Sooo... well... overwhelmed... talk to me, Is ABD the way to go? Airfare ?

[LovesTimone]

DH and I have traveled all over the Caribbean, we both have that wanders soul. We like to go down there as we live in Florida, and its really not as costly to fly down there, plus not a lot of time in the air. So we were invited to go to the Israel and Jordan this year with his DSD and his wife and their church, and unfortunately DH's work schedule during that time of year... he just could not work out, it was 13 days plus 2 travel days. So after seeing what all a tour offers. I thought I would look around for us and see what is offered.

By far ABD seem to offer the most, but honestly a bit of sticker shock, then I went back and looked at what it would cost us if we were able to go on the other trip. ABD was still leading in the cost column, but its wasn't apples to apples... Sooo...

We are looking at the France only tour, 6 nights 7 days, then adding 2 nights at Disneyland Paris.. for 2017

So I have been talking to some friends that have been on some tours and some think booking with a travel agent gets you a better price? others says book direct?... Thoughts, or suggestions

AirFare - - DH and I would have to fly Business class and would like the option of the pods if we can get the cost down. DH is 6'4" and I am 5'9, I have a serious neck and shoulder issue and DH has a back issue so coach is a no go. Suggestions for any way to get the cost down on air fare.

Any other tips or suggestions would be great and so much appreciated.

 

[sayhello]

Everyone has their own opinion about TA vs. booking direct. TA's generally won't give you a lower price, but they may offer you a credit of some sort. So you might be able to save a few hundred dollars that way. There's also the support a TA can give you if something goes wrong, etc.

The downside of going through a TA is that you really can't deal directly with ABD if you go through a TA, the TA needs to contact them.

It's really a personal decision on how you like to organize your travel.

I've never flown Business class (would love to, but *ouch*!) There are some folks on this board like @calypso726 who do Airfare hacking to get airfare more cheaply. You may want to check with her.

ABDs are definitely a great way to travel, but no-one would argue with you about the sticker shock. I happen to think it's worth it, but you have to make that determination for yourself!

Sayhello

 

[Alacrity]

My wife and I have been pleased with our ABD trips (two, Italy and Bavaria). You don't have worry about much on an ABD trip and, while they are not the cheapest game in town, I think they are comparable when comparing, as you say, apples to apples. We've found it to be worth it and have not regretted the investment! We have booked though agents specializing in Disney be cause we have friends there and they have offered booking discounts and gift cards. Again, we've had good experiences doing this. I don't think it is a bad idea but generally, without incentives, I'd probably book direct with ABD. The only thing we may do different next time is buy our trip insurance though a third party. Especially if adding on to the trip (your DLP excursion for example). ABD has changed just what is covered and you may find that a third party policy may cover more completely. Read the fine print and details of each of course.

My guess is that, unless you get really lucky, the airfare to Paris will be a bit pricey. It's a popular route and in demand. You might look at prices to nearby airports (Orly) to see how or if they compare. Sometimes flying in to a less popular hub then taking another hop or a little longer drive can save a bit. Especailly within Europe. We flew business class last time around for the leg in to CDG (we stopped at DLP one the way to Prague) and it was expensive but, my wife finds in much more bearable and makes the entire trip more enjoyable for her (recovering from the flight itself).

 

[LovesTimone]

Everyone has their own opinion about TA vs. booking direct. TA's generally won't give you a lower price, but they may offer you a credit of some sort. So you might be able to save a few hundred dollars that way. There's also the support a TA can give you if something goes wrong, etc.

The downside of going through a TA is that you really can't deal directly with ABD if you go through a TA, the TA needs to contact them.

It's really a personal decision on how you like to organize your travel.

I've never flown Business class (would love to, but *ouch*!) There are some folks on this board like @calypso726 who do Airfare hacking to get airfare more cheaply. You may want to check with her.

