[Edited 2:00pm PDT: And zap… it’s gone. This fare was pulled in the last hour or so from all cities. Hope you got in on the deal while it lasted!]
Here’s a pretty amazing 2.58 CPM mileage run on United. Availability is rather limited for the routing in my example below, but other connection city options are available at a higher CPM.
I wouldn’t expect this $78 Seattle-Miami one-way base fare to last beyond Thursday (at the latest), so act fast. [Edited 11:15am PDT: After reading BucketList’s comment, I re-checked the base fare and it’s dropped to $68 one-way… even better now! If you booked at the higher fare, you can always make a new reservation at the lower fare, then cancel the first one since you’re likely still within the 24-hours of booking.]
The fare is also available from San Diego and Dallas. One example itinerary from San Diego at an even better 2.44 CPM (7,680 PQMs for $187.40) is below. The routing rules for SAN are as follows: SAN-SFO/LAX/DEN-WAS/HOU/DEN/CLT/CLE/CHI-MIA.
United San Diego-Miami mileage run
Here’s the nitty-gritty and an example itinerary for the Seattle-Miami fare.
Routing: Seattle to Newark to Miami r/t
Routing rules: SEA-WAS/SFO/LAX/HOU/EWR/DEN/CLE/CHI-MIA
Travel period: Now through end-of-schedule (but not worth it in 2014 given United’s new PQD requirement).
Dates I found available: 9/10; 10/15; 11/19; 12/3 for 0-nighters – 9/17; 9/24 for 1-nighters with a very tight connection, or 11/12 for a 1-nighter with a decent connection. A 12/7 departure is also available with 2-nights in Miami.
Minimum stay requirement: None
Day of week restrictions: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays only
Fare basis: NAK21KS, 21-day advance purchase
Fare: $179.60 all-in roundtrip
Premier Qualifying Miles earned: 6,974
Cents-per-mile (CPM): 2.58
Example itinerary:
United Seattle-Miami mileage run
It’s valid originating out of either city and one date I found available out of Miami with a 0-night stay is September 28 (a Saturday, returning to Miami on Sunday via a redeye through Newark).
The above itinerary was found using ITA’s Matrix Airfare Search, but can be booked on United directly or with greater ease using Hipmunk.
(Hat tip: The Flight Deal via Hack My Trip)
Related posts:
Save Time Using Hipmunk for Mileage Run Bookings
I disagree with the statement that it’s not worth it to do this run in 2014. I am still doing ultra-cheap mile runs for much of my 100,000 EQM requirement and then using the rest of the $10,000 I must spend to attain 1K to treat myself to paid first class (or YBM coach) when the price is reasonable.
Thank you for posting this for us!
I booked my ticket first on a separate credit card and paid $199.60 (using Hipmunk, following your instruction). But when I booked my spouse’s ticket (using a different credit card), with the same flight and everything, the ticket price was only $176.60! It’s $20 less than mine! I double checked everything and it’s an identical flight than mine, but 10 minutes later, the other ticket’s cost was $20 cheaper.
Not that I’m complaining, I just want to share the info to all.
Again, thank you for all the information you share with us!
@Gene: That’s true… not everyone is like me and won’t have the $10k budget next year for top-tier. 😉
@BucketList: Wow, kudos on the cheaper fare! I just looked and the one-way base is now down to $68, so they’ve dropped the fare since I posted this earlier. Also, if the N-class space is still there, you can cancel your original $199 ticket and rebook at the lower fare since you’re within 24-hours of the original booking. I’d make the new reservation first, then cancel the $199 fare just to be sure.
Great Find, Thanks for Posting
Just checked on UA’s website, the second example SEA-EWR-MIA-EWR-SEA itinerary is priced even lower at $179.60
@Peter: Thanks for confirming!
Booked couple of these last night. After the price drop today I was able to rebook the at a lower price for the same dates.
@Papa Smurf: Glad you got a couple… the fare is now dead. 🙁
When I checked the dates above I kept getting $372 RT and an L fare. Does that mean the fare is gone or that the dates above are gone?
@Carl: The fare is gone, unfortunately… I’ve edited the post.