US Dividend Miles - Post Your SUCCESSFUL oneworld bookings here

[tm.smile]

SYD-(J)-CHC-(y)-SYD x 2 also 55000 points and about aud$300 inc all fees.

Considering the recent Jetstar sale where flights were less than $200 round trip per person and Emirates sale for $229 each way at the moment, thats a really poor redemption...

 

[burmans]

Considering the recent Jetstar sale where flights were less than $200 round trip per person and Emirates sale for $229 each way at the moment, thats a really poor redemption...

Rub it in, why dont you!

 

[bcworld]

I assumed QF would have higher taxes because I just assumed it would be that airline that did (i mean for QFFP taxes are pretty high)
to NOU we have 152.33 + 50 each in USD and then NZ is $136.68+50 each in USD.

Taxes are set by the government / airport and have nothing to do with which airline is flown. Fuel surcharges are another matter but US doesn't charge these for QF.

Australian taxes are quite high on the global scale and these numbers look correct - return taxes to NOU would be A$165 according to ITA.

 

[shellthom]

Considering the recent Jetstar sale where flights were less than $200 round trip per person and Emirates sale for $229 each way at the moment, thats a really poor redemption...

Yes, well we had all weekend to book something on Jetstar but I didn't have the receipt required for the TRS on the weekend. I got it on Monday. So I can't go back in time.
I said it may not have been the best use, your entitled to think what you will. It doesn't mean you have to comment on it. I am aware and yet I am happy with my bookings. I don't need strangers trying to bring it down. I was happy to share the fact that the girl did a mixed class points deduction but only one person seems to have cared about that.
By the time we add on the bundle with Jetstar it become $200 more, because we would have.
I am platinum anyway so there is no real poor redemption to me given I can get into the first class lounge with OW where I couldn't with *A and we were going to pay $75 per person to go to Melbourne on JQ via the Flounge which doesn't get me my TRS refund so judge how you will… just kindly keep it to yourself.

 

[sergeyvzn]

Yes, well we had all weekend to book something on Jetstar but I didn't have the receipt required for the TRS on the weekend. I got it on Monday. So I can't go back in time.
I said it may not have been the best use, your entitled to think what you will. It doesn't mean you have to comment on it. I am aware and yet I am happy with my bookings. I don't need strangers trying to bring it down. I was happy to share the fact that the girl did a mixed class points deduction but only one person seems to have cared about that.
By the time we add on the bundle with Jetstar it become $200 more, because we would have.
I am platinum anyway so there is no real poor redemption to me given I can get into the first class lounge with OW where I couldn't with *A and we were going to pay $75 per person to go to Melbourne on JQ via the Flounge which doesn't get me my TRS refund so judge how you will… just kindly keep it to yourself.

It may not be the perfect value but is still a good value! No one wants to fly Jetstar even to NZ. Emirates one one in J and return in Y would be about $1100 AUD and you got it for half that so don't listen to those who say it wasn't that great

 

[sergeyvzn]

So, today partner and I have finalized our trips to Europe in May 2015. We booked our outbound legs about a month ago when QF F sectors to LHR became available but had to go separately, him on QF all the way and me on CX (see my previous post on this thread). We both booked dummy inbound flights. On Thursday partner booked his actual return flights and added an open jaw. I did the same thing today and added a stopover while also changing the destination.
We are traveling separately as it seemed near impossible to get two F seats together on any carrier rather than BA (did not want them due to YQs) or MH (did not want them due to poor J product from KUL to Australia and general concern about whether the airline is even going to still be around in 2015) but we did not mind traveling separately.
The result is

partner going SYD-MEL-LHR on QF (MEL to SYD is obviously in J), returning ARN-LHR-(DXB)-SYD, Stockholm to London on BA in J, the rest on the direct QF flight to Sydney in F. He had to pay the $150 change fee but got refunded $68 in taxes (not paying the UK APD any more since he's only transiting Heathrow). Overall taxes just around $240 + 150K points, obviously

me going SYD-HKG on CX in J, 9 hours in HKG (hello cabanas in The Wing), then onto LHR on CX in F
stopover for a day
then on to LED on BA in J
returning LED-LHR on BA, overnight, then QF F LHR-(DXB)-MEL, overnight, MEL-SYD on QF in J
I got a $12 refund on previously paid taxes of about $400 but had to pay the $150 change fee as well, 150K points as well

pretty happy with the result, we both leave on the same day/arrive on the same day for the outbound journey and both leave on the same day/arrive within a day of each other for the inbound journey, getting to where we wanted to go.

