althom1122

Maybe I'm just slow, but I can't seem to figure out how to book a flight using a combination of miles and money. I did it once a couple of weeks ago, but now I can't get back to it.

I want to check out options for flying from IAD to Beijing in May 2012. I'd like to fly back from Hong Kong, but when I click multi-city in the redeem miles section, it won't allow me to do it. Plus, when I try roundtrip to Beijing, it shows 182,000 miles as the cost, and then says to use fewer miles, I could book using a combination of money and miles. But there doesn't seem to be any way to do it. I'm so frustrated. Any suggestions?

simpsonc510

Have you linked your UA account with Continental yet? Just curious, because I got availability for a saver award ticket from BKK to ORD by way of FRA through the Continental site. They have lots more flights showing up at saver award levels. Supposedly it takes just a click to transfer miles from UA to CO (to purchase a ff ticket) once you have linked your two accounts. Worth doing, IMO.

Not sure what you can do about an open jaw FF ticket, but take a look at CO for booking it.

qwovadis

On difficult bookings/routes I cannot make work on line

I call my elite status coordinator who greases the skids.

Had to do this with Continental a few months ago screwups

due according to her to the merger with United.

Good luck!

J62

I use AA miles and on aa.com I just book two one way tickets. One with miles and the other with money.

That won't work if the cost of a one way is much more than 1/2 a round trip.

althom1122

Thanks, i may end up just calling.

I'll check on the one way idea, though, that's good thinking. THank you.

suze

In complicated situations, I'm not afraid to pick up the phone to the airlines, just tell them exactly what you told us here. Sometimes you get a helpful agent.

mrwunrfl

Do you want to use miles and money because you don't have enough miles (or want to save the miles) that are required for your open-jaw trip?

rkkwan

UA has allowed one-way award ticket for a while, and CO since June 15.

mrwunrfl

Ok, I think I see what you might be doing. I suspect that you are selecting flights and proceeding to buy the ticket with miles but then the website tells you that you don't have enough miles - and then suggests using Miles & Money.

If that is what happened then go back and do your search. When you get to the page where you select the flights, look down at the bottom and see the Miles & Money tab. Click it and I expect that you will see a message saying ! Miles & Money is not offered as a payment option ...

simpsonc offered great advice: use the Continental website to search.

If you don't mind: how many miles do you have and what dates are you looking for? Is it acceptable to you to fly in economy at a saver rate instead of a premium class at a standard rate?

althom1122

mrwunrfl - aha! I hadn't seen that tab at the bottom, thanks.

I have about 148,000 miles, but will soon have an add'l 25K or so (going to Australia on a business trip in 3 weeks, although flying economy). I'd like to be able to book 2 saver rate tickets for going over and am ok with flying economy on the way back.

mrwunrfl

I don't see how an award from IAD to PEK would be 182,000 miles. Did you mean 185,000 miles or maybe 172,500 miles?

In any case, a roundtrip saver award in first class is 140,000 miles, so if you see something more than that then you would definitely paying the standard rate for either the outbound or inbound legs, or both.