebook the round trip with USDM ?

Or, defer to a future date maybe ?

Thanks for the help. The trip is a bit complex in there being 5 of us. We're using EK from SYD-AKL, which has 5 available seats. I booked that with QF as EK isn't available via AA and I don't think they'd be available with USDM either. Getting 5 J seats coming back will be hard. Currently 3 available so I'm might switch to plan B QF for the 3 J awards and AA for 2x Y awards.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[medhead]

Thanks for the help. The trip is a bit complex in there being 5 of us. We're using EK from SYD-AKL, which has 5 available seats. I booked that with QF as EK isn't available via AA and I don't think they'd be available with USDM either. Getting 5 J seats coming back will be hard. Currently 3 available so I'm might switch to plan B QF for the 3 J awards and AA for 2x Y awards.

Thanks again for the help.

Or perhaps I'll try something like AKL-xADL-OOL

 

[Kangol]

Thanks for the help. The trip is a bit complex in there being 5 of us. We're using EK from SYD-AKL, which has 5 available seats. I booked that with QF as EK isn't available via AA and I don't think they'd be available with USDM either. Getting 5 J seats coming back will be hard. Currently 3 available so I'm might switch to plan B QF for the 3 J awards and AA for 2x Y awards.

Thanks again for the help.

US Airways | Dividend Miles membership guide

EK awards are not available with USDM.

Generally, USDM is cheaper for a "within Aust/NZ" return J award (30k J). AA is 2x 17.5k (35k). But as you have already booked a one way, you have to book a return with USDM to make it worth it.
But AA is cheaper for a Y award - return is 2x 10k and USDM is 25k return. But that is only if you value AA and USDM miles to be "equal" at 1:1.

 

[medhead]

US Airways | Dividend Miles membership guide

EK awards are not available with USDM.

Generally, USDM is cheaper for a "within Aust/NZ" return J award (30k J). AA is 2x 17.5k (35k). But as you have already booked a one way, you have to book a return with USDM to make it worth it.
But AA is cheaper for a Y award - return is 2x 10k and USDM is 25k return. But that is only if you value AA and USDM miles to be "equal" at 1:1.

Thanks.

I think Plan B will work out best. Unless I can string together a few segments on the one award. Conveniently I have 20000 AA points in my account.

 

[gwaipor]

Bought 125k USDM, dollar wasn't so good so cost about 3200. Wanting to book J flight to AMS which cost 120k USDM. I see the fuel has gone down so skyscanner has J for around 6000 which is only mildly satisfying.

A question - if I want to move around Europe, will the USDM cover all the 'inter europe' flights?

 

[sergeyvzn]

Bought 125k USDM, dollar wasn't so good so cost about 3200. Wanting to book J flight to AMS which cost 120k USDM. I see the fuel has gone down so skyscanner has J for around 6000 which is only mildly satisfying.

A question - if I want to move around Europe, will the USDM cover all the 'inter europe' flights?

it depends on where you come from and go to. Intra Europe you'll be on BA, AB, IB or AY. Only AB is right in the centre so convenient to fly from A to B without significant backtracking which US Airways does not allow (otherwise its like for example going from Amsterdam to Athens via London - backtracking). But AB is all economy intra-Europe so you might as well buy the ticket for cash

 

[alieninperth]

Yes, you're being ripped off, only paying half of a cash fare .

USDM may cover an internal flight. It will depend where to. If you are going to AMS then you could have another flight to Berlin or London (OW hubs) or the US airways destinations in Europe (plenty o chose from)

 

[Myrna]

Q: how many days in advance can USDM book flights? There are QF seats now for Jan 2016, but USDM cannot book them. Thanks!

 

[Eggsbenedict]

330 I'm pretty sure

Q: how many days in advance can USDM book flights? There are QF seats now for Jan 2016, but USDM cannot book them. Thanks!