we were not particularly flexible with dates due to having to be in Europe around particular dates in May and both having to get back to work on the 1st of June.

a couple of things to note:

1) Better to ring the dedicated Gold or Silver line if you have status with US Airways (we both do, him Gold and me Silver, did not fly with them, it's all just buying points) - you get to speak to a person in about 5 minutes as opposed to being on hold for half an hour if your ring their usual Award Reservation line number. Also, both agents we spoke to were excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful. His updated his booking in about 10 mins, mine took longer as she had to ask a supervisor if she could add a stopover as I had not booked it originally a month ago so adding it was actually against the rules but she just wanted to help me and got an OK from the supervisor.

2) be careful with BA fuel surcharges. I was first quoted today $550 in increased taxes/surcharges, she said it was due to flying on BA and paying the YQs but I still questioned it so she got back to the rates desk and repriced the taxes, which resulted in the $12 refund. I'm still not quite sure whether it's correct but I obviously did not protest. I think initially the calculation somehow included the YQ flowing onto my QF flight back to Australia, I've read about it on Flyertalk, it has happened to a few people.

3) a month ago I was told I could not backtrack LHR-LED as backtracking within a zone is not allowed. I tried to question that but the agent asked a supervisor and categorically repeated "not allowed". There was no problem with the backtracking today, the Sliver line agent knew all the rules and applied them correctly.

we still got about 1M US DM between the two of us, so time to burn them on some other F flights -

 

[MEL_Traveller]

thanks for the feedback!

I still wanna know how with over 2 million miles bought I got no love in the status stakes *sobbing quietly into my bed-time mug of milk*

 

[serfty]

...
I said it may not have been the best use, your entitled to think what you will. It doesn't mean you have to comment on it. I am aware and yet I am happy with my bookings. I don't need strangers trying to bring it down. I was happy to share the fact that the girl did a mixed class points deduction but only one person seems to have cared about that. ...

I fully agree.

DM in it's own right can be cost effective even for basic routes. It's not all about GUM.

It just cost me 60K DM and USD360 for MEL-AKL return (2 x Business class).

Compared with AA it's a wash (70K and USD265), but I do not have 70K AA miles floating around, I do have the DM.

FWIW, with QFF as the cost would have been 144K points and AUD286.

D Class return fare on QF would have been AUD3546 all up (J class AUD3996).

The 60K DM cost me USD680 back in April - so all up just over USD1040. (At current special share rates the all up cost would be ~USD1465).

No matter what, I believe I am well ahead.

 

[shellthom]

I fully agree.

DM in it's own right can be cost effective even for basic routes. It's not all about GUM.

It just cost me 60K DM and USD360 for MEL-AKL return (2 x Business class).

Compared with AA it's a wash (70K and USD265), but I do not have 70K AA miles floating around, I do have the DM.

FWIW, with QFF as the cost would have been 144K points and AUD286.

D Class return fare on QF would have been AUD3546 all up (J class AUD3996).

The 60K DM cost me USD680 back in April - so all up just over USD1040. (At current special share rates the all up cost would be ~USD1465).

No matter what, I believe I am well ahead.

I didn't mean to sound rude - I had put the disclaimer in there indicating that I didn't need to be told it was bad. Had I not already booked it I would have appreciated the comments on what would have been better value.

We were undercharged in points on our original booking so anything else we booked was going to be a loss of value.

