Post: #301

Some of them have showed some pretty good detail on award space for CX (one in particular analyzed its availability, I think OMAAT (One Mile At A Time). That was fairly useful, if only to confirm what my investigation had already discovered, book early or last minute. I feel like I am experienced enough to consider what they're saying in light of what they're selling, and work around the bias. In any event, the whole game is biased, because you might not like what I like, or prioritize it the way I do. E.g., I'm based out of SLC, which limits my choices significantly.

What I guess I am looking for is for the guys who read this, and who don't have the energy or interest to invest the time in the absolutely best resource, FlyerTalk, to have some place where the information is largely objective enough to be reliable. I feel like VFTW has broad enough coverage and validity that it may be the one of choice, but I'll check out Travelisfree. I've found some decent info on Hack My Trip (which changed to Travel Codex now, I think) and on Milevalue.com, but perhaps reading multiple bloggers (or skimming) on the same subject to better discover the bias based upon what the blogger is selling.

Post: #302

I'd say the first step to understanding this is to read a wide scope of blogs. Once you really understand the concepts, and there are various levels of understanding, you have pretty solid operating knowledge of what you personally are trying to do.

For example, I have a similar working knowledge as Global, but we seem to have very different goals. Global is much more focused on parlaying multiple short trips on top of each other, thus creating open jaws and having status with an airline, to take advantage of baggage fees, upgrades and lounge access on flights where he may not have a premium cabin ticket. He also uses points from hotels.

My goals are different because my travel usage is different. My flights fall into two categories really - direct flights under 2 hours and flights over 18 hours. I may take one itinerary a year that does not fall into this pattern. Therefore I am looking exclusively for the quickest way to accumulate points to get me premium cabin seats on my long flights. Status is useless to me because I am not a volume flyer frequently enough to make those short hauls count enough towards premium, and besides on short haul directs it's just not necessary for me. Waived baggage fees are useless because I am only checking excess baggage on flights where I am already flying in a premium cabin. I rarely stay in hotels, thus making hotel points/status insignificant to me.

It's very important to assess your need and goals for FF status and points accumulation. Your strategy will vary widely depending on your needs.

Hint: Global and I have spent a lot less time studying this stuff than you think we have. You can do this too.

Post: #303

This was posted on another thread, but Cid's answer is so helpful, I wanted to repost it here. This is part of a group of tactics, which include fuel dumping and hidden city ticketing. Cid, how much do you think one can do this on Delta without getting trouble and perhaps impacting miles/status/etc.

(11-26-2014 05:36 AM)Classic Cool Wrote:  A round trip flight to Amsterdam is 1200 usd. A round trip ticket to Delhi with a layover on the way and on the way back in Amsterdam is 750 usd. Could I purchase a ticket to Delhi and just stay in Amsterdam?

Im sure this has been discussed before but Google has turned up nothing.

(11-26-2014 05:44 AM)elcidcampeador Wrote:  This is called 'hidden-city ticketing' - It's possible in some certain circumstances (although is technically not allowed).

1. The ticket needs to be a ONE-WAY only. Once you skip a segment, the rest of the booking will be cancelled.

2. Your example will be a huge pain. India usually requires a visa and they will make you have a visa to board even the flight to Amsterdam most likely.

3. There are cheaper options. Like flying to another European city - DEL is a long way from Europe.

4. I do this a lot on flights in the USA - a good one is Atlanta, since Delta flights to ATL are expensive, and flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando are not Think LAX-ATL-FLL (and skip ATL-FLL)

5. You can't check bags. They will be checked to the final destination on your ticket.

6. If you do this a lot, and care about your miles/frequent flyer acount, you might end up in trouble. I'm a Diamond medallion with Delta and have done this probably 20 times though with no such issues.

Post: #304

For a couple of reasons, I'm going to differ.

First, and of course you've little reason to know this, except the general knowledge that I re-patriated, my goals and desires have changed. When I was based near HK, of course, my desire to short haul flights around SE asia ruled. I also, though, flew 6 roundtrips this year between Asia and North America, and I cannot sleep in economy, so picking up the mileage to go 1st and business (1/2) these last two trips has been very significant for me, and I'll continue to do that whenever possible. My short hauls out of SLC are so short, its not even worth burning anything to get upgraded - I'll take a free upgrade if its available, but I am not going to put the work in for it.

