Update: This fantastic offer ends today!
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Get A 100% Mileage Bonus When You Share USAirways Miles
For your reference:
USAirways Partner/Star Alliance Award Chart
USAirways Star Alliance Partners
USAirways Non-Alliance Partners
Through 12/06 when you share up to 50,000 USAirways miles with a friend USAirways will double the transfer. The cost to share 50,000 miles is $567.50. So if you transfer 50,000 miles to a friend he will wind up with 100,000 miles instantly in his account and you will have effectively purchased 50,000 miles at a cost of $567.50 or 1.135 cents per mile.
This promotion is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to “buy” miles.
I have already tested it out and it’s instantly giving the bonus 50,000 miles.
Of course you can then share 50,000 miles right back to where they started or to another account where they will again turn into 100,000 miles for the same cost. However receiving accounts are limited to a maximum of 50,000 bonus miles during this promo period.
Even if you did this during the October promo you can receive another 50K this time.
The transaction is processed by a 3rd party, so you will unfortunately not earn bonus travel points on cards like the American Express® Premier Rewards Gold Card or the Chase Sapphire Preferred (though you can always ask for ’em afterwards).
Don’t have USAirways miles? Find a friend that does or you can always transfer 40,000 Starwood Starpoints to anyone’s USAirways account and they’ll receive 50,000 miles and then be able to start generating miles for just 1.135 cents per mile. Starpoints can take anywhere from 1-9 days to transfer to USAirways.
In other words “David” can transfer 40K Starpoints into 50K USAirways miles. He can then transfer those 50K miles to his wife for $567.50 and she’ll have 100,000 USAirways miles. If they want more miles his wife can then transfer 50K miles back to David for $567.50 and she’ll be left with 50K miles while he will have 100,000 miles.
Accounts need to be open for at least 12 days before they can share or receive miles, so unless you already have an account it’s too late to participate this time.
USAirways is a Star Alliance member, so you can book award travel across dozens of partner airlines. You need to call USAirways to book Star Alliance award travel as it can’t be booked online. You can search for saver availability on Star Alliance airlines with more robust websites like United.com, ANA, and Aeroplan.com and then call USAirways to book flights.
USAirways allows 3 day holds on award flights (which can even be extended for another 3 days for making a small change) so you can first put a flight on hold and then purchase miles.
USAirways miles require activity every 18 months to keep them alive and this will count as activity of course to extend your miles.
Bear in mind that USAirways does charge a number of fees though they do not collect any fuel surcharges. Award fees include $150 to change dates, an award ticketing fee of $25-$50 depending on your destination, and a $75 fee for booking award travel within 21 days.
USAirways requires round-trip award travel. They do allow a free stopover. If you book travel on partner airlines you can’t change anything once your trip has begun.
There are plenty of redemption bargains:
-A First Class United 777 flight with lie-flat seating from Houston-Honolulu is 80,000 USAirways miles, or $908 at 1.135 cents per mile. United charges 100,000 miles for First Class to Hawaii on 3 class aircraft. A paid ticket would run you about $6,000.
-Off-peak coach awards to the Caribbean are just 25,000 miles and to Europe or South America are just 35,000 miles round-trip if you fly on USAirways. Off peak First Class/Envoy awards to the Carribean are just 50,000 miles and to South America are just 60,000 miles round-trip if you fly on USAirways.
-Award tickets to Israel are 80,000 in coach or 120,000 in business. Star Alliance nonstop options from North America include Air Canada from Toronto, United from Newark, and USAirways from Philadelphia. A coach ticket would be the equivalent of $908 and a business ticket would be the equivalent of $1,362 at 1.135 cents per mile.
-A business class ticket to Asia is 90,000 USAirways miles and a first class ticket is 120,000 USAirways miles. Compare that to 120,000 or 140,000 United miles that would be required for business or first. A business ticket would be the equivalent of $1,012.50 and a first class ticket would be the equivalent of $1,362 at 1.135 cents per mile.
