Author Topic: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy  (Read 2863 times)

FiguringItOut

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 812
  • Location: NYC
Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« on: May 15, 2017, 07:28:27 AM »
Good morning everyone.  Hope you had a good Mother's Day weekend.

I am going to ask a question for which there is probably an answer already been posted here and elsewhere on the web, but I am dumb and can't figure it out.

I need to book a flight from NY City to Prague using reward points/miles.  I have American Airline AAdvantage miles and AmEx Member Rewards.  The flight I originally planned to book on AA using AAdvantage miles is no longer available and I can't figure out how to use AmEx rewards with transferring to airlines alliance partners and booking that way.

What I need is a flight from NY City (JFK, LGA, EWR) to Prague (PRG) on either August 16 or 17, evening flight preferred. 

For OneWorld Alliance, when I am searching AA for award flights right now I only get flights with either 2 stops or 8hr layovers.  I'd like something better than that. 

For StarAlliance, I am searching United site for available award flights and I see flights operated by Austrian Airlines, TAP Airlines, and Polish Airlines that seem to 'cost' 30K of United points plus about $40.  This is perfect.  But, how do I get United points if United is not an AmEx transfer partner; Singapore, ANA, and Canada are.   And if I transfer AmEx ponts to Singapore or ANA, how do I get them to United?  How do I actually book a flight. 

On Travel Miles 101 facebook page I was told to "Lots of one-stop availability on Star Alliance on both dates. Transfer 27.5K MR to Singapore or 37.5K to Aeroplan"  and I can't figure out what that means, how to find it, and how to book it.  I haven't seen anything with 27.5K or 37.5K miles at all.  Only 30K on both AA and United.

Also, are there any other places/way to search for this ticket?  I've read posts by ThePointGuy, Travel Miles 101, and some others, and I still can't figure out the logistics of it.

If anyone is willing to help this dummy (me!) please remember to speak slowly and on a 3rd grade level.  Thank you in advance for the help.











FiguringItOut

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 812
  • Location: NYC
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2017, 11:09:35 AM »
Nobody?

bacchi

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7056
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2017, 11:36:26 AM »
Find out how many Kris miles it takes to fly with their Star partners.

Transfer those MR points to Kris.

Find a United flight that has rewards availability. (The United credit card shows more seats available, btw.)

Call Singapore reservations and tell them that you want to use your miles on a partner flight. They will book it for you.


** You might want to do this as a dry-run. For example, call Singapore reservations and ask, "Can I use Kris miles to book a Star alliance flight with you?" If they reply, "Of course," you're golden. Tell them the flight and ask how many miles. If they'll hold that reward seat for 15 minutes, all the better (no idea if they'll do this). In any case, hang up, transfer MR points, and then call back.


*** I am not an expert at doing this. I've done it a few times but I always have to go back to my notes each time.

bacchi

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7056
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2017, 11:42:13 AM »
Here's the Kris-Star chart:

https://www.singaporeair.com/saar5/pdf/ppsclub_krisflyer/charts/StarAlliance_RoundTrip_Jul16.pdf

You can always fly Singapore east and American west. It's often easier to get rewards seats on the return flight.

FiguringItOut

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 812
  • Location: NYC
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2017, 11:58:39 AM »
Bacchi,

I had no idea I'd have to call and book the flight over the phone.  Thank you for telling me that.

I'll try the dry run for sure just to be safe.

I found return flight that I will pay cash for since it's only $200 and is not worth using up points.

*** 2 years ago I booked AirBerlin flights found on American Airline site with British Airways Avios points transferred from Change Ultimate Rewards.  I have zero recollection how I did that.  Someone walked me through it at a time.  I'll have to start keeping notes on this.  Thank you for the tip. 

boris10475

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 4
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2017, 12:02:29 PM »
Well, it is not easy to try to explain the whole concept of "award booking" from scratch.
You got to spend some time to educate yourself using online sources like flyertalk, Million Mile Secrets, Boarding Area, The Points Guy etc.
#1 A lot of folks book their summer trips as soon as the airlines load the award seats into their system which is about 11 months out. It is busy season for airlines and closer to departure award inventory is limited if at all.
#2. One World is a very poor way to try to get to Europe especially close to departure. When I name airlines here, I mean that airline is operating carrier and you are using AA miles for book travel.British Airways booked with AA miles will have very good availability, but you will have to pay hundreds of $$$ in so called "fuel surcharges" and award tickets in economy will turn out to be almost as much as regular revenue tickets without having to spend your miles. Iberia via Madrid also attracts fuel surcharges. AA does not fly to Prague from NYC. Finnair and Air Berlin do not attract fuel surcharges for AA redemptions and you can search AA website for availability, but I am not sure if you find any that close to departure and I am not sure they fly to Prague from their respective hubs.
#3. You can try to find Star Alliance availability using United or Air Canada websites. Then you have to figure out what mileage program you want to transfer your Amex MR points to - ANA, Singapore or Air Canada. All of them will have most likely different prices in miles to fly from continental US to Prague. Be aware of fuel surcharges as well - all of these 3 programs have fuel surcharges applicable to some of the redemptions and do not have them for other redemtions. You will have the call ANA, Singapore and Air Canada Customer Service Center to see if the flights you found on UAL or Air Canada website are bookable with their miles ( sometimes United or Air Canada will show "phantom" availability) and you will have to ask CSR how much are the fees and taxes on your chosen flight(s). If that works for you, then you will have to transfer your Amex MR to your chosen program and if the transfer is not instant you will have to hope that your flights will not be taken while transfer is underway. Once the miles hit your Singapore,ANA or Air Canada account you will have to call back their award ticket office to make actual booking or do the booking online if possible.
#4. The other option is Sky Team. AMEX MR points transfer to Delta and Flying Blu ( program of Air France/KLM). Actually, that could be a good option to get yourself to Europe barring availability. Delta does not assess fuel surcharges for their own flight and for redemptions on the flights operated by Air France/KLM. Flying Blue could be cheaper price in miles but they charge 100 euros fuel surcharges round trip for redemptions on their own metal and they have better availability for their own members sometimes. I think no fuel for redemptions on Delta but good luck finding award seats on Delta metal in the summer at Savers Level. Amex MR charges small amount though for transfers into US based programs including Delta. To find out availability you can use Dellta or Air France website. To make transfer and actual booking follow steps from # 3.
Good luck

FiguringItOut

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 812
  • Location: NYC
Re: Travel Hackers - please help this dummy
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2017, 12:47:05 PM »
Well, it is not easy to try to explain the whole concept of "award booking" from scratch.
You got to spend some time to educate yourself using online sources like flyertalk, Million Mile Secrets, Boarding Area, The Points Guy etc.
....
Good luck

Boris, thank you!
I've been reading the sites you list above (The Point Guy, etc) but somehow I still get lost in the details of it all.  May be I need to add them to my regular blog roll, like MMM here, and keep reading them all the time. 

I didn't think I was cutting it too close by booking end of August travel in May.  But may be I am.  The thing is, not everyone has flexibility to be able to plan 11 months in advance.  So I'm dealing within my own constraints where I am limited to the time I can travel and how far in advance I can have my vacation approved at work. 

Thank you for the details you wrote.  I'll have to read it several times and then go and try things out.