One thing perhaps you're overlooking is the fact that status gives you benefits. I don't know how many long-hauls you fly (18,000 km or miles, I'm not sure there are any 18000 mile flights, 30+ hrs in the air sounds like a lot, no). Because I have status with SPG, not only do I get room upgrades (and I do stay in hotels fairly often) but I also get more points when I stay there. I don't use my SPG points on hotels, I transfer them to airlines and use them there. The SPG Amex is the same pursuit - its much more about premium travel than about hotel stays. That it gives me nights and stays towards status also helps me move towards the bonus 33 percent of points I get when I do stay there.

Same thing as a BA elite - or other airlines - its not a huge issue, but beyond upgrades, boarding preference, seating preference and the other standards, there are also cabin bonuses for collecting miles for elites. Depending on how much you fly, that can add up to a decent number of miles.

(11-26-2014 10:53 AM)MaleDefined Wrote:  I'd say the first step to understanding this is to read a wide scope of blogs. Once you really understand the concepts, and there are various levels of understanding, you have pretty solid operating knowledge of what you personally are trying to do.

For example, I have a similar working knowledge as Global, but we seem to have very different goals. Global is much more focused on parlaying multiple short trips on top of each other, thus creating open jaws and having status with an airline, to take advantage of baggage fees, upgrades and lounge access on flights where he may not have a premium cabin ticket. He also uses points from hotels.

My goals are different because my travel usage is different. My flights fall into two categories really - direct flights under 2 hours and flights over 18 hours. I may take one itinerary a year that does not fall into this pattern. Therefore I am looking exclusively for the quickest way to accumulate points to get me premium cabin seats on my long flights. Status is useless to me because I am not a volume flyer frequently enough to make those short hauls count enough towards premium, and besides on short haul directs it's just not necessary for me. Waived baggage fees are useless because I am only checking excess baggage on flights where I am already flying in a premium cabin. I rarely stay in hotels, thus making hotel points/status insignificant to me.

It's very important to assess your need and goals for FF status and points accumulation. Your strategy will vary widely depending on your needs.

Hint: Global and I have spent a lot less time studying this stuff than you think we have. You can do this too.

Post: #305

GE, I really don't know how much one can get away with. I always burn my miles for trips so I don't really have that much in the account at a time that would go to waste if I was to get audited.

SLC kind of works for this - although not as easily as ATL/DTW/SEA. If I'm flying JFK-SLC, it would be easy to apply this - use matrix.itasoftware.com and just put SLC in the 'advanced routing codes' box. It's pretty amazing to see how much an example date (Feb 4th) is cheaper JFK-SLC-LGB (158$) than JFK-SLC nonstop ($349). I pay for about half of my own flights so I kind of cheat the system a bit more than a day-to-day consultant would. It would probably work on international stuff too, but would take some time to figure out. SLC is just an overpriced airport period.

Don't be afraid to try out an airline besides DL, even based out of SLC. I don't know how experienced you are with their miles, but I seriously am only happy burning them for last-minute trips (good availability) to northern South America.

Post: #306

I use Matrix, but I haven't used it for fare hacks. Since its such a big hub for Delta, that makes total sense. Thanks for the coding advice - my coding gets about as complicated as /oneworld. What of course would concern me is that since their the primary route out of here, and I'll have a gifted gold status as of January 1 (from the owner of my company), will they bang me down to base level, in which case I threw away the present my employer gave to me, he'll notice when we fly together, and I'm a dick.

I have flown Alaska to LA, which is one of my regular routes, and Jet Blue to NYC. I'm much more experienced with OneWorld Airlines, though I'm getting more up on whats possible from SkyTeam. It does seem for very frequent, last minute flyers, I'm gonna be in a good place for domestic upgrades, vs. the bargain shoppers. However, the whole revenue thing as a whole stinks, and their award chart isn't anything to write home about. We'll see what five tiers of award travel does - maybe it will free up some availability. As far as my particularly circumstances are concerned though, I'm looking basically to get free upgrades for domestic flights, and maybe bang out some domestic or caribbean trips as well. I'll accrue to OneWorld or Alaska for China/SE Asia (possibility dump miles into Singapore as I want to try them out).

Post: #307

One of my flghts next year earns a percentage of miles on a partner airlines (AA). So when I go to put in my account number to the airline do I just use AA's number instead?

Forgive me if that's a dumb question

Post: #308

No worries. You can just use your AA number. However, you should check to see how many miles you'll actually get credited. Often an airlines agreement with another airline will give less than full credit for the mileage flown if not in a premium class (Prem. econ. or higher), or if in a premium class will give less bonus than if you credited the mileage to the metal actually flown.

