US Airways Earning and Using Miles

Earning Miles on US Airways

US Airways eliminated its 500-mile minimum for short flights, which is especially rough since they fly so many short routes around the Northeast. (Updated November 20, 2008:  Preferred members now earn a 500 mile minimum on all flights, and all Dividend Miles members earn 500 miles for Shuttle flights).

They do offer plenty of accrual opportunities through their Star Alliance membership, which allows you to earn miles on Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, bmi, EgyptAir, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United. They also have partnerships with Bahamasair, Air One, Qatar Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.

Using Miles on US Airways

US Airways has a reward chart that looks pretty similar to most other airlines, for the most part they offer regular rewards (capacity controlled) and, for twice the miles, rewards that have no capacity caps. There are, however, two notable areas where they differ from most carriers. First the bad news: most airlines charge 45,000 miles for a first class ticket in the US. US Airways charges 50,000 miles for the unremarkable first class service.

Now the good news: they do offer one of the best rewards to Europe: for flights between January 15 and February 28^th, you can pay just 35,000 miles for a coach ticket to Europe (other airlines charge 40,000 at a minimum). That’s a steal.

US Airways does have a rather robust set of fees for people looking to redeem miles. It will cost you up to $50 just to book an award seat, $30 to make a telephone reservation, up to $75 if you have to fly within 3 weeks, and up to $250 (the highest of any airline) to change a reward ticket.

US Airways Secret:

When redeeming miles, your best bet is to call the airline rather than use their web-based reward ticket tool. Many travelers have reported that they find inventory available at lower levels when they speak with an agent than when they look online.

Learn More About US Airways Dividend Miles

US Airways Dividend Miles Overview
US Airways Hubs and Routes
US Airways Earning and Using Miles
US Airways Dividend Miles Elite Status
US Airways Dividend Miles Elite Status Matching