Originally Posted by
zach444
Not sure if I get your meaning here, but value in premium-cabin RTW seems to have gone down by a bunch recently. I'd love to travel in business or first, but there aren't really any good options for a trip like this at the moment.
I was originally considering the SQ *A RTW in business, which is 240k. That said, the YQ would likely be outrageous. If I'm paying $1500 in fees, I might as well buy a full *A RTW and have lots more options.
As far as redeeming individual flights like in my example, it's also tough; I've relied on UA's lenient open-jaw and stopover rules, so it only really makes sense with MileagePlus, and we all know about their grossly devalued *A premium awards.
Anyway, this is why I posted this. There are many things that aren't great about the example I gave, which is why I'm on FT trying to see what other people have come up with!
I've been kind of thinking about something along the lines of your basic question recently, though admittedly I haven't gone very far with the thought process. So I'm curious as well in the discussion.
I was considering starting with a program with relatively generous OJ and stopover rules (and low fees) such as UA, and then adding on to that.... maybe a combination of distance-based programs for the shorter hops (BA for example, in cases where YQ isn't high) or even some discount carriers.
The suggestion to look at some of the "Circle..." options is one I hadn't considered and need to research.
I'm kind of experiencing the equivalent of "writer's block" when it comes to planning future trips at the moment. I can't really decide exactly where I want to go next, despite having many possibilities in mind.