Topic Wiki

Lifemiles Basics

Buying miles:

Lifemiles runs frequent promotions for buying miles, usually for 1.5 cents per mile. Given that Lifemiles has one of the most reasonable Star Alliance award charts, linked here, and doesn't charge fuel surcharges for any partners, buying miles can make a lot of sense.

The promos are usually run in one of two ways.

1. A straight up buy miles promo at 1.5cpm. In all previous buy miles promos, you needed to have an account before the promo starts in order to buy miles. Buying miles though the promo is limited to 75k per year. Be sure to use a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees.

2. A share miles promo. You can share miles from one account to another with a 100% bonus on each transaction. The cost is again 1.5cpm. Although in the past you needed to have a Lifemiles account in order to take advantage of the promo, the current promo (7/3-13) does not require a previously open account to participate. In order to maximize the promo on accounts not previously open, open 2 accounts, buy 1k miles at 3cpm, then share back and forth between both account at 1.5cpm. You can share back and forth between 2 accounts an unlimited amount of times provided you stay under the 75k cap. Doing this will most likely trigger a fraud alert with your CC, so it may be a good idea to call them beforehand and give them a heads up.

Lifemiles will also allow you to buy up to 60% of the miles required for booking a flight. The cost starts at 3cpm but is nonlinear. There are sweet spots that allows you to buy a large quantity of miles for 1.5cpm, usually in the 25-35k range. The 1.5cpm sweetspot varies depending on the amount required for the award. Full CPM spreadsheet linked here. (HT: Some dude on FT.)

Lifemiles is known to devalue without warning so hoarding miles is not advised. Buying miles at booking allows to hedge against sudden devaluations.

There is also a Lifemiles credit card  that occasionally offers a 40k bonus. Linked here.

Redeeming Lifemiles:
You can only redeem flights which are shown online. The Lifemiles call center has a horrible reputation and is usually useless. Emailing them usually yields better results if you can wait a day or two.

Lifemiles does not allow mixed cabin redemptions. If you want to book a first class flight with connections, you will need to book all legs in first class or book separate tickets.

Lifemiles is known to have better access to Miles & More and Singapore premium cabins than the rest of Star Alliance.

Lifemiles does not charge any fuel surcharges.

Lifemiles does not allow stopovers or open jaws on awards.

The max layover time that the booking engine will usually show is 8 hours, although people have had success forcing much longer layover times.

Lifemiles does not issue any lap infant award tickets.

Lifemiles cannot book any Austrian flights operated by Tyrolean Airways.

You can access partner confirmation numbers and eticket numbers with your Lifemiles PNR at checkmytrip.com

Lifemiles will occasionally show boomerang routings, which are routings that go from A-B, via C.  ;)

There are many mispriced cities and quirks in the Lifemiles booking engine, allowing for really cheap international awards.  ;)

Canceling a Lifemiles award: (HT, FT)

Lifemiles charges $150 to change an award and $50 to cancel.

Canceling:

1. This will take 20-30 minutes and costs $50
2. You have to pay the $50 up front and will need to have your credit card handy
3. You will need a PIN number for the call center. You set up the PIN online by changing your "information and preferences". Note that this has 3 pages but you only need to change the "Manage the Basics" page and hit "Save". The progress-bar at the top never seems to reach 100% but it doesn't matter. There are two places to press "Save and continue" when you give the PIN. The top button doesn't work. You have to click on the one on the bottom of the screen
4. Call the USA reservations number preferably during business hours +1 800 284 2622
5. Key 2 for English (or 1 for Spanish), 3 for Lifemiles/Corporate, then 1 for Lifemiles
6. If you have got a noisy phone line, hang up and go back to step 4. It is possible to get a good line even from overseas.
7. With luck, someone coherent will answer. If not, don't waste your time, HUCA
8. Give them the PNR to be cancelled
9. You will be asked "do you have a PIN". say yes. You will be put on hold
10. You will be connected to an automated system to key in your PIN. Don't press # afterwards.
11. You will be asked to pay the $50 via an automated system. You'll be asked for your CC number, then you must repeat it. Don't press # afterwards. Then the expiry month, then year, then the id number. Be ready to rattle through the keys as any hesitation causes the system to think you've finished. So, typically you will need 2-3 attempts. [The operator listens in on the automated process and helps you along if you don’t key in the right numbers]
13. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes while the card is checked. It may fail the first time, for no reason. Go back to step 12.
14. Once the CC is confirmed the operator will ask you for the full billing address, then your name as it appears on the card, then the name of the bank which issued the card.
15. You will be put on hold for 5-10 minutes
16. The operator will confirm the cancellation, or rather confirm it will be put in the queue for manual cancellation.
17. After 24 hours or so, you should receive an E Mail receipt for the $50 (could be in Spanish)
18. Miles will be refunded within 2-3 days, as if you had paid using the maximum miles with no cash to refund all the cash and the miles to what you had before making the booking. The miles sometimes reappear immediately. [Most often, the miles are available within 24 hours.]
19. The taxes - fairly modest - will be refunded in full since you already paid the cancellation fee up front. The refund should hit the CC within a week or so. No refund for the $25 booking fee.
20. The refund will be refunded to the original card.



