Renewed Buy/Gift Miles Offer: 80k=45k Bonus, Mile Cost Reduced

[coolkid101]

New one is up. 10% discount to buy this week. Let's see what the RBA do tomorrow to our interest rates!

works out to about USD 2 cents /mile for the most "worthwhile" 70,000 points buy. good but not as good as last round when it went down to 1.85c.

 

[exceladdict]

so much for "it's the last one" circa-october.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

so much for "it's the last one" circa-october.

it was the last 100% bonus! (or was that earlier?)

 

[smit0847]

it was the last 100% bonus! (or was that earlier?)

Correct. We will never see another 100% bonus again

 

[coolkid101]

last promo with the 56% bonus and the 10% discount brought the price down to 1.8c/mile which was as good as the 100% bonus at the previous higher cost/mile... but the USD rate sure made a difference...

 

[Alanslegal]

I'm not fussed about %'s . What I am keen is the overall cost. Say I wanted 100,000 points:-

If they gave me 100% buy bonus at $35/1,000 (which is what they use to do in the early days) then buying 50K+50K bonus is USD$1750+taxes.

Now - say in March 2015 - they decide to do a 25% buy bonus but the cost of miles is lower - let's say $20/1,000. Then buying 80K+20K bonus is $1,600+taxes. Sure 25% looks worse off but the fact is, it's not.

 

[anat0l]

The newest promotion (assuming you buy 75k minimum required to get 30k bonus - the best cost per mile rate - and you buy before 9 Feb so you get 10% discount on price) works out to be about 10% more expensive than the classical sale rate of 1.88c per mile.

Compounding on that is the depressing AUD/USD exchange rate. "Still cheaper than buying J in cash", but at what price does one call it.....

(Frankly, here, with the CHF having appreciated and still competitive against the USD, it's not a bad proposition at all, but I just don't have that much discretionary spending nor forward thinking on the burning of any purchased points to act now ...)

 

[exceladdict]

Compounding on that is the depressing AUD/USD exchange rate. "Still cheaper than buying J in cash", but at what price does one call it.....

Maybe I should have pre loaded some more before the dollar flopped... Ah well.

Even at the same cost of the ticket, flexible routing (depending on the agent you get of course) is appealing for RTW at return prices.

 

[baggyred]

Maybe I should have pre loaded some more before the dollar flopped... Ah well.

Hands up if you have already kicked yourself for not doing this!

I use mine generally for return J flights to the east coast - the devaluation now means each flight will be about $875 return (inc fees) - up from about $650 when I first discovered them

After the merger I'm assuming that flight will be now 35k points - the cost will be $975!

Heaven forbid - I might have to start flying Y again... hahah At least if the work purse strings get tight with AA I could always fly the longer leg (westwards) up front and the eastbound flight in Y

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think since their systems/rate desk are more on top of MPM, agents have been fairly happy to accept flights you may have found.