Infrequent Flyers: the best loyalty programs for the disloyal
Apr 20, 2011, 2:18 pm
#31
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, SPG Gold, HH Gold, PC Platinum
Posts: 232
A couple ways to get miles for stuff you are probably already doing and won't cost you anything more:
Continental - get miles for grocery shopping at Shoprite, if you shop there anyways, it's a great way to keep your account active without doing anything but buying groceries.
Continental - get miles for grocery shopping at Shoprite, if you shop there anyways, it's a great way to keep your account active without doing anything but buying groceries.
Apr 20, 2011, 9:07 pm
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
CO is a bit like BMI. Your miles may expire if your account is inactive, but the small print is enforced at random.
Feb 15, 2012, 12:46 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
Microsofts club bing will close shop at the end of May 2012. If you were planning to trade your points for miles, tough luck. The miles awards (Delta, Alaska, ...) were removed from the club bing prize mall without notice.
Mar 24, 2012, 8:13 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: WN, DL, UA, AA, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 1,303
A specific case for all you disloyal flyers:
My FIL is flying out here in June. He seriously never flies, except once every few years to see us. Doesn't understand the first thing about FF miles- wanted us to book the tickets "so we could get the miles." (I booked the tickets anyway, without explaining, so that I could be sure he got the best flights possible...)
Because of flight times, the main leg of his flight is on United (about 2,000 miles one way) and the second (500 miles one way) leg is on American.
Trying to decide where to stash the miles. Haven't found a reasonable program that works for both (not really interested in opening up a Jet Airways account).
Goal would be to get something useful out of the miles (trip, hotel stay, etc) in the long term without too much maintenance (because I will be doing the maintaining). Any creative thoughts, aside from just stashing at United & American and trying to keep them alive over time?
My FIL is flying out here in June. He seriously never flies, except once every few years to see us. Doesn't understand the first thing about FF miles- wanted us to book the tickets "so we could get the miles." (I booked the tickets anyway, without explaining, so that I could be sure he got the best flights possible...)
Because of flight times, the main leg of his flight is on United (about 2,000 miles one way) and the second (500 miles one way) leg is on American.
Trying to decide where to stash the miles. Haven't found a reasonable program that works for both (not really interested in opening up a Jet Airways account).
Goal would be to get something useful out of the miles (trip, hotel stay, etc) in the long term without too much maintenance (because I will be doing the maintaining). Any creative thoughts, aside from just stashing at United & American and trying to keep them alive over time?
Mar 25, 2012, 6:36 am
#35
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
If you're in a country that allows BMI Diamond Club accounts, use it for the United flight. If you can't sign up with BMI you might as well keep your miles with United, because most of the Star Alliance programs have synced their small print by now.
For the AA part I'd use Alaska or British Airways.
Keeping your miles alive is as simple as buying something for one dollar at eBay or B&N every two years (1.5 years for United).
edit: BA bought BMI, so if you collect the miles for both flights with them you can probably merge the accounts later on.
For the AA part I'd use Alaska or British Airways.
Keeping your miles alive is as simple as buying something for one dollar at eBay or B&N every two years (1.5 years for United).
edit: BA bought BMI, so if you collect the miles for both flights with them you can probably merge the accounts later on.
Last edited by Diabo; Apr 12, 2012 at 8:30 am
Mar 26, 2012, 10:28 pm
#36
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: DFW
Programs: AA 1M
Posts: 31,474
Mar 27, 2012, 5:38 am
#37
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
Go to airline website, log into ff account, click their link to one of their shopping partners, and buy something you'd have bought anyway.
A two dollar USB gadget from ebay or amazon gets you a handful of miles which count as account activity to reset the expiration time bomb.
Here's what it looks like for BMI:
http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/loya...-shopping.aspx
Mar 30, 2012, 1:43 pm
#38
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
News from BMI. First Lufthansa, now BA, I wonder when Air France will buy them.
I don't know if this will make their program better or if it's gonna be the end of a hidden gem among the *A programs.
I don't know if this will make their program better or if it's gonna be the end of a hidden gem among the *A programs.
Originally Posted by bmi
Dear Diabo
We’d like to advise you that the EU Competition Authority has today approved the sale of bmi to IAG. We are very aware that Diamond Club members want to know what will happen to their accounts when bmi is acquired by British Airways.
The deal between bmi and British Airways is due to be completed around 20 April 2012. We would like to reassure you that we plan to operate our summer schedule as normal and you can continue to earn and redeem Diamond Club miles during this period.
We are working together to announce a Diamond Club partnership with British Airways. This will include the ability to earn and redeem Diamond Club destinations miles across the bmi and BA networks.
We will be communicating regularly with you as more information becomes available and flybmi.com will also be updated with the latest information.
Regards
Keeley Downing
Diamond Club Manager
We’d like to advise you that the EU Competition Authority has today approved the sale of bmi to IAG. We are very aware that Diamond Club members want to know what will happen to their accounts when bmi is acquired by British Airways.