Can you be a bit more specific about your travel plans and maybe we (El Cid ) can be more helpful?

Of course, if you'd never use the other airlines frequent flyer program (lets figure out if thats the case) then even 25 percent of the mileage credit you'll use is better than full credit never actually used. To counterpoint, I had some stranded and expiring miles on Etihad (around 7500). i just got a 50 USD gift card for amazon.com in the mail from Etihad, not the greatest use of points, but I'd probably take that over 1750 American miles. Just an example, will depend on the specifics. We'll need the actual ticket class in economy, biz, whatever, to really figure it out.

Post: #309

This is a repost from the blog One Mile at a Time. Its a good deal, to go first class to North Asia in Star Alliance for around 1500 USD, no fuel surcharges. Keep in mind that Avianca offers this fairly frequently, so no reason to buy now if travel isn't imminent.

*****

Avianca’s LifeMiles program has just announced that they’ll be offering a 100% bonus on purchased miles through December 19, 2014.

LifeMiles-Promo

Through this promotion you can purchase a maximum of 75,000 LifeMiles (plus the 100% bonus), at a cost of 1.65 cents per mile all-in. Up until recently the cost to purchase LifeMiles with a 100% bonus was 1.5 cents per mile, though as of September 30, 2014, LifeMiles raised the cost per purchased mile by 10%. So this is the first promotion under the new pricing scheme.

The promotion is only valid for those that were members of the LifeMiles program prior to November 19, 2014. You can purchase a maximum of 150,000 LifeMiles per calendar year.

LifeMiles-Promo-2

To put this promotion into the context of past promotions, LifeMiles has alternated between 100% bonuses on purchased and shared miles every couple of months for a long time:

This September there was a 100% bonus on purchased LifeMiles
This July there was a 100% bonus on shared LifeMiles
This May there was a 100% bonus on purchased miles
This March there was a 100% bonus on shared LifeMiles
Last December there was a 100% bonus on purchased LifeMiles
Last October there was a 100% bonus on shared LifeMiles
In other words, they’ve offered a 100% bonus on purchased miles three times per year, and a 100% bonus on shared miles three times per year. The terms have always been more or less identical, though this time around the cost has gone up by 10%.

Unfortunately not only have they raised the cost of purchased miles, but LifeMiles also devalued their award chart for bookings made as of October 15, 2014. The increases are substantial, though could have been worse, in my opinion.

For more information on the LifeMiles program, check out my recent post about Avianca LifeMiles Award Chart And Redemption Basics. That post isn’t updated to reflect the new award chart, though.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, LifeMiles are simultaneously my favorite and least favorite mileage currency. The things I love about LifeMiles include:

They allow one-way awards at half the cost of a roundtrip
They don’t impose fuel surcharges on award redemptions
They have competitive redemption rates (you can find their Star Alliance award chart here), even after having devalued their award chart
As long as you have 40% of the miles needed for a redemption, you can purchase the remaining miles at the time you issue your ticket for as little as 1.56 cents per mile
And then there are things I hate with a passion about LifeMiles:

Their call center is horrible, so if your redemption requires servicing over the phone, you might as well forget about it
They don’t allow mixed cabin awards, meaning if you book a business class award all segments have to be in business class
Still, given United’s award chart devaluation and US Airways no longer in the Star Alliance, there aren’t many ways to economically book premium cabin Star Alliance awards anymore. LifeMiles is one of the best programs for those awards, even with the higher cost to purchase miles and devalued award chart.

So while I certainly wouldn’t speculatively purchase LifeMiles, with a specific use in mind they can be a great value.

For example, LifeMiles charges 90,000 miles for first class between the US and much of Asia, so at 1.65 cents per mile, that’s like paying ~$1,500 for a one-way first class ticket between the US and Asia on ANA or Asiana.

LifeMiles-Promo-3

Asiana-A380-First-Class-001
Asiana A380 first class

ANA-first-class-1
ANA 777-300ER first class

It’s worth noting that Avianca processes the purchase of LifeMiles directly, so it does count as airline spend for the purposes of your credit card.

Post: #310

A banging deal from Silver Car, at least for Audi lovers, if you need to arrange a car during the next three days or so to use before the end of the year.

