trick awards with frequent flyer miles (milevalue.com)

Trick AwardsStopovers, Open Jaws, Free One Ways

Chicago Seminars 2014Scott GrimmerMileValue.com

Get Excited

Redeeming miles well is a rush because Saving miles means more trips Cramming in more places for free means more

you see more

Topics

1.5 trips for the price of 1 Save miles by adding a flight Don't pay the fuel surcharges everyone else is Use the airlines' award charts against them BIG TRIPS by combining multiple tricks

Not My Goals

Tediously go over the stopover and open jaw rules of every airline

Talk about the “real” Round-the-World awards

Your Tools

Open Jaws Stopovers Free One Ways Award Charts Knowing Where to Search Wikipedia Your Charm

Open Jaw Definition

The end of your outbound not matching the start of your return

The end of your return not matching the start of your outbound

Example: New York to London, returning Paris to New York

Open Jaw Takeaways

Two open jaws are possible per roundtrip Open jaws can't usually be in the middle of the

outbound or return

Stopover Definition

Stopping for more than 24 hours along the route to your destination

Example: Stopping for a week in Munich for Oktoberfest on the way to Croatia

Airline Open Jaws And/Or Stopovers

American 2 0

United 2 And 1

Delta 1 And 1

US Airways 1 Or 1

Open Jaws and Stopovers on Legacies(per roundtrip award)

American eliminated stopovers in April 2014 American and United allow one way award

bookings None of the airlines allow a stopover on one

way awards

Free One Way Definition

Taking a free stopover at your home airport on an award to add a later (or earlier) one way trip for zero extra miles

Like stopping in Chicago for three months after a trip to Europe before a free one way to LA

United Free One Way

A Simple Open Jaw R/T

Add a Free One Way

United Free One Way

Cheap One Ways on United Awards

30k + 30k + 30k = 77.5k

Cheap One Ways on United Awards

These United Slides Were Hard to Put Together

Multi-city searches on united.com: Not all choices shown Frequent error messages (call in)

Free One Ways on US Airways Awards

1 Stopover or 1 Open Jaw rule vs. 1 Stopover and 1 Open Jaw needed to make a free one way

Can't Do This

More Flights Equals Fewer Miles

Add Dummy Legs

1 Stopover and Zero Open Jaws After Dummy Legs

Hawaii/South America Award with Singapore Airlines Miles

The Deal: 50k Singapore miles roundtrip from Hawaii to South America, 80k in Business

You Have Singapore Miles

1:1 (not quite instant) transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards American Express Membership Rewards Citi ThankYou Points SPG Starpoints (20k points → 25k miles)

Singapore Basics

Member of Star Alliance with United Has access to all the Saver award space

released by all Star Alliance partners searchable on united.com

No fuel surcharges on United, Copa, Avianca 1 free stopover, up to 3 more for $100 each 6 segments maximum per roundtrip

6 Segments is the Tough Part

3 Segments each direction means you need to live in a city with a direct flight to South America or to Hawaii

4 Parts to the Award

(1) Hawaii to your home airport

(2) Home airport to South America

(3) South America to your home airport

(4) Home airport to Hawaii (skip-able)

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

(1) Kauai to Los Angeles (home, free stopover)

(2) Los Angeles to Buenos Aires

(3) Buenos Aires to Los Angeles (home, stopover for $100)

(4) Los Angeles to Kona

50k Singapore miles total in economy + taxes + $100

Putting It All Together

How I Found the Deal

35k roundtrip “within” Hawaii/Central America, 60k in business/first

No Fuel Surcharges ex-Brazil

British Airways Business and First with American Airlines miles

Singapore First Class from Sao Paulo to Barcelona

Lufthansa First with Lufthansa Miles & More miles up to 361 days in advance

Air France Flying Blue Promo Awards

British Airways First Class without Surcharges

BA Business on the A380

Singapore First Class GRU-BCN

Singapore First on a 777

Fifth Freedom Flights

Sao Paulo to Barcelona on Singapore Dubai to London on Qantas JFK to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific Auckland to SYD/BNE/MEL on Emirates

Dubai to London on Qantas

New York to Vancouver on Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific First Class on a 777

Auckland to Australia on Emirates

Tag routes to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne 75k Korean miles roundtrip or 68,500 Emirates

miles one way

Emirates First Class on an A380

Same Flight, Many PricesUnited First Class to Hawaii

United First Class One Way Price

40k United miles 35k Lufthansa Miles & More miles 30k Singapore miles 27.5k Asiana miles

Subtract Miles by Adding Flights

Whenever you can go to a cheaper region via a more expensive region

Bottom One is Cheaper with US Airways Miles

Japan to Oceania with United miles

Layering Some of These Tricks

Delta miles: LAX-ICN, CNS-MEL//MEL-LAX United miles: ICN-NAN//NAN-AKL(-NRT) British Airways or Emirates miles: AKL-SYD British Airways: SYD-CNS

Six Destinations, Four Awards

Delta Award with Stopover and Open Jaw across Regions

United Award When Adding Flights Reduces Price Plus Hidden City

27,500 miles + taxes 15k North Asia to

Oceania and 12.5k Oceania to Japan

Free stopover in Auckland on the way and get off in Auckland on return

Fifth Freedom from Auckland to Sydney

Many Prices, One Flight

Six Destinations, Four Awards

Totals

150,000 Delta miles 27,500 United miles 30,000 British Airways Avios Plus government taxes (no fuel surcharges) 207,500 miles for Six Destinations, mostly in

Business Class

Questions?

Anything I said Any award routings you're looking at Award routing rules