US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Hmmm, sounds like the sooner you can book a redemption for next year the better in terms of number if airlines still being bookable, but its to early to book for mid next year...

Does no LH mean also no LX and all the rest of the group??

only reports so far are LH and UA.

if you book now however for next year and there is a schedule change or cancellation then you are back to square one. they won't be able to reaccommodate you on star alliance after the merger.

safe bets would be something like tg to Europe... they will always have at least one midnight/overnight departure to just about everywhere in Europe. (other flights come and go like reduced frequencies to London, Frankfurt and sydney in the daytime services)

 

[burmans]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

there are hundreds of pages of discussion about the merger.

While I agree with the statement, very little of that discussion involves anyone who is actually on the AA/US teams actually implementing the merger, indeed at this time there still actually isn't a merger as they haven't passed the regulatory hurdles. Having said that, yes the two programs don't differ that much as you mention but nevertheless the AA charts and US charts have differing sweet spots and despite all that speculation I have yet to see any statement from either AA or US as to which chart will be used. Speculation is not information!

Happy to be proved wrong if anywone can link to and post quotes from real live AA/US staff working on the merger.

 

[casanovawa]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Hmm, might have to take that chance...

Worse comes to worse they become AA miles but still think the USDM program offers the best deal at the moment... Was thinking of using some SAA flights on that redemption as well, so hopefully they are still available...

 

[burmans]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

if you book now however for next year and there is a schedule change or cancellation then you are back to square one. they won't be able to reaccommodate you on star alliance after the merger.

I'm not sure they would even try to reaccomodate you on *A, as you say they won't be able to, wouldn't they try and reaccomodate on the new alliance they are in? Of course, we don't know but this would seem logical, I really can't imagine with award booking being open for a year and a significant no of cancelled/changed flights they would be thinking of a way to handle this as part of their transition strategy!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

While I agree with the statement, very little of that discussion involves anyone who is actually on the AA/US teams actually implementing the merger, indeed at this time there still actually isn't a merger as they haven't passed the regulatory hurdles. Having said that, yes the two programs don't differ that much as you mention but nevertheless the AA charts and US charts have differing sweet spots and despite all that speculation I have yet to see any statement from either AA or US as to which chart will be used. Speculation is not information!

Happy to be proved wrong if anywone can link to and post quotes from real live AA/US staff working on the merger.

refer to the aa website. the CEO has done interviews. there is nothing secretive about it.

 

[kpc]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

I'm not sure they would even try to reaccomodate you on *A, as you say they won't be able to, wouldn't they try and reaccomodate on the new alliance they are in? Of course, we don't know but this would seem logical, I really can't imagine with award booking being open for a year and a significant no of cancelled/changed flights they would be thinking of a way to handle this as part of their transition strategy!

This is what concerns me if bookings are made premerger but flown postmerger.....schedule changes. I guess if you cancel, the miles get returned as AA miles.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

I'm not sure they would even try to reaccomodate you on *A, as you say they won't be able to, wouldn't they try and reaccomodate on the new alliance they are in? Of course, we don't know but this would seem logical, I really can't imagine with award booking being open for a year and a significant no of cancelled/changed flights they would be thinking of a way to handle this as part of their transition strategy!

your miles will be safe whatever happens. and if your star alliance award is cancelled then you'll get back aa miles. or there might even be some waiver provision where the balance of miles (if there is a difference between the aa and us chart are different) is absorbed by aa for existing bookings to be completed.

 

[markis10]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

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[burmans]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

refer to the aa website. the CEO has done interviews. there is nothing secretive about it.

Yes I have seen these but they are totally vague about which chart would be used in the future.

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

With BMI when it left Star schedule changes were looked after. If the airline you are flying on makes a schedule change it is generally their responsibility to look after you. I had Thai change a flight meaning I miss connected, they rebooked me on another flight which didn't actually have award availability to make the itinerary work. It is concerning the talk of no UA though as the airlines seem to be dropping off with no warning at all.

 

[smit0847]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

You guys worry too much. We've had a sweet deal for years that will be changing at some stage in the future.

Make hay while the sun shines I say.

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

You guys worry too much.

Absolutely!

I have a pretty substantial stash of USDMs and I have zero worries about the future...I won't be making any bookings before the likely move into OW.

 

[smit0847]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Absolutely!

I have a pretty substantial stash of USDMs and I have zero worries about the future...I won't be making any bookings before the likely move into OW.

And whose to say another lucrative program in *A won't come up out of nowhere to replace DM like how Lifemiles rose out of the BMI ashes?!

If DM convert to Aa points at 1:1 I think we'll all be ahead anyway - AA points are traditionally much more expensive to buy than DMs. The only issue will be the lack of availability in OW compared to *A - unless MH or QR open wide there will be no trusty option like we have now with TG or OZ...

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

And whose to say another lucrative program in *A won't come up out of nowhere to replace DM like how Lifemiles rose out of the BMI ashes?!

If DM convert to Aa points at 1:1 I think we'll all be ahead anyway - AA points are traditionally much more expensive to buy than DMs. The only issue will be the lack of availability in OW compared to *A - unless MH or QR open wide there will be no trusty option like we have now with TG or OZ...

I still see crazy good availability on MH when I use the BA search. I have high hopes for them.

To me having a combination of LifeMiles for *A and whatever USDM becomes in OW - more than likely each offering one way redemption at 50% of return opens up the best possible world of flexibility. If stopovers are the casualty I'll wear the cost of multicity because I'll still be getting an exceptional deal.

 

[smit0847]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Is there any point adding my *A SG number to my J bookings on TG, TK and SK when I do my seat selection? I know I get all the benefits just by flying J and I'll earn no miles or SCs, but can't hurt?

 

[alieninperth]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

would you not get better seat selection?

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Is there any point adding my *A SG number to my J bookings on TG, TK and SK when I do my seat selection? I know I get all the benefits just by flying J and I'll earn no miles or SCs, but can't hurt?

I would. Who knows it could get you better treatment in the event of irregular ops, overbooking etc. It shouldn't as as an award you should be bottom of the list but it doesn't always work that way. And as it's TG everyone in the J cabin might be on an award!

 

[markis10]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

I still see crazy good availability on MH when I use the BA search. I have high hopes for them.

Until you check out the "taxes"

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Until you check out the "taxes"

Well I wouldn't be booking with BA I'd be booking with AA/US so I assume fuel fines wouldn't be an issue for MH??

 

[anat0l]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Is there any point adding my *A SG number to my J bookings on TG, TK and SK when I do my seat selection? I know I get all the benefits just by flying J and I'll earn no miles or SCs, but can't hurt?

Can't hurt...sometimes silly things happen and you may get credits (though treat this as unlikely, not expected).

Also, as a *G you will get an extra 20 kg on top of any gazetted allowance (or 1 extra piece if on the piece system).

Better seat selection - not necessarily. It's not a gazetted *G benefit, and more on a carrier by carrier basis. Besides, if you're in J, is there really an awful, awful seat that you desperately need seat selection to avoid?



Sounds silly, but would it be worth buying USDM points now for the future when they get swept to AA? Main restriction on AA is that you can only buy up to 60k miles per year (excluding bonus points). It works out slightly worse than USDM based on cost of points. If USDM sweeps to AA at a 1:1 ratio..... then again, if they don't, then that's going to be sour...