VA Miles plus money flights

[DisneyJo]

Just wondered how you know when the VA miles plus money flights are released? I'm looking at August and a while ago could get early August M+£ but not any more!

 

[wayneg]

You don't know when or if they wil be released. For this August I checked 2 or 3 times a day from 11 months out. They did not release them until Xmas day. Cost was £533 each+2000 miles.
I saw last week they released some for next Aug but then they went again, I am sure they were around £630 which think is OTT for Miles and Money, I will be looking for Indirect if they are that price.

 

[DisneyJo]

OK Thanks not sure if I've got the nerves to wait until Christmas, don't really want to do indirect, BA is coming out as the cheapest direct at the moment at £2500 for 3 adults (it annoys me that a 12 year old is an adult!) and 1 child!

 

[wilma-bride]

Jo, would it not suit you better to do free dining for next year? Or have you got something bigger and better up your sleeve

 

[DisneyJo]

Jo, would it not suit you better to do free dining for next year? Or have you got something bigger and better up your sleeve

I am going to do free dining but booking direct with Disney as even with flights costing £2,500 it's still cheaper than a package with VH's Oh I wish I had something bigger up my sleeve, there again seeing that we weren't meant to go again until 2009 I think I've done quite well, DH didn't take much persuading either I just wish we could warrent a stay on the Boardwalk!!!

 

[wayneg]

OK Thanks not sure if I've got the nerves to wait until Christmas, don't really want to do indirect, BA is coming out as the cheapest direct at the moment at £2500 for 3 adults (it annoys me that a 12 year old is an adult!) and 1 child!

£2,500 I would rather take 3 connections than pay that
I have never paid more that £533 for a direct flight or £450 indirect.
Only paid £410+2000miles next Easter school hols with Virgin. Lucky we dont mind indirect flights a lot easier than doing immigration in Orlando.

 

[islandmum]

we book at 11 months out for our miles+money flights. We forward our details to the Virgin office over here and they atomatically book it for us on the date they become available .... but I dont know if thats the case in the UK.

this year (for next summer flights) we got UC return for £725 per adult, £495 per child + 45,000 miles.

dont know if the booking times vary from route to route though

 

[wayneg]

we book at 11 months out for our miles+money flights. We forward our details to the Virgin office over here and they atomatically book it for us on the date they become available .... but I dont know if thats the case in the UK.

this year (for next summer flights) we got UC return for £725 per adult, £495 per child + 45,000 miles.

dont know if the booking times vary from route to route though

There is no problem booking UC 11 months out its economy they dont release.
I wish they did UC at that price for me, Just checked for dates I want next August, £1,670 +15,000 each.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

There is no problem booking UC 11 months out its economy they dont release.
I wish they did UC at that price for me, Just checked for dates I want next August, £1,670 +15,000 each.

Thats not bad at all. better than full J class at £3,000 odd per ticket

 

[wayneg]

Thats not bad at all. better than full J calss at £3,000 odd per ticket

yes I agree but its not £725 quoted above.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

yes I agree but its not £725 quoted above.

Yes, but what does Island Mum have to do to get that price I wonder??

 

[wayneg]

Yes, but what does Island Mum have to do to get that price I wonder??

Too funny

 

[Melcatfish]

Juust a word of caution about Miles Plus money,

I have been dutifully keeping an eye on M+M prices for my Mum who is off to California in February. Last year we paid around £400 a ticket for a flight from LHR to LAX on Virgin and this year I was pleased to spot M+M rate of £312 for Mum which she then booked. Imagine my horror when doing a comparison I found they had a cheaper no miles rate available the same day - ok not much cheaper but a bit although the flight coming home left a couple of hours later.

Yes Yes i know I SHOULD have looked before telling her to book this special M+M rate but I stupidly didn't check because I assumed that the point was you were getting reduction on the cash price in exchange for your Miles. As it is she has stuck with it because the other flight doesn't suit the times she will be picked up in the UK now as it is all now arranged and it turns out that her 2000 miles only saved her around £25 on the full price of the ticket...

Moral of the story, don't assume a special rate is that special until you have checked it out fully!

Probably not applicable to those going in high season but for lower seasons DO check it out fully.

Mel
x

 

[angel659]

I was going to book our flights for December miles plus money. Strangely enough it only saved me £10 per ticket. I decided to hold on to my points for a better deal another time.

hope you mange to get it sorted out Jo. I said when I was out there with Claire. I would never go again in August. What am I doing now trying to persuade dh to go next August. If your out there perhaps we could meet up when I am feeling better and not ill after our meal at Mama Melrose.

 

[wayneg]

Juust a word of caution about Miles Plus money,

I have been dutifully keeping an eye on M+M prices for my Mum who is off to California in February. Last year we paid around £400 a ticket for a flight from LHR to LAX on Virgin and this year I was pleased to spot M+M rate of £312 for Mum which she then booked. Imagine my horror when doing a comparison I found they had a cheaper no miles rate available the same day - ok not much cheaper but a bit although the flight coming home left a couple of hours later.

Yes Yes i know I SHOULD have looked before telling her to book this special M+M rate but I stupidly didn't check because I assumed that the point was you were getting reduction on the cash price in exchange for your Miles. As it is she has stuck with it because the other flight doesn't suit the times she will be picked up in the UK now as it is all now arranged and it turns out that her 2000 miles only saved her around £25 on the full price of the ticket...

Moral of the story, don't assume a special rate is that special until you have checked it out fully!

Probably not applicable to those going in high season but for lower seasons DO check it out fully.

Mel
x

You are right always check all options and try to get a feel for the market, I have a good idea of flight prices for MAN-MCO but last year was our 1st trip using LHR-LAX, I booked M&M at £375 thinking a good price for Oct half term, few months later in sale £340 no miles, but I got the flights we wanted at a price I was happy with.
This Oct we have decided to use AA as we are flying MAN-LAS, internal flight to LAX, LAX-MAN. Didn't want the hassle of driving up and down to London and leaving and returning to different london airports with Virgin.
In the past year MAN-MCO we have had an average saving of about £300 per seat totalling £3,000 with M&M all travelling in school holidays. Like you say low season maybe not so much benefit as they discount heavily without miles.

 

[DisneyJo]

If your out there perhaps we could meet up when I am feeling better and not ill after our meal at Mama Melrose.

That would be great there's already talk of an illuminations cruise or something in August, I think we're up to about 8 DISers meeting up already


I really wish I had a crystal ball to know what to do, I do know that if I book the BA flights at £2,600 (thought it was only £2,500!!!!) they're cheaper than VA, even the flights with stops are only coming to £2,400 so I'd rather pay £200 more not to stop. Also if I book soon I will get free DDP which will save me money, whereas if I wait for M+M I probably won't get that Why did I have to know about cheap flights

 

[DisneyJo]

I just priced up flights for end of July as they're the only ones at the moment available as M+M and it is a saving of £100 total

 

[angel659]

Oh bless you. Its hard isnt it. We are in turmoil too. We are buying DVC in Dec. They were giving out free points for next year.

I want the free dining plan. I think this will save us a lot of money. Dh said if we do buy DVC and we get free points we should use that. We are not sure what to do ourselves.

We are the same when it comes to flights. My dh wont pay over a certain amount of money. Its good, because it has saved us money in the long run.

 

[islandmum]

Yes, but what does Island Mum have to do to get that price I wonder??

well I'm very good at what I do!!

it seems that our prices originating here (in Barbados) are way cheaper than if you originate in London.

I didnt realise the economy werent released at the same time as the UC - thats weird.

although I'd have preferred it to be around the £500 mark