Post: #51

I am more interested, actually in finding the best fares for a given route, for business class, or finding the preferred airline for a given route, within a reasonable price range. I fly frequently from Asia to the USA and back, and I'd like to fly business (within my preferred network preferably) or when biz is too expensive, economy, definitely within my preferred network.

What's best?

(05-19-2014 02:04 PM)Vicious Wrote:  ExpertFlyer is only viable if you are willing to do a lot of research and lots of planning. It's mostly used in the FF community for the enthusiasts that want to try to experience every first class product of different airlines. If you just want to get from A-B Awardtravlr or Awardnexus is fine.

Post: #52

(05-19-2014 07:23 PM)G_global Wrote:  I am more interested, actually in finding the best fares for a given route, for business class, or finding the preferred airline for a given route, within a reasonable price range. I fly frequently from Asia to the USA and back, and I'd like to fly business (within my preferred network preferably) or when biz is too expensive, economy, definitely within my preferred network.

What's best?

(05-19-2014 02:04 PM)Vicious Wrote:  ExpertFlyer is only viable if you are willing to do a lot of research and lots of planning. It's mostly used in the FF community for the enthusiasts that want to try to experience every first class product of different airlines. If you just want to get from A-B Awardtravlr or Awardnexus is fine.

Book CX or JAL to Asia using AA miles. 55k one way business class using miles.

Pretty easy grab with a wide variety of CC's or even from buying miles. I just bought miles and it worked out to about $1200 spent to buy 55k miles.

Post: #53

(05-19-2014 08:56 PM)MaleDefined Wrote:  

(05-19-2014 07:23 PM)G_global Wrote:  I am more interested, actually in finding the best fares for a given route, for business class, or finding the preferred airline for a given route, within a reasonable price range. I fly frequently from Asia to the USA and back, and I'd like to fly business (within my preferred network preferably) or when biz is too expensive, economy, definitely within my preferred network.

What's best?

(05-19-2014 02:04 PM)Vicious Wrote:  ExpertFlyer is only viable if you are willing to do a lot of research and lots of planning. It's mostly used in the FF community for the enthusiasts that want to try to experience every first class product of different airlines. If you just want to get from A-B Awardtravlr or Awardnexus is fine.

Book CX or JAL to Asia using AA miles. 55k one way business class using miles.

Pretty easy grab with a wide variety of CC's or even from buying miles. I just bought miles and it worked out to about $1200 spent to buy 55k miles.

G, for a paid fares, Google Flights is actually one of the best tools for finding international flight information. It searches pretty much all flight combinations and carriers, you just can't buy the ticket through Google as they direct you to a third party site (like Kayak, Orbitz, the carrier) for the purchase. Google bought a company called ITA Matrix that used to provide the service as a standalone feature, now it drives Flights.

To what MaleDefined said, US Air is running a 100% Buy miles bonus until the 25th (buy 50,000 get 50,000 for $1750) which will get you within 10,000 miles of round trip business class to North Asia, and within 20,000 miles of South and Centraln Asia on OneWorld carriers (The best US Air deal though, is the 100% share bonus which, when you have a second account you control, can earn you 150,000 miles for about $1750). In either case, Google Flights features a more robust search feature than most carrier websites directly

Post: #54

Hey guys, thanks for the answers.

Google better than Skyscanner? I'll check it today. One challenge is that on some of the flights, my work pays. Not sure how to work it out where I buy the miles and then still get reimbursed for the "value of the flight". I guess I could book and cancel within 24 hours to generate a receipt.

If you buy/transfer miles, does it give you tier value? Does it move you towards gold or platinum status? I would imagine that purchasing miles doesn't on any airline, but what about if I transfer Starwood or Hyatt points to an airline. Does that help me towards status?

I noticed something on my current trip, its quite a deal. Starwood gives 2 points for every $1 spent in or on the property. But if you take the green choice (i.e. forgo maid service), for one night they give 500 points (or so I understood from the manager). Thats the same point total as if you've spent 250 USD. Using those coupons at the restaurant gives them a cash value of only 5USD per coupon. I'm not sure what the gulf is so big for, but it almost makes it impossible not to pass on maid service. Note that they'll still drop water, coffee, fresh towels and empty your garbage cans, but won't vacuum or change lines/make the bed. As i don't love the maid being in the room generally, and loathe that they always seems to be there when I come back to the room, this deal works for me very well

Post: #55

If you just want to find the best fares use Kayak flight alerts on routes between your destination and the closest larger hub to you. You'll likely be able to find feeder flights included in the fare to the hub from you once you have found a good one.

And no, you won't get tier value for bought points. There are some rare exceptions but not in any FF program that you'd really want.

Post: #56

I just looked at the US Airways purchase - it appears that they charge the same amount for one way bookings as they do for a round trip, which is ridiculous. Is there anyway around this - I have no problem buying the miles, but having to book round trip rather than multi-destination or one way really sucks.

