New to UMP - how to earn points

Status
Not open for further replies.

Luko

Newbie
Joined
May 15, 2012
Posts
4
Hi All,

After Virgins decision to abandon MEL-LAX and United starting up, I joined up for MP. Aside from flying, is there any way to earn points from other means? Like with Velocity I can get bonus points with a credit card etc.

Any help appreciated :)
 
Hi All,

After Virgins decision to abandon MEL-LAX and United starting up, I joined up for MP. Aside from flying, is there any way to earn points from other means? Like with Velocity I can get bonus points with a credit card etc.

Any help appreciated :)

I think that's the big problem with US FF programs for Australian residents - it's very hard to earn points by other means. In some cases you can do it in a roundabout way - e.g. by transferring points from a credit card to a hotel loyalty program, and then onwards to an airline. Not sure of the specifics wrt UA though, and often when using those mechanisms, the earn rate is not as good.

BTW, I'm also unhappy about VA's decision, and I too am now looking into UA as an award option from MEL-LAX. I have a load of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer points though, and I'm investigating using them for UA, instead of UMP. A major advantage of KrisFlyer is that you can easily earn with an array of Australian credit cards (e.g. Amex, Westpac Altitude, Westpac Singapore Airlines, Citibank Rewards). My initial thoughts are that burn rates with UA are a little pricy though.
 
United have some pockets of value (Aus-Asia as an example) but it's really a "buy points" only option. Even washing through SPG is poor value as they only transfer at 2:1 to United.


Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly
 
Maybe rocketmiles.com for hotel booking. They sometimes offer 5000 points for your first booking. Always see 3000 bonus. Usually 1000 per night. But the rate are usually higher than other agents.

UA usually sells miles if you have a booking with them. They offered me 60k for $USD1280 (enough to go to South East Asia in business) last time I flew to SFO. I ended up collecting 35k points from flying so I book a business award SYD --> BKK --> cough (Japan) --> SYD for 80k and $150 tax. And with this award booking, they are now offering 45k for $USD 9XX. With 15k I have left, I can get another business flight to Asia lol (can also do First class for just 80k)

I also keep seeing 30-40% of promo. ie 60k can be had around $1350-$1600 USD (normal price is $2257.5).
 
A little OT but does anyone know if United let you family transfer points? Or do you have to pay for the transfer.
Does everyone flying with united also needs there own membership or can you put one number for all the tickets you buy?
 
A little OT but does anyone know if United let you family transfer points? Or do you have to pay for the transfer.
Does everyone flying with united also needs there own membership or can you put one number for all the tickets you buy?

Pay for transfer.

Transfer Miles

And I believe everyone needs their own account.
 
Thanks for that TomVexille. So does that mean you are better of crediting the miles to Air New Zealand as they are both members of the Star Alliance? Can you do that?
 
Thanks for that TomVexille. So does that mean you are better of crediting the miles to Air New Zealand as they are both members of the Star Alliance? Can you do that?

You can do that, but I wouldn't. Airpoints is one of the worst (in terms of earn rates) out there. I wouldn't bother with it.

You can have a look at the other *A programs and see what might work best for you.
 
I guess the only other real possibility is Singapore.

The problem with SQ is the hard 3 year expiry of all miles (although you can pay to extend their validity). Other than that, there's the Westpac SQ CC and a few other cards that transfer points to SQ.
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

I guess my issue is I need a rewards program that lets me transfer points between family members. There are 5 off us going on a trip worth about 15K worth of points each. If I cant transfer them to one account I cant gain any benefits.
 
I guess my issue is I need a rewards program that lets me transfer points between family members. There are 5 off us going on a trip worth about 15K worth of points each. If I cant transfer them to one account I cant gain any benefits.

With UA, it's a cost of $980USD for 60k miles for a total of 75k.

Play around with the award chart and decide if it works for you.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/apps/mileageplus/awards/travel/awardTravel.aspx

One more option is Asiana who do allow you to pool family members miles for an award (not actually transfer though). The downside being that their redemptions are a little more expensive and probably more difficult out of Australia than UA.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Enhance your AFF viewing experience!!

From just $6 we'll remove all advertisements so that you can enjoy a cleaner and uninterupted viewing experience.

And you'll be supporting us so that we can continue to provide this valuable resource :)


Sample AFF with no advertisements? More..

Recent Posts

Currently Active Users

Back
Top