Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Information Desk
Reload this Page >

Which Frequent Flyer Program to Join? Help Is Here!

Old May 24, 2014, 12:34 pm
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Mwenenzi
Before posting please read POSTS 1-3 for a comprehensive overview of how to select a program.
If you already plan to focus on one particular alliance, please visit the sticky in the relevant forum: Deciding on a oneworld FFP or Which SkyTeam FFP or Choosing a Star FFP

List of frequent flyer programs from Wikipedia

Questionnaire: Copy and paste into your post
Provide the requested information.

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply:

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply:

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply:

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply:

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply:

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply:

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply:

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply:
Print Wikipost

Which Frequent Flyer Program to Join? Help Is Here!

Old Aug 23, 2016, 3:09 pm
  #1156  
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: Nursing
Posts: 8
Frequent Flyer Mileage and How To Get It

First, I would call the airport and see which frequent flyer miles are the best and which airlines has the best plan for the frequent flyer mileage. Then, I would ask the airlines which airline has the best payments or the best buys when it comes to traveling. For me, I would choose United Airlines because they have a good business flyer mileage plan. I hope this helps.
Mhays is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2016, 11:25 am
  #1157  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 3
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
>>> Reply: baggage allowance, award redemption rates, award access

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply:3-6 round trips from Denver to St. Louis each year primarily. Every once and a while going somewhere else in the continental US. No international travel, hawaii every 5 years.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: Yes I can choose. Pleasure only.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: Continental 48 states and once every 5 years hawaii. Mostly Denver - St. Louis.

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: Denver International Airport

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: Southwest 6,100pts, United 6,400pts

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: I prefer Southwest and United.

Thanks for your help everyone.
staleygreg is offline  
Old Aug 27, 2016, 7:06 pm
  #1158  
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 14
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
Lounge access (desiring *A Gold) - rarely travel with more than one checked bag.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc.
>>> Reply: maybe 15-20k a year if lucky.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
first, business, premium economy, economy
>>> Reply: economy and sometimes First class depending on if the fare is being paid for.

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
>>> Reply: I am a classical pianist, so when i travel for performances, sometimes I need to pay for the travel and sometimes it's paid for. I book all of my own - have most miles with UA and like *A a lot.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc.
>>> Reply: domestic USA and USA-Europe

6. What is your home airport?
>>> Reply: NYC (EWR,LGA,JFK)

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
>>> Reply: No status, but will have soon around 200k miles in UA and about 15k in Delta.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
>>> Reply: I like United - really looking for the best way to fly on United and other *A airlines and get *A Gold...

How is Asiana in 2016 for getting *A Gold? 40k miles over 2 years? That could be doable depending on their miles redemption for UA flights.
melemed is offline  
Old Aug 28, 2016, 5:25 am
  #1159  
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bath, UK
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 1,000
Good afternoon all! I have been a firm OW supporter for over a decade now, firstly with AA and now with BA. However, with AA devaluing their FFP and BA just basically devaluing their entire airline, I am considering a jump to either *A or ST.

If I jump to *A it will probably be Aegean for the obvious "relatively" easy attainment of status. With most of my flights long-haul likely to be on TK. Currently my long-haul flights tend to be on QR in J which allow me to quickly reach status on BA. But not sure if there is an equivalent relationship within ST.

Questions
For members asking for information, to help people to assist you, can you please provide:
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
(upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Replyriority services when flying airlines in the alliance (check-in, lounge access etc)

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles - <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply:25,000-50,000

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply:Long-haul usually Business (I have the flexibility of being able to buy tickets during sales and not restricted on when I can travel). Shorthaul - cheapest fare.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Airline most flown? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply:Always for pleasure and yes, I choose the airline and class of service I fly.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: As it is for pleasure there are no set route - but usually at least two long-haul intercontinental flights a year. Almost always a Europe - Southern Africa and the second/third flights vary - mostly either Asia or North America. Then maybe 4 intra Europe flights.

(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply:BRS (KL fly here which is why I am interested in ST) or LHR

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply:BAEC Silver

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply:If I am looking at ST I am honestly not sure, it has been such a long time since flying on a ST carrier.

From the little I have read, I am concerned with the very poor value it seems of the points with AF/KL and DL.

Anything I have missed please just ask.
wijibintheair is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 2:58 am
  #1160  
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 1
SGN to PDX best mileage return for newbie

Hi All,

Im new around these parts so apologies if I put this in the wrong section.