Having to cancel the 6 week trip is still a sad point in our lives at the moment. But spending more time with our cat is great.
We paid just under $2400 for 210000 points back in december, so when you ad the cost of the points in i know i have wasted 110,000 points - had I not bought the points and bought economy tickets I would have paid the same amount. But we have a business class flight each trip so that ads a bit of value back. Being WP also ads value to overseas travel and our TRS refund, but we would have had those in economy on a fully paid fare anyway. I get it. Yet, we are both happy with what is booked and so is my mum (she did a bit of complaining because she thinks she might need me end of July but her mum and sister will be back well before we go away so I told her if she needs someone during that time she will just have to ask them - hopefully she is fine, it will be midway between her 3 and 4th chemo sessions so I think its fine) so thats the main thing. Everyone is happy (except the people who could have used my points more wisely but sometimes outside factors mean you can't get the best value from money, you just have to get the best value from life).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Don't worry - you got an ok deal I hit the roof the other day when a family member spent 500,000 points (250,000 x 2 pax) to fly SYD-WLG return. (any seat award on QF).

Thankfully I managed to talk them out of it!

 

[burmans]

1) Better to ring the dedicated Gold or Silver line if you have status with US Airways (we both do, him Gold and me Silver, did not fly with them, it's all just buying points) - you get to speak to a person in about 5 minutes as opposed to being on hold for half an hour if your ring their usual Award Reservation line number. Also, both agents we spoke to were excellent, very knowledgeable and helpful. His updated his booking in about 10 mins, mine took longer as she had to ask a supervisor if she could add a stopover as I had not booked it originally a month ago so adding it was actually against the rules but she just wanted to help me and got an OK from the supervisor.

2) be careful with BA fuel surcharges. I was first quoted today $550 in increased taxes/surcharges, she said it was due to flying on BA and paying the YQs but I still questioned it so she got back to the rates desk and repriced the taxes, which resulted in the $12 refund. I'm still not quite sure whether it's correct but I obviously did not protest. I think initially the calculation somehow included the YQ flowing onto my QF flight back to Australia, I've read about it on Flyertalk, it has happened to a few people.

3) a month ago I was told I could not backtrack LHR-LED as backtracking within a zone is not allowed. I tried to question that but the agent asked a supervisor and categorically repeated "not allowed". There was no problem with the backtracking today, the Sliver line agent knew all the rules and applied them correctly.

So maybe there is a benefit in being Silver after all, you get through faster and you get someone who actually is competant. You'll also get someone wo is more likely to know the rules, which may or may not be a good thing!

 

[get me outta here]

Ok, who's going to share the silver/gold/stratospheric phone number please?

 

[casanovawa]

How do you get status buying points with USDM??

And yes planning to do one or two J PER-AKL, finally something of real value for us here in Perth...

 

[burmans]

How do you get status buying points with USDM??

I dont think anyone actually knows the answer to that, some got status, some didn't!

 

[hossein_au]

Ok, who's going to share the silver/gold/stratospheric phone number please?

Once the call is answered (by the machine), one is prompted to enter one's FF number, at which time I presume the call is routed to the appropriate/relevant section. Happy to be told otherwise...

 

[get me outta here]

Hossein, I thought we were referring to the USDM hotline?

 

[hossein_au]

Hossein, I thought we were referring to the USDM hotline?

My bad, that's what you get for having multiple tabs open and reading many many threads simultaneously...Sorry!

 

[tm.smile]

Just made a booking for a mate to Europe in Jan.

SYD-KUL-BKK on MH J
BKK-HEL-CDG on AY J
CDG-BKK-SYD on MH J

120,000 and 438.60 in taxes plus the $50 booking fee. Would have preferred to get him onto CX but alas he was happy to be in J for not too much more than a Y ticket.

 

[sergeyvzn]

Just made a booking for a mate to Europe in Jan.

SYD-KUL-BKK on MH J
BKK-HEL-CDG on AY J
CDG-BKK-SYD on MH J

120,000 and 438.60 in taxes plus the $50 booking fee. Would have preferred to get him onto CX but alas he was happy to be in J for not too much more than a Y ticket.

The taxes seem too high. They didn't charge you fuel surcharges on AY flights as they are known to have done to some other unsuspecting travellers, did they?

 

[tm.smile]

This is what I got from the QR website

I assume its the YR? Should I call up then?