ABDs are definitely a great way to travel, but no-one would argue with you about the sticker shock. I happen to think it's worth it, but you have to make that determination for yourself!

Sayhello

We normally fly comfort coach. Even flying 4 or 5 hours, across country will have a affect on my neck and shoulder. I really don't want to start off my vacation in this condition and not being 100%. So doing the upgrade is the only way would be able to go. I really don't know what airfare hacking is?

Also one friend said they book 2 flights 1 from Orlando to JFK -- then 1 flight from JFK to Paris - and saved several hundred dollars. Anyone any thoughts?

 

[sayhello]

We normally fly comfort coach. Even flying 4 or 5 hours, across country will have a affect on my neck and shoulder. I really don't want to start off my vacation in this condition and not being 100%. So doing the upgrade is the only way would be able to go. I really don't know what airfare hacking is?

Also one friend said they book 2 flights 1 from Orlando to JFK -- then 1 flight from JFK to Paris - and saved several hundred dollars. Anyone any thoughts?

Airfare hacking is where you do things like get credit cards that give you huge points bonuses when you open them, use those credit cards, etc, and other ways to get enough points to upgrade.

As far as booking two flights, if the first leg from Orlando to JFK is late, and you miss your flight to Paris, technically the airline doesn't owe you anything. They'll usually honor the ticket and get you on another flight at some point, but it's not the same as having one ticket. Also, you will need to collect your luggage at baggage claim and re-check it in and go through security again, as you and your luggage will only be checked as far as JFK. So you will need to give yourself a *LOT* of time between flights (I wouldn't go with less than 4 hours, more if possible, especially with all the TSA headaches going on right now).

Sayhello

 

[Alacrity]

Your booking of two separate flights is, kinda, travel hacking. Breaking what could be one itinerary into two can save some money maybe. As sayhello points out, though, there can be consequences and you have to be will to accept them.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Dreams Unlimited Travel offers a booking discount on each adventure booked.

You can see the schedule of discounts here:

http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/abd/specials.htm

This discount is off the price of your Adventure.

You do not wait until you return, there are no gift cards to redeem etc...this is taken off the top of your Adventure.

If you have questions or concerns I can address, please email me at Kevin@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.

 

[Woodview]

You can fly to Europe direct from Orlando ( MCO ) without going through any other USA Airport

BUT you might have to change aircraft when you land in Europe.

Aer Lingus .... Orlando to Dublin & then to Paris . KLM to Amsterdam. & On

Luftansa to Germany And Air France to Paris

 

[wdw4us]

I'm not sure about the airfare. I have to say that I too had sticker shock when looking into ABD. Dreamsunlimitedtravel.com gave me a better price than the ABD website itself. We had gone back and forth about booking it ourselves and renting a car and even staying at the same resorts(provided we could get in) and it's true ABD was more money. What you have to consider is that the tour guides give you a wealth of information. The coach driver takes care of all the door to door pick up and drop off. No luggage worries after you get to the airport. Almost all of the meals are included in the tours. The step on guides (locals) give you a great background of the areas you are visiting. Disney gets you into places you normally would not be able to. As far as any of the hotel or add on providers they will all tell you without solicitation that DISNEY is the best to deal with. I just got back from our first ABD tour. The Cowboys and Canyons. Adult exclusive. We had some 18 year olds, with their parents, some in their 30, 40's 50's, we are in our 60's and some in their 70's. Some younger than us had health issues so they were not able to participate in all the activities but that was not a problem. From the time you meet your guides, till that tearful goodbye a week later it is vacation you will never forget. My husband and I were really concerned that we were spending a LOT of money for our trip but in the end we both felt that it was worth every penny. We met and enjoyed the company of 33 fellow travelers. It was a great time. No drama, no complaining, just a lot of good fun. I have used Dreamsunlimitedtravel quite often but this was my first ABD. I have always had good service and my questions, even though a little odd at times, were answered either by my TA or his backup if he happened to be away. I have to say that for us, flying to our meeting destination a day ahead, booking a room at a nearby hotel was a great idea. It was less nerve wracking to be rested and refreshed the day our tour started rather than getting up in the middle of the night to make a flight - a connector and arrive on time. i realize your trip would be to Europe, and ours was stateside but overall, in my opinion the tour was well worth it. I also want to do the London/Paris in the future and will use ABD for that without question - I just need to save some $$

denise

 