The deal between bmi and British Airways is due to be completed around 20 April 2012. We would like to reassure you that we plan to operate our summer schedule as normal and you can continue to earn and redeem Diamond Club miles during this period.
We are working together to announce a Diamond Club partnership with British Airways. This will include the ability to earn and redeem Diamond Club destinations miles across the bmi and BA networks.
We will be communicating regularly with you as more information becomes available and flybmi.com will also be updated with the latest information.
Regards
Keeley Downing
Diamond Club Manager
Apr 12, 2012, 8:24 am
#40
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
BMI Diamond Club as we know it is about to end:
Dear Diabo
We'd like to advise you of some forthcoming changes to the bmi Diamond Club programme.
From 19 April 2012, the ability for Diamond Club members to earn Status and Destinations miles and to redeem miles will cease on the Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines).
Any redemption tickets issued prior to this date for travel will be honoured.
All Star Alliance status benefits will remain unaffected by this change.
We are working with British Airways to offer Diamond Club customers the ability to earn and redeem miles on British Airways and its oneworld partners following completion of the sale. We will do everything we can to communicate more detail as soon as possible.
Originally Posted by bmi
Dear Diabo
We'd like to advise you of some forthcoming changes to the bmi Diamond Club programme.
From 19 April 2012, the ability for Diamond Club members to earn Status and Destinations miles and to redeem miles will cease on the Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines).
Any redemption tickets issued prior to this date for travel will be honoured.
All Star Alliance status benefits will remain unaffected by this change.
We are working with British Airways to offer Diamond Club customers the ability to earn and redeem miles on British Airways and its oneworld partners following completion of the sale. We will do everything we can to communicate more detail as soon as possible.
Apr 20, 2012, 5:04 pm
#41
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
More on the destruction of Diamond Club:
Starting 31 May 2012 you can no longer earn or redeem miles on any Star Alliance flight. BMI will eventually join OneWorld, but this will take a while. During the transition BMI is effectively not part of any alliance.
Unfortunately that means that there won't be a single european *A airline left that's suitable for the disloyal. The Lufthansa group just doesn't cut it.
United seems to be the best option for disloyal *A refugees.
Starting 31 May 2012 you can no longer earn or redeem miles on any Star Alliance flight. BMI will eventually join OneWorld, but this will take a while. During the transition BMI is effectively not part of any alliance.
Unfortunately that means that there won't be a single european *A airline left that's suitable for the disloyal. The Lufthansa group just doesn't cut it.
United seems to be the best option for disloyal *A refugees.
Aug 22, 2012, 10:48 am
#42
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
miles.site666.info updated:
BA, BMI, Iberia
You can move miles between BMI, Iberia, and BA in any direction you like, but moved miles cannot be moved again.
BA will match your BMI status if you ask them.
KLM, Air France
No more fuel surcharge for flights within Europe, North Africa, and Israel.
[edit: only if you pay for your tickets with miles]
You can pay excess bagage fees with miles.
BA, BMI, Iberia
You can move miles between BMI, Iberia, and BA in any direction you like, but moved miles cannot be moved again.
BA will match your BMI status if you ask them.
KLM, Air France
No more fuel surcharge for flights within Europe, North Africa, and Israel.
[edit: only if you pay for your tickets with miles]
You can pay excess bagage fees with miles.
Last edited by Diabo; Aug 26, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Aug 24, 2012, 2:29 pm
#43
Join Date: Jul 2012
Programs: EBG, FBG, SPG Gold, CC Gold, etc.
Posts: 126
I'd add Norwegian's CashPoints programme to this list. Upside is you can very easily redeem cashpoints on the next flight, for example, and get a small discount. The downside is that points expire after 2-3 years.
More info here: http://www.norwegian.com/uk/norwegia...ianreward/faq/
More info here: http://www.norwegian.com/uk/norwegia...ianreward/faq/
Aug 25, 2012, 10:11 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: UA, AA, MP, RR
Posts: 37
Negative for JetBlue (True Blue) for non-frequent travelers: you need to fly with them at least once a year or you lose the miles.
I had 6k miles expiring recently so I just booked a flight 10 months from now. Hopefully I can take advantage of it
.
I had 6k miles expiring recently so I just booked a flight 10 months from now. Hopefully I can take advantage of it
.
Aug 25, 2012, 10:32 am
#45
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: MSY
Programs: NW Gold and now Delta Gold
Posts: 3,072
This list is so packed cram full of expired and outdated information that I fail to see the point of not closing the thread. Mods? Can't speak to the other information but the Delta information from 2010 has no relevance to life in our decade, and I suspect the same is true of much of the rest of the thread. Why can't we close this and if there is anything useful remaining out there for infrequent flyers, open a thread that at least is in the same decade that we plan to fly. Thanks for considering this request.
I'd add Norwegian's CashPoints programme to this list. Upside is you can very easily redeem cashpoints on the next flight, for example, and get a small discount. The downside is that points expire after 2-3 years.
More info here: http://www.norwegian.com/uk/norwegia...ianreward/faq/
More info here: http://www.norwegian.com/uk/norwegia...ianreward/faq/