Despite some of the advice above, I suggest that you don't let miles rule your decisions. Some people get a big kick out of playing endless games with airlines and their frequent flier partners, and that's okay. In fact, it can be fun to try and bend the rules in ways the sponsors never intended.

But rabid mile collecting isn't for everyone. Also, miles aren't worth as much as we sometimes think. You might consider that spending a half-hour with an online survey for 300 miles is time well spent, until you realize you only got roughly $6 worth of non-transferable miles for your trouble.

My advice is to simply fly the way you've always flown before and simply collect the miles as you go. It's as simple as signing up at each airline's website. Then as you purchase tickets and check-in for each flight, just make sure you supply your FF# and don't give it another thought. IMO the more time you spend focusing on miles, the less they're worth.

Time = Money