Beginners help please

I know they say that there is no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid answer but I, going to try.

Amassed a few miles and some tier points over the last couple of years which I thought may get me an upgrade from, say, Econ to PE.
But I'm a little (lot!) confused by all the ticket types etc.
Looking at Las Vegas, I can look for the lowest economy ticket but that doesn't allow me to upgrade. If I look for a qualifying ticket I'm looking at almost double the fare, thus making it cheaper to upgrade from the lowest fare and keep my miles.

So, some questions,

Do I need to look for special offers to use these miles?
Are they worth anything in reality or are tier points the way to go?
What are the benefits of tier points?
What's the best way forward?

I would really appreciate any advice,

Simon

[Nottingham Nick]

I am on my phone so can't give a comprehensive reply, but your questions are all answered in the. http://www.v-flyer.com/faq.asp

Nick

[Scrooge]

IMHO the best way to use miles is to go for a G, a UC reward, unless something amazing shows up (which is rare, but does happen) as you have discovered getting into the right fare bracket to upgrade can cost almost as much as buying the real thing.

Basically there is a distinction between miles and tier points.

Miles will get you upgrades (based on fare type etc that you have noted).

TP's get you status i.e. Silver / Gold, the benfits of which are debatable.

Thanks for the replies, guys.
The faqs look like they have all the info I need, so I'll trawl through those.

I guess the upshot is, look for any offers rather than pick a flight and upgrade?

Simon

[Neil]

quote:Originally posted by Woobag

I guess the upshot is, look for any offers rather than pick a flight and upgrade?

Simon


Not really. To maximise the use of miles you have to be a little bit clever, a littlebtut flexible and a little bit lucky, but if you collect and use them right you can make some huge savings, I know we have. Problem is there is just no set pattern or rule of how to make them work for you!

Hi Woobag

If you see a deal tht suites YOU, go for it. We all have different opinions & desires. Don't forget, if you upgrade, you'll have to pay the extra in taxes.

Happy trawling & huntin'.
[:D]R-P