pwd847 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 (edited) The CSR urged me to change the booking for a $55 fee but I have no idea when I will need that flight again. I was under the impression (based on conversations I have had on flyertalk), that the Avios can be refunded. Today I found out that within 24 hours you can't get the points back BUT if it was a cash flight, then you can get the cash back within 24 hours of booking. This includes if the 214 hour booking window includes within 24 hours of departure. This is good to know and I will purposely book flights that depart AFTER 7:30am eastern time so I will have a chance to cancel the morning before when the phone lines open. There was a 24 hour British phone number I could have called but I don't have international calling. Maybe I should look into that? I think Britain is only a few cents per minute through Google Voice. Even if I pay a dollar or two for the phone call it's still worth saving my Avios. The thing is, when I play poker, plans are not very definite. Under normal circumstances I would have stayed until my 5am Sunday morning flight, but sometimes the cards run in your favor and when that's done, I like to get the hell outta there. Calls to +44 191 490 7901 (United Kingdom - Landline) are 1¢ per minute. Edited September 26, 2015 by pwd847 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 The thing is, when I play poker, plans are not very definite. Under normal circumstances I would have stayed until my 5am Sunday morning flight, but sometimes the cards run in your favor and when that's done, I like to get the hell outta there. I would have stopped the night, had a good rest, and started a new session next day morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Pam Posted September 27, 2015 Admin Share Posted September 27, 2015 Ohhh on AA when using Aadvantage miles, you can change your booking for no charge (date or destination, then wait a day and change the other if you need to) or get your miles back for $200 or $250, I can't remember. I paid the $ last time I had to cancel a trip but we were talking 50K miles (international flight, 2 pax). Good to know those restrictions are in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cv91915 Posted September 27, 2015 Author Share Posted September 27, 2015 I made my first EVER redemption today. Just a few minutes ago actually. I transferred 9000 Avios from Chase. I figured having 4500 Avios X2 is better than transferring 5000 and having 500 left over by the end of today. It just seemed more logical to me. I'm only getting 2 cpp but the personal value that I place on this redemption is a lot more than that. This trip is allowing me to play poker all weekend long at Canterbury park by Minneapolis, MN (Something I have been wanting to do for a long time). I am flying from MSP - ORD very, very, early Sunday morning. Flight is with American Airlines. P.S. This flight cost me 4,500 Avios and $5. Question: I can just walk up to the AA check in counter to check in for my flight correct? I do not have access to a printer. This BA email I got makes it sound like the email is my ticket, but I doubt that's true. Congrats on getting your redemption cherry popped. For future reference you can check in with the AA app and just use a mobile boarding pass. You can also use one of the automated check-in k***ks at the airport, although in the morning in some airports (San Diego comes to mind) the regular (non-First Class/non-elite) line to check in at the counter or a with machine is worse than the security line on its worst day. I would use that as a last resort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Ohhh on AA when using Aadvantage miles, you can change your booking for no charge (date or destination, then wait a day and change the other if you need to) or get your miles back for $200 or $250, I can't remember. I paid the $ last time I had to cancel a trip but we were talking 50K miles (international flight, 2 pax). Good to know those restrictions are in place. Unless you're an elite, I'm always under the impression that AA does charge on destination change, as well as close-in for date change. The only exception is when you're changing your award ticket to a higher cabin, Y to J, J to F, in which case, it's free regardless of elite status. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Pam Posted September 27, 2015 Admin Share Posted September 27, 2015 Ohhh on AA when using Aadvantage miles, you can change your booking for no charge (date or destination, then wait a day and change the other if you need to) or get your miles back for $200 or $250, I can't remember. I paid the $ last time I had to cancel a trip but we were talking 50K miles (international flight, 2 pax). Good to know those restrictions are in place. Unless you're an elite, I'm always under the impression that AA does charge on destination change, as well as close-in for date change. The only exception is when you're changing your award ticket to a higher cabin, Y to J, J to F, in which case, it's free regardless of elite status. Ohhh. Yeah. Sorry, I always forget about that distinction. I am an elite on AA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 One of the many reasons how elite statuses can make award travel