Silvercar have one type of car — an Audi A4 — which comes with a bunch of cool features, including:

Free GPS
Free wifi
Free satellite radio
Fair toll tracking
Reasonable fuel plan (if you choose not to fill up your car you pay the local pump price plus a $5 fill-up fee)



The one downside is that Silvercar doesn’t have that many locations yet. So far they’re only available in:

Austin, Texas (AUS)
Dallas Love Field, Texas (DAL)
Dallas Ft. Worth, Texas (DFW)
Denver, Colorado (DEN)
Los Angeles, California (LAX)
Miami, Florida (MIA)
Phoenix, Arizona (PHX)
San Francisco, California (SFO)


Silvercar is offering a Black Friday promotion, whereby you can book rentals for 50% off.

Silvercar-Promo-1

The promotion is valid for bookings made through midnight on December 1, 2014, and for rentals between December 1 and December 31, 2014. Simply use promotion code WACKFRIDAY at the time of booking. The promotion is valid for any market and at any time during the promotion period.

For example, looking up weekend rentals, this brings the cost down to as little as $39 including all taxes and fees in some markets. This can be stacked with referral program. In addition, they're offering $100 for every new renter you refer that books a rental of at least two days. If you refer five new renters during the promotion period they give you an additional $500 bonus, potentially for a $200 per person referral bonus.

That’s stackable with the 50% off Black Friday promotion.

If you haven’t yet used Silvercar or a referral code, simply go to the sign-up page on silvercar.com, and enter the “Referral Code” at the bottom of the page. If you’d like to use mine, which would be cool, send me a PM and I'll send it back to you.

Post: #311

LAN is selling miles today with a more than 100 percent bonus. anyone buying?

Post: #312

Per El Cid, definitely a grab - it kind of deal...

(11-26-2014 10:15 PM)elcidcampeador Wrote:  Not a flight deal but a hotel deal that's upcoming (Dec 1st).

Orbitz will be offering $100 off non-refundable bookings using code VISACHECKOUT.

Most branded properties aren't eligible, but some good deals out there - I'm going to book the SLS Vegas which will be $20 for the night I need.

Also a great deal for those internationally where there are more eligible properties.

Post: #313

Any deals to Ukraine over the holidays?

Leaving from NYC

Post: #314

Are you trying to fly premium class? If you are, there are some ways to generate points that make sense, in that time frame. Sign-ups on cards take some time, usually, as you have to hit a minimum spend and then find award tickets, so the timing for sign-ups is probably too tight (though if you're credit is good, its definitely worthwhile). Buying points during one of the recent promotions and using it for a premium ticket would be a potentially good deal, though buying points and using it for economy tickets usually doesn't work out economically (or using purchased points to upgrade - also not very economic).

Also check british airways, which just had a sale on transatlantic flights - you could always connect through London on BA to Kiev on Ukraine Airlines commuter or something along those lines.

Post: #315

Just wanted to mention a good opportunity for miles for those of you who wisely have a Chase Ink Business credit card, which gives 1 point for dollar spent, 2 points on travel and 5 points for office supply stores.

I'm shopping for a rice cooker, so I figured I'd see if Staples.com (an office supply store for which I'll get 5 Chase points per dollar spent) has rice cookers. Strangely, they do (and for the same or lower prices than Amazon.com for most items I checked.

But what Staples has even more interestingly to points players is gift cards. If I buy gift cards at Staples for other retailers, I'll get 5 points per dollar spent, as opposed to 1-2 points by using another card directly with the retailer. Also, staples provides free shipping if you buy 49.95 of purchases, and gift cards count.

I buy some things at Whole Foods, which is a two minute walk to my house. Yes they're overpriced on a lot of things, but I buy coconut water and some produce there, and occasionally head there for morning coffee and breakfast. Staples.com has WF gift cards 100 dollar value for 100 dollars, and with a Chase Ink card, 500 points for the purchase. No card I have would yield more than 1.25 for the same purchase (I know there are some cards that give 2 points for supermarkets, but I don't think any give 5), so this yields an extra 300 percent in points for going through staples.com.

Other cards are available for gas retailers and other places you probably already buy directly. If you don't mind the lead time for the spending (probably not significant in financial cost anyway), its a great way to multiply points on spending your already doing. Staples (and the other office superstores) also sell coffee, food, and cleaning materials (and rice cookers). And though I forgot to use evrewards.com and use a shopping portal, those 500 points in Chase will probably be worth, ultimately around 15 or even 25 dollars (if I use them for a first class ticket, perhaps double that) when I cash them in, like getting 100 of groceries for 75 or 85 dollars.