I am looking to travel from SGN to PDX in November for work (economy) and have essentially full control on airline and hotel choice (if pricing is within average, ie cant pick a 3000$ flight, if there are ones for 1100 to be had)

I have looked at flights and it seems that the most common options would be:

SGN-NRT-SFO-PDX 16700 miles travelled return

SGN -ICN - SEA - PDX 15078 miles traveled return

SGN - HKG - LAX - PDX 18004 miles return

now the only alliance I have got any sort of points with worth mentioning is Skyteam, I have Vietnam airlines card with about 10K miles on it (not much but a start)

now my question is, is it worth me using a skyteam flight and getting some miles through an affiliate, or should i try to book it through vietnam airlines to get the most, or is it better to use another program and "start fresh" as the return will be better?

similarly for the hotel, I havent really found any chains in PDX that arent super expensive, I have some SPG points, but again not enough to really write home about.

regards,
lgrombach

Last edited by lgrombach; Aug 30, 2016 at 3:06 am
lgrombach is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 3:35 am
  #1161  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
lgrombach Welcome to FT

What do you mean by "to book it through"?
The flight number and operator is what is important. And now with some revenue based ffp's the ticket number (issuing airline)?

What do you mean by "best mileage return"?
Frequent flyer miles are not equal to earn or burn. 10,000 miles in 1 ffp may get you a longer award flight than 15,000 ff miles in another ffp. And then there is award cash surcharges.



Look here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2016, 6:23 am
  #1162  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: AVL
Programs: DL DM MM; Hilton Diamond; Hertz 5*
Posts: 706
I've flown Vietnam Airlines (VN) many times and think they do a good job. So, given that it is your most prolific local carrier, I would stick with them and the Skyteam alliance. (If you were moving to SFO I suggest switching).

As to whether to book through VN or Delta, I would pick VN. Getting Delta miles is great if you fly Delta but because you fly VN I would keep the miles with them.

As to routing, there are only slight differences in the mileage. I suggest looking at the aircraft involved, the seats available and the timing. A middle seat on a 777 is worse than an aisle on a 330 and the few routing miles isn't worth it. Same for arriving at 6 am verses 6 pm.

One additional thought on routing - check KLM and AF. They may not be price competitive but every now and then they are and I expect that you would get additional miles going that direction. If it is substantially more expensive, but you really want the miles, look at buying two itineraries - SGN to BOM or DEL on VN and then BOM or DEL to PDX on KLM or AF. Just make sure to enter you Skyteam number when booking to get proper credit. Another option is to look at China Eastern via PVG which would fly you to JFK and then DL to PDX which would also add additional miles.

As far as hotels go, my advice would be to pick the chain that you frequent most - or that has locations in the cities you are most likely to frequent.

A final thought is to suggest that you check the mileage run discussion page. You may get some fine-tuning suggestions there as to maximizing your routing.
FirstInFlight is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2016, 5:42 am
  #1163  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 4
Which FF programme - advice sought

Now semi retired and planning a number of long haul trips over the next 4-5 years. Maybe 2 p.a.
Question is, which FF to go with, given it's better to go with one as you stand more chance of status upgrades.

I live in Perth, Australia.

I'm not interested in free flights. The purpose of FF would be to get upgrades from Y to PE or PE to J for greater comfort long haul.

Planned destinations - USA west coast & Alaska - 2 or 3 times total. South America - Chile & Argentina (twice total). South Africa/Namibia. Europe/UK twice - (I have to bury the parents sometime soon - preferably once they're dead ). Also Hawaii.

I have whittled it down to 3 airlines.

QANTAS, Air New Zealand, Singapore. There are pluses and minuses in each and would like some advice from users who have been there, done that.

QANTAS (OW) - points never expire and as an Oz resident there are numerous ways to earn points. Problem it seems is that you can have 100,000s of points but never get to spend them on upgrades/flights UNLESS you have high tier status. Is that true? They came 4th in best PE seating and 2nd to ANZ in best overall PE. PER-LHR ain't great for points either, as they code share with Emirates.
ANZ (*A) scores highly on PE seats. PE & J often have serious discounts on trans-Pacific. I've found PER-LAX O/B PE and I/B Y for under $2K, and PE return for $3,500. The latter is $4,700 on QANTAS (same dates). The Spaceseats are being phased out next year so this may affect their prize winning status. I can get to LAX, SFO , ANC, Chile, Namibia (on SAA) reasonably quickly. PER - LHR is via LAX however and not practical. SIA could substitute there altho points earned would be less.
Singapore (*A) - features highly on J class, less so on PE altho there will be new PE seats on the A380 & B777-300. Neither QF nor ANZ get a look in on J on the awards front. SIA is no good for South America or S Africa but *A partners could help out there.

Soz for the long waffle. Have done tons of research but now have a headache as a consequence!

Have 10,000 miles on Emirates and 100 points on ANZ (450 needed for Silver) but am prepared to let those go if I think the other airlines are better longrun.

Cheers!

