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

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Now... thinking about this one step further, you can do up to 95,000 or so SPG points in 1 day. Could you do a transfer of say 75,000 (with your 15k bonus on top of that) to make 90, thus resulting in 135,000 miles for a cost of 150k AMEX MR? Or is that limit that you can hit each day only be able to be done by 3x 20,000k transfers (meaning you'd only get the 50% Dividend Miles bonus on the first 20k+5k transfer)?
This is what SPGsite says

Starwood Preferred Guests can transfer up to 79,999 of their Starpoints® per transaction per program within a 24-hour period to the frequent flyer programs listed below.¹ Plus, for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred within the same transaction, Starwood will automatically add another 5,000 Starpoints!This means that up to 94,999 Starpoints can be transferred into your frequent flyer account, with most airlines, making a free flight that much closer.² Please keep in mind that only one airline transfer transaction per member, per airline program, is permitted within a 24-hour period.

So answer to your question is I believe yes you can get 135K miles to US through this (would you have the 150K in MR to start with). Max value I think is 60K transfer with 15K bonus = 112.5K US miles, in your case you get no addition SPG uplift on the 15K final points (but you do get the US Air bonus)
 
Hey All,

After a little routing assistance... Want to make it to YUL in early July (I know I've left it late!) and the obvious options aren't avaliable (YVR, LAX, SFO and AKL) so what are some other options?

Ideally I'd like to avoid an overnight (I think I can do it through ICN with an overnight flight). It seems that all of the flights arrive in the evening, and most of the NA bound flights leave early afternoon so it's almost impossible not to overnight.

Any other suggestions worth looking at?

Thanks!

have you tried via SIN for connections?

Alternatively you could route via Europe.
 
have you tried via SIN for connections?

Alternatively you could route via Europe.


Thanks MEL_Traveller... Looking at SIN, but all I can find requires an overnight in either Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing... Also tried through Europe, but can't find anything across the Atlantic (should have mentioned I'm looking for business)...

Alternatively - if I do need to overnight - any recommendations where the best place to do it is?
 
Thanks MEL_Traveller... Looking at SIN, but all I can find requires an overnight in either Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing... Also tried through Europe, but can't find anything across the Atlantic (should have mentioned I'm looking for business)...

Alternatively - if I do need to overnight - any recommendations where the best place to do it is?

What dates are you roughly looking at LuisT?
 
Alternatively - if I do need to overnight - any recommendations where the best place to do it is?

If your inbound leg is with Asiana as well as your outbound and you're forced to layover, you get provided with a complimentary hotel :)
 
Thanks MEL_Traveller... Looking at SIN, but all I can find requires an overnight in either Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing... Also tried through Europe, but can't find anything across the Atlantic (should have mentioned I'm looking for business)...

Alternatively - if I do need to overnight - any recommendations where the best place to do it is?

There have been reports of good availability with Swiss ZRH-YUL. Have you tried with them? Not sure what the connections times are like in Zurich though (although it should be same day...)
 
on an award ticket?
Could have sworn I saw a thread on FT about this but can't seem to find it now. There was some contention around "how" this was supposed to be booked, i.e. at the time of ticketing by US Airways or whether it could be done after the fact.

I'll try and hunt it down...
 
Thanks for the replies...

Looking to leave from SYD between the 03/07 and 7/7 and return between the 21/07 and 23rd.

Will double check the ZRH-YUL option to see whether there's anything... seems getting to Europe is no problem...
 
Thanks MEL_Traveller... Looking at SIN, but all I can find requires an overnight in either Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing... Also tried through Europe, but can't find anything across the Atlantic (should have mentioned I'm looking for business)...

One option if you really want to go via Asia is to fly to BKK or SIN, then take an overnight flight to your international gateway to the USA. For example, fly SYD-BKK on TG, take the overnight flight to ICN, then onwards from there.

This avoids you staying overnight at a hotel, but be warned that you'll probably be very tired because the overnight flight is a red-eye and quite short (about 5 hours).