Edit - OK what I apparently should have also done (and it only occurred to me after I finished my purchase) is that i should have checked evrewards.com before going to the staples website. I could have clicked through American Airlines shopping website and gotten an additional 2 points per dollar spent to use on AA. My mistake. It won't happen again.

For those not familiar with evrewards or airline shopping sites, they are simply gateways for gaining points for shopping you'll otherwise be doing. For example, say you wanted to buy something from The North Face. Go to evrewards.com, and search The North Face. You'll get a list of airline shopping portals (and perhaps some coupons) - searching now also yields AA as the best portal, and SW, Delta and some others also being worthwhile (min 3 miles for each dollar spent).

Just by signing up for the shopping site, and connecting to the website and shopping on the exact same basis you would have had you directly connected to the North Face website, you'll get the bonus miles for using the portal. I bought a 60' 3D tv - bought from sears through Delta. 6 points per dollar x 1300 gave me 7800 delta points, which for me is probably going to be worth 250-300 dollars for longhaul business class. I checked to make sure sears had a competitive price for the product online first - don't spent 200 dollars more to get back 100 dollars worth of miles of course.

Keeping in mind that flying is second or third priority as a way to earn miles, this should be your first thought when you have an online purchase upcoming.

Post: #316

This one is for MaleDefined and anyone else in Asia who has a SPG AMEX. Its a repost from View from the wing, and shows how to get cheap awards flights (as little as 5000 miles) using the Japan Airlines Program, which is an SPG transfer partner.


****
----
How to Book Deeply Discounted Awards Flying Around Asia
// View from the Wing

A couple of years ago I wrote about flying for as little as 5000 points.

That’s the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank promotional discount for travel on their partner Bangkok Airways. I wrote about the offer shortly after it was launched.

And then it was extended for all of 2014.

Now Rapid Travel Chai points out that it has been extended through March 2016.


Here’s the discounted award chart:



For under 1000 miles, they give examples:
Bangkok-Siem Riep
Bangkok-Phuket
Bangkok-Koh Samui
For 1001 – 2000 miles, they give examples:
Singapore-Koh Samui
Bangkok-Phuket-Chiang Mai-Bangkok
The promotion applies to economy redemptions only.

You can transfer Starwood points to JAL, but the transfer isn’t instant. It’s just once a week, so I’ve always suggested planning on about a week for things to go through. Bookings need to be made by phone with no award holds available.

I’ve found availability pretty good on most routes in the past, although Koh Samui can be tight.

If you’re going to be traveling around Southeast Asia, have a look at the Bangkok Airways route map. This award sale certainly offers some bargains. They offer service to some interesting, underserved markets as well such as Luang Prabang and Ventiane, Yangon, Dhaka, Siem Reap, and Male.

And if you do travel on Bangkok Airways, join their FlyerBonus program because membership alone entitles you to an extra 10kg baggage allowance.

****

Post: #317

If you guys want 50,000 American Airlines points for $85 sign up for the US Airways premiere world mastercard. I got in on the deal a few months ago and they were offering 40,000 pts. They just upped it to 50k which pisses me off. I wish I'd waited. They were able to give me a complimentary free 2500pts just to be nice about it. Better than nothing I guess.

What's so cool about it is that there's no minimum spend like you have with most cards. Just buy a stick of gum with the card, pay the annual fee of $85 up front and that's worth 2 RT domestic flights right there or 1 RT to Europe or Asia depending on season and class. When US Air merges with AA in a few months, those points will then become aadvantage points.

Jump on this boys, no better deal out there right now!

Post: #318

Yeah, I just had both of my parents sign up for this card, as well as the British Airways visa. (I also signed up when the bonus was 40K - they got 50K). They both got approved for both. The BA card has a minimum spend, but its only 2000 for three months. They now have 100K miles each.

If you're credit rating is above 700, you're throwing money away if you are a US citizen and don't sign up for this card.

(12-07-2014 08:41 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  If you guys want 50,000 American Airlines points for $85 sign up for the US Airways premiere world mastercard. I got in on the deal a few months ago and they were offering 40,000 pts. They just upped it to 50k which pisses me off. I wish I'd waited. They were able to give me a complimentary free 2500pts just to be nice about it. Better than nothing I guess.

What's so cool about it is that there's no minimum spend like you have with most cards. Just buy a stick of gum with the card, pay the annual fee of $85 up front and that's worth 2 RT domestic flights right there or 1 RT to Europe or Asia depending on season and class. When US Air merges with AA in a few months, those points will then become aadvantage points.

