A Nostalgic Look Back At US Airways Dividend Miles

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Tara

Today is the day the programs merge. It’s the 28th of March in Australia and now also in around half of the USA. Soon we will wake up with increased AAdvantage balances and the US Airways Dividend Miles (USDM) program will be history. I can’t help but think back fondly on all the opportunities we never would have had without it. USDM was the game-changer that put extravagant premium class awards within reach of the ordinary person who had little money but was willing to put in some time and effort.

I never was a big player in the miles and points games until 2008. It always seemed to me that the best benefits were always for those who traveled a lot – actual FREQUENT flyers and were elites. I booked our trips on the cheapest routes although trying to use Star Alliance programs as much as possible as we were collecting United Miles. If we managed a free trip from BNE to RAR or PPT every 2 or 3 years we were happy.

GAMING THE GAME-CHANGER

Then United started blocking partner awards – Starnet – and I had to look for an alternative. Right around this time, one of the best ways for people to earn miles without spending money was playing Live Search Club games. I was already playing for our AAdvantage accounts so it was a natural step to add a few more accounts and start playing for US Dividend Miles. Anyone remember Chicktionary?

LSC was a great little earner while it lasted. An anagram-solver and a desk in front of the tv was all I needed to rake in around 4000 miles in 4 accounts (mine & husbands – US & AA) roughly every 2 weeks. It was a pretty hot topic on FlyerTalk while it lasted. LSC later morphed into Club Bing and by using a never ending supply of new accounts I was able to keep the miles rolling in for around 18 months until they finally shut down in 2010. But the best was yet to come!

GRAND SLAM PROMO

I was too late for the 2008 Grand Slam but ready and waiting for the 2009 version. There was a whole thread in FlyerTalk dedicated to this killer promo where you could earn 50,000 miles by using USDM’s partners. The game was to use as many free hits as possible or to use purchases you were already making at certain hotels or car rentals to create hits. Then find the cheapest item to buy from partners such as Biscoff spread (yummy!), batteries from SkyMall, screen-wipes from some telephone company, sandwiches from dining partners, GAIAM trees from the mall, churned Netflix accounts and stickers from Track-it-Back. We opened brokerage accounts for $5 with Sharebuilder, bought the cheapest Lifelock packages, swapped miles for magazines. Since I live in Australia, my Mom in California was the lucky recipient for several bouquets of flowers and assorted junk.

In 2010, the Grand Slam upped their game to 100,000 miles and in 2011 they upped it again to 110,000 though the last 4 hits were too hard for me so I had to settle for 100,000.

In the latter years, I would prep for the upcoming Grand Slam by getting hotel points for free by doing Foursquare check-ins, Facebook promos and E-Rewards. The Daily Getaways promos which used to be so much better were also a source for cheap hotel points and Grand Slam hits. I estimate that I paid around $600 between both our accounts that I wouldn’t have spent otherwise to get 200,000 miles between us those last 2 years.

TRACK-IT-BACK TAKES IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Remember those Track-it-back (TIB) stickers I mentioned? They became another game-changer in the 2009 Holiday promo. You had to spend a certain amount with various shopping partners and there were tiers to multiplying the bonus.

In a nutshell, you made the cheapest possible purchases for the first 4 transactions, then the 5th you bought as many TIB stickers as possible and got 100 miles per $! I don’t remember how much I spent, I got as many as I could manage the cash flow for. Some people on FlyerTalk spent $1000’s and got LOTS of miles!

CHURNING THE CREDIT CARD

I only managed to do this twice – once in 2011 and once in 2013. Each time I got 40,000 miles and on the 2nd one it comes with a 10,000 miles anniversary bonus so I’ve kept it. Barclays Bank has since cracked down on churners.

BUY/SHARE MILES PROMOS – UP TO 100% SHARE

The last great way to get USDM relatively cheaply (although not as cheap as Grand Slam & TIB) was to share miles back and forth between two accounts. Obviously this works better for couples than single people unless they knew someone very trustworthy. When the Grand Slam promo didn’t return in 2012 much to everyone’s disappointment, this became the best way to get USDM and on the bright side it worked equally well for people all over the world. You shared miles to your partner, they got double, then they shared back to you and you got double. USDM kept this promo up until last year, then they scaled it back to 50% bonuses.

