Travel Pkg FF clarify questions

[wegottago]

I have not seen some of these questions before and am trying to get one of the travel pkgs w/in the time frame. Please let me know:

1. I assume it will be alright to combine my husbands MR points and mine to get enough for a pkg.

2. Will Mariott put the FF miles of one airline into different FF accounts? For example, if my husband only needs 40,000 US Air miles but I need 80,000 US Air miles in order to get the FF air tickets OR do they all have to go to one account?.

If they all go into one account, then I have to pay to combine our accounts in order to get enough miles for the FF tickets.

3*. Are the FF miles "tied" to the pkg? Meaning what if I get the hotel but have another way to get to my destination, can I just choose one of my FF accounts where I do have miles already and let the miles of the FF portion of the pkg sit in my FF account to use some other time? If so, is there a time limit to use these points Other Than what the FF progam allows?

4. I have only made FF miles once or twice long ago. Assuming I have found a hotel and FF flight and then order the pkg, BUT Marriott doesn't post the miles into my FF account for several days, is there anything I can do to get that flight? Would an airline hold it until the miles show up from Marriott?

5. I'm also thinking with these new points changes that if I can just get the hotel and pay for airfare that will be a good deal also (not using the travel pkg). For example, Cat 7 hotel now is 150,000 for 7 nights vs 210,000 with new program.

Lisa

Thanks Dave and Tuggers as I've learned alot on this website and have passed the info along to others that have been grateful for the knowledge.

 

[Dave M]

1. Yes.

2. All FF miles for a single Travel Package must be deposited into a single FF account.

3. The FF miles are deposited into your account to do with as you choose and when you choose. They are subject to the normal expiration rules of your FF program. There is no requirement that they be used with a Marriott hotel stay.

4. Some airlines (e.g., American) are better than others about holding FF seats until the miles show up in your account. However, if the flights show up now, I wouldn't worry much. Those seats will likely be available next week when the miles show up in your account.

5. I agree, but only if you'll never have a use for the FF miles that you could get with the Travel Package. At one FF mile per Marriott Rewards point (the extra cost over what the hotel certificate would cost), those FF miles are a bargain. Get the Travel Package!

 

[pwrshift]

... Those seats will likely be available next week when the miles show up in your account.
!

I've been waiting almost 2 weeks for the first 120k FF miles to show up in my UA account and a week for the second lot. Getting a little concerned, so will call Marriott to make sure there's no screw up...but the delay may be due to Marriott volume right now. If you need the miles faster, ask about paying the fee if they still do that.

I had enough FF miles in my acct to cover my flights so didn't need them upon booking, but the Marriott agent on the last booking really made a mess of everything that had to be adjusted by a supervisor and want to make sure all is well before Jan15 just as a precaution.

Brian

 

[KathyPet]

You do not need separate FF accounts with the airlines. If you need 160,000 FF Miles for two R/T tickets and you already have 40,000 in a FF account under your spouse's name then have Marriott put 120,000 in the same account # and then order the two tickets from one account. Now if you have say 15,000 in your FF account # and your spouse has 25,000 in his then put the 120,000 FF miles in his account and when you call the airlines they can take the 15,000 from your FF account and the 145,000 from his account to book the flights

 

[Dave M]

...when you call the airlines they can take the 15,000 from your FF account and the 145,000 from his account to book the flights

Although Marriott will do that for Marriott Rewards points, most of the major airlines will not do that for FF miles. US Airways, the airline the OP expects to use, is one of many that require the transfer of miles from one account to another, as the OP described, in order to use miles from two accounts for a single ticket.

On US Airways, the fee for that transfer is a hefty $30 plus $.01 per mile. Thus, to transfer 15,000 miles, the fee would be $180!