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I would like to use my AMEX rewards points to fly to Hawaii next July. Do I have to do this ASAP, or can I wait and shop for airfares? I am not sure how this program works since I never used it before. I have a list of participating airlines. Does this work the same as other FF seats?
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Ann-Marie -
I transferred my Amex to my Delta and Flew Delta to hawaii from NY. You need to book the out going flight 330 days before departure and then a week or two later book your return. If you do not book this far in advance you may not get the flights. I was up at 3 am booking them to be sure I got the best flights. You may want to do a stop over in SF for a few days or LA. It might make it easy to book 1 leg.Timeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4ms -
Bigfrank, Delta seems like the way to go. How do I find out how many points I need to transfer?Ann-MarieComment
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Ann Marie,
Delta's coach tickets to Hawaii are 35,000 for sky saver and 70,000 for sky choice. I don't remember what first class are.
And, Frank is right book way out to get the best seats and to get sky saver. You are already a Delta frequent flyer aren't you? If not, go ahead and enroll now.
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I went to Delta website. I need 35,00 miles R/T. But, how do I book 331 days out, using skymiles if I can only book one leg of the trip? If I book 2 one way trips, don't I then use 35,000 points twice, 35,000 for each booking?Ann-MarieComment
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When you call Delta they will put the first leg on hold for up to 2 weeks.Timeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4msComment
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Bigfrank, we are doing 2 weeks TS, and then 2 days in Oahu, totalling 16 days. So then what do I do? Also, how long does it take AMEX to transfer the points?Ann-MarieComment
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Now is when it gets tricky. Somewhere you are going to have to release your hold in order to extend to 16 days. when I booked my trip I was able to hold for 3 to 4 weeks and I still had to take a chance and release it because we were away for 5 weeks. Amex says it takes up to 5 days to transfer but I recall it being done on the same day.Timeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4msComment
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Bigfrank, what are you saying, that I release my hold on my FF seat after 14 days, and then hope that it is still there a few days later?Ann-MarieComment
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What you have to do is after two or three days after you first put your hold on your first leg. You should call Delta. They will release it and rebook it in the same time. Just keep in mind that you could lose it. Whenever booking FF tickets. You sometimes have to be willing to go a day before or after. Same goes for the return.Originally posted by Ann-MarieTimeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4msComment
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Thanks Bigfrank. I really appreciate it.Ann-MarieComment
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Ann-Marie, what I did was work backwards. I clicked on one way and searched for return dates that would work. Then, when I saw that I could get the return that I needed, I checked for the other direction-still using the one way function.
Write it all down, and go to r/t, put your dates in and wala....book it.
The reason I did that is because I was finding it more difficult to get sky savers from HNL to ATL than from ATL to HNL.
Make any sense?
You may have to spend a few extra days on the islands and priceline a hotel room to get the sky saver fares.
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Am I understanding this right. 35,000 miles = coach round trip to Hawaii. And, 35,000 miles = 35,000 American Express Rewards points. We may make it over there sooner than I expected.Comment
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Arkansas Winger, yes a sky saver r/t on Delta to Hawaii is 35K right now.
Depends on which Amex card you have as to how much it takes to transfer.
The DH's gold card is 1:1....Yes, he can transfer 35K Amex points and have the same # on Delta. My lowly green card transfers at 2:1 ratio. So, I have to charge double the amount!!
Before you transfer your Amex Rewards Points there is a calculator that shows you what you have to transfer to get the # of points you need.Comment
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