Originally Posted by
Mwenenzi
With only a few flights a year you not get much with any ffp. And with low prices fare even less.
Extremely low chance of any (free) upgrades.
From your profile you a are a member of many ffp's. So watch expiry. DL ff miles do not (currently) expire
My opinion is select flights based on schedule & price (not ff miles) and treat any ff miles that you may get as a small bonus that may/may not be able to use in the future.
If you get ff miles from cc spend can be different.
https://www.wheretocredit.com/jetblue-airways
https://www.wheretocredit.com/aa
https://www.wheretocredit.com/dl
I should add before I scrapped AA altogether, In March, did pay for a one way ticket down to Fort Myers from Syracuse with miles, and then on the way back, I received an upgrade to first class for $90 - while not a free upgrade, cheap upgrades are nice a well IMO.
Would obtaining miles be more useful for flights to destinations within the Hawaiian Islands from New York? I know you said base purchases off of low prices - but when I looked, I didn't see anything less than a couple grand (round trip).