US Dividend Miles - Oneworld Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[_TheTraveller_]

While it's under MPM I find GMP-HND-HKG a bit crazy, cluey agent might not like it.

Yeah. There aren't any flights out on that day. The only way back to Aus with CX is ADL the next day. Other cities are not available and I don't want to take another stop elsewhere.

Edit: Is CX running F from ICN-HKG on Saturdays? Any confirmations?

Wed,Fri,Sat 20:05 Incheon, Seoul (ICN) 22:55 Hong Kong (HKG) 1
CX 419 Non-stop Boeing 777-300ER (77W) 3:50 Effective from 2015-04-01

 

[Wozz]

If I am making award redemption for me and my wife and the booking costs 120k miles per person, do I need to have all 240k miles in one account or I can get the USDM agent to take 120k miles from each account?

Right now I have the flights on hold under my USDM account but I presume I can just add my wife's USDM account to the booking and get the agent to deduct 120k from hers and my account separately to complete the booking?

I noticed that the most cost effective way is to buy 30+30 and gift 30+30 to get to 120k in each account.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If I am making award redemption for me and my wife and the booking costs 120k miles per person, do I need to have all 240k miles in one account or I can get the USDM agent to take 120k miles from each account?

Right now I have the flights on hold under my USDM account but I presume I can just add my wife's USDM account to the booking and get the agent to deduct 120k from hers and my account separately to complete the booking?

I noticed that the most cost effective way is to buy 30+30 and gift 30+30 to get to 120k in each account.

You can have the requisite miles come from two accounts, but the agent will need to split the current PNR into two separate bookings, with a separate payment from each account.

This should be a fairly straightforward procedure. If an agent suggests they need to cancel you should call again.

I can't answer the question regarding the acquisition of miles as I haven't read the terms and conditions of this particular promo. However... if the max bonus miles that can be received by a member is 50K, then 30+30 and 30+30 may not work for your needs.

 

[Wozz]

Thanks MEL_Traveller.

I thought the cap is 50k as well but then I found out you can transfer 50k and gift 50k per account, which means that you can get a total of 200k each across two accounts.

Just did 30k+30k for both accounts - now I just need to ring them up to get the booking locked in.

Fingers crossed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks MEL_Traveller.

I thought the cap is 50k as well but then I found out you can transfer 50k and gift 50k per account, which means that you can get a total of 200k each across two accounts.

Just did 30k+30k for both accounts - now I just need to ring them up to get the booking locked in.

Fingers crossed.

The terms and conditions somewhat suggest the maximum number of bonus miles is 50K. This is across any method. If a member has received 30K bonus from buying, they can only receive a further max 20K bonus miles if someone gifts them miles.

If member A buys 30K, they will get 30K bonus and end up with 60K total. If member B then gifts them 30K, member A will recieve the 30K gift, and 20K bonus, giving a total in their account of 110K.

Offer available for purchases made between September 2nd,​ 00:00:01 PT and September 30, 2014, 23:59:59 PT. All purchases are non-refundable. Bonus miles will be awarded upon completion of the transaction. The maximum number of Buy and Gift Bonus miles that can be received by one member for this offer is 50,000 bonus miles. All miles purchased beyond this limit will not be eligible for a bonus.

It is slightly ambiguous - the other reading would be that you can receive 50K max from both buying, and another 50K max from gifting. But that would be a departure from many previous calculations. Safer to call first before spending $.

 

[anat0l]

Edit: Is CX running F from ICN-HKG on Saturdays? Any confirmations?

Most of CX regional Asia doesn't have any F on it, so ICN included. CX does have 77Ws without F on them.

I'm not sure if CX operate any F aircraft on routes to ICN. One easy way to check is to simply do a revenue booking on the CX website and try to "buy" seat in First Class. In any case, equipment substitutions are rife for CX regional Asia (which can include substitutions of F/non-F aircraft and vv.).

 

[anat0l]

The terms and conditions somewhat suggest the maximum number of bonus miles is 50K. This is across any method. If a member has received 30K bonus from buying, they can only receive a further max 20K bonus miles if someone gifts them miles.

If member A buys 30K, they will get 30K bonus and end up with 60K total. If member B then gifts them 30K, member A will recieve the 30K gift, and 20K bonus, giving a total in their account of 110K.