P.
Paul Adams is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2016, 6:02 am
  #1164  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
Qantas is a poor frequent flyer program. Air NZ is very very poor ffp

Award flights are not free. Especially with QF & EK
Upgrades with QF are an expensive lottery. Upgrades with Air NZ are hard to get

The chances of getting upgrades on any airline with status only is close to nil and with cash/ff miles is low

Living in PER you may be better with an Asian based ffp's (Where is Wandering Fred when needed?)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html

Last edited by Mwenenzi; Aug 31, 2016 at 6:07 am
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2016, 5:40 pm
  #1165  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 4
Thanks for the info Mwenenzi.
Like I said, I'm not interested in award flights, just upgrades.
You seem to be recommending Singapore from my 3 choices, as the only Asian AL.
The idea is to build from a bottom tier by gaining tier points asap. The higher your status, the more chance you have of an upgrade.
I already understood that the bottom grade would get you very little (nothing at all!).
As QF points are easy to come by here in Oz, I've read of many people with 100,000s of points that they simply can't use as they are on the bottom tier.
The problem with the Asian AL is that they don't do S America & S Africa except on partner ALs where the points awarded are lower.
Paul Adams is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2016, 6:02 pm
  #1166  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 20,921
Originally Posted by Paul Adams
Like I said, I'm not interested in award flights, just upgrades.

You seem to be recommending Singapore from my 3 choices, as the only Asian AL.
The idea is to build from a bottom tier by gaining tier points asap. The higher your status, the more chance you have of an upgrade.

I already understood that the bottom grade would get you very little (nothing at all!).

As QF points are easy to come by here in Oz, I've read of many people with 100,000s of points that they simply can't use as they are on the bottom tier.

The problem with the Asian AL is that they don't do S America & S Africa except on partner ALs where the points awarded are lower.
Your objective for upgrades only (on any airline), and not awards, will in my view not be successful. You will be flying down the back of the aircraft most times. Low cost fares are often not eligible for upgrades. So you will be spending big $$$ for a fare booking class that is eligible for upgrades, but still not getting them (on any airline).

For upgrades the general rule is you can only upgrade a flight marketed (flight number) and operated (metal) by the airline of your frequent flyer programme (no codeshares) with your airlines upgrade instrument (e.g. SWU, miles) or complementary with status (if applicable) or ff miles/cash. All subject to the t&c's of your FFP and your paid ticket. Low cost tickets are often not eligible for upgrades. Cross airline upgrades are uncommon. If cross airline upgrades are offered they tend to require a very expensive base economy fare.

With awards you have the flight locked in, even if hard to get. As a low status QF ffp I booked Aust USA business class award a few days ago without issue. QF is not my main ffp

Certainly not recommending the Singapore ffp

Last edited by Mwenenzi; Aug 31, 2016 at 7:45 pm Reason: spelling
Mwenenzi is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2016, 7:49 am
  #1167  
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 4
Are upgrades really that hard to come by? Reading other fora, it would seem not.
I would be looking at purchasing a PE seat and looking for an upgrade to J....not buy a low cost Y which, asd you say, are usually not eligible.

You seem to imply getting a free flight (award) at PE or J is easier. This strikes me as odd. Surely ALs are more likely to upgrade than give away?

I understand that upgrades are only on the FF airline and metal. It's why I want to chose my FFP carefully. For an AL that I would want to use for a variety of pre-planned trips...or at least have partner ALs that fly where I want to go.

Could you elucidate as to why you think QANTAS and Air NZ are a poor choice? especially as you managed to get a free J QANTAS seat when you are low status there. That strikes me as a recommendation!

Finally, what other Asian AL FFP would you recommend if not Singapore?...and why?
Paul Adams is offline  
Old Sep 5, 2016, 9:27 am
  #1168  
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1
Question.

I will start making 7 or 8 roundtrip flights a year between DFW and Frankfurt. The only nonstop options are American and Lufthansa who both run 1 daily flight. Until now I've never flown enough to benefit from a FF program.

I usually fly 1st class domestically but its not in the budget to fly across the pond up front however the premium economy that Lufthansa offers is enticing. I know at some point American will offer something similar?

Should I roll with Lufthansa or stick it out on American until their premium economy becomes available? Which airline offers the better FF program?
flyguydfw is offline  
Old Sep 5, 2016, 9:14 pm
  #1169  
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: YOW/CDG/DXB
Posts: 39
Is BAEC the right choice for me?

Hi,

After reading lots on the forum, it seems that BA's executive club gives the best flight rewards (which is what I look for in a FF program).

However, I would like to redeem these flights from and back to CDG - (to any european city such as BRU, BCN, GVA etc for small trips). I'd be booking the cheapest flight so I could get more flights from my points.

Is BA a wise choice since I'm flying from and back to CDG? Or is another program better? If so, which FF program would you advise?

Thank you so much, your help is greatly appreciated!
fancyflyer is offline  
Old Sep 5, 2016, 9:25 pm
  #1170  
nux
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: BA Gold, QF WP
Posts: 12,551
Are you just looking for a program to redeem points from? If so how do you plan to earn them?

BA only operates from CDG to London, and there are only a few shorthaul oneworld options from CDG.

You are best off working out which airlines you plan to use, then determine where to credit those flights.
nux is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.