Hey guys,

I'm off to uni this summer in the UK.
I'll be flying to EDI from HKG. Currently have round trip air-tickets booked on VS.
I've been doing some research lately and have come across one common thought about VS miles:

Not as valuable as other airline miles

I'll be flying economy class. My family is well off enough (barely) to send me overseas for education. My parents don't want to waste $/minimise money spent on airfares so I'll only be heading back home during summer each year.

What is the best way to minimise spending // maximise miles to use? (13K miles per round trip)

Would I be better off on another airline? We looked at CX/BA (tickets were alot more expensive), Qatar (tickets aren't open/flexible for 1 year?).

Appreciate any advice at all.
thanks^