trick awards with frequent flyer miles (milevalue.com)
TRANSCRIPT
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