The best seat I ever got for free from USDM – Turkish Airline’s wetleased Jet Airways plane used the first class suites as business class so if you were clever with your seating assignments you could sit in a suite for the price of a J award!

SO WHAT DID I DO WITH ALL THOSE MILES?

USDM’s fantastic promos allowed us to go places we otherwise had no chance of affording – usually in business class (bolded)!

2011 – BNE-BKK-ICN-LAX-PHX-MEX /-LAX-ICN-BKK-BNE

2011 – BNE-SIN-KTM /-BOM-SIN-BNE

2012 – BNE-AKL-RAR-AKL-BNE

2013 – BNE-BKK-ICN-YVR-IAH-BZE /-HNL-ICN-BKK-BNE

2013 – BNE-BKK-BLR /- CMB-SIN-BNE

2014 – BNE-BKK-IST-TLV /-BCN-ZRH-FCO-PEK-SIN-BNE

And I still have some USDM left to transfer to AA!

In no alternate universe could someone of my economic level even dream of trips like those! USDM and their crazy promos made it all possible! We visited some of the world’s finest eco-tourism locations and saw some amazing birds that we could only dream about before.

So here’s to you, US Airways! It’s been a wild ride the past few years and I am sad that it’s over but really happy and grateful that it happened it all. From the bottom of my heart (and my champagne glass) thanks for the memories!

Out Of The Sock Drawer – Barclay’s Finally Axes Forex Fees

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Tara

What a pleasant surprise to find this email!

Just 2 months ago this card was on the chopping block as I didn’t want to pay the $89 annual fee. Otherwise the benefits to this card are pretty good and the US miles will soon become AA miles. I have an older version that gives 10,000 anniversary miles and now I will get 10% of miles redeemed (up to 10,000 annually) as a rebate. On top of all that, I got them to give me a statement credit for the annual fee! The only thing holding me back from using this card more often is the forex fee but now that is gone!

I will still give preference to cards that have category bonuses such as Chase Ink & Freedom (this quarter is grocery stores!) but for non-bonused spend, this card will be going back into my wallet.

If you want to apply within the next 2 days, I can refer you as per below. Please comment below and ask for a referral. I will need your real email address but no one can see it but me. 50,000 points will get you a free trip to Central or South America!

US Dividend Miles Bonus Promos Going Downhill

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Tara

Anyone who can either churn credit cards or manufacture spend won’t be interested in this, especially since the days of the 100% buy/give miles promos are over. But since I have readers in many different countries who can’t access US credit cards, I still decided to share this. These miles will be merged to AAdvantage in the 2nd quarter of 2015.

Remember, you shouldn’t buy miles on spec as devaluations can be sudden and unpredictable. Only buy them if you need to top up for an award and planning to redeem immediately.

Lost Opportunity – 15,000 US Dividend Miles – Spend $500 Nov, Dec, Jan

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Tara

I waited ages for this one as I had seen so many people on Flyertalk get it but I never did.

In normal circumstances this would be an easy one to do – except the email came 2 days after we left for Africa and I didn’t bring this card with me. It’s not one I normally use on an overseas trip due to the forex fees, but I would have made the sacrifice for this type of promo.

After getting home I sent Barclays a secure message asking to postpone the promo to Dec, Jan & Feb since I had been traveling in Africa but no dice! Now I have to decide whether to keep or cancel. They did recently confirm that they would keep the 10,000 anniversary bonus even after the merger with AA so I am inclined to keep it.

Recently Returned From Tenerife & The VIII International Parrot Convention

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Tara

You probably didn’t notice because I had pre-written posts scheduled to appear daily on this blog, but I was away for over a month. The main focus of the trip was to attend the world’s top parrot conservation conference in Loro Parque, Tenerife – VIII International Parrot Convention. This amazing conference is held every 4 years and I had been to the 2010 one and loved it! For readers coming from the miles & points community think of it as FTU on steroids with people coming from all over the world!

