Persistence Pays

In October, a reader complained that the Aeromexico First Class fare deal you published in August was not available.Not true. By being persistent with the Aeromexico reservationist, I booked San Diego-Los Cabos round trip Business Class for $429 plus tax. I then called One and Only Palmilla in San Jose Del Cabo and scored a $385-per-night rate for four nights, a steal given that $750 to$1,500 per night is average at this resort. The bottom line: Readers should follow your advice, but must sometimes be persistent. - Greg Sullivan, Daytona Beach, FL

Happy Elite

For the past year and a half I have been traveling quite a bit for business, primarily on Northwest and Continental.Last year I earned Silver Elite status on NWA. This year this week, in fact—I will reach Gold status. I’m almost embarrassed to say it, but I’ve become a total upgrade junkie. Now that I get upgraded more often than not, I’ve become obsessed with making sure it happens. Your newsletter feeds my addiction! I look forward to poring over the current issue and delving into the archives. - Wesley Curl, Minneapolis, MN

Two Questions About the (Lucrative) Mexicana Mileage Purchase Strategy

I’ve used your strategies with great success. Thanks! I recently joined Mexicana Airlines’ program and I’m interested in buying bulk miles at the cheap price to use on partner airlines. However I’m concerned that it may be difficult to book awards since Mexicana is a small fish ina big pond. Can you give me feedback from people who have tried this strategy? - Peter, Vail, CO

First off, there is no risk because you don’t have to pay until Mexicana tells you seats are available.Moreover, we’ve ascertained that Mexicana pulls from the same “fare buckets” that its partner airlines do for their own loyalty programs. In other words,Mexicana’s partners don’t restrict it in any way. - MB

I am quite new to your newsletter. In fact, I just purchased a subscription online about 15 minutes ago. I am very intrigued by the fact that buying miles on Mexicana, at 1.6¢, will allow me to fly on Singapore Airlines. I am not a Frecuenta member, but I do belong to One Pass,WorldPerks, and United. Is it as simple as signing up with Frecuenta and then purchasing the miles, or do I need to fly Mexicana first and then make the purchase? - Rich, New Jersey

You don’t have to fly Mexicana in order to buy miles. Here’s exactly how to go about executing the Mexicana Mileage Purchase Strategy:

Step 1: Go to https://www.g4.mexicana.com/frecuentamultilanguage/en/use-millas/vuele/index.html to find out which Mexicana airline partners fly to your desired destination.

Step 2: Look at the number of miles required and multiply them by 1.6¢. My advice: Try for First Class first if you can, since the additional cost is so low it’s well worth it.

Step 3: Call Mexicana’s Frecuenta mileage program at (800) 531-7901 (Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. CST) to sign up for the program (it takes only a few minutes) and to see if seats are available for your travel dates. Prompt the reservationist to look at the airlines you prefer. If availability is tight, have them look at other carriers or routing.

Step 4: With some partner airlines, when seats are available you can buy the miles and ticket on the spot. Otherwise it may take a day or two for Mexicana to get back to you with availability.

Keep in mind that once you purchase the miles they are non-refundable. You can change your ticket or redeposit the miles for later use should your plans change. Also, as I mention on page 1, I’ve since learned that Mexicana spots you 4,000 miles for joining.- MB