Redemptions on flights in and out of different cities

[SQ228]

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new at redeeming miles and completely confused!

I've got just over 40,000 miles and want to fly from Melbourne into Barcelona, spend a month in Europe, then fly back home out of Munich.

If I book a one-way redemption flight from MEL - BCN it says I have just enough points and all I have to pay are taxes and surcharges.

BUT... the one-way flight home from Munich costs slightly more than paying outright for the whole return flight not using any miles at all.

I then tried clicking the redemption box in my multi-city intinerary and it cleared my booking and said I had to re-enter using stopovers, which won't work for what I want to do and then the website froze up on me completely.

Is it even possible to use miles to pay for part of my two flights and would booking separate flights cause me issues because one booking isn't from my country of residence? Is this the type of complicated thing I should call their call centre about?

I'm not into lounges, status or upgrades- I just want to make sure I'm not losing points through expiry by being an ignoramus about all this!

[SQ238]

Personally I would just pay for the multi city ticket, any one way with SIN is going to cost you nearly the price of a return ticket once you factor in the taxes of your reward ticket.

I would wait to use your miles once you have enough points to fly a return journey, even if it is just to Asia, even then I would only redeem my reward flights in economy over the busiest times when the tickets are the most expensive.

I just don't see economy rewards as good value, even at saver level. I usually use my miles on saver business rewards.






i

[SQ228]

Hey SQ238,

Thanks for your tip. Knew I could count on a local to help me out!

Yeah, I had pretty much arrived at that conclusion, so you've helped me confirm I'm not making a foolish move. The return price for March next year is such good value, it's hardly worth the effort of fiddling around trying to reduce it.

Might to try to upgrade one of my SIN-MEL sectors with my points if I can. Europeans in economy are usually very civilised to fly with. My fellow countrypeople, I'm embarrassed to say, are somewhat less well mannered. Often manage to get stuck near a big group headed for Bali taking full advantage of the price inclusive booze.

[fone]

Firstly, when are your miles going to expire? If they are going to expire by the end of Nov 2011, without the option of extension, I'd recommend looking for other one-way options. I've once booked a friend on UA for LHR - LAX one-way which has a roundtrip ticket going for much less than the one-way ticket, then by luck, the return flight was postponed by more than 2 hours, thus he got 50% of his ticket back. Otherwise, ditching the return leg could be an option too, just don't do it too often.

[SQ228]

Time is on my side, fortunately. None of my miles expire until next April and it's the first expiry date so I could extend them. Does extending the miles make them last another two years? I'm a bit dubious about paying out money for something which only exists as a number- is it really worth a Y flyer paying for extensions?

I fly to Europe annually usually so its feasible I could build up to a return redemption flight by 2014. I'm one of the rare breed who can sleep solidly in Y for hours. I live alone, so anybody offering me drinks or food to any level of service pleases me sufficiently!

[inix]

Hey SQ238,

Thanks for your tip. Knew I could count on a local to help me out!

Yeah, I had pretty much arrived at that conclusion, so you've helped me confirm I'm not making a foolish move. The return price for March next year is such good value, it's hardly worth the effort of fiddling around trying to reduce it.

Might to try to upgrade one of my SIN-MEL sectors with my points if I can. Europeans in economy are usually very civilised to fly with. My fellow countrypeople, I'm embarrassed to say, are somewhat less well mannered. Often manage to get stuck near a big group headed for Bali taking full advantage of the price inclusive booze.

Usually is subjective I guess. I used to do SIN - CDG quite often and I am often appalled by some of the French's (or at least I believe they are French) behaviour on board.

But I guess, no matter what nationality you are, a fatal mix of sufficient alcohol + squeezing in a confine place changes people behaviour...