Since we were traveling all the way from Australia to Europe in business class, I wanted to maximize the time we were over there so I had a pretty convoluted flight schedule booked. I wanted to visit Israel since I hadn’t been there since the mid-80’s and my husband had never been there. Since most of our trips are birding/eco-tourism type trips, I wanted to do something different so we took a Mediterranean cruise after the conference. Since the cruise didn’t stop in Monaco, I used miles to slot in a 2 day stop-over in Nice before the conference. None of this would have been possible without the extensive use of miles and hotel points!

I will be elaborating in further detail on how I booked everything and how I maximized my miles and points after my Tasmania series is finished but for now, here is a synopsis of the trip. Since the Israel, Europe & cruise parts are off-topic for this blog, I won’t be elaborating on what we did and saw there but just covering the parts that pertain to miles and points as it shows how you can take a business trip and maximize it.

BNE-BKK-IST-TLV business class – outbound leg of US Airways award before they left Star Alliance for OneWorld.

2 nights Crowne Plaza Jerusalem – IHG points

2 nights Park Plaza Orchid, Tel Aviv – Club Carlson points with 2nd night free

TLV-IST-NCE economy class – one way award using United Mileage Plus

2 nights Radisson Blu Nice – Club Carlson points with 2nd night free

NCE-MAD-TFN economy class – one way award booked with Iberia Avios

5 nights at Hotel Botanico, Tenerife as part of conference package, paid cash (actually Chase Ink)

TFN-MAD-VCE economy class – one way award booked with Iberia Avios

1 night Comfort Inn Diana – Choice Rewards points

12 Day Grand Mediterranean NCL cruise – booked with United Cruises to earn points, also some minor manufactured spending is possible on cruise ships.

BCN-ZRH-FCO-PEK-SIN-BNE business class – return leg of afore-mentioned US Airways award) This one got pretty convoluted as it was hard to find space in business class and I was trying to get a 12 hour layover in Beijing on the return for a quick trip to the Great Wall.

As one might expect with any trip booked so far in advance (I was pretty much right on top of it at the 330 days mark), there were dramas, schedule changes and world events that threatened to wreak havoc on my carefully planned trip. Did all go as planned? Tune in after a month or so when I start blogging this trip in detail!

September Buy Miles Promos

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Tara

As usual, each beginning of a month brings an assortment of “buy miles, get bonus” promos. If you live in the USA you probably won’t be interested as its cheaper to manufacture spend. If you live anywhere else, these promos may be a good idea to top up your miles accounts but ONLY if you plan to use them within the next few months. These promos aren’t good enough to buy miles on speculation. Whether it is worth it to buy miles vs just paying for a revenue ticket depends on where you are going and what class of service you would be booking in so you need to do the math for both before jumping in on these promos. Also be sure to click on the links and read all the T&Cs before buying.

US AIRWAYS

These will ultimately turn into AAdvantage miles when the programs combine next year. The tiered system is very annoying because if you just need a couple thousand to top up you don’t get the maximum bonus. You need to log into your account to actually see the tiers but most people seem to get this one. At top levels you would be buying miles for $18.80 per block of 1000 miles.

UNITED AIRLINES

This one is more unusual in that it is crowd-sourcing the actual bonus. Everyone gets a minimum of 35% extra but that could go up to 100% extra if over 4500 people buy the deal.

If the 4500 level is reached it would mean buying miles for $18.80 per block of 1000 miles.

AVIANCA-TACA LIFEMILES

Contrary to other bloggers out there, I use this program for bargain flights within Central and South America so no “tricks” needed for me! It’s a straightforward 100% promo (gotta love airlines who keep it simple) but it is also the last chance to buy miles for $15.00 per block of 1000 miles as the price increases 15 October to $16.00.

Convert Your Starpoints Into AAdvantage Or US Dividend Miles – Earn 20% Bonus Miles

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Tara

This is one of the best ways especially for Australian Amex MR card holders to get miles in American AAdvantage. Most Aussies can’t get the more lucrative AA & US credit cards so have to resort to the Amex MR transfers to SPG, then on to the US based program.

And now US Airways has jumped on the bandwagon so you have 2 choices.

In a nutshell:

20,000 Starpoints = 20,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
Standard SPG bonus = 5,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
AAdvantage 20% mileage bonus = 5,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles
Total = 30,000 AAdvantage/Dividend miles

Since 2 Amex = 1 SPG, 40,000 Aussie Amex MR = 20,000 SPG = 30,000 AAdvantage/Dividend.

