Originally Posted by
eponymous_coward
What are your travel patterns? This sort of affects what makes sense for you. $1500 of mileage running to save $1200 doesn't make a lot of sense, unless you really enjoy plastic cards and doing the superior status dance.
I also think this is awfully early. AS is in a merger where the DOJ may sever the AA partnership as a condition of the merger. AB is flirting with bankruptcy. Your travel patterns could change. AA could change partner access to MCE. But maybe you like speculation that could be blown to bits?
Sadly, the days of being treated like a god for buying $1500 of cheap coach are over... if that is your travel pattern it is going to be tough to get around this. Get the AA card and you get luggage?
I respectfully disagree on your first point. If instead of paying $1200 for a year of MCE and bags, I can pay $1500 for a trip to see Jordan and Thailand then I'd rather spend my money on a trip across the world than seats and bags.
And, while on one hand it does seem early to worry about 2018 status, on the other hand, miles I start earning in 8 weeks (in 2017) will start me on the road to getting for 2018, so I only have 8 weeks to decide how I want to start earning status in 2017 for 2018. As I said, I already have Plat status for 2017.
Thank you for the information on AS and AB. I appreciate it! That's good to know.
Great point that the answer on best way to get status depends on my travel patterns.
My travel pattern is normally domestic flights on AA to Dallas and elsewhere. I will not likely spend $3000 in 2017 on domestic flights to attain Gold (which I want to avoid MCE and bag fees as well as have priority check in/boarding and to avoid some standby and award processing fees). So, if I can obtain Gold/Ruby some other way in 2017 (to have status in 2018) then I want to try to do so. As I said, the AB and AS status match seem to be the best way to maintain benefits when I fly AA, although as you deftly pointed out those options could follow the dodo bird.
I can always pay for MCE and bags, but that's no fun. I'd rather find some fun, creative way to get status.
