Online redemption query: can you buy miles and get the 15% discount?

[nickbot]

Just a quick question, mrs nickbot and I are hoping to soon redeem award flights using KF miles for the total sum of 150,000 miles each (therefore 127,500 after the online 15% discount) - neither of us have this full amount in our KF accounts, but do have at least the requisite 70% minimum, so shall need to purchase some miles at the US$40 / 1000 KF miles rate.

My query is this - how do we go about booking award seats and also purchasing the extra miles at the same time? I'm presuming there's an option during the redemption booking to click a tickbox saying "I'll send in the faxback miles purchase form shortly" as part of the booking or similar?

An added complication is that we each have to make a seperate booking (neither of us has sufficient miles to pay for both tix) - the only way round this I can see is to search for 2 seats, find the days/flights with availability, then for both of us to sit there with laptops and make the bookings at the same time to avoid missing out on availability!

Fingers crossed, we're going to try to redeem miles before any 77W-esque double redemption mileage rules come in for the A380, and take a gamble on securing seats in A380 Business Class on the LHR-SIN-SYD-SIN-LHR route (SIN-SYD-SIN in particular) towards the end of March next year before the A380 schedule is announced. I'm conscious that time is against us, so want to act on this ASAP! Any help would, of course, be very much appreciated

Many thanks in advance,

nickbot

[SQflyergirl]

My query is this - how do we go about booking award seats and also purchasing the extra miles at the same time? I'm presuming there's an option during the redemption booking to click a tickbox saying "I'll send in the faxback miles purchase form shortly" as part of the booking or similar?

This is a known chicken and egg problem with KF, but there's a way around it. Write in to KF using the buy miles form, and tell them which award you intend to redeem and then buy the miles first. Then do the booking.

Fingers crossed, we're going to try to redeem miles before any 77W-esque double redemption mileage rules come in for the A380, and take a gamble on securing seats in A380 Business Class on the LHR-SIN-SYD-SIN-LHR route (SIN-SYD-SIN in particular) towards the end of March next year before the A380 schedule is announced. I'm conscious that time is against us, so want to act on this ASAP! Any help would, of course, be very much appreciated

You may be out of luck on this one. Firstly, by March, I'm not sure if ALL the LHR routes will be 380'ed. Whilst inventory is not blocked yet, you'll have to guess, and that's a 1 in 3 chance you'll get at least one flight on the 380, and a 1 in 9 (I think) chance you'll get both.

The 2nd is that SIN-SYD-SIN is pretty much going to be SQ221/220 (there are 3 a day) - Award inventory in business has been blocked since May of this year - and is blocked for as far out as I can see. By march, I don't think you'll have both or all three of the SYD services 380'ed, as the next deliveries of the planes are going to be dedicated to running a daily to LHR (and you need a minimum of 2 frames, or 3 frames if you want a spare for safety, to run daily LHR)

[upright man]

I have only one tip for you - save a screenshot of your KF account page, to remember how good it feels to have >100,000 miles.

I regret not doing so when I had >100,000, and now have to be content with looking at 43,000 miles after I made a redemption.

So as SQflyergirl says, your chances of getting the A380 on your flights are slim ? The business Spacebed on the 744 would still be acceptable for you ?

[9V-JKL]

This is a known chicken and egg problem with KF, but there's a way around it. Write in to KF using the buy miles form, and tell them which award you intend to redeem and then buy the miles first. Then do the booking.

She's right. I did exactly this back in Jan; advise came from her as well.

Just to add, do call KF immediately after you've fax the form that you would like to book and ticket ASAP. In my case, miles were credited a couple of hours after the call.

[nickbot]

This is a known chicken and egg problem with KF, but there's a way around it. Write in to KF using the buy miles form, and tell them which award you intend to redeem and then buy the miles first. Then do the booking.

Thanks SQFG, I thought I'd read somewhere on here that there was a way around it (probably not such an uncommon problem as you say) - very much appreciate the assitance.

You may be out of luck on this one. Firstly, by March, I'm not sure if ALL the LHR routes will be 380'ed. Whilst inventory is not blocked yet, you'll have to guess, and that's a 1 in 3 chance you'll get at least one flight on the 380, and a 1 in 9 (I think) chance you'll get both.