[calypso726]

DH and I have traveled all over the Caribbean, we both have that wanders soul. We like to go down there as we live in Florida, and its really not as costly to fly down there, plus not a lot of time in the air. So we were invited to go to the Israel and Jordan this year with his DSD and his wife and their church, and unfortunately DH's work schedule during that time of year... he just could not work out, it was 13 days plus 2 travel days. So after seeing what all a tour offers. I thought I would look around for us and see what is offered.

By far ABD seem to offer the most, but honestly a bit of sticker shock, then I went back and looked at what it would cost us if we were able to go on the other trip. ABD was still leading in the cost column, but its wasn't apples to apples... Sooo...

We are looking at the France only tour, 6 nights 7 days, then adding 2 nights at Disneyland Paris.. for 2017

So I have been talking to some friends that have been on some tours and some think booking with a travel agent gets you a better price? others says book direct?... Thoughts, or suggestions

AirFare - - DH and I would have to fly Business class and would like the option of the pods if we can get the cost down. DH is 6'4" and I am 5'9, I have a serious neck and shoulder issue and DH has a back issue so coach is a no go. Suggestions for any way to get the cost down on air fare.

Any other tips or suggestions would be great and so much appreciated.

Hi Resident travel hacker chiming in:

Yup ABD is a sticker shock and we put it off for a long time until Scotland was announced for 2013. That was when I began travel hacking, to mitigate the costs. ABD is also addictive. We did our first one in 2013 and will be going on our 6th one next month. Since we started doing travel hacking we have been able to successfully fly in first class on every trip. Travel hacking is the pursuit of accumulating points and miles through all available means in order to use said points and miles to book airline mile award tickets and only have to pay the taxes and fees. For example, we are flying to Hawaii next March in first class for a trip to Aulani. Then on the way back we are going to visit Disneyland for a few days and then fly back home to Florida. Each leg of our flights are in first class and were paid with miles and points. The taxes and fees were $5.60 per person each way. Next month we are flying to Ireland for a week, then to Budapest for the ABD river cruise, followed by a post ABD in Prague and back home. All flights are in first class on the long hauls and business on the inter Europe short hauls. They were paid with miles and the taxes and fees were well well below the cost of an economy ticket on sale for the same flights.

So, how is it done? We apply for credit cards that are offering large sign up bonuses of points or miles for getting their card and completing the required spend in the allotted time. Maximize spending bonus categories. I have a card that gives me 5 points per dollar that can transfer to airline miles for shopping at office supply stores. Therefore, I purchase a lot of gift cards for my regular shopping (Macy's, Disney, etc.) at the office supply stores. Utilize the shopping portals of airlines or wherever you are trying to accumulate points and miles. If I shop for something online, I will go through the shopping portal first to get to the online store so I can earn the extra miles for what I was going to buy anyhow. Join the airline dining programs and try out the places to eat and earn extra miles every time.

Right now you can get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for 50K points with a $4K spend in 3 months, plus an additional 5K points for adding an authorized user. If you and your DH get the card that's 110K points. These points transfer to United, British Airways and several other airlines Then get the United card which has some targeted offers that go as high as 70K points. If you and DH are both targeted for the 70K points you can easily have 250K points which can very well get you both business class seats on United. Adding a Chase Freedom card to the mix will give you another 20K points. The Chase points from the Sapphire can also be used as a cash redemption and 50K is worth $625.

