I need a Frequent Flyer Miles Expert!

[dsnydaddy]

I've used Frequent Flyer Miles in the past but have never done so to the complexity that I am planning for our next trip. Here's my Scenario:

4 of us.
Me (52) ~30,000 miles on United
Wife (48) ~32,000 miles on United
DS (14) ~14,000 miles on United
DD (11) ~14,000 miles on United

Here's my thinking:
I'll log onto United's website on the day that the flights come avail for the trip I am planning and get one-way fare using the miles for each of us (hopefully on the same flight, if not, it is my plan to pair me with my son and my wife with my daughter) Then on the date that the return flight is avail then book two return tickets using the FF miles and purchase two return tickets (any airline whatever gives me the best deal)

Here's my question:
If I am using my daughters miles to purchase a ticket for her on her own, How will the airline know that my wife is on the same flight as her so as to avoid a surcharge? Will I need to call to have this reservation made? (I'm hoping to avoid this as it will cost $50 per ticket to have them make the reservation)

Suggestions:
Is there are better way to handle this reservation? I had thought of getting 2 two-way tickets with my wife and I's miles then using the kids miles to purchase two halves of another two-way ticket. But feared that I may not find 3 award fares on the same flight.

Essentially, I want to use up all of our award miles because United has really jacked up their FF program.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

 

[clh2]

Are you able to combine any of the FF miles into one account? Ian sorry-i really do not know any of the ins/outs of United FF miles.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Yes you can but the cost is prohibitive. $15 per 1000 miles transferred. I'd end up saving little to no money.

 

[platamama]

Have you tried making a dummy reservation for one of your kids, just to see if there is a entry field that pops up where you can link an adult's reservation in order to avoid the surcharge? (Wow, $150 unaccompanied minor surcharge is pricey!)

 

[platamama]

Here's another option:

Open up a Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa that comes with the 40,000 point sign-up bonus (after meeting whatever the minimum spend is, I don't recall what it is right now, maybe $3000?).

Transfer 20,000 pts to your UA MP account, transfer 18,000 to your wife's UA MP account. That brings you both up to 50,000 miles. Enough for RT you and your son on your account, and your DD and DW on her account, if you can get the saver awards. And no unaccompanied minor surcharges. Make some small purchase thru the MP Shopping portal through each of your kids' accounts so that their miles don't expire ( do it anytime before their miles are set to expire with enough of a buffer for the points to actually post). Or eat at a United Dining restaurant with a linked CC.

I did just check through my own CSP account and I can transfer UR points to myself and my spouse, but not to any children. The transfers are in 1000 pt increments (no fee to transfer) and happen nearly instantaneously.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Have you tried making a dummy reservation for one of your kids, just to see if there is a entry field that pops up where you can link an adult's reservation in order to avoid the surcharge? (Wow, $150 unaccompanied minor surcharge is pricey!)

No, but that's a good idea!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Here's another option:

Open up a Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa that comes with the 40,000 point sign-up bonus (after meeting whatever the minimum spend is, I don't recall what it is right now, maybe $3000?).

Transfer 20,000 pts to your UA MP account, transfer 18,000 to your wife's UA MP account. That brings you both up to 50,000 miles. Enough for RT you and your son on your account, and your DD and DW on her account, if you can get the saver awards. And no unaccompanied minor surcharges. Make some small purchase thru the MP Shopping portal through each of your kids' accounts so that their miles don't expire ( do it anytime before their miles are set to expire with enough of a buffer for the points to actually post). Or eat at a United Dining restaurant with a linked CC.

I did just check through my own CSP account and I can transfer UR points to myself and my spouse, but not to any children. The transfers are in 1000 pt increments (no fee to transfer) and happen nearly instantaneously.

That's a great idea! I'll have to look into that Chase Sapphire account!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Have you tried making a dummy reservation for one of your kids, just to see if there is a entry field that pops up where you can link an adult's reservation in order to avoid the surcharge? (Wow, $150 unaccompanied minor surcharge is pricey!)

Doesn't look like any alert comes up when booking a minor with their own points. My guess is that they'd catch that particular fee when checking in.

 

[platamama]

Doesn't look like any alert comes up when booking a minor with their own points. My guess is that they'd catch that particular fee when checking in.

You're probably right.

 

[platamama]

That's a great idea! I'll have to look into that Chase Sapphire account!

Only the Preferred w the annual fee (waived for the 1st year, I think) has the point transfer feature. The lesser Chase Sapphire does not.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

First, UA did not "Jack up" their FF program. The number of miles needed for a domestic flight has not changed. In fact, UA has excellent award availibility.

You cannot know exactly what day UA will release award flight; in fact, they constantly fiddle around with this. One day there will be nothing, another day, good availibility. Keep checking.

I would just try to buy as many one way tickets as each FF account could afford. I would not transfer miles unless it was a lot cheaper than buying a ticket. It's likely only a Standard award will be available, which is 25,000 miles, more than either child could afford.

Once you buy your 11 year old's ticket, you can call UA and link it with yours.

 

[dsnydaddy]

First, UA did not "Jack up" their FF program. The number of miles needed for a domestic flight has not changed. In fact, UA has excellent award availibility.

You cannot know exactly what day UA will release award flight; in fact, they constantly fiddle around with this. One day there will be nothing, another day, good availibility. Keep checking.

I would just try to buy as many one way tickets as each FF account could afford. I would not transfer miles unless it was a lot cheaper than buying a ticket. It's likely only a Standard award will be available, which is 25,000 miles, more than either child could afford.

Once you buy your 11 year old's ticket, you can call UA and link it with yours.

I usually start checking a month before and check daily.

