Originally Posted by
flyercity
Best OW program for status only
Wanted to share some thoughts for those looking for a OW program for status only and are not bothered about spending miles, expiring miles, upgrades etc.
I searched on the basis that all flights credited would be discount economy with no particular preference for any one airline.
Researched all OW member sites and found that many do not credit discount economy fares (e.g. MH), give very little credit (BA, IB, CX, QF etc