Another idea, if you decide to fly on BA or find a good deal on BA is joining AARP for $16 and you don't need to be of a certain age to be a member and enjoy some of the benefits. AARP will offer up to $400 off of business class flights on British Airways.

With regards to a TA, it all depends on the TA. Some offer discounts for booking with them. The good ones, will be there every step of the way in case anything goes wrong. It certainly won't cost you more to book through a TA than direct.

I hope all of this helps.

 

[LovesTimone]

I'm not sure about the airfare. I have to say that I too had sticker shock when looking into ABD. Dreamsunlimitedtravel.com gave me a better price than the ABD website itself. We had gone back and forth about booking it ourselves and renting a car and even staying at the same resorts(provided we could get in) and it's true ABD was more money. What you have to consider is that the tour guides give you a wealth of information. The coach driver takes care of all the door to door pick up and drop off. No luggage worries after you get to the airport. Almost all of the meals are included in the tours. The step on guides (locals) give you a great background of the areas you are visiting. Disney gets you into places you normally would not be able to. As far as any of the hotel or add on providers they will all tell you without solicitation that DISNEY is the best to deal with. I just got back from our first ABD tour. The Cowboys and Canyons. Adult exclusive. We had some 18 year olds, with their parents, some in their 30, 40's 50's, we are in our 60's and some in their 70's. Some younger than us had health issues so they were not able to participate in all the activities but that was not a problem. From the time you meet your guides, till that tearful goodbye a week later it is vacation you will never forget. My husband and I were really concerned that we were spending a LOT of money for our trip but in the end we both felt that it was worth every penny. We met and enjoyed the company of 33 fellow travelers. It was a great time. No drama, no complaining, just a lot of good fun. I have used Dreamsunlimitedtravel quite often but this was my first ABD. I have always had good service and my questions, even though a little odd at times, were answered either by my TA or his backup if he happened to be away. I have to say that for us, flying to our meeting destination a day ahead, booking a room at a nearby hotel was a great idea. It was less nerve wracking to be rested and refreshed the day our tour started rather than getting up in the middle of the night to make a flight - a connector and arrive on time. i realize your trip would be to Europe, and ours was stateside but overall, in my opinion the tour was well worth it. I also want to do the London/Paris in the future and will use ABD for that without question - I just need to save some $$

denise

Some friends just got back from Europe, and they flew into JFK the day before, on a morning flight, stayed at the airport hotel, they decided to walk thru central park then spent the rest of the day at the Met. She said it was so nice to sleep in, get ready for the for the travel day and not be rushed. DH and I were looking at this as maybe flying in the afternoon or early evening the day before. So glad to hear it how it worked from someone else.

That was another thing was we were worried about how everyone got along. DH and I are pretty much go with the flow, low key kinda people. So no drama is important.

 

[LovesTimone]

Hi Resident travel hacker chiming in:

Yup ABD is a sticker shock and we put it off for a long time until Scotland was announced for 2013. That was when I began travel hacking, to mitigate the costs. ABD is also addictive. We did our first one in 2013 and will be going on our 6th one next month. Since we started doing travel hacking we have been able to successfully fly in first class on every trip. Travel hacking is the pursuit of accumulating points and miles through all available means in order to use said points and miles to book airline mile award tickets and only have to pay the taxes and fees. For example, we are flying to Hawaii next March in first class for a trip to Aulani. Then on the way back we are going to visit Disneyland for a few days and then fly back home to Florida. Each leg of our flights are in first class and were paid with miles and points. The taxes and fees were $5.60 per person each way. Next month we are flying to Ireland for a week, then to Budapest for the ABD river cruise, followed by a post ABD in Prague and back home. All flights are in first class on the long hauls and business on the inter Europe short hauls. They were paid with miles and the taxes and fees were well well below the cost of an economy ticket on sale for the same flights.

