Originally Posted by
mikelat
Having only 25k miles a year is going to make it hard to have status on any airline. Almost all start at 25k for the lowest tier and you're unlikely to get many upgrades at the lowest tier.
You beat me to it, I was going to say under 25K flyer should probably focus on booking cheapest and most convenient carrier/flights. AS does have 20K MVP qualification but that has to be all AS metal. That may be kind of tough.
Originally Posted by
flyaxa
My only advice is if you're dead set on this philosophy, it's going to take you a LONG time to accumulate miles/points of any significance. One does not need to carry any balances in the credit card game. In fact it would be foolish to do so.
Debt free and no credit card could indicate OP has no credit history so it may be tough to get a jump onto a prime lenders card right away. I took the no debt method after i screwed my credit when i was 18. Its slow going getting back on track. Anyways many of those points cards have horriffic interest rates and no way would I carry a balance. Pay in full is the way to go (unless 0 interest promo).