« Last edited by username on March 11, 2019, 02:37:39 PM »

Author Topic: Lifemiles Master Thread  (Read 130186 times)

Offline jaywhy

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Lifemiles Master Thread
« on: July 08, 2014, 08:59:34 AM »
I think this thread is long overdue. Wiki coming soon.

Offline Dr Moose

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2014, 09:02:58 AM »
< censored >
Hey there! I am using DansDeals Forums.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #2 on: July 08, 2014, 09:31:33 AM »
Be aware, LM is known that they change their award chart without any prior notice.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline @jack123

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #3 on: July 08, 2014, 12:32:12 PM »
anyway to get free bag on united domestic when using lifemiles to book? does MPE cc help?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2014, 12:03:11 AM »
GUM is officially dead :(

Offline Dan

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2014, 12:05:45 AM »
GUM is officially dead :(
Send CK a thank you card.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline EJB

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2014, 12:15:01 AM »
GUM is officially dead :(

No more gummy :(. I'm guessing the rest either are gone or will be soon as well.

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2014, 12:17:07 AM »
Send CK a thank you card.
He's a real tool.

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2014, 12:26:31 AM »
No more gummy :(. I'm guessing the rest either are gone or will be soon as well.
I highly doubt it. GUM was only killed because the DOT got involved. Given the amount of time it lived after being publicized, I highly doubt AV has gotten any better.
Supposedly, the UA station in NRT also started keeping a log of empty legs NRT-GUM on LM issued awards.

Offline Ez

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2014, 12:31:15 AM »
Send CK a thank you card.
CK?

p.s. last time I checked, my pm inbox was still working :-)

Offline EJB

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2014, 12:33:21 AM »
I highly doubt it. GUM was only killed because the DOT got involved. Given the amount of time it lived after being publicized, I highly doubt AV has gotten any better.
Supposedly, the UA station in NRT also started keeping a log of empty legs NRT-GUM on LM issued awards.

You think the others may live longer because they're less heavily publicized or bc they're less "trick" fares and more zone anomalies?

Offline jfkeze

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2014, 09:38:53 AM »
well with all the publicity surrounding LM, with all the posts about it, it was going to happen...  >:( >:( >:(

Offline Dan

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2014, 09:47:36 AM »
well with all the publicity surrounding LM, with all the posts about it, it was going to happen...  >:( >:( >:(
Wasn't about the posts in the end, it was the DoT complaint by CK IMHO.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline ilherman

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2014, 09:50:31 AM »
Wasn't about the posts in the end, it was the DoT complaint by CK IMHO.
Can you start talking English please  >:( >:( What the hell is CK?
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline Ez

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2014, 09:52:40 AM »
Can you start talking English please  >:( >:( What the hell is CK?
Canadian Kilometer?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2014, 09:55:50 AM »

Offline eli1571

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2014, 01:56:29 PM »
Yes.
no can you explain what that means.
P.s. i havent been to a DDS as there hasnt been one in my country yet.

Offline tov hashem

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2014, 02:55:36 PM »
Could anyone tell me how to get from time square straight to falafel? and (the main point) the way back? PM AVAILABLE  thanks

Offline Myccrabbi

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #18 on: July 09, 2014, 03:22:49 PM »
Could anyone tell me how to get from time square straight to falafel? and (the main point) the way back? PM AVAILABLE  thanks
Wrong thread, pm sent.
If u work for a living, why kill urself working?

Offline jaywhy

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Re: Lifemiles Master Thread
« Reply #19 on: July 09, 2014, 04:06:14 PM »
no can you explain what that means.
P.s. i havent been to a DDS as there hasnt been one in my country yet.
A blogger booked a tricked routing with Lifemiles. He was denied boarding and filed a DOT complaint. LM was fined and certain tricked routings were shut down as a result.