So, how is it done? We apply for credit cards that are offering large sign up bonuses of points or miles for getting their card and completing the required spend in the allotted time. Maximize spending bonus categories. I have a card that gives me 5 points per dollar that can transfer to airline miles for shopping at office supply stores. Therefore, I purchase a lot of gift cards for my regular shopping (Macy's, Disney, etc.) at the office supply stores. Utilize the shopping portals of airlines or wherever you are trying to accumulate points and miles. If I shop for something online, I will go through the shopping portal first to get to the online store so I can earn the extra miles for what I was going to buy anyhow. Join the airline dining programs and try out the places to eat and earn extra miles every time.

Right now you can get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for 50K points with a $4K spend in 3 months, plus an additional 5K points for adding an authorized user. If you and your DH get the card that's 110K points. These points transfer to United, British Airways and several other airlines Then get the United card which has some targeted offers that go as high as 70K points. If you and DH are both targeted for the 70K points you can easily have 250K points which can very well get you both business class seats on United. Adding a Chase Freedom card to the mix will give you another 20K points. The Chase points from the Sapphire can also be used as a cash redemption and 50K is worth $625.

Another idea, if you decide to fly on BA or find a good deal on BA is joining AARP for $16 and you don't need to be of a certain age to be a member and enjoy some of the benefits. AARP will offer up to $400 off of business class flights on British Airways.

With regards to a TA, it all depends on the TA. Some offer discounts for booking with them. The good ones, will be there every step of the way in case anything goes wrong. It certainly won't cost you more to book through a TA than direct.

I hope all of this helps.

Thanks for all the info... I never thought about the shopping portals so that will go on the list.

Is the card for shopping at office supply stores a business CC?

I will have to sit down with DH and look at what our CC's offer on airline miles or cash back and go from there.

I am not worried about the flight from Orlando to NY flying coach... Its the international fight that I want to be comfortable, if I am going to spend all this cash I want to be 100% when I arrive. We are really leaning to breaking up the flight, as in flying into NY the day before. The international flight would be were the points and such were going.

Some friends travel often and she says that buying one way tickets is the real way to save. I am not really sure about this... It seems like a lot of hassle, but if it can save a lot of money... Thoughts on this.

 

[calypso726]

Thanks for all the info... I never thought about the shopping portals so that will go on the list.

Is the card for shopping at office supply stores a business CC?

I will have to sit down with DH and look at what our CC's offer on airline miles or cash back and go from there.

I am not worried about the flight from Orlando to NY flying coach... Its the international fight that I want to be comfortable, if I am going to spend all this cash I want to be 100% when I arrive. We are really leaning to breaking up the flight, as in flying into NY the day before. The international flight would be were the points and such were going.

Some friends travel often and she says that buying one way tickets is the real way to save. I am not really sure about this... It seems like a lot of hassle, but if it can save a lot of money... Thoughts on this.

Yes, it is the Chase Ink Plus business card. Best category bonuses for my portfolio of cards. You may qualify for a business and not know it. Million Mile Sectets blog has s step by step guide on how to apply for one and what may qualify as a business.

Sometimes one ways are less expensive but most of the time they aren't in my experience. When we booked Miami to Scotland that first year in miles in first class the same one way flight was $18,000. The return one way was in the same neighborhood about $16,000 When I checked the cost of the round trip for the same flights it was much less than two one way flights. Very rarely do I find the cost less as separate one ways than round trip. I always check the cost of my same flights that I book with miles to see what they would have been in cash whether it is one way, RT or multi city. Only once did I find the cost less as a one way than RT. This is once out of the last 11 trips.

Subscribing to some of the travel hacker blogs will be helpful not just for travel hacking ideas and the latest credit card bonuses but also for airfare sales to Europe. They will blog every amazing airfare sale in business or first with which airlines are having a price war and which cities and dates are pricing really low. Recently I saw some blog posts on business class seats to Europe for just over $400 round trip during certain months and dates into and out of certain cities. I saw RT in business for August to Italy out of certain cities in the $500 and $600 range.