It is slightly ambiguous - the other reading would be that you can receive 50K max from both buying, and another 50K max from gifting. But that would be a departure from many previous calculations. Safer to call first before spending $.

That said, if it works and they have the miles, then so be it. It'd be a bit of a bust if US DM awarded the miles and then took them away because an insufficiency in their system meant that they were incorrectly credited too many miles. But history is supposed to suggest that whatever US DM has going in the background should be sufficient to know when someone has exceeded the cap, and thus stop or not award the miles (which can be frustrating as you theoretically only know of this once you have committed - erroneously or not - to the purchase).

Of course, then there's the fickle audits department, too....

 

[Wozz]

The terms and conditions somewhat suggest the maximum number of bonus miles is 50K. This is across any method. If a member has received 30K bonus from buying, they can only receive a further max 20K bonus miles if someone gifts them miles.

If member A buys 30K, they will get 30K bonus and end up with 60K total. If member B then gifts them 30K, member A will recieve the 30K gift, and 20K bonus, giving a total in their account of 110K.

It is slightly ambiguous - the other reading would be that you can receive 50K max from both buying, and another 50K max from gifting. But that would be a departure from many previous calculations. Safer to call first before spending $.

I just test it on both my wife's and my accounts - I did a 50k+50k gift from my wife's to mine last night as I thought max per account is 50k regardless of gift/buy. After I did that I went back to my account and noticed that I could buy 50k+50k again!

So this morning I bought 14k + 7k another in my account, and gifted 30k + 30k to my wife's & bought 30k+30k using her account.

so now I have 121k sitting in my account and 120k in hers!

may be it is just a glitch for this offer?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I just test it on both my wife's and my accounts - I did a 50k+50k gift from my wife's to mine last night as I thought max per account is 50k regardless of gift/buy. After I did that I went back to my account and noticed that I could buy 50k+50k again!

So this morning I bought 14k + 7k another in my account, and gifted 30k + 30k to my wife's & bought 30k+30k using her account.

so now I have 121k sitting in my account and 120k in hers!

may be it is just a glitch for this offer?

that supports the second possibility - that both buy and gift can max out at 50K. This is a bit of a bonus if they have changed the rules for this round

 

[burmans]

The terms and conditions somewhat suggest the maximum number of bonus miles is 50K. This is across any method. If a member has received 30K bonus from buying, they can only receive a further max 20K bonus miles if someone gifts them miles.

While I agree the T&C's suggest the maximum is 50K the OP's experience suggests the reality is different. I have experience of this too, my very first US experience I bought 50 and gifted 10 between myself and my wife and we both ended up with 120.

Of course this may just be poor IT and they could take the bonus back but they didn't do in my case.

 

[Questor]

The wording is indeed ambiguous, but if you can buy 50k+50k and also receive as a gift 50k+50k that would be amazing - Approx $3.5k US for 200k miles is frankly insane!

 

[anat0l]

I just test it on both my wife's and my accounts - I did a 50k+50k gift from my wife's to mine last night as I thought max per account is 50k regardless of gift/buy. After I did that I went back to my account and noticed that I could buy 50k+50k again!

So this morning I bought 14k + 7k another in my account, and gifted 30k + 30k to my wife's & bought 30k+30k using her account.

so now I have 121k sitting in my account and 120k in hers!

may be it is just a glitch for this offer?

Note that in previous iterations of this promo, if you had bought 50k (or been gifted), and thus received 50k bonus (the cap), the buy/gift screen may still show that you can get 50k+50k bonus. What happened though is that if you were to go ahead with the purchase, the system would only credit you 50k (and you'd only find out upon checking your account). Perhaps that's false advertising (i.e. despite the restriction being a term of the promotion, you were shown one thing for purchase and not given it).

Of course, if you have the miles then this discussion is moot - good stuff and now time to get booking!

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Most of CX regional Asia doesn't have any F on it, so ICN included. CX does have 77Ws without F on them.

I'm not sure if CX operate any F aircraft on routes to ICN. One easy way to check is to simply do a revenue booking on the CX website and try to "buy" seat in First Class. In any case, equipment substitutions are rife for CX regional Asia (which can include substitutions of F/non-F aircraft and vv.).

Thanks, I've checked KVS show that there's F thats bookable with awards and cash (on CX's website). I'm just concerned by a possible aircraft change.....!

