staunderson Welcome to FT
Originally Posted by
staunderson
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc.
Upgrades, good award redemption rates.
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7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any?
No status, but have 25k in AA, but only 7k toward first level status; 6k in United.
8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
JetBlue, but would prefer to be tied to an alliance that would let me redeem rewards for international travel. Currently have about 90k in Chase rewards and another 90k in AMEX rewards.
Forget about getting upgrades. Being realistic it won't happen. On USA domestic routes there will always be many others with high ff status much higher up the upgrade list. On international long haul cheap economy fares are now usually not eligible for upgrades by status (free) or with miles & cash.
Both AA & UA have international routes and more importantly international ff partner airlines. AA = OneWorld & UA = Star Alliance. Having several ffps' with low balance is never a good idea, as you often never get enough miles to be used before they expire.
Have you investigated which ffp the credit card points can be moved to?
Select your flights based on cost & schedule and treat ff miles, if any, as a bonus that may or may not be able to be used before they expire.