Yep, I know I have a gamble on my hands with this one - we're happy to accept "Raffles" spacebed for this leg (LHR-SIN-LHR), as SIN/Thailand is our holiay destination (and it is, of course, still a great way to fly), but have been planning to gamble on A380 for a SIN-SYD-SIN turnaround just for the experience; this may, as you suggest, be an expensive gamble. It is the latter component of the trip that requires mrs nickbot and I to purchase miles, and also to take a revenue flight from SIN-Thailand (either ChiangMai or HKT). Of course, we're also taking the gamble that one (or, fingers crossed tightly both) of our LHR<->SIN flights are A380 also.

Another option is that we can wait until June/July for the trip,...hopefully more A380s will be onstream then...

Complicated!!

[nickbot]

Okay, I contacted KF to ask them about this, as SQFG suggested, and received the following response:

Dear nickbot

Thank you for your email dated 30 August 2007 to KrisFlyer Membership Services.

With regard to your request, we would to inform that for the purchase of miles to be process, you need to have a confirmed redemption booking. Kindly contact us at +65 789 8188, in order for us to assist you further with your redemption bookings. Our KrisFlyer Customer Service Representative would attend to your enquiries pertaining to the redemption bookings promptly.

Please be advise that you are required to have your redemption booking reference number in order for us to assist you further on Purchase of miles.

nickbot, once again thank you for writing to us and we hope that you will continue to enjoy all the benefits of your KrisFlyer membership in the year ahead.

Yours sincerely
Saras Sivalingam
Customer Service Executive
KrisFlyer Membership Services


...now I'm panicking, does this mean I have to book over the phone (and hence not receive the 15% discount), or can I proceed with the online booking (despite the popup saying I have insufficient miles) and then call them?

[SQflyergirl]

...now I'm panicking, does this mean I have to book over the phone (and hence not receive the 15% discount), or can I proceed with the online booking (despite the popup saying I have insufficient miles) and then call them?

That's a KF service agent who either doesn't know what he or she is allowed to do, or they've changed the rules.

I've had success - telling them I wish to buy a certain amount of miles for a certain award i had in mind, i put down the dates and all on the form, they charge my card, and within a few hours, the miles were in my account, and made the booking. It's not complicated at all. I guess you'll just need to call another agent.

[nickbot]

Thanks SQFG, I'll try again later today - here's hoping the rules haven't changed, because if they have, this curtails certain elements of our planned itinerary

[jjpb3]

Good luck to you and mrs n, nickbot. Keep us posted.

[upright man]

Thanks SQFG, I'll try again later today - here's hoping the rules haven't changed, because if they have, this curtails certain elements of our planned itinerary

I sympathise with you too - so much hassle to go through.

[nickbot]

Update on this situation - after reading around the subject, advice from other SQTalkers and a call to KF UK, it seems that purchase of miles and online booking are incompatible

This now means that the SIN-SYD-SIN turnaround of our proposed trip won't be happening, but annoyingly also means that we have to spend circa £600 for purchase of miles for mrs nickbot beause of not qualifying for the 15% discount.

SQFlyerGirl, you seemed to be of the opinion that miles purchase and online booking are indeed compatible - I wonder if they have changed the rules as you suggest, or whether I've fallen foul of unhelpful KF staff?

This means my gamble for A380 J seats is down to two flights (LHR-SIN and SIN-LHR), but on the plus side the trip will now be in June so hopefully more whalejets in service by then.

Yours disappointedly,

nickbot

[SQflyergirl]

SQFlyerGirl, you seemed to be of the opinion that miles purchase and online booking are indeed compatible - I wonder if they have changed the rules as you suggest, or whether I've fallen foul of unhelpful KF staff?

This is merely based off my own experiences. It happened to me - I explained the situation and got it resolved. Of course, Your mileage may vary. Hope it works out for you.

[9V-JKL]

nickbot, it worked for me as well

[nickbot]

Thanks for the boost in confidence SQflyergirl and 9V-JKL, I'm going to try again

[EWR]

Thanks for the boost in confidence SQflyergirl and 9V-JKL, I'm going to try again

Hi nickbot, I am interested in this issue too. I know your post is kinda dated, but did you have luck with purchasing miles and enjoying the 15% discount?

(Sorry for reviving this)