Plus you can even stopover in Europe or even Israel on the way to Asia for free for as long as you want, or you can even stopover in multiple cities as long as you are in the additional stopover cities for less than 24 hours.
Yes, that’s business class from the USA to Israel and Hong Kong and back to the US for just 90,000 miles.
-A business class ticket to Australia or New Zealand is 110,000 USAirways miles and a first class ticket is 140,000 USAirways miles. Compare that to 135,000 or 160,000 United miles that would be required for business or first. A business ticket would be the equivalent of $1,248.50 and a first class ticket would be the equivalent of $1,589 at 1.135 cents per mile.
Plus you can even stopover in Europe or Asia on the way down under for free for as long as you want, or you can even stopover in multiple cities as long as you are in the additional stopover cities for less than 24 hours.
Note that:
-USAirways is merging with American. In early 2014 you should be able to convert your miles back and forth at a 1:1 ratio. Around March of 2014 USAirways will leave the Star Alliance and join OneWorld. Generally speaking American’s miles are considered more valuable than USAirways miles though their chart can change at any time.
-USAirways award charts can change at any time.
-USAirways agents are fairly incompetent, so it may take a few phone calls to book what you want. Then again I’ve seen several people book travel from the US to South Africa with a stopover in Israel for a total of 40,000 miles round-trip, so incompetency works both ways…
Will you be buying miles this way? Find any other great uses? Post a comment!
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20 Comments On "Get A 100% Mileage Bonus When You Share USAirways Miles!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
can I use the same cc for sending back & forth?
@q:
You can but I’d recommend using a card in the account holder’s name if possible.
Will i get miles if i skip the leg and get off to Phili?
@Dan:
Why does the card need to match.?
United.com doesnt always have the same availability as usair
Please stop telling people that they can book a business class ticket to Israel and North Asia using 90k US Airways miles. I have tried many times to even book it via Europe and it is not possible. I enjoy your site but this is not reality.
I know about the potential Europe stopover on a US Airways award ticket to Asia, but how does the Israel stopover work? An Israel stopover is obviously a very attractive option because the airlines’ award charts to Israel alone tend to be expensive. But most airlines are at least a little picky about int’l stopovers — like they have to be in a hub city. How do you explain that Israel is “on the way” to Asia? Do you have to rely on agent incompetence, or would an Israel stopover actually be allowed under US Airways’ rules. Thanks!
for the usairways glitch, am I better off putting my united ffn?
@Fmm:
For which flights?
@Maury:
Worked for me. Play some HUCA.
@Dave:
Incompetence, of which there is lots.
@danhi:
Of course.
I “shared” 30k miles from my account to my wifeys and i thot it would post instantly… Been a couple of hours, and it hasnt posted yet. my account shows the old balance, and so does my wifes.
What is the best way to fly to Israel for two weeks in January from Cleveland. Also which credit card is the best one to use that gives you the best bang for your buck
.
Hmm. Previously miles have left account instantly, not this time. Anyone similar?
Dan would you say to wait to sell usairways as will go up?
how is transferring from spg going to help if promotion is almost over and Starpoints can take anywhere from 1-9 days to transfer to USAirways?
@carolschottenstein:
What miles do you have now?
@yaakov:
Won’t help any more of course as today is the last day.
We have over 10000 miles between. United and chase but it might be more profitable to sell them than to use them for a ticket. What’s your opinion?
My American Airlines advantage Account was frozen when a friend borrowed miles to book a ticket. I have over 100k Us Airways miles in my account. Do I have to use them up before they convert to Aadvantage miles or is there some other option I can do to make sure AA won’t freeze those miles when they convert?
Hi Dan, I have just moved to the USA and have a new social security.
I bank with Chase but when I asked my banker if I should apply for a cc with them he said better not since I have no credit history I`ll most likely be denied and this can reflect.
He advised me to apply for a Capital One card.
I would like to build me credit history, I don`t necessarily need the credit card.
What is your suggestion?
I too have this question. What is the answer?
made a change to an award ticket on hold from us airways and they would not extend the hold another 3 days, did something change or do I need to HUCA (bc i tried that multiple times)