so much more flexible without incurring additional cost. Now, AA doesn't charge for routing change (origin, destination, and terminals remain the same) and they don't charge when you drop the last leg on an one-way award, provided doing so doesn't change the zone. For instance, if you want to fly into EWR and don't mind landing at the surrounding airports, say JFK or PHL, you can tag an additional segment toward the end of the itinerary with the intention of dropping it. This is particularly helpful when your most ideal awards are not available at time of booking but you need to secure a ticket just in case. You can first ticket XXX-EWR/JFK/PHL-YYY, then when an ideal award becomes available in either of the 3 airports, you can change that and drop the YYY segment. This strategy should increase your probability to fly award on the most ideal dates, destinations, and cabins. Pam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Pam Posted September 27, 2015 Admin Share Posted September 27, 2015 One of the many reasons how elite statuses can make award travel so much more flexible without incurring additional cost. Now, AA doesn't charge for routing change (origin, destination, and terminals remain the same) and they don't charge when you drop the last leg on an one-way award, provided doing so doesn't change the zone. For instance, if you want to fly into EWR and don't mind landing at the surrounding airports, say JFK or PHL, you can tag an additional segment toward the end of the itinerary with the intention of dropping it. This is particularly helpful when your most ideal awards are not available at time of booking but you need to secure a ticket just in case. You can first ticket XXX-EWR/JFK/PHL-YYY, then when an ideal award becomes available in either of the 3 airports, you can change that and drop the YYY segment. This strategy should increase your probability to fly award on the most ideal dates, destinations, and cabins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmwrestle Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) All on points: September: BOS>>AUS in F on AA for my gf October : 2 tickets for me and my gf: BOS>>JFK>>LAX>>HNL in F on AA (redeye) HNL>>EWR>>BOS in F on United (redeye) 1 night at 4points sheraton at LAX for the overnight layover waiting for my statement to close on the first so i can book the hotels, planning on 2 night at hilton grand vacations waikikii and 3 night at the grand hyatt kauai November: PVD>>MCO on southwest for 7 people plus an extra seat for myself 7x 6-day Disney Park hopper passes 2x rooms at the DIsney Swan for 5 nights January: 2 tickets for me and my friend: ORD>>NRT RT in F on ANA NRT>>RGN RT in C on ANA Edited September 28, 2015 by kmwrestle TrevorHere 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cv91915 Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 All on points: September: BOS>>AUS in F on AA for my gf October : 2 tickets for me and my gf: BOS>>JFK>>LAX>>HNL in F on AA (redeye) HNL>>EWR>>BOS in F on United (redeye) 1 night at 4points sheraton at LAX for the overnight layover waiting for my statement to close on the first so i can book the hotels, planning on 2 night at hilton grand vacations waikikii and 3 night at the grand hyatt kauai November: PVD>>MCO on southwest for 7 people plus an extra seat for myself 7x 6-day Disney Park hopper passes 2x rooms at the DIsney Swan for 5 nights January: 2 tickets for me and my friend: ORD>>NRT RT in F on ANA NRT>>RGN RT in C on ANA Very nice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 All on points: September: BOS>>AUS in F on AA for my gf October : 2 tickets for me and my gf: BOS>>JFK>>LAX>>HNL in F on AA (redeye) HNL>>EWR>>BOS in F on United (redeye) 1 night at 4points sheraton at LAX for the overnight layover waiting for my statement to close on the first so i can book the hotels, planning on 2 night at hilton grand vacations waikikii and 3 night at the grand hyatt kauai November: PVD>>MCO on southwest for 7 people plus an extra seat for myself 7x 6-day Disney Park hopper passes 2x rooms at the DIsney Swan for 5 nights January: 2 tickets for me and my friend: ORD>>NRT RT in F on ANA NRT>>RGN RT in C on ANA And you're going to love F in ANA. One of the favorite cabins to be in. Spectacular product! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwd847 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) I think it would be helpful for our readers if any redemptions that are posted on here include the miles required and CPP if you feel like calculating it. Also the program that the miles were redeemed through and the metal that the flights were on. KmWrestle that is quite a list of redemptions! Edited September 28, 2015 by pwd847 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zobelle Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 DFW -> CAE -> DFW. $940, or 15,000 Avios. I take Avios. