topic Re: AMEX Travel in Credit Cards

AMEX Travel

LS2982 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:55:28 GMT

When booking through AMEX travel and you want to use MR points to pay do you have to have the whole amount needed or can you use some points and then charge the rest????

Re: AMEX Travel

webhopper — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:21:29 GMT

You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

Re: AMEX Travel

armbenderc — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:22:57 GMT

@webhopper wrote:
You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

That is correct. I never have full point for anything.

Re: AMEX Travel

ibmrad7 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:23:10 GMT

@webhopper wrote:
You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

@webhopper wrote:
You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:26:08 GMT

Also, look for potential transfer bonuses to a carrier you'll likely to redeem with for flghts.

Re: AMEX Travel

LS2982 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:32:40 GMT

@webhopper wrote:
You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

How do you do this i'm lost when it comes to all of that

Re: AMEX Travel

ibmrad7 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:51:12 GMT

@LS2982 wrote:
@webhopper wrote:
You can use some points and charge the rest.

The real value in booking travel with Amex using your points comes from transferring those points to airline partners to exchange for free tickets

How do you do this i'm lost when it comes to all of that

Admins I apologize in advance, I dont know if posting a bloggers link is allower here.

@Anonymous: http://millionmilesecrets.com/2013/01/25/membership-rewards-points-value/

this explains it all with MR

Re: AMEX Travel

webhopper — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:09:52 GMT

You make a rewards account with the partner, and see how many miles it takes to redeem for tickets. In some cases it might be as little as 10k - 15k miles.

Then you either go to the Amex site, or call membership rewards, tell them you want to redeem by transferring to a rewards partner, give them your rewards partner account number, they make the transfer then you immediately go book your reward ticket.

Its not bad and the customer service team with Amex will help if you have any issues!

I find a lot of value from booking my car rentals on Amex Travel, as well as flights, cause you earn 4x MR points on flights and you earn 2x on car rentals.

Re: AMEX Travel

myjourney — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:12:13 GMT

@webhopper wrote:
You make a rewards account with the partner, and see how many miles it takes to redeem for tickets. In some cases it might be as little as 10k - 15k miles.

Then you either go to the Amex site, or call membership rewards, tell them you want to redeem by transferring to a rewards partner, give them your rewards partner account number, they make the transfer then you immediately go book your reward ticket.

Its not bad and the customer service team with Amex will help if you have any issues!

I find a lot of value from booking my car rentals on Amex Travel, as well as flights, cause you earn 4x MR points on flights and you earn 2x on car rentals.

In the background learning now i know who to see about points....webhopper great info

Re: AMEX Travel

webhopper — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:16:09 GMT

@myjourney wrote:
@webhopper wrote:
You make a rewards account with the partner, and see how many miles it takes to redeem for tickets. In some cases it might be as little as 10k - 15k miles.

Then you either go to the Amex site, or call membership rewards, tell them you want to redeem by transferring to a rewards partner, give them your rewards partner account number, they make the transfer then you immediately go book your reward ticket.

Its not bad and the customer service team with Amex will help if you have any issues!

I find a lot of value from booking my car rentals on Amex Travel, as well as flights, cause you earn 4x MR points on flights and you earn 2x on car rentals.
In the background learning now i know who to see about points....webhopper great info

I'm still kind of new when it comes to points transfers and redeeming, but there are a lot of forum members who have a lot of knowledge out there.. and they've been doing it longer than me!

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:22:27 GMT

Many have different ways of finding and redeeming for the best value. Here's how I would start.

1. Find which airlines have the most flights in your airport.

2. Decide the route you want to fly.

3. Cabin class.

Different airlines all have different values depending on the season. You'll want to get an idea when and for how much the best value happens to be on the route you want to fly and your the airline of choice. Then, when you see a flight you want to book, transfer the MR points to the FF program of the airline and book the flight.

You should sign up for all the MR airline partners you may wish to fly with on your choice of routes. Also, bear in mind fuel charges, fees and Star Alliance transfer opportunities. It takes a while to get the feel for it, but well worth it once you do.

Re: AMEX Travel

webhopper — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:25:11 GMT

@Open123 wrote:
Many have different ways of finding and redeeming for the best value. Here's how I would start.

1. Find which airlines have the most flights in your airport.
2. Decide the route you want to fly.
3. Cabin class.

Different airlines all have different values depending on the season. You'll want to get an idea when and for how much the best value happens to be on the route you want to fly and your the airline of choice. Then, when you see a flight you want to book, transfer the MR points to the FF program of the airline and book the flight.

You should sign up for all the MR airline partners you may wish to fly with on your choice of routes. Also, bear in mind fuel charges, fees and Star Alliance transfer opportunities. It takes a while to get the feel for it, but well worth it once you do.

There is your resource

Thanks Open123

Re: AMEX Travel

myjourney — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:27:04 GMT

LS not jacking just interested so excuse me the light just went off in head

Whats that?

@Open123 wrote:
Many have different ways of finding and redeeming for the best value. Here's how I would start.

1. Find which airlines have the most flights in your airport.
2. Decide the route you want to fly.
3. Cabin class.

Different airlines all have different values depending on the season. You'll want to get an idea when and for how much the best value happens to be on the route you want to fly and your the airline of choice. Then, when you see a flight you want to book, transfer the MR points to the FF program of the airline and book the flight.