The blogs I follow for those interested, are MMS that I mentioned above, View from the Wing, the Points Guy, One Mile at a Time, Frequent Miler, Deals We Like, Dan's Deals and Mommy Points. Hope this helps.

 

[LovesTimone]

Yes, it is the Chase Ink Plus business card. Best category bonuses for my portfolio of cards. You may qualify for a business and not know it. Million Mile Sectets blog has s step by step guide on how to apply for one and what may qualify as a business.

Sometimes one ways are less expensive but most of the time they aren't in my experience. When we booked Miami to Scotland that first year in miles in first class the same one way flight was $18,000. The return one way was in the same neighborhood about $16,000 When I checked the cost of the round trip for the same flights it was much less than two one way flights. Very rarely do I find the cost less as separate one ways than round trip. I always check the cost of my same flights that I book with miles to see what they would have been in cash whether it is one way, RT or multi city. Only once did I find the cost less as a one way than RT. This is once out of the last 11 trips.

Subscribing to some of the travel hacker blogs will be helpful not just for travel hacking ideas and the latest credit card bonuses but also for airfare sales to Europe. They will blog every amazing airfare sale in business or first with which airlines are having a price war and which cities and dates are pricing really low. Recently I saw some blog posts on business class seats to Europe for just over $400 round trip during certain months and dates into and out of certain cities. I saw RT in business for August to Italy out of certain cities in the $500 and $600 range.

The blogs I follow for those interested, are MMS that I mentioned above, View from the Wing, the Points Guy, One Mile at a Time, Frequent Miler, Deals We Like, Dan's Deals and Mommy Points. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much for all your insight and knowledge. I guess I better get to "studying" as the test will be how "cheap" I can get the airfare...

A couple more questions if you please... When is the best time to go all in and book - how many months/weeks out will be the best rates, any thoughts on booking early? day of the week does that make a difference? What would be a good rate, for RT to and from say NYC to Paris BC.. I know the cheaper the better, but a ball park for a newbie like me on European flights?

 

[Alacrity]

There have been a number of articles on when the best time to book really is. The general opinion seems to be that there isn't a best time necessarily! Some articles say that booking the first day the fare is available is good. Others have a magic number of 54 days. Another says 3 weeks to 3 months. Pretty wide range! My own, very limited experience, kind of agrees with the 3 weeks to 3 months. Longer for international (varying per area. Europe is 120 days they say), shorter for domestic. We've done OK this way and tend to book earlier rather than later. Prices do tend to increase pretty sharply within that last 3 weeks generally. Although sometimes there are those last minute special fares. If you're using miles/points this all doesn't tend to matter much. The points cost tends to stay pretty consistent and awards on points are limited so the earlier the better. Usually. Pretty much once travel plans are firm.

It'll be interesting to see others opinions!

I like the way this article discusses the question by the way: https://www.cheapair.com/blog/cheapair-news/the-best-time-to-buy-a-flight-is-54-days-out-or-is-it/ and generally go for the "Peace of Mind" or the "Prime" zones. There is also a link to an article for international flights in that one too. Europe, it says, is about 120 days out.

 

[disneyphx]

Hi
In terms of preparing yourself for the flights, if you can swing it, going business class is wonderful.
Everyone is different, but for our family and a lot of people I know, jet lag can still have an impact even if you have a lie flat bed on the long flight and sleep well. So you are unlikely to 'be 100% when I arrive' - because when you arrive in Europe, your body will think it is 6 hours or so earlier, which is likely to be the middle of the night.
So you might find you have to drag yourself out of bed the first few mornings, and may not be able to fall asleep til late at night.
Some people I know figure they are going to feel kind of 'off' anyway, so choose to save their money/miles for other things.
But - traveling and seeing the world, especially with ABD is definitely worth the jetlag in my opinion!
Have fun!

 

[calypso726]

Thanks so much for all your insight and knowledge. I guess I better get to "studying" as the test will be how "cheap" I can get the airfare...