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmwrestle Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 With Points Needed : All on points: September: BOS>>AUS in F on AA for my gf (50k AA Miles) October : 2 tickets for me and my gf: BOS>>JFK>>LAX>>HNL in F on AA (redeye) (107.5k AA Miles each) HNL>>EWR>>BOS in F on United (redeye) (90k United Miles for 1 ticket, 40k for the other, transfered from UR) 1 night at 4points sheraton at LAX for the overnight layover (7500 spg points) waiting for my statement to close on the first so i can book the hotels, planning on 2 night at hilton grand vacations waikikii and 3 night at the grand hyatt kauai November: PVD>>MCO on southwest for 7 people plus an extra seat for myself (~~80k southwest points obtained from portal buying sears gift cards and using those to buy visa gc in store) 7x 6-day Disney Park hopper passes (40k Arrival+/Venture miles each) 2x rooms at the DIsney Swan for 5 nights (I did 2x Nights and flights for 70k spg points each transferring miles into AA with the bonus promotion. so 70k spg = 5 nights + 60k AA miles) January: 2 tickets for me and my friend: ORD>>NRT RT in F on ANA NRT>>RGN RT in C on ANA 195k ANA points transferred from amex MR each ticket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorer_714 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Giving someone a or "very nice" on some very bad redemptions does not help anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cv91915 Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Giving someone a or "very nice" on some very bad redemptions does not help anyone. Helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorer_714 Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Giving someone a or "very nice" on some very bad redemptions does not help anyone. Helpful. I am trying not to get in a back and forth that always happens on this subject. With out knowing the dates the HNL redemptions look very bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 Giving someone a or "very nice" on some very bad redemptions does not help anyone. I agree that flying to Hawaii, especially from the east coast, will yield better redemption values with airlines putting the two places in the same zone. Both Singapore and Korean Air are transfer partners of UR, which kmwrestle has. But again, saying what you said without providing alternatives doesn't serve much. It might just aggravate others. We have already had enough of those here lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Am I the only that finds the BA Travel Together a scam? In addition to having a really hard time finding award availability, I can't seem to find anything that is worth the 50% Avios plus the hefty surcharges. Has anyone used it successfully before and think it's a good deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zobelle Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 I wouldn't put $30K on a BA Card just to get it, if that's what you mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyschmied Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 No it's terrible. It can only be used on BA thus creating almost as much in fees as just buying a ticket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zobelle Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 It may or may not motivate me to run a few car payments through it though just to try it after meeting the 20K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappy Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) Why ya cancelling?I wasn't going to brag, but I am up several thousand dollars at the poker table and I dont need to stay until Sunday. I would rather lock up my win and fly back to Chicago in a few hours. $45 on Spirit.I'm not sure how the outcome was on your poker session, but if you knew you were going to have a hard time quitting, it would've been better to use any sort of funds to get out of there asap. If the flight was going to cost you $150 and you secured your winnings, you should've just left not risking all your money on the table. 1 all in could mean you doubled up or you go home broke Edited November 5, 2015 by Captivated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) I wouldn't put $30K on a BA Card just to get it, if that's what you mean. No it's terrible. It can only be used on BA thus creating almost as much in fees as just buying a ticket Glad I'm not the only one. I've already done the 30k this year. While it's not far from the 20k promo, I feel like the certificate really does not justify the additional 10k spend at 1x. It's good that I realize it now before putting another 30k early next year. I guess I'll close the card sooner than expected and transfer the CL to my other Chase cards instead. Edited November 5, 2015 by ERIC0728 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donuteric Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Why ya cancelling?I wasn't going to brag, but I am up several thousand dollars at the poker table and I dont need to stay until Sunday. I would rather lock up my win and fly back to Chicago in a few hours. $45 on Spirit.I'm not sure how the outcome was on your poker session, but if you knew you were going to have a hard time quitting, it would've been better to use any sort of funds to get out of there asap. If the flight was going to cost you $150 and you secured your winnings, you should've just left not risking all your money on the table. 1 all in could mean you doubled up or you go home broke No. He can never lose all his stack in one hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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