memesweeper

You can get status of sorts with low- fare European economy flying - BAEC gives Bronze at 20 segments I think, and Silver at 50.

gmaravel

First of all many thanks to you and Mwenenzi, for taking the time to respond to me.

Actually I just entered the forum now to ask the very last part of your answer, but you have been already one step ahead of me! Since I am flying mainly star alliance then I was wondering where is the best place to put my extra miles gained from other flights. If a status level was reachable ok, but apparently it is not. Unfortunately I do not know any card programs in Greece for this alliance, so it is almost impossible to obtain with another way.

From my understanding AA, BA, IB and Aer Lingus are the top options to park your miles (and get an extra trip at some point) as you don't get your miles expired. [My experience with AA at least is this, with just an occasional flight your mile expiration is postponed - I was just thinking which other airline offered something similar, so now I will just look at the other programs].

Thanks again!

bhomburg

Yes. AA and the Avios-based programs (and, technically, Qantas, but that program is of no use to you otherwise) are the only programs where any activity in an 18-month period will reset the expiration clock and keep all points in the account from expiring.
All other program have 'hard' expiration dates, with very limited exceptions (airberlin topbonus miles don't expire as long as you hold Gold or above status, for example) and thus are not really suited for you. This is a point that gets overlooked by many if not most casual fliers.

jasong83

Hey guys. I'm living in Singapore now and flying back to US to visit home about 2-3 times per year. I currently have status on CX, but with flying cheap economy tickets and the new program there's no way I can earn status (I've actually earned 0 miles this year after 2 round trips)

I was looking at AA, but read something that you don't have access to all OW lounges. I also saw mentions of Finnair and Alaska, but don't really see what's so great about these programs.

Any advice is really appreciated. Thanks!

(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.)
Reply: OW lounge access, upgrades, awards redemptions for premium cabins
(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: Deep discount economy, about 50,000 miles per year (2-3 round trips between Asia and US)
(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Cheapest
(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. Pleasure.
(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: CX
(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: SIN
(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Marco Polo Silver, basically no miles banked
(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: The better Asian airlines- CX, SQ, etc.

Mwenenzi

The grass in not always greener on the other side

If you fly low priced economy flights you will not get status (or many/any ff miles) with any ffp.
If you continue to fly CX back to USA and bank to another ffp you will not get more ff miles/status earning. http://www.wheretocredit.com/cathay-pacific-airways
That the way it is. Look as post 1334 above.

AA is now a revenue based ffp, with different rules for earning on non AA flights.
AA status does not get you into USA AA/OW lounges on USA domestic flights.
An equivalent status with any other OW airline will get you into USA AA/OW lounges on USA domestic flights.

AS has many OW and Skysteam partners. Is not a revenue based ffp. The AS award chart is limited on carriers & routes. You need to understand the award t&c's. AS is a good ffp for many people.

The grass in not always greener on the other side

catharsis

So, I am a (highly precocious) 2 Year Old, who will be flying 7 2000-3000 miles segments all in J on BA and AA over the next several weeks, and who may well be doing another 6-8 2000+ miles segments on BA and AA early next year.

My Daddy (unsurprisingly) is a BAEC Gold member as will be mommy after these flights.

I seem to recall that I cannot earn status on BA myself until I am 18! (Boo! )

Can anyone advise me what FF program I should join and credit these upcoming flights to?

Mwenenzi

https://www.aa.com/loyalty/enrollment/enroll
And if you enroll for the plat challenge you will soon get status like than the oldies
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...challenge.html

chichow

What is most important to you in a FFP?
reply: good award redemption rates and better award access

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: >50,000 year. Deep Discount economy for personal 4 day vacations around Asia. Business Discount fare to USA 1x year. Business full fare Long Haul to USA 1-2x a year.

What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Business and Economy

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. Work and Pleasure

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
Reply: HKG – SIN 3x, HKG – NYC/ORD 1x/2x, HKG-APAC 3x cheap personal 4 day weekends.
SQ HKG-SIN
KE & JAL HKG – USA
LCC HKG – APAC

(6) What is your home airport?
Reply: HKG

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
Reply: UA Million Miler = UA Gold and *A. Korean Air Morning Calm.

