Upgrade Me To First Class, Baby (UPDATED October 2007)
Written: Nov 19 '02 (Updated Oct 27 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of earning opportunities
Cons: Some bonus miles don't count toward "preferred miles"
The Bottom Line: Great upgrade programs, lots of bonus mileage opportunities, helpful customer service
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| BeastieGirl's Full Review: US Airways Dividend Miles |
I have been a member of USAirways Dividend Miles program for about 10 years now, but never really accumulated any miles until the past three years. I have always been treated with respect and courtesy and have had plenty of earning (miles) opportunities.
So let's get right down to some of the program details:
Earning Miles
Flying actual miles is the most obvious. You are awarded actual miles flown unless the flight segment is less than 500 miles, in which case, you will automatically receive 500 miles credited. Actual miles includes other 'partner' airlines as well, such as United, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and other members of the Star Alliance network. US Airways is also partnered with Virgin Atlantic, Bahamas Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Big Sky, Qatar and Royal Jordanian Airlines. With airlines in the Star Alliance network, all miles also count towards preferred status. Some of the other airlines, such as Virgin, Hawaiin and Qatar count toward preferred status as well, which is a nice bonus.
Hotel stays: You can receive miles from many hotel chains, such as Holiday Inn, Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott, etc, you get the picture. The amount of miles received depends on the hotel chain. For example, I receive 500 miles for every stay at Hilton Hotels, 250 miles for every stay at a Holiday Inn.
Rental Cars: Again, many different rental car companies will offer frequent flyer miles. Alamo, for example, will credit 250 miles for every car rental. Other rental car companies, such as Hertz, Dollar, Avis, National, Thrifty, offer similar mileage credit.
Phone Calls: Many of the leading wireless phone companies offer mileage perks, including Nextel, Sprint, Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile. You'll earn points when signing up for service as well as when you buy accessories.
Credit Cards: With a Visa Signature card, you can get a Visa card that will give you one mile for every dollar spent. This is a great option if you have a high limit and can pay of your credit card every month. I'm not a big supporter of credit cards, but if you can use it to your advantage, it's a great way to earn lots of miles. If you use the Dividend Miles Visa Card when you book a US Airways purchase, you will earn double miiles! There is also a US Airways World MasterCard, offering similar benefits. Bank of America offers classic and gold cards as well as a check card (debit card) that earns 1 mile for every 2 dollars spent. The debit card is a nice way to avoid high annual fees and overspending- I am a big proponent of this card.
The signature Visa and World Mastercard do offer some nice perks though- you can get the elite status sooner, with 10,000 miles toward preferred status (Silver Preferred is at a 25,000 mile threshold). You can also enjoy the benefits of pre-boarding and discounted club membership.
Bonus Miles: USAirways.com always has bonus miles offered on their website. Sometimes it can be a matter of timing, for example, during the off-peak season, they will offer double miles, basically doubling all actual miles flown. They always offer 1000 bonus miles for booking on-line, and combined with using your new Visa, you can earn up to 2000 miles!! If US Airways is promoting a certain location, such as they are now with Caribbean destinations, they will usually offer double miles as well.
Other options: If you look hard enough and are willing to do the work, there are other means of earning miles that I personally find too time consuming. Ordering flowers on-line, going through a particular web site to order products on-line, applying for a loan through lendingtree.com- these will all get you miles.
So, that's how you can earn miles, now what are you going to do with them?
Over the past three years, I have done enough flying on USAirways to maintain a Silver Preferred membership level. This allows me to redeem miles for free travel without blackout dates, a preferred customer support call center, boarding planes when they board first class, a 50% mileage bonus on all flights, and a great upgrade program! The only time that I have flown coach since that time has been on free tickets and when my company flies me on other airlines (waaaahhhh!!!).
The upgrades are by far the best perk to being an elite member. Upgrades are offered on an unlimited basis to Preferred members providing there are available seats. Depending on your preferred status (silver, gold, platinum or chairman), you will be upgraded a certain number of days in advance, which also depends on the fare class purchased. If you book a full fare ticket, you will be upgraded immediately. Otherwise, your preferred level will determine when you are cleared for an upgrade. Silver Preffered members will be upgraded 2 days in advance, gold 3 days in advance, Platinum Preferred 4 days in advance and Chairman's Preferred 7 days in advance.
The upgraded call center for customer support is also great. When flying coach class, they put me in a "choice seat", such as an Emergency Exit seat for more leg room, or close to the front of the plane. When my grandfather passed away somewhat unexpectedly, I used some of my miles (20,000) for a free ticket. They waved the usual $35 fee for quick ticketing (anything within two weeks of travel) and were very helpful in the reservation procedure.
So how can I get this elite status, you may ask. You must earn 25,000 actual miles in one calendar year. Sometimes bonus miles will count, but most of the time, it's just the actual miles. Last year, I made it to 20,000 and was very disappointed because I knew I would not be able to retain my Silver status. They offered me a renewal if I flew at least 6,000 miles before April 1. Luckily I had a few trips planned and was able to keep my status quo.
I am a conscientious traveler and am always keeping my eye out for special deals. I also have a thing for "points programs" and this one has been by far the most rewarding. I prefer the preferred status, however if you are just interested in earning free travel, this is still a great program. Even if you don't travel too often, you still have plenty of opportunities for earning miles. My mother doesn't travel all that frequently (she flew once this year), but with her Visa card and on-line booking, she has earned over 29000 miles in the past two years. I find the USAirways web site very easy to navigate and you don't have to be a member to check rates or different promotions, unlike United.com, which requires you to sign in for pretty much anything.
Bottom line: frequent flyer membership is free, and ultimately rewarding if you keep your eyes open and membership card in hand.
For any further details, I would recommend checking out the web site:
www.usairways.com/dividendmiles
Recommended:
Yes
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