A couple more questions if you please... When is the best time to go all in and book - how many months/weeks out will be the best rates, any thoughts on booking early? day of the week does that make a difference? What would be a good rate, for RT to and from say NYC to Paris BC.. I know the cheaper the better, but a ball park for a newbie like me on European flights?

You are very welcome If we are talking about mileage bookings, I would say the second the airlines release the award space because they disappear pretty quickly. If we are talking cash bookings, then I have no idea since we don't normally pay for airfare unless it is very inexpensive. I still think the earlier the better for cash though. I checked Google Flights to see what JFK-CDG was pricing at right now. If booking this month, most seats in business are pricing in the $5K+ range. However, most business seats in August all the way through March 2017 are pricing in the neighborhood of $3K give or take.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.....

Some friends travel often and she says that buying one way tickets is the real way to save. I am not really sure about this... It seems like a lot of hassle, but if it can save a lot of money... Thoughts on this.

Nothing could be further from the truth; your friend is wrong. Domestic round trip airline tickets are priced as two one way tickets; buying a round trip ticket or a one way for the outbound and inbound flight will be the same price. International flights are a whole different story. Round trip tickets are almost always far cheaper than buying two one way tickets.

It is also very likely going to be cheaper to buy a RT ticket from FL to Europe rather than buying a RT domestic from your home airport to a gateway airport, like Newark, then a RT ticket from that airport to Europe. Plus, you won't have to deal with issues caused if you miss your connection to Europe. Flying to a NYC area airport is just a waste of time and money if you're already on the east coast and can fly to Europe from your home airport.

As far as mileage bookings, it depends on the airline; some (United) have far greater availability than others (Delta). Grab those as soon as you see availability, however, airlines release award seats all the time, so keep looking if the dates you want are not available.

I would consider a reasonable airfare from the east coast to a major European city to be about $1,200.

 

[sayhello]

Nothing could be further from the truth; your friend is wrong. Domestic round trip airline tickets are priced as two one way tickets; buying a round trip ticket or a one way for the outbound and inbound flight will be the same price.

That's only true for some airlines like Southwest and Jet Blue. Many airlines still sell domestic round-trip tickets for far less than two one-way tickets. In fact, round-trip tickets are frequently cheaper than *one* one-way ticket. It's become a big problem for the airlines with people buying a round-trip ticket and ditching the return leg rather than pay the exorbitant price for a one-way ticket.

Sayhello

 

[calypso726]

Another reason I like to book with miles other than traveling in a manner I couldn't afford if paying cash Most of the time 2 one ways do cost more in cash than a RT. Some airlines do price their one way award tix the same as a RT and booking 2 one ways would cost way more in points than necessary on those airlines. Fortunately not all of them do. Personally, I try to stick to airlines that offer their one way awards for half the cost of the RT award. This also makes it easier for me to get the most value of our mileage balance. Some RT award flights may be priced higher in miles because one leg of the journey is priced off peak or saver and the other isn't. Focusing on booking one way award flights also gives me greater flexibility with my portfolio of miles and flight schedule. For example, when we went to London/Paris with ABD a couple of years ago I was able to book a British Airways flight in first with American Airlines miles that were priced at the saver level which was 62.5K pp back then to London. There were no saver miles with BA or AA coming home from Paris. However, United had saver award flights in first for 50k pp miles so we flew back with them. Had I stuck with the same carrier I would have spent more miles and possibly lost the chance to snag those seats on the flight out in the first place. This is feasible of course if you plan to book flights well in advance about 330+ days depending on the airline and have a variety of miles and point options in place. I try to plan all of our flights two years out. One year to figure which airline I need to collect miles for and be ready with those miles the year before we fly.

Sayhello is right. The airlines do frown upon booking throwaway tix. I won't risk than airline kicking me out of their mileage program for something like that and it does happen.