<p>I just read about United changing their award charts. H and I have between just over 130000 miles in two separate Mileage Plus accounts. I also have a lot of points with Chase that I was saving to move to United at some point for a trip in the next few years to Europe or New Zealand.
I am now reconsidering saving them. I am thinking about just using the miles that are already earned on United to book a future trip to Hawaii. If I did that would I be better off taking 40000 from each of our accounts or depleting one and leaving the other with about 60000 miles.
We are not frequent flyers and I think we have used reward travel just a few times. The United miles were earned by travel not credit card spending so I feel they were basically free and I may as well use them.</p>
<p>I would use them at the first possible opportunity. Only move the points from Chase when you have to, as you can always use those Chase points for something else, right? If you don’t fly often, you could lose all those miles…I think United miles expire 18 months after no activity (earning or redemption from the account), but check on that. You don’t want to lose them waiting around for the right moment. Award mileage requirements always go up, not down.</p>
<p>Old writings from The Economist about frequent flyer mileage potential for inflation:
[Frequent-flyer</a> miles: In terminal decline? | The Economist](<a href=“In terminal decline?”>In terminal decline?)
[Airline</a> miles: Frequent-flyer economics | The Economist](<a href=“Frequent-flyer economics”>Frequent-flyer economics)</p>
<p>mom60, you could pose the question on thepointsguy dot com. He’s a master at maxing out/getting the best of miles/awards, etc.<br>
I would book something before 2/1/14 when the new levels come into play…</p>
<p>Gosmoms- I have been reading the points guy.
Looks like I should bite the bullet and try to use up some miles. We are lucky that we are flexible in when we can go.</p>
<p>I think I would deplete one account, leaving the other with 60K miles. That way, you will at least have reached one award level. If you take from each account, you may be short on both accounts for any award travel. </p>
<p>ymmv…</p>
<p>Assuming all miles on the same airline, having 60,000 miles in one account tends to give more award flight options than 30,000 miles in two accounts. For example, either can buy two 25,000 mile flights, but only the 60,000 miles in one account can buy a 40,000 mile flight.</p>
<p>I moved 1000 miles into each of the accounts from Chase which pushes my expiration date out another year.
I have decided to use some of the miles to fly H and I to Hawaii. I am running into a problem. The account with the most miles which belongs to me is not premier silver. H’s account with less miles is premier silver. When I go online under his account number I get better flight options for less miles. To move miles from my Mileage Plus to his is not cost effective. I could move the needed miles from Chase but that defeats the purpose of using up some of the United miles before they change the reward chart. They certainly don’t make it easy.</p>