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: SQ, NH, KE, JL. Will take UA HKG-EWR once Polaris rolls out.

Basically, I want to know where to bank one world miles given the above answers. I traditionally put them in AA, but am wondering if JAL might suit me better if I am looking for an award on JAL F to the USA or perhaps trying EK F. The concern I have with JAL is mileage expiring. I am not sure if having a JAL credit card keeps miles alive as with other programs like UA and AA.

chichow

Forgot to note that I am not a fan of Cathay so no Asia miles.

JALPak

No, having a JL branded credit cards won't change your miles expiration date. You should look at BA if you want non-expiring miles and receive miles when you fly in deep discounted Y fares.

pbd456

2 years old can be ba gold just cant earn guf2

spkspk

Probably a question for those who have experience with multiple OW FFPs.

Which OW FFP has given you the best chance to use miles to upgrade a paid full-fare Economy ticket to Business?

I am not a member of any OW FFP. Just bought an I fare ticket from AA and couldn't decide which FFP to deposit the miles to. Paid cabin upgrade awards are what I'm after.

JeremyTX

I am a US Expat living in Bangkok, but planning on moving to Philipines next month.

I only started traveling with any frequency when I moved away from the USA late last year and am just now trying to figure out the rewards game.

I don't think I will travel enough to get huge miles or perks from flying itself, but I do own a marketing agency and plan to start using cards for ad spend to rack up miles that way. Currently I have the Citi AAdvantage card and a simple Amex green card. My credit is good except for the fact my balances are too high from quiting the corporate world to start my own company, which is driving down the scores, preventing me from getting some premium cards like the Chase Saphire Preferred or one of the AMex business platinum/gold cards. But my goal for the rest of the year now that the business is stable is to pay those down and get 1 or 2 of the really solid rewards cards.

So with that in mind, whatever program ends up being my program of choice will probably need to revolve around points or points transfers from Citi, Chase and/or Amex.

I look forward to your feedback.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?

Flying first/biz class as an upgrade or 100% using miles. Also, discounted or free lounge access while on the ground.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?

Not really sure. It has been sporatic over the past year with a 1 way from Dallas to Bangkok and then a handful of flights around asia and a round trip from naminal to london which I am on now. I want to increase my travels though to maybe one round trip a month. Half being regional and the other half being ong haul.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?

In the past, cheapest, but with a catch I am a bigger guy and always buy 2 economy seats instead of 1.

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?

I can choose. I am own my own company.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?

Most often asian, but I want to increase the asia to europe and asia to the Americas trips.

(6) What is your home airport?

Was Bkk, but soon will be in Manila or Cebu.

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?

No current status. Have miles scattered over. AA 9k, AirAsia 1k, Philipines Airlines 1k, Qatar 2k with a biz class flight scheduled from London to Manial next month

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?

There have been no pattern, just the cheapest. 2 flights from USA to Asia on Korean Air and American Airlines. A handful of flights scattered between AirAisa, Philipine Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, and so on.

HaikalS

Hi Guys,

Any thoughts on this? I thought I made my mind up and was planning to go for CX MPC but have doubts between that or AA or even AS.

(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.)
Reply: Awards redemptions for premium cabins, lounge access, priority or fee waivers when rebooking/changing

(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: 150-200K+ miles in I/C/J across ~100 sectors (cheapest business class I can get), occasional short-haul Y

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Cheapest Business class for overnights & long haul, economy for short-haul

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Both and yes can choose.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: Asia, 2-3x Asia to Europe/US

(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: TPE or CGK

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, QF Gold, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Marco Polo Silver, Alaska Miles (no status but ~100K miles banked)

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
Reply: CX, SQ, BR, GA

Yreal

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
OW will be mainly for award flights, so best point redemption

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, and somewhere around 30 flights. Mostly in the eu, cheap = best

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)

Cheapest

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply:

I can fly anything I want since i fly 100% for fun

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often?
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)

EU only last year, but looking at deals all the time to fly to new places

(6) What is your home airport?

Amsterdam, but also flying from the regional airports here

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in OW or other airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?

Saving milles with klm and status with A3 (and thus also milles)

(8) Preferred Airlines? Most common Airlines flown on?
No. Sadly, ryanair...

OW would be flybe, BA, maybee finair from Amsterdam