Thanks for the advice on linking. I'll do that.


As far as United's freq flyer program goes, you are correct. I can still get a one way for as low as 12,500 miles but the ability to accrue those miles have been heavily curtailed for occasional travelers such as my family. Whereas I could usually count on earning enough miles for two free tickets every two years it will now take me over 5 years by my calculation. So for me and my family, it's jacked up.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I usually start checking a month before and check daily.

Thanks for the advice on linking. I'll do that.


As far as United's freq flyer program goes, you are correct. I can still get a one way for as low as 12,500 miles but the ability to accrue those miles have been heavily curtailed for occasional travelers such as my family. Whereas I could usually count on earning enough miles for two free tickets every two years it will now take me over 5 years by my calculation. So for me and my family, it's jacked up.

I don't understand; you start looking for FF tickets a month before travel? If so, you should be looking as soon as tickets are released, which is about 10 1/2 months in advance.

I also don't understand about accruing FF miles; nothing has changed in UA's program, although it is going to in the future.

 

[Jimsig]

Here's my question:
If I am using my daughters miles to purchase a ticket for her on her own, How will the airline know that my wife is on the same flight as her so as to avoid a surcharge? Will I need to call to have this reservation made? (I'm hoping to avoid this as it will cost $50 per ticket to have them make the reservation)

Give a call to United and ask them. Sometimes when making a reservation that can't be handled online they will waive any phone booking fees. Or will tell you how to do it if it's tricky.

 

[bmr12]

Not sure which fees you are trying to avoid. I assume it's the unaccompanied minor fee.

First, the rule is that for children 11 and under, there must be someone 18 or over traveling in the same cabin (flight and class of service). No requirement to be on the same reservation.

So in your case, this only applies to your younger child.

Assuming you are booking this as one way tickets, the best way to do this is to book an adult and the 11 year old out of one adult's account on the outbound one way, and the return from the other adult's account. The other two people can travel independently on paid or award tickets.

This should all be bookable on the website. No phone fees. The downside to booking one way tickets is that if you have to cancel you have to pay redeposit fees for each way to get the miles back if plans change.

There are no ways to combine or link reservations.

If you are booking 330 days out, there's a reasonably good chance your eleven year old will be twelve by then unless you've already accounted for that.

Come join us on flyertalk dot com for more details.

 

[dsnydaddy]

I don't understand; you start looking for FF tickets a month before travel? If so, you should be looking as soon as tickets are released, which is about 10 1/2 months in advance.

I also don't understand about accruing FF miles; nothing has changed in UA's program, although it is going to in the future.

Sorry. I wasn't clear, I start to look about a month before I expect that the fares will be released, (I'm nearly at that point now so I've started looking into this.).

You are again correct. As of March 2015 United is changing how miles will be accrued. It will be on a tiered basis and also based upon the $$ spent rather than the distance travelled. This means that an occasional traveller (one who travels once or twice a year) will be locked into the lowest tier and thus earning the fewest amounts of rewards per trip. The change to $ based rewards also means that the budget minded family who buys the lowest priced tickets available will as a result will again earn far fewer miles than they would before the change. United has every right to change their program. It is their program. Since any further miles accrued by me will be after this date, I will gain miles at the new lower rate of accrual and the whole program has lost its utility for me.

 

[dsnydaddy]

Not sure which fees you are trying to avoid. I assume it's the unaccompanied minor fee.

First, the rule is that for children 11 and under, there must be someone 18 or over traveling in the same cabin (flight and class of service). No requirement to be on the same reservation.

So in your case, this only applies to your younger child.

Assuming you are booking this as one way tickets, the best way to do this is to book an adult and the 11 year old out of one adult's account on the outbound one way, and the return from the other adult's account. The other two people can travel independently on paid or award tickets.

This should all be bookable on the website. No phone fees. The downside to booking one way tickets is that if you have to cancel you have to pay redeposit fees for each way to get the miles back if plans change.

There are no ways to combine or link reservations.

If you are booking 330 days out, there's a reasonably good chance your eleven year old will be twelve by then unless you've already accounted for that.

Come join us on flyertalk dot com for more details.

Wow! I'm surprised that I didn't think of that myself. I'd been mulling over this for quite a while and musta missed the forest because of the trees! Thanks.

Yep, I added a year to her age just for ths question.

I'll check out that website. Sounds like something I'd like since I'm always trying to figure out the best options to travel across the country.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Sorry. I wasn't clear, I start to look about a month before I expect that the fares will be released, (I'm nearly at that point now so I've started looking into this.).

You are again correct. As of March 2015 United is changing how miles will be accrued. It will be on a tiered basis and also based upon the $$ spent rather than the distance travelled. This means that an occasional traveller (one who travels once or twice a year) will be locked into the lowest tier and thus earning the fewest amounts of rewards per trip. The change to $ based rewards also means that the budget minded family who buys the lowest priced tickets available will as a result will again earn far fewer miles than they would before the change. United has every right to change their program. It is their program. Since any further miles accrued by me will be after this date, I will gain miles at the new lower rate of accrual and the whole program has lost its utility for me.

I agree that this new system really stinks. I'm a 1K, so it won't affect me as much as a casual traveler, but it seems pretty unfair that if you get a great fare for a long international flight that you aren't going to earn the big miles. Good bye to a lot of mileage runners.

 

[TmlndSpdwy03]

I have not book unaccompanied minor on United, but on southwest, if you book for a minor only, after you enter personal information and credit card, then it prompts you to either enter the PNR for an adult traveler or advises you of the additional fee before you get to the final "submit" button to buy.

So book you or your wifes first so you have that PNR, then book the kids and you have their confirmation to enter if prompted.