You should sign up for all the MR airline partners you may wish to fly with on your choice of routes. Also, bear in mind fuel charges, fees and Star Alliance transfer opportunities. It takes a while to get the feel for it, but well worth it once you do.

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:37:18 GMT

The MR partners are members of what they call the Star Alliance or One World. It's just a group of carriers who have all agreed to allow each other's miles to book on each carrier. For example, if there's an MR bonus for BA, you can transfer MR points for the bonus for Avios, then use the Avios to book a flight other carriers which may offer more value than BA, given it's high surcharges.

So, if there's a bonus for Aeroplan for example, you can transfer the MR points to Aeroplan for the bonus. But, since Aeroplan has high fuel charges, you can use the Aero miles to book on other Star Alliance members using the miles for a better value than you otherwise would had you transferred directly without the bonus.

It gets all pretty convoluted, unless you can isolate a carrier, route and time of travel. Then, you can narrow in on the best opportunities. Part of the challenge is searching for Star Alliance flights because most carriers won't have it on their site. You have to call and do it manually. What I do is use ANA tool which searches on ANA's site for all available Star Alliance flights. After finding the one I want, then I'll call the airlines for the reservation after transferring the miles.

It takes some effort, but great value can be had from MR points if done opportunisitically.

Re: AMEX Travel

myjourney — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:45:50 GMT

@Open123 wrote:
The MR partners are members of what they call the Star Alliance or One World. It's just a group of carriers who have all agreed to allow each other's miles to book on each carrier. For example, if there's an MR bonus for BA, you can transfer MR points for the bonus for Avios, then use the Avios to book a flight other carriers which may offer more value than BA, given it's high surcharges.

So, if there's a bonus for Aeroplan for example, you can transfer the MR points to Aeroplan for the bonus. But, since Aeroplan has high fuel charges, you can use the Aero miles to book on other Star Alliance members using the miles for a better value than you otherwise would had you transferred directly without the bonus.

It gets all pretty convoluted, unless you can isolate a carrier, route and time of travel. Then, you can narrow in on the best opportunities. Part of the challenge is searching for Star Alliance flights because most carriers won't have it on their site. You have to call and do it manually. What I do is use ANA tool which searches on ANA's site for all available Star Alliance flights. After finding the one I want, then I'll call the airlines for the reservation after transferring the miles.

It takes some effort, but great value can be had from MR points if done opportunisitically.

Thanks open and webhopper now I got it shall we say the light is on/out of the dark

No one ever breaks it down 1,2,3, format

Now I know register with programs

select carrier and route

transfer point

then book

easy as 1 2 3 thanks so much

LS sorry we now return you to your scheduled programing Lol

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:54:53 GMT

@myjourney wrote:
Thanks open and webhopper now I got it shall we say the light is on/out of the dark
No one ever breaks it down 1,2,3, format
Now I know register with programs
select carrier and route
transfer point
then book
easy as 1 2 3 thanks so much
LS sorry we now return you to your scheduled programing Lol

It is pretty easy! And, it's fun too, at least to me. Kind of like a treasure hunt, if you will. LOL

Just *do not* transfer until you're certain you're ready to book. Once you trasnfer, it can never be returned. MR points trasnfer instaneously (unlike SPG), so there's never a reason to transfer until the very last moment.

Look at all the FF MR partners. Sign up and link all the ones you may book flights, then link them to your MR program. Then, when opportunities arise, you can take advantage of them. I recall a few years ago, there was a 50% or 100% bonus to transfer to BA!

Re: AMEX Travel

nicholasyud — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 03:56:37 GMT

I have 30k miles stuck on Delta during sign up bonus and would like to used for my Asia trip ( VietNam ) ?? is anyway i can transfer it to American Airlines or what my option here ??? When i book at Delta it's almost double the price compare else where ???

Maybe someone would answer my question.

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:06:58 GMT

@nicholasyud wrote:
I have 30k miles stuck on Delta during sign up bonus and would like to used for my Asia trip ( VietNam ) ?? is anyway i can transfer it to American Airlines or what my option here ??? When i book at Delta it's almost double the price compare else where ???
Maybe someone would answer my question.

Airline miles can't be moved out once they are transferred in. Delta is a part of skyteam, and you can see if you can redeem anything to Vietnam from their members. AA is part of OneWorld, so Delta miles are useless for any AA redemptions.

Re: AMEX Travel

nicholasyud — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:11:25 GMT

@Open123 wrote:
Airline miles can't be moved out once they are transferred in. Delta is a part of skyteam, and you can see if you can redeem anything to Vietnam from their members. AA is part of OneWorld, so Delta miles are useless for any AA redemptions.

so i only can book my ticket through delta .com ??? how much 30k points worth ???

Re: AMEX Travel

Open123 — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:12:50 GMT

@nicholasyud wrote:
@Open123 wrote:
Airline miles can't be moved out once they are transferred in. Delta is a part of skyteam, and you can see if you can redeem anything to Vietnam from their members. AA is part of OneWorld, so Delta miles are useless for any AA redemptions.
so i only can book my ticket through delta .com ??? how much 30k points worth ???

For Delta? Ah, not much.

Certainly not enough for you to fly to SE Asia. Can you get more? If so, you might be able to book something on Skyteam, but you'd need at least 75k - 100k Delta miles for SE Asia, I'd imagine.