V-Flyer

I'm curious how many people here, if any, purchase the 100,000 miles in a calendar year just simply for the purpose of collecting miles for future use?

I've never done it, but the price is sort of tempting, but equally I could just buy the miles as and when I need them, do you guys ever buy them just for the sake of it ? I'm curious what strategy people use when it comes to buying miles.

I've also never used the miles booster, but am considering it for the first time on my upcoming UC trip, how frequently do you guys use this feature?

I don't know about others but I don't buy miles, I prefer to use the Amex and Shops Away portal to accrue miles through my normal spending habits.

I have used the miles booster which is a good deal, better than simply buying miles. I'll be using it again shortly to retrospectively boost a trip we did a couple of months ago, for my OH's FC account. This will boost his mileage account so that he has enough for a single sector upgrade from Y to UC.

Firstly I do buy miles as well as collect them from every avenue possible. I normally buy mile on the special deals and I buy them instead of Christmas presents for my other half.

It works for me as but Ma y not work for others but I love to have a healthy balance for quick treats when I feel like

I do miles booster and remember you can still get them up to 6 months after the flight also

I've bought miles for Aer John simply to keep his FC account alive since, apart from flying, that's the only way to have any activity on his account.

I collect miles and have done miles booster twice on Virgin Red flight just to top up the odd 3000.
I have also recently signed up to the Amex Black card which netted me 25,000 miles in the first month as I had some large purchases.
I'll probably keep the Amex Black because, although it costs £140 a year it gives double the miles and I should benefit more than 14000 miles which would be the cost of buying via miles booster.
I use a Tesco club card for all petrol and have those points automatically converted. (also got a bonus for going auto)
I shop via shops away. Just bought a new travel computer from John Lewis which I collected from my local Waitrose. I get 4 miles per £ from shops away plus miles from my Amex.
I have already spent miles for next years flight. (Upper to MCO) and have enough in the bank for 2016
I think if you keep your eyes open for special offers it's reasonably easy to build them up.
I spend them on upgrading rather than a full reward flight and only do one long haul a year.
Dick D

I tend to use Miles Booster every time, especially if they have a promotion going (such as the 25% extra a couple of months ago). The ability to boost them retrospectively is great as well.
Seconding the use of a clubcard as well. I picked up a Tesco clubcard for the extra points (and therefore mileage) but am considering cancelling that one in favour of a VS card next time they run a promotion.
Never really considered buying miles...

Have used the miles booster on every flight as you can get it on reward only flights which is great. Only ever buy miles when they have an offer on of extra with it. Have converted some Tesco points to miles, but have just cashed the lot as OH has always wanted a Tag Heuer watch and Goldsmiths were doing 3 x value so paid for it all with them. Lin

Thanks for the replies, interesting reading. With regards to Tesco, I recently signed up to clubcard and have about 800 points there, I've signed up for the automatic conversion to FC miles, but when do these get credited to your FC account, is it when the next clubcard statement is due?

seany wrote:Thanks for the replies, interesting reading. With regards to Tesco, I recently signed up to clubcard and have about 800 points there, I've signed up for the automatic conversion to FC miles, but when do these get credited to your FC account, is it when the next clubcard statement is due?

They get credited quarterly last one was end of October so next should be end Jan I think

Ah great thanks, better get shopping!

Personally speaking I just amass the miles through credit card spending and the travelling. VS mileage can be a touch difficult to spend at times if your dates and destinations are not overly flexible, so I also leave a stash on my Amex account.

I keep a Gold Rewards Amex running and with all the double and even triple category bonuses they give with point earning, it is worth the £125 a year in my eyes.

All in all, I keep a pretty healthy mileage balance turning over, bringing this into another interesting question ....

How do people find miles as, in effect, a global currency? Spending the cash buying 100,000 miles now would yield a mileage balance that would not have the same value a year from now in my view.

If the miles were to just sit in your account there is no real ROI that increases their value and you are of course at the mercy of the direction the airline takes. With VS cutting routes as they are and reward space being utilised by DL pax I would not personally bank 100,000 miles a year, just because I can, for use in the future.

Just my two cents whilst I sit awaiting my flight home from BOS - yep, I'm in the pub with tinuks on this rainy Tuesday

We have never resorted to purchasing miles as we seem to accumulate them much faster than they can be 'spent'.

We do use the VS Black Amex and VISA cards and the Tesco miles conversion, although Tesco is not our favourite supermarket, and, if I remember, I'll attempt to pick up some additional miles through online shopping.

