One Way to Get Around United’s Star Alliance Partner Increase

February 2014
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Air Canada Cuts One-way Award Redemption Cost—Opening Up a Host of Possibilities.

On Jan.1 Air Canada reduced its one-way mileage awards across-the-board to 50% of the round-trip cost. The change is also permitted with its partner awards, like ANA, Air New Zealand, Asiana, Lufthansa, United, and SWISS.

This is important because one-way mileage awards, at half the round-trip cost, can significantly boost your upgrade options (see March 2013 issue for more on how to increase the odds 72,900%) by giving you access to other programs.

Why FCF Loves One-way Mileage Programs and When You Should Use Them

  • When a Round-Trip Saver Award Is not Available for Your Dates or Route: How many times have people called up an airline and discovered there was availability in just one direction and just give up there? Or arguably worse, they end up paying a saver rate in one direction and a standard rate in the other, which can cost up to 100,000 more miles. When, with one-way awards and a diversified Travel Asset Portfolio, two one-way awards come in at the same rate— one using Loyalty Program A and the other Program B.
  • When You Want the Best Routing and Premium Seats: Airlines often don’t combine the best (or ideal) flight schedule and premium seats on many itineraries; or at least on low-cost mileage awards. But with one-way awards— using two different loyalty programs—you can increase your opportunities to get the seat and the schedule you want.
  • When a Round-Trip Saver Award Is not Available in the Same Class of Service: This can net you First Class for less than Business, if First Class is available at the saver rate and Business at the unrestricted rate. Use the one-way award to book the best deal each way.
  • When a Saver Round-Trip Award Is not Available on Your Preferred Carrier but is from the Partner: It’s often the case, and the one-way award is the way out of this dead-end.
  • When You Only Need a One-Way Ticket: As sometimes happens on cruise itineraries, for example.

Major Benefits When Using Air Canada Aeroplan One-way Award at the 50% Round-trip Rate

What makes Air Canada stand out over other one-way award airlines at 50%, especially over other Star Alliance airlines such as United, is the access to miles—via Amex Rewards and Starwood—and lower mileage award rates on Star Alliance partners to some destinations.

For example: United will now charge you 220,000 miles round-trip to fly between the U.S. and Europe First Class on its partners, while Air Canada is only 125,000 to 145,000. This is huge, as United may only have seats available in one direction and Lufthansa might have seats for the other direction. With United you’ll pay through the nose for First Class on many of its partners—where you often won’t with Air Canada

  1. Getting miles is easy: Air Canada is a transfer partner with Amex Rewards; on my last transfer the miles were posted the same day even though the website says it can take up to 48 hours. Also with Starwood, which offers a 25% bonus for every 20,000 miles transferred. (In the past, Air Canada has even had transfer bonuses with Amex Rewards.)
  2. One of the best mileage deals: Air Canada only charges 45,000 miles one-way from the continental U.S. and Canada to Europe zone one: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain (the Balearic Islands but not the Canary Islands), Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. That is only 15,000 more miles than United charges for a one-way economy ticket (30,000) and 25,000 fewer miles than United’s new Star Alliance rate.
  3. Second best mileage deal: Air Canada only charges 47,500 miles one-way for travel from the continental U.S. and Canada to southern South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay. That is only 17,500 more miles than United charges for economy each way (30,000)—or another way to look it: 10,000 (18%) fewer miles than United charges for Business Class.
  4. Lower rate than United’s own flights: Air Canada’s Aeroplan, at times, offers lower mileage rates than United charges for its own flights. To Europe’s zone one, United charges 57,500 miles for Business Class and 80,000 for First one-way, while Air Canada charges 45,000 and 62,500 miles, respectively.
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