Post: #57

G, US does have a round trip policy for their awards, but, their phone agents are dumber than I box of rocks. They regularly let you gwt away with geographically dumb routes in violation of their own routing rules. Sometimes you just have to hang up and call back to get the right one to help you out. That said, every currency has it's niche, and Dividend miles' niche is relatively low miles cost round trip flights between the US and Asia with stop overs in Europe on the way. I would follow Vicious' advice then on the AA miles for one way flights on OneWorld carriers.
The Starwood green option is one of the best ways to boost your points balance there, especially on long work trips.

Post: #58

I just got my 45,000 Chase Sapphire points! Now I need to put $1500 on my new AAdvantage Citi card and I'll have 40,000 AAdvantage more miles on top of the 83,000 I currently have!

Post: #59

Quote:I just got my 45,000 Chase Sapphire points! Now I need to put $1500 on my new AAdvantage Citi card and I'll have 40,000 AAdvantage more miles on top of the 83,000 I currently have!

Congrats speakeasy, AA miles are the next things for me to acquire. I only have about 600 at the moment. I'm flush with Ultimate Rewards points though, I'm thinking First Class on Korean if I can find the right destination.

Post: #60

For the life of me, I cannot make any progress in booking award flights. How long in advance do you guys usually book for business class seats? It's all well and good for them to say that its 55,000 miles for a one way biz class seat to asia, but actually finding the tickets is something completely different. British Airways doesn't even pick up the phone - waited 15 minutes on hold. I guess I need to get to the next tier before having the ability to call on their special line. Maddening.

Post: #61

I booked my flights about 5-6 months in advance but thats on the long side for most redemptions. What airport are you flying out of? Sometimes it makes sense to pay for a positioning flight to get to a gateway city that has availability. Also, depending on the route you're trying to take, break it down into it's components because sometimes that chokes the search tool and returns nothing even though space on the individual legs is available. So, instead of looking for IAD-LAX-SYD, try looking for IAD-LAX, and then LAX-SYD (btw, LA to Sydney us a notoriously hard premium award ticket to score unless you book when Quantas sets their schedule) and then call to stitch the award together leg by leg. You may even need to route through a second city on the way to your primary destination like LAX-HKG, stopover, HKG-SYD (award availability from second cities to your primary destination is one of the best ways to get to where you're going because direct flight award space to high demand locations can be tough to come by and may book up quickly)

Post: #62

(05-20-2014 02:23 PM)G_global Wrote:  For the life of me, I cannot make any progress in booking award flights. How long in advance do you guys usually book for business class seats? It's all well and good for them to say that its 55,000 miles for a one way biz class seat to asia, but actually finding the tickets is something completely different. British Airways doesn't even pick up the phone - waited 15 minutes on hold. I guess I need to get to the next tier before having the ability to call on their special line. Maddening.

There are award service booking sites. Give a quick google search.

Use the BA website to search for partner award availability.

Award flights are difficult to find because, well shit, they're AWARD flights.

Post: #63

Quantas and JAL are also good spots for award availability searching. I would recommend either of the award booking services from the guy behind viewfromthewing (http://www.bookyouraward.com), Gary Leff and th guy behind onemileatatime (pointspros.com), Ben Schlappig. ThePointsGuy recommends both of those services and I know in email exchanges I've had with Ben (I dont really know him but he's really quick in answering specific questions that may not be covered on an article he writes) he's one of the best in the points business when it comes to booking awards.

Post: #64

HWL,
how do I send you a drink for all of the help that you've provided. Someone should invent an app that allows you to send someone a beer. Male and Vicious, to both of you as well. I was absolutely going to ask which booking service you recommended, as I've been researching it and of course, theres a multitude of choices. And there you are with an answer, even before I ask. I'd love to find one where its one price for the whole year, no matter how many times I fly, for say $1000. But thanks for the recommendations. Perhaps I can negotiate that anyway.

Post: #65

Thanks.

I'm sure you could negotiate with them for some sort of 'package'. These aren't businesses as much as it's people who make a few bucks off their hobby.

Post: #66

Thanks G. I'm just getting started in game, but I want to contribute where I can with what I can, and I know points and miles. Always here to help. As for the plan, Male is right; most of the award booking services are making side money off their hobby, their real cash comes from the referrals on credit card apps applied to through their sites. It can be as much as $300 per approval and these guys are getting a lot of approvals. You might be interested to know, Ben at OneMileAtATime is in the midst of living out of hotels, for at least a year, primarily on points. I don't think he's swallowed the Red Pill, but if he did, that guy would be a G-Manifesto level player in terms of his accommodations and method of intercontinental transportation.

Post: #67

@hungweilo: I've talked to lucky several times at seminars and through emails as I am a contributor to a travel blog as well: he seems like the archetypal blue pill "nice guy". Leads an amazing lifestyle with first class flights and hotels and probably pulls in close to $500k a year at 23 years old, but read a few posts where he really puts pussy on a pedestal. Still, he could just be really good at covering it up as blue pill shit always sells much better to a wider audience.

Post: #68

@G, all true statements. I got that feeling when he gushed over Janesis from Cathay I think. $500k is nothing to laugh at, I can't imagine at that's covering red pill up though because it would leak out somewhere in his writing, it would have to. I need to find a way to turn my side passions into side hustles, and break out of the corporate 9-5, as comfortable as it is. I think I've read somewhere that if your comfortable, you're doing something wrong.