In terms of redemption, we generally go for miles plus money to keep up the tier points but January's trip to Japan was a straight miles exchange plus just over £500 each in taxes and fuel surcharge (£300 UK, £200 Japan); a bit of a bargain and we are intending to steal some of the seating from the NRT ClubHouse before it closes at the end of the month.

NV43 wrote:We have never resorted to purchasing miles as we seem to accumulate them much faster than they can be 'spent'.

We do use the VS Black Amex and VISA cards and the Tesco miles conversion, although Tesco is not our favourite supermarket, and, if I remember, I'll attempt to pick up some additional miles through online shopping.

.

Definitely worth remembering to shop online. My recent £220 purchase from John Lewis was the same price in other shops and has netted 1100 miles. I kick myself for buying elsewhere.
Dick D

joeyc wrote:
How do people find miles as, in effect, a global currency? Spending the cash buying 100,000 miles now would yield a mileage balance that would not have the same value a year from now in my view.

If the miles were to just sit in your account there is no real ROI that increases their value and you are of course at the mercy of the direction the airline takes. With VS cutting routes as they are and reward space being utilised by DL pax I would not personally bank 100,000 miles a year, just because I can, for use in the future.

Just my two cents whilst I sit awaiting my flight home from BOS - yep, I'm in the pub with tinuks on this rainy Tuesday

Since you put it that way, I'd better stop saving miles and go on a spending spree. New Year's in Vegas anyone???

NV43 wrote:We have never resorted to purchasing miles as we seem to accumulate them much faster than they can be 'spent'.

We do use the VS Black Amex and VISA cards and the Tesco miles conversion, although Tesco is not our favourite supermarket, and, if I remember, I'll attempt to pick up some additional miles through online shopping.

In terms of redemption, we generally go for miles plus money to keep up the tier points but January's trip to Japan was a straight miles exchange plus just over £500 each in taxes and fuel surcharge (£300 UK, £200 Japan); a bit of a bargain and we are intending to steal some of the seating from the NRT ClubHouse before it closes at the end of the month.

I thought you couldn't earn miles or TPs on MPM fares, am I wrong?

No you're right, but I suspect NV43 meant buying an M and upgrading to a G, which would earn miles and TPs for the M fare.

Hi
Does anyone know anything about www.buyairmiles.com selling virgin air miles at $19 per 1,000.?
Regards
gbysea

That site doesn't seem to exist but such offers aren't unusual - there are usually people on eBay selling miles.

Like any unofficial source of miles, I'd be sceptical - they might be fine but if they're not you'll have very little chance of getting your money back. And there's no doubt a clause in the T&Cs that gives VS the right to cancel any miles it deems illegitimate.

So if you're happy to take the risk, fine - but don't expect VS to be sympathetic if they smell a rat. Besides which, $19 (or £12) for 1,000 miles isn't a great deal - it would only be £10 using VS's own miles booster.

https://buyairlinemiles.com/checkout/mi ... ays-miles/
Does Exist!!
gbysea

gbysea wrote:Hi
Does anyone know anything about http://www.buyairmiles.com selling virgin air miles at $19 per 1,000.?
Regards
gbysea

That site was discussed back in August this year
http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=4& ... ic#p879609

Many thnks for the Link
regards
gbysea

Miles booster is a really cheap way to fly - they cost just 1p each meaning you can get a roundtrip to NY in UC for the equivalent of £900 (plus taxes).
Remember that miles tickets are totally flexible, changeable and refundable.

JCBR wrote:Miles booster is a really cheap way to fly - they cost just 1p each meaning you can get a roundtrip to NY in UC for the equivalent of £900 (plus taxes).
Remember that miles tickets are totally flexible, changeable and refundable.

My brain hurts.

I have been buying Economy with fixed dates as soon as they are issued. Upgrade on miles to PE, usually straight away, then upgrade to Upper when they are available. For next year I did have to do a date change to get the return upper which cost me £100 for the two of us.

What I think you are saying is: I'd be better off both financially and flexible-wise to use all miles buying the extra I need via miles booster whenever I fly.

I have next year sorted but plan to fly to Atlanta in Feb 2016
Upper is 80,000 and PE 55,000
If there are PE rewards when I book and later Upper become available, is it a simple 25,000 extra miles plus taxes to change?


Dick D

As someone who is new to the buying Y then upgrading with miles technique, do these fully flexible fares change in sales like the lower fare buckets or are they pretty static?

seany wrote:As someone who is new to the buying Y then upgrading with miles technique, do these fully flexible fares change in sales like the lower fare buckets or are they pretty static?

They are fairly static, industry price fluctuations aside.

The sale fares are always loaded from the lowest fare bucket I'm afraid.