SQ to SIN then onto NRT probably gives you the best option (arriving 0800h in the morning in NRT). From NRT, you can access many ports into the USA or Canada with onward connections to YUL. One of the earliest options after you get off the overnight would be flying to ORD on NH, as it leaves in the morning (tight-ish connection, however). Otherwise, most of your other North American bound options will leave in the afternoon. You might be very tired waiting for these kinds of flights after your overnight flight into NRT (and if you can't get BPs in advance / check-through, then you may not be able to get to lounges until check-in opens, typically 3 hours before departure). On the other hand, if you're not completely tired after your overnight flight to NRT and you get some rest, a small day trip into the nearby town of Narita is a nice little diversion from the airport (you can spend a few hours here then head back to the airport in time for check-in).

Note that I haven't availability checked these so this is purely on schedule and guessing. Even with the opening up of SQ, I'd anticipate that availability may be hard to come by. NH has a flight which leaves at a similar time to the SQ overnighter to NRT. However, that is not to say that it is by no means easy to find availability on NH (though at least it was never "auto-blocked" like SQ premium seats previously).

If you're thinking of routing via Europe, consider:
  • LH on A380 to JFK (N.B. angle flat J)
  • SQ on A380 to FRA-JFK (N.B. tough availability)
  • SK to ORD or EWR (N.B. angle flat J)
  • LX on ZRH-YUL
  • AC fly direct to YUL from LHR, CDG, BRU and FRA - try them all

Availability to most Euro ports should be fairly simple in J, especially if you try TG.
 
availability is looking tight - the United site is returning some awards ex SIN to YUL, with a double change (asia and usa).

Some of them include a 1hr15 lay-over in PEK, which I would not recommend.
 
This is what SPGsite says

Starwood Preferred Guests can transfer up to 79,999 of their Starpoints® per transaction per program within a 24-hour period to the frequent flyer programs listed below.¹ Plus, for every 20,000 Starpoints transferred within the same transaction, Starwood will automatically add another 5,000 Starpoints!This means that up to 94,999 Starpoints can be transferred into your frequent flyer account, with most airlines, making a free flight that much closer.² Please keep in mind that only one airline transfer transaction per member, per airline program, is permitted within a 24-hour period.

So answer to your question is I believe yes you can get 135K miles to US through this (would you have the 150K in MR to start with). Max value I think is 60K transfer with 15K bonus = 112.5K US miles, in your case you get no addition SPG uplift on the 15K final points (but you do get the US Air bonus)

That's what I was thinking. It may work out better just to transfer the maximum 79,999 as the bonus 5k you might miss out on would be more than made up by the fact you get a 50% uplift by US DM anyway right...?
 
My calculations: 79,999 -> 94,999 (so that's the 15k bonus) which then becomes 142498 US Dividend Miles.
vs
60,000 -> 75,000 which then becomes 112,500, plus another 20,000(+5,000) which then becomes 137500 US Dividend Miles.
 
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One option if you really want to go via Asia is to fly to BKK or SIN, then take an overnight flight to your international gateway to the USA. For example, fly SYD-BKK on TG, take the overnight flight to ICN, then onwards from there.

This avoids you staying overnight at a hotel, but be warned that you'll probably be very tired because the overnight flight is a red-eye and quite short (about 5 hours).

Thanks anat0l. Was mainly trying to keep the trip as short as possible... I think I'd rather overnight than be shattered for days on arrival! Only Europe-NA flight I could find was FRA-BOS, but get's in too late for me to connect...
http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/members/anat0l.html
 
That's what I was thinking. It may work out better just to transfer the maximum 79,999 as the bonus 5k you might miss out on would be more than made up by the fact you get a 50% uplift by US DM anyway right...?
The incremental value is 39,998MR points gives 19,999 SPG gives 29998.5 US miles (unsure how they round) = .75 pts per MR. Somewhat less valuable than the .9375 ratio with the 5K uplift but I guess if it's close to getting you where you want you might go for it.

I don't have that many points to transfer (only have 80K MR available) so somewhat a moot point for me but I think I'd be in two minds about this, not quite the screaming value it is with the bonus but OK.
 