Remember that these two programs are set to merge in 2015 and devaluations are expected so don’t convert unless you plan to redeem before then. Otherwise it is best to keep you SPG miles in the flexible SPG program so you maintain a better choice of airlines

AAdvantage Full details and T&C’s

US Airways Full details and T&C’s

AA/US Mileage Accounts Merger Sometime In 2015

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Tara

I have news from email and social media with more news about the AA/US merger.

FROM AMERICAN: Timeline confirmed for 2015. No details about how the miles will be moved from US to AA or if it will be like the UA/CO merger where miles could be moved back and forth for a few months so you could choose which airline’s chart to use. Full details as posted on Facebook.

FROM US AIRWAYS: Increased miles to redeem US/Canada premium cabin awards (which is probably not the priority for an eco-travel blog). There is also some news for elites, please see details on US website. US does have very attractive off-peak awards between the US and South America so if you have an award in mind it’s worth redeeming before 2015.

Alert: Possible Savings On British Airways Flights For US Dividend Miles Going Away

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Tara

I have already blogged about US Airways leaving Star Alliance and joining OneWorld. This means that awards to certain destinations popular with eco-tourists now have to be booked with British Airways as they are the only OneWorld partner flying there. Typical routes affected would be:

Europe to Central/South America (you can use Iberia or LAN on some of these)
North America/Europe to Africa
Europe to Asia or Australia

British Airways adds exorbitant fuel surcharges to its awards. Up to now there has been a glitch in which the YQ fuel surcharge has not been added. Just this morning, a major US-based blogger (TPG) who is monitored by the airlines blogged about the glitch. It is now just a matter of time that US Airways will shut it down and start adding YQ charges. If you are planning an award that involves British Airways, NOW is the time to book it! Here is an example of what it looks like:

Search on Chicago to Johannesburg

The fuel surcharge on this ticket is highlighted in yellow.

Currently US Airways is not charging this YQ tax. You still have to pay the gov’t taxes regardless of how you buy the ticket.

If you want to go to South Africa and need to use British Airways, you can currently save the $500 – that buys a few days of safaris! Once the glitch is fixed, which most people think will happen within a day or two, you will have to pay the $500 even when redeeming an award.

Bottom line: If your dream award using US Dividend Miles involves British Airways, book now, don’t delay!

Stealth Devaluation – Both US Airways & American Airlines

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Tara

It’s not so much the devaluations themselves that bother me. The other major airlines United & Delta did their devaluations last year and United actually gave several months advance notice. It’s the fact that this time there was NO ADVANCE NOTICE!

The travel blogosphere is up in arms starting with Dan’s Deals reporting that stopovers (at North American international gateway cities) would be eliminated. Then Lucky posted on One Mile At A Time the further bad news that AAnytime AAwards were increasing with detailed charts. Travel Summary chimed in with the US Airways increase to the popular North America – North Asia award which went from 90k in business class to 110k.

Now those 3 changes had very little effect on most birders and eco-tourists. We tend to plan in advance and use Saver Awards (capacity controlled and best booked way in advance), not the more expensive AAnytime awards. The North America – North Asia route wouldn’t be on a typical eco-travel itinerary. The loss of the North American gateway stopover could affect Americans who want to visit Grandma in LAX enroute to Australia or Brazil.

But all of the above pales in contrast to the loss of the OneWorld Explorer award.

This gem of an award was perfect for anyone wanting to avoid American’s strict routing rules and hop around various destinations as they wished. As long as you used at least 2 OneWorld carriers, you were fine.

This would have allowed me to go from Brisbane to South America via the USA and have a few stop-overs and I was eyeing one for 2016. Ironically, I have the miles but not the cash to pay for the lodges and birding guides which is why I have to allow a couple years to save for it.

The obvious lesson here is don’t hoard your miles – spend them! Devaluations can come at any time, though ideally we would at least get some advance notice. I wish I could be redeeming my miles more often but as a birder, I can’t use miles to pay for the vast majority of my ground expenses so I am pretty well stuck. Cash is a lot harder for me to get than miles!

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