Originally Posted by
talmania
My primary plan is with Alaska Airlines since I fly their destinations frequently (and their large NW presence) but I'm curious about a secondary mileage plan and whether the value is with a partner of Alaska (such as Delta or AA) or with another carrier entirely (like United)? Or do you stick with the one plan and not worry about the others?
I would like to travel internationally this next year while completing a few MR's and wondering what the prevailing opinion/advice is?
You've arrived here just after two major devaluations, at UA and DL. Right now, there are many people who are moving TO the Alaska program.
For now, you may be best crediting your flights from all of Alaska's partners right over to your AS account and building elite status there.
There are a few reasons to consider adding a second plan:
(1) If you find you need to travel to places that can't be credited to AS. Like if you find you must fly United - in that case, you'll want to credit those miles somewhere. Usually your best bet is whichever domestic FF program covers the alliance that airline is in. (So, if it's anything in Star Alliance, credit it over to United.)
(2) If you need a redemption not possible with AS miles. Others more knowledgable could discuss that. There are also some specialized awards out there, like the AA "oneworld/Explorer" award, which allow for some exotic routing.
(3) To hedge your bets, in case availability is bad when you need to redeem. For example, one very popular plan is to credit flying miles to one particular program, then to focus on credit card signups for a different program. Then you have many different options when you need to redeem.
P.S. It is ok to fly internationally on a short vacation that is not an MR. There is no reason you can't stay at the destination for a few days.