Could have sworn I saw a thread on FT about this but can't seem to find it now. There was some contention around "how" this was supposed to be booked, i.e. at the time of ticketing by US Airways or whether it could be done after the fact.

I'll try and hunt it down...

I stand corrected, looks like the reports coming out of FT confirms that on an award ticket you don't get the complimentary hotel stay or even the limo service.
 
The incremental value is 39,998MR points gives 19,999 SPG gives 29998.5 US miles (unsure how they round) = .75 pts per MR. Somewhat less valuable than the .9375 ratio with the 5K uplift but I guess if it's close to getting you where you want you might go for it.

I don't have that many points to transfer (only have 80K MR available) so somewhat a moot point for me but I think I'd be in two minds about this, not quite the screaming value it is with the bonus but OK.

Keep in mind that the uplift bonus is only once, so as per my post above:

My calculations: 79,999 -> 94,999 (so that's the 15k bonus) which then becomes 142498 US Dividend Miles.
vs
60,000 -> 75,000 which then becomes 112,500, plus another 20,000(+5,000) which then becomes 137500 US Dividend Miles.

Note that all the values above are SPG (so have already moved over the AMEX MR).
 
Hi guys

I came across this thread a few days ago and it has consumed my life, along with the successful booking thread. I'm simply in awe of the bookings being made.

I want some advice from the experts

I have made my DM account and also made my ANA account for searching *A awards, now can see that a AU - Europe on DM miles in July will be 120k pp

So what I want to know is going by the post it seemed the 100% happened a few times in 2011, do you think it will happen again??

Also if I am purchase 50K and get the bonus on both my account and my partners, then buy another 10K each this will give us 120K each which will cover the cost for the J seats, and all for $2100 - seems like a great deal?????

Is there something I'm missing????

Seems a little to good to be real

Please let me know I love reading your advice

Regards
Mikal1988
 
Hi guys

I came across this thread a few days ago and it has consumed my life, along with the successful booking thread. I'm simply in awe of the bookings being made.

I want some advice from the experts

I have made my DM account and also made my ANA account for searching *A awards, now can see that a AU - Europe on DM miles in July will be 120k pp

So what I want to know is going by the post it seemed the 100% happened a few times in 2011, do you think it will happen again??

Also if I am purchase 50K and get the bonus on both my account and my partners, then buy another 10K each this will give us 120K each which will cover the cost for the J seats, and all for $2100 - seems like a great deal?????

Is there something I'm missing????

Seems a little to good to be real

Please let me know I love reading your advice

Regards
Mikal1988

Nope - there is nothing you are missing. It's as simple as that.

Once you have the 50K (and whatever bonus) can wait for the next bonus round to top up, but be aware that there may not be another bonus for a while.

However - no one knows if there will be another 100% bonus - they used to be back-to-back, now they are less frequent, or targeted, or at 75% or even limited to 40K (plus bonus).

However, if you are prepared to get an initial batch - say 50K with bonus and then pay full price for the remaining if there is not another offer then you'll be ok. (some people cannot afford that. In your example, it might mean that you get the initial 100K, but then have to buy a full 20K at full price)
 
Nope - there is nothing you are missing. It's as simple as that.

Once you have the 50K (and whatever bonus) can wait for the next bonus round to top up, but be aware that there may not be another bonus for a while.

However - no one knows if there will be another 100% bonus - they used to be back-to-back, now they are less frequent, or targeted, or at 75% or even limited to 40K (plus bonus).

However, if you are prepared to get an initial batch - say 50K with bonus and then pay full price for the remaining if there is not another offer then you'll be ok. (some people cannot afford that. In your example, it might mean that you get the initial 100K, but then have to buy a full 20K at full price)

This is amazing!! and even if i have to pay full price for the 20K points it still puts the J fares from MEL - CDG in the 2K bucket not the 7K bucket for retail

Also do the miles have an expiry? is this something i can build up over time?

if they expire can i just flick some rental car points to the account to keep it fresh?

Thanks
 
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