US Airways Share Miles Promotion Back, But Not As Good

The US Airways Share Miles promotion it’s back until June 30, but it’s sadly somewhat less spectacular than we’re used to. Previously, you used to essentially be able to buy up to 50,000 miles and have them deposited into a single account at 1 cents each (plus 7.5% tax and $30 fee) with a single transfer. The new Share Miles promotion works somewhat differently. The cost of each mile is now higher at 1.5 cents each (plus 7.5% tax and a $30 fee) and the miles bonus no longer goes into the account the miles are transferred into – 50% will go into the transferee’s account and 50% into the transferer’s . In this post, we’ll break down exactly how the deal works, what’s changed, whether it’s still a good deal for some and give more options to earn US Airways miles.

How The Share Miles Promotion Works

Promotion Link: US Airways Share Miles

Here’s a breakdown of how the promotion now works:

• Transfer up to 50,000 miles from one account to another.
• Transfers cost 1.5 cents per mile + 7.5% + $30 fee for a payment of $836 for 50,000 miles (1.67 cents per mile).
• 50% of the bonus will go into the transferer’s account and 50% in the transferee’s account.
• If 50,000 miles are transferred, one account will get a total of 75,000 miles (50,000 + 25,000 mile bonus) and one will get 25,000 miles (the other bonus).

This, of course, is not as good as previous promotions where you could pay $567 to turn 50,000 miles into 100,000 in a single account. But I suppose this is a new era… and the good days of this promotion are gone.

Is This A Good Deal?

Before, it would make sense to outright buy miles for an entire trip to Europe, for example. Last year, Natalya bought enough miles for two tickets to Europe by transferring between different accounts. For each ticket, she needed 60,000 miles, which cost her $660. After taxes and fees, she paid about $800 a ticket round-trip to Europe from San Francisco. This was easily a $2000 savings over the retail price and she was quite happy.

Although sharing miles is not as good as it used to be, there are some situations where it may still make sense. I have enough US Airways miles right now so I am not a buyer at this price, but it can still be a good deal in some limited situations, especially when you need miles to top up for an award. I certainly wouldn’t buy miles speculatively at this price, but if you have a particular trip in mind you want to redeem, something to consider.

Either way, here are some sweet spots in the US Airways award chart:

• For 110,000 miles in business class (or 120,000 miles in First), you can fly to North Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, etc) and schedule a free stopover in Europe along the way. Cathay Pacific is a member of oneworld and has excellent business class.
• For 120,000 miles in business class, you can fly to Central Asia (Thailand, Singapore, etc) and schedule a free stopover in Europe along the way.
• For 110,000 miles in business class (or 140,000 miles in First), you can fly to Australia and schedule a free stopover in Asia along the way.

Other Ways to Earn US Airways Miles

If you do value US Airways miles above 1.67 cents each, then the US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® is probably a good card to sign up for, if you don’t already have it. It has an $89 annual fee, but offers 40,000 miles with no spending requirement at all. With a US Airways miles valuation of 1.67 cents each, the 40,000 mile sign-up bonus alone is worth $579  ($668 minus the $89 annual fee).  You also, however, get a US Airways Companion Certificate to fly up two additional passengers for $99 each, a 5000 mile discount on US Airways carrier award bookings and free checked bags. I managed to get two of these cards two years ago and still have both.

US Airways is also a transfer partner of Starwood Preferred Guest. For every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer to your US Airways account, you will receive 25,000 US Airways miles. Typically, the card offers 25,000 miles after spending $5,000 within 3 months. However, until the end of June, it has a temporarily increased bonus of 30,000 points after spending the $5,000. The limited time offer also provides 5,000 points to anyone who refers friends to the card so, if you do have any friends who have it, you can help them out by letting them refer you.

Summary

• Until June, US Airways is offering a Share Miles promotion for up to a 100% bonus when buying miles. This essentially allows us to buy miles at 1.67 cents each.
• While this isn’t great value for economy class, it can be decent for business class and first class tickets across multiple regions leveraging US Airways’ generous routing rules.
• An easier and cheaper way to supplement your miles balance is to sign up for the US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, which is offering 40,000 miles with the first purchase right now.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I do receive a commission for approved applications through my site. I always include the best offer I can find regardless of commission. As always, thank you very much for your support!)