Right now anyone can save up to 86% off travel within North America and to many other destinations worldwide, with more than 22 airlines, through a promotion offered by Star Alliance carrier US Airways’ Dividend Miles program, which anyone can join for free. The savings can be dramatic, producing a mileage cost of one cent or even less.
US Airways is known for promoting its loyalty program through big bonus offers. This is the moment to join, if you haven’t already, because the carrier is at it again, offering a 100% bonus on miles transferred by one Dividend Miles member to another. But you can cash in on the savings mentioned above even if you are new to the program and have no Dividend Miles.
Dividend Miles Application
To get a First Class domestic award ticket for $315 per person, you need another Dividend Miles member to play ball with you. To get the savings to Asia, Europe, or South America it takes three members acting in concert. And there are a few other things you have to know up front:
- The 100% bonus is only on the first 50,000 miles transferred.
- The bonus accrues to the recipient.
- All people participating have to have been Dividend Miles members for at least 12 days before the transfer (though when we called Dividend Miles, a representative told us it was ten days).
Here’s how to get started if you’re new to the Dividend Miles program and are in need of miles:
- Transfer them from your Starwood account, which gives you a 20% bonus on every 20,000 miles transferred.
- Buy them from US Airways at 2.75 ¢ per mile
Once you have the miles in your account, here’s how you and your partner(s) can leverage the bonus offer to the max:
Getting the $315 per person First Class domestic seat: Step 1: First mileage transfer Person A transfers 38,000 miles to person B, who gets the bonus, ending up with 76,000 miles (38,000 plus 100% bonus), at a cost of $380.
Dividend Miles Buy, Share or Gift Miles
Before clicking “Continue Purchase,” carefully scan the “Review your transfer” page on the website. Make sure the drop-down box shows “38,000 miles + 38,000 Bonus”. If it doesn’t show the bonus, call US Airways at (800) 428-4322 to find out why.
Step 2: Second mileage transfer Person B keeps 51,000 miles for himself and transfers 25,000 back to person A (cost $250) so that person A gets a bonus, ending up with 50,000 miles at a total cost of $630 (plus taxes and fees) for two tickets.
Getting the $675 per person Business Class seat to Asia This maneuver is a bit more complicated, as it requires three Dividend Miles members.
Step 1: Person A transfers 45,000 miles to person B, who serves as the hub in this scheme. With the bonus, person B ends up with 90,000 miles, at a cost of $450.
Step 2: Person B transfers 45,000 miles back to person A and 45,000 to person C, both of whom end up with 90,000 miles. Total cost for 180,000 miles is $1,350 (plus taxes and fees), or less then one cent per mile.
For Europe (at $750) and South America (at $750), use the same three member transfer scheme above, but transfer the maximum allowed: 50,000, for a total of 200,000 miles at a cost of $1,500 (plus taxes and fees)
The Triple Whammy: Business Class to Europe for $375 Step 1: First mileage transfer Person A transfers 45,000 miles to person B, who gets the bonus, ending up with 90,000 miles (45,000 plus 100% bonus), at a cost of $450.
Step 2: Second mileage transfer Person B keeps 60,000 miles for himself and transfers 30,000 back to person A (cost $300) so that person A gets a bonus, ending up with 60,000 miles at a total cost of $750 (plus taxes and fees) for two tickets.
Step 3: How to book a $375 Business Class R/T to Europe US Airways is one of the few airlines to offer a discounted Business Class award ticket to Europe in the winter, Jan.15 through Feb. 28. We checked all of the non-stop routes from US Airways’ two gateways (Charlotte and Philadelphia) and found that award-seat inventory was plentiful during that time, from Charlotte to London, and from Philadelphia to Dublin, Madrid, and Manchester. Pinning down the transatlantic segment is most important. Once in Europe it is usually easy enough to get to your final destination via a separate flight, or by train. The same goes for your U.S. departure city: To make the connection in Charlotte or Philadelphia—if you can’t get an award seat on the connecting flight—simply buy a separate ticket.
US Airways is a Star Alliance member, giving you access to 22 partners, among them All Nippon, Lufthansa, SWISS, and United. See chart below for more sample fare savings.
Sample First and Business Class Savings
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