Jump on this boys, no better deal out there right now!

Post: #319

Ok, so now I am the proud owner of a Star Alliance (Miles & More) credit card, starting with 2 000 miles and earning about 500 miles per month on average, plus about about 6 000 per year from actual flying. Generally speaking, the minimum amount of miles needed to get a significant upgrade (Economy ---> Business) is 10 000, with around 30-40 000 required for a free flight.

So at the current rate and barring lucrative promotions or other one-time offers, it will take me one year to see some benefit, and 3 years to get something big out of it.

Good thing that the miles earned this way never expire, right?

Post: #320

(12-08-2014 07:24 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Ok, so now I am the proud owner of a Star Alliance (Miles & More) credit card, starting with 2 000 miles and earning about 500 miles per month on average, plus about about 6 000 per year from actual flying. Generally speaking, the minimum amount of miles needed to get a significant upgrade (Economy ---> Business) is 10 000, with around 30-40 000 required for a free flight.

So at the current rate and barring lucrative promotions or other one-time offers, it will take me one year to see some benefit, and 3 years to get something big out of it.

Good thing that the miles earned this way never expire, right?

It's 3 years for the mileage validity for the standard card:
http://www.miles-and-more.com/online/por...&cid=18002

They usually have a Silver Promotion where if you take 30 flight segments in a year you'll get the next level status, on this one there is no expiry. In addition, for every 5 flights in the promotion you'll get bonuses such as an award flight for 5000 miles and 8000 free miles.

Post: #321

Ah yes, but because I have the linked credit card that I use every month, this is the one that applies to me:

Quote:Mileage expiry can be suspended for holders of a Miles & More Credit Card (3)

Your award miles will not expire after 36 months, but will remain valid for an unlimited time if you meet the following conditions:

-You have been a Miles & More Credit Card holder for at least 3 months, and
- Each month you need to make a minimum of one purchase (that is not returned or refunded) which is eligible for miles with your Miles & More Credit Card.

If you meet these conditions, none of your award miles will expire - it doesn't matter if you earned/will earn them with flights, purchases or specials offered by other Miles & More partners.

Take into account that I only spend about $ 7000 per year, so it's futile for me to even bother with high-level stuff like flying 30 flight segments. That shit is just above my financial level.

Post: #322

Did you go for the AMEX or the mastercard? You get more miles per euro on the AMEX.
Also, for the flight segments, even if you don't you can see get some decent bonuses on the way. I got it earlier this year by taking some flights that had a short stopover instead of direct. They were always a bit cheaper as well.

Post: #323

Yep it's AmEx... only the Standard one because I wasn't sure how much spending I'd be able to squeeze onto it, but if it turns out it's a bigger amount than I anticipated I'll switch to Premium (maybe they'll be nice and give me another welcome bonus, heh).

I am not sure what you mean with the other part, though. Can you explain?

For example, say that I'm flying from London UK to Cape Town SA. Do you mean that I'll get more miles if I book a flight that stops at many locations (say Madrid, Marrakesh, Lagos, and Durban), rather than just one (say Lagos), even though the actual distance is almost the same?

Post: #324

Eel, you live in South Europe, if memory serves? It seems a lot easier to manufacture spending in the USA, but there are ways to do it in Europe. If you really want to pursue this, you could buy things and sell them online for a small or no mark-up. Thats universally possible - buy in bulk, sell small. I unfortunately can't weigh in on many manufactured spending possibilities outside the USA and perhaps China.

Post: #325

(12-08-2014 08:27 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  Yep it's AmEx... only the Standard one because I wasn't sure how much spending I'd be able to squeeze onto it, but if it turns out it's a bigger amount than I anticipated I'll switch to Premium (maybe they'll be nice and give me another welcome bonus, heh).

I am not sure what you mean with the other part, though. Can you explain?

For example, say that I'm flying from London UK to Cape Town SA. Do you mean that I'll get more miles if I book a flight that stops at many locations (say Madrid, Marrakesh, Lagos, and Durban), rather than just one (say Lagos), even though the actual distance is almost the same?

No worries, every year for the last couple of years, Miles and More do a promotion where if you get 30 flight segments you are awarded frequent traveler status. For each 5 segments there is a bonus award, this varies but could be free miles, lounge access, a voucher for a flight for 2000 miles etc. If your flight has a stopover, each flight counts. So providing the stopover time is not ridiculous, it can sometimes be worth taking the 4 flights instead of 2.