People that are gifting/buying to bypass the 50k bonus cap. Is it like that they'll audit buyers and end up banning your account (like IHG) or putting your balance into negative?

 

[Wozz]

After being told several times that my itinerary is invalid as it is back tracking and exceeds the MPM, I finally found an agent that put my booking through so they are all ticketed (I checked on CX and JL website and all flights are confirmed)

The only "problem" is that there was only 1 F seat in 2 of the legs with CX so my wife will be on F and I will be in J.

I suspect because my previous booking hold was expired after 72hrs and they have not released the inventory back into the system. I am going to keep an eye on it tonight and if it pops up I may call to change the booking. Though may comes with the risk of my ticket being cancelled by the agent... Lesson learnt to have miles ready before I call..

After spending the whole day on this and numerous HUACA, I noticed that if the agent needs to get the ticking department to price the taxes manually then it will most likely fall over at that stage. One of the agents told me that they are still having issues integrating the OW flights into the system (as the award codes are different between A* and OW), hence why they sometimes need to get the ticketing department to do the pricing manually if their systems are having issues.

The last agent didn't have to do that and seemed like he managed to get all the booking done without having to go to the ticketing department.

I think calling between 2-5pm SYD may help (midnight US) as my last successful booking was done at 2pm SYD.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

After being told several times that my itinerary is invalid as it is back tracking and exceeds the MPM, I finally found an agent that put my booking through so they are all ticketed (I checked on CX and JL website and all flights are confirmed)

The only "problem" is that there was only 1 F seat in 2 of the legs with CX so my wife will be on F and I will be in J.

I suspect because my previous booking hold was expired after 72hrs and they have not released the inventory back into the system. I am going to keep an eye on it tonight and if it pops up I may call to change the booking. Though may comes with the risk of my ticket being cancelled by the agent... Lesson learnt to have miles ready before I call..

After spending the whole day on this and numerous HUACA, I noticed that if the agent needs to get the ticking department to price the taxes manually then it will most likely fall over at that stage. One of the agents told me that they are still having issues integrating the OW flights into the system (as the award codes are different between A* and OW), hence why they sometimes need to get the ticketing department to do the pricing manually if their systems are having issues.

The last agent didn't have to do that and seemed like he managed to get all the booking done without having to go to the ticketing department.

I think calling between 2-5pm SYD may help (midnight US) as my last successful booking was done at 2pm SYD.

your itinerary does seem to backtrack and does seem to exceed MPM. While it is good you got what you wanted - if it is an 'illegal' itinerary you may run in to issues if you need to change a sector into F, or if there are any schedule changes requiring new flights.

 

[Wozz]

your itinerary does seem to backtrack and does seem to exceed MPM. While it is good you got what you wanted - if it is an 'illegal' itinerary you may run in to issues if you need to change a sector into F, or if there are any schedule changes requiring new flights.

Yep that's a risk so I am debating whether I want to change my seat to F.

Anyway finger crossed no drama until departure date!

 

[Limewood]

I see interesting info re booking JAL and other OW airlines here.

I'd like to know if I find separate flights - two one ways if its within the USDM rules?.

JL NRT to CDG

CX MIL to HKG

 

[hummel]

Every time I go to book OW redemptions Australia-Asia.. I miss the easy days of *A!

Would also be so much easier if one-way travel was allowed!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I see interesting info re booking JAL and other OW airlines here.

I'd like to know if I find separate flights - two one ways if its within the USDM rules?.

JL NRT to CDG

CX MIL to HKG

That itinerary won't be legal.

you are permitted ONE open jaw or stopover for the entire itinerary.

With your proposal you would have two open jaws (different departure and arrival cities in asia, and different arrival and departure cities in Europe).

You could fix the issue by closing the loop HKG-NRT. But you couldn't stop over in HKG which probably defeats the purpose of what you're after.

 

[baggyred]

I see interesting info re booking JAL and other OW airlines here.

I'd like to know if I find separate flights - two one ways if its within the USDM rules?.

JL NRT to CDG

CX MIL to HKG

I'm guessing you could probably book the following

JL NRT -> CDG (Destination)
CX Milan->HKG->NRT

Ask for your bagagge to not be checked all the way through on the return leg.

Then simply don't get on the last leg