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Airline Miles

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by Watts, May 17, 2013.

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  1. Watts

    Watts Low-Roller

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    Hi everyone. I was just curious if anyone has ever used one of those sites to purchase frequent flyer miles? If so, what was your experience like?

    I like to use miles for trips that are booked within a couple days of departure. Thanks.
     
  2. matti

    matti Low-Roller

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    What sites are you talking about?
     
  3. xmarksx

    xmarksx VIP Whale

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    Watts, if you mean purchasing miles from the carrier (American for example) they do sometimes offer 2x or other promos but regardless it is more expensive than buying a ticket outright. I have used them when I was within a couple thousand of a first, business upgrade or free ticket then it seems to be a good option. If you mean one of the point/mile traders and seller sites I have not used them.
     
  4. Watts

    Watts Low-Roller

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    I forgot the exact name of the site I came across. But it's pretty much buying from a miles broker I think. I'll see if I can find which site it was.
     
  5. engicedave

    engicedave VIP Whale

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    Buying miles to use for free flights aren't free flights and cost more than a ticket.

    If you can buy/use a mileage multiplier that awards tier points, to get you to elite flyer status, so you can get free upgrades, free luggage and priority boarding, then that is worth it.
     
  6. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    If you buy miles from US airways it comes out to around 3.5 cents per mile...but as others have mentioned they sometimes do a promo with multipliers.

    If you like getting miles, I suggest the US airways Mastercard...wait for a large sign up bonus (sometime 50,000 miles), you also get zone 2 boarding...
     
  7. undathesea

    undathesea Grandissimo

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    I've bought miles when I'm short and need a ticket within a few days of the flight.

    It's usually a few hundred dollars as compared to close to $1k for quick ticket.
     
  8. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    I would like to also inquire about the airline promotions, for example, US Airways has a deal where you can "gift" miles and get double the miles up to 50,000. So, I could gift my wife 50,000 miles and she would then get 100,000 miles, my cost is $.01 per mile, or $500 plus a $35 fee.

    I think I am answering my own question, but is this a good deal?

    Also, I have a US Airways Master Card (Barclays) and another benefit is a $99.00 companion fare annually. Another benefit is a 5000 mile bonus when you book a trip with miles.

    I guess my biggest problem with US Airways is that there are never any 25,000 mile trips available and a decent itineary requires 40-50,000 miles.
     
  9. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    The gift thing comes out to about 0.5 cents per mile which is pretty good...about 85% off normal price...and if you look at it in terms of cost of tickets you can determine which is the better "purchasing" method. Lets say the tickets cost 50,000 miles, so you would basically get 2 tickets for $535 dollars plus the booking fees...so if the tickets are normally more than $300 a piece then gifting miles back and forth to purchase the tickets is the way to go...if the tickets are less than $300 a piece then just buy them
     
  10. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Thanks, that makes sense. I think where this could also be useful is when regular airfare is high, like going to Florida around Easter. I just wish US Airways would let me use miles for one way travel.
     
  11. DeMoN2318

    DeMoN2318 The DERS

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    Another disadvantage of US airways and using miles is there is usually a limited number of seats that can be purchased with miles...but as the flight gets closer they open up more seats if the flight isnt filling up...

    Just imagine if every seat was purchased with miles...the airline would make $0 on the seats for that flight...so they limit the number of miles seats at first so they ensure they make some money...and if the flight isnt filling up they open up more miles seats because they would rather not get money for the seats but potentially make money on checked bags and in flight purchases than leave the seat completely empty
     
  12. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Do the math. It is usually a no-brainer - meaning you should not do it.

    But, if you want some more input, provide a link to the site you are talking about. You may also want to visit flyertalk.com for more travel related data.
     
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