US Dividend Miles - Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[noviceFF]

To the wise heads here. I seek your advice.
My wife and I are considering a trip to Mexico next year (July 2015) with a stopover in USA.
I have 125000 USDM and 230000 QFF (which is accumulating). What would be my best strategy to get 2 J return tickets? Should I look at purchasing USDM or work on getting more QFF? What airline would I likely have more success in getting seats on?? Thx in advance.

Sorry to repost, anyone??

 

[sergeyvzn]

Sorry to repost, anyone??

Considering we are in November and both US DM and QFF redemptions are best done 11 months in advance you're most certainly late for both. The 2 J seats you'd be looking at are probably gone. You may need to reconsider your dates

Other than that - US DM are much better value (apart from RWT 120/240/480 K awards on QFF) so I'd be buying USDM while the promotion is still on

 

[bcworld]

Other than that - US DM are much better value (apart from RWT 120/240/480 K awards on QFF) so I'd be buying USDM while the promotion is still on

140/280/420??

 

[sergeyvzn]

140/280/420??

+/- 60 K - who cares -

 

[baggyred]

Ok - next daft question....

I have a booking in place as I wanted to secure the outbound leg (a leg I want to now change as fate would have it)

My return leg opens up in 7 days.

In 4-5 days time, can I call up - ask for my outbound amendment to be put on hold and then finalise the change when the return opens up? Thus paying only one $150 change fee per pax?

Or is that I have now ticketed I simply have to wait the 7 days?

 

[Doggy]

Ok - next daft question....

I have a booking in place as I wanted to secure the outbound leg (a leg I want to now change as fate would have it)

My return leg opens up in 7 days.

In 4-5 days time, can I call up - ask for my outbound amendment to be put on hold and then finalise the change when the return opens up? Thus paying only one $150 change fee per pax?

Or is that I have now ticketed I simply have to wait the 7 days?

You can do that.

But that would just be a waste of a phone call. There's no advantage to just calling in 7 days time.

 

[baggyred]

You can do that.

But that would just be a waste of a phone call. There's no advantage to just calling in 7 days time.

There would be if the outbound leg gets snapped up whilst I wait!

 

[Doggy]

There would be if the outbound leg gets snapped up whilst I wait!

I assume you mean inbound, not outbound.

Either way, I'm pretty confused about what you're suggesting. You can't put a flight on hold if it isn't open yet. So unless I'm still misunderstanding you, the only benefit I can see to your plan is that the dummy flights (4-5 days) is that those flights are your contingency. Is that right?

Otherwise, I'm sorry I'm just not following.

 

[baggyred]

I assume you mean inbound, not outbound.

Either way, I'm pretty confused about what you're suggesting. You can't put a flight on hold if it isn't open yet. So unless I'm still misunderstanding you, the only benefit I can see to your plan is that the dummy flights (4-5 days) is that those flights are your contingency. Is that right?

Otherwise, I'm sorry I'm just not following.

I have an outbound flight and dummy return booked.

Further discussions with the wife and timings mean when I change my dummy return, I'm also going to change my outbound itinerary as well.

The return leg opens up in 7 days (hopefully) - however the new desired outbound itinerary is already open. So I was wondering whether in 4 days time call up USDM and say - i want to change my outbound leg (Perth to London) and can you put that amendment on hold for 3 days. Then on the 7th day when the return leg also opens up - make the changes to both the outbound and return legs.

ie it would only be 1 x $150 fee.

However, because I already have a booking - I'm doubting I'll be able to put the new desired outbound on hold - which is why I came here

 

[Doggy]

I have an outbound flight and dummy return booked.

Further discussions with the wife and timings mean when I change my dummy return, I'm also going to change my outbound itinerary as well.

The return leg opens up in 7 days (hopefully) - however the new desired outbound itinerary is already open. So I was wondering whether in 4 days time call up USDM and say - i want to change my outbound leg (Perth to London) and can you put that amendment on hold for 3 days. Then on the 7th day when the return leg also opens up - make the changes to both the outbound and return legs.

ie it would only be 1 x $150 fee.

However, because I already have a booking - I'm doubting I'll be able to put the new desired outbound on hold - which is why I came here

Riiiiiiiight. Got it.

I think you're likely to be asked to cancel and re-ticket to hold the new flights. Not 100% but I reckon you might be slugged $300 each with that strategy. Worth giving a go though!

 

[baggyred]

Riiiiiiiight. Got it.

I think you're likely to be asked to cancel and re-ticket to hold the new flights. Not 100% but I reckon you might be slugged $300 each with that strategy. Worth giving a go though!

I don't want to get too cute with it. My Per-HKG leg I want to keep. However I've had the fear of god put in me that if I cancel a booking, flights may not re-appear back in the award pool. Otherwise I'd simply cancel ($150 fee as well) and then put the outbound on hold.

 

[Limewood]

What happens if a flight arrives to late to meet a connection using USDM?.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What happens if a flight arrives to late to meet a connection using USDM?.

If your connecting flight is on the same ticket you will be protected and put on another flight to get to your destination. If your connecting flight is one you have purchased yourself, you may have little or no protection.

It's not uncommon if you miss a connection for the airline to put you on a different airline - whatever is leaving next.

 

[baggyred]

For anyone interested I called USDM and was told it wasn't possible to put an amendment on hold once ticketed. I only called once so understand that a HUCA might yield a different answer, but it was as I thought.

As an aside - I know there is phantom CX availabilty that pops up from time to time - but can be generally checked on the JAL website.

I've come up with something odd re: Qantas. Randomly looking at various flights I noticed that on 30 June the BA and AA website both show Business award availability on QF 1 from DXB to LHR, however when searching on the QF website - the flight doesn't show as having award space - only BA and EK metal.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For anyone interested I called USDM and was told it wasn't possible to put an amendment on hold once ticketed. I only called once so understand that a HUCA might yield a different answer, but it was as I thought.

As an aside - I know there is phantom CX availabilty that pops up from time to time - but can be generally checked on the JAL website.

I've come up with something odd re: Qantas. Randomly looking at various flights I noticed that on 30 June the BA and AA website both show Business award availability on QF 1 from DXB to LHR, however when searching on the QF website - the flight doesn't show as having award space - only BA and EK metal.

The only certain indicator for award availability is USDM themselves. BA/QF/JL all have issues with either phantom availability (BA/QF), or not showing seats that are in fact available (JL).

From what I understand, USDM has two 'cancellation' mechanisms. (Or at least they used to when they were in star.)

A: cancel and pay $150 to redeposit the miles.
B: cancel, but the miles + any fees and taxes are held in the USDM system as some sort of dummy booking (ie miles are not redeposited). You have up to one year to 'reactivate' the booking with whatever new flights you want. You pay $150 change fee when you want to use them, but I think the $50 booking fee (which you have already paid) is not recharged.

Just ask the agent when you go to do everything what the most cost effective method is.

 

[ferni]

For anyone interested I called USDM and was told it wasn't possible to put an amendment on hold once ticketed. I only called once so understand that a HUCA might yield a different answer, but it was as I thought.

As an aside - I know there is phantom CX availabilty that pops up from time to time - but can be generally checked on the JAL website.

I've come up with something odd re: Qantas. Randomly looking at various flights I noticed that on 30 June the BA and AA website both show Business award availability on QF 1 from DXB to LHR, however when searching on the QF website - the flight doesn't show as having award space - only BA and EK metal.

You're right.... but what's weird is KVS shows the QF availability (which is using QF website)

[KVS Availability Tool 7.7.0/Diamond - Awards/OneWorld/AU-QFA-SP]

DXB  Dubai Metro / Dubai Intl AE = DXB DWC [OMDB]
LHR  London Heathrow UK [EGLL]
TUE  30 Jun 2015 | 2 Seats


Carrier    Flight  From  Depart    To    Arrive         St  Award Availability
---------  ------  ----  --------  ----  --------  ---  --  ------------------
QF         1       DXB   02:15     LHR   06:45          0   FS+  CS+  WS+  YS-

Availability shows the P/U buckets are there..

[KVS Availability Tool 7.7.0/Diamond - Availability/GTC/US]

DXB  Dubai Metro / Dubai Intl AE = DXB DWC [OMDB]
LHR  London Heathrow UK [EGLL]
TUE  30 Jun 2015


Carrier    Flight  From  Depart    To    Arrive    A/C  St  Availability
---------  ------  ----  --------  ----  --------  ---  --  -----------------------------------------------------------
QF         1       DXB   02:15     LHR   06:45     388  0   F6 A3 P2 J9 C9 D6 I4 U2 W9 R9 T8 Z2 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M1 L1 V0 S0

And AA showing it... so seems like QF website has an issue...

 

[bcworld]

... so seems like QF website has an issue...

That wouldn't be at all surprising...I've always found it very flaky, although typically in the sense that the availability calendar shows something which when clicking through then shows no availability on that date.

 

[ferni]

That wouldn't be at all surprising...I've always found it very flaky, although typically in the sense that the availability calendar shows something which when clicking through then shows no availability on that date.

Yep, and sometimes the reverse, click a date for say econ, and it will show business class...

 

[noviceFF]

Considering we are in November and both US DM and QFF redemptions are best done 11 months in advance you're most certainly late for both. The 2 J seats you'd be looking at are probably gone. You may need to reconsider your dates

Other than that - US DM are much better value (apart from RWT 120/240/480 K awards on QFF) so I'd be buying USDM while the promotion is still on

Thank you.

 

[baggyred]

You're right.... but what's weird is KVS shows the QF availability (which is using QF website)

Good news I guess for USDM people when it means that it might be difficult for QFF to use their points.