Hi All

I asked this question in the Australian Frequent Flyer boards but would also like to get opinions from this community.

I'm relatively new to frequent flying and am currently trying to decide whether I should switch FFP from QFF to Aadvantage. After browsing through past posts it seems the general consensus is that AAdvantage is superior to QFF for earn/burn of points, but as always, which one is better depends on the individual situation.

A colleague of mine has done the numbers which suggests that AAdvantage is indeed better for redeeming points for long haul economy flights based on a flying pattern similar to mine. However, I'd like to:

1. Reality test that with the experienced flyers here
2. Get a view on whether the same outcome would be reached if I specifically wanted to redeem points for premium cabins only if I was with AAdvantage vs upgrading to premium cabins with points if I was with QFF
3. Understand whether I would be able to achieve top tier status on AAdvantage (the numbers seem to suggest it would take less than 1 year)

My flying pattern:
~70 domestic one way flights a year
~1/3 of those are MEL-SYD or SYD-MEL
~1/3 of those are MEL-PER or PER-MEL
~1/6 of those are MEL-BNE or BNE-MEL
~1/6 of those are MEL-ADL or ADL-MEL
All tickets are fully-flexible economy or one class below that (partially flexible?) with the exception of MEL-PER/PER-MEL which are business
There may be 1 or 2 international return flights per year, flying business class to random destinations
Employer paid (I read somewhere that we can earn an additional point for every $10 if on AAdvantage?)


Other point accrual methods:
Relatively low CC spend (<$2000/month) - currently linked to QFF but happy to switch to linking to SPG (and either keeping them for hotel redemption or converting to miles)


Current status:
QFF Gold
Not an AAdvantage member


Let me know if you need any other information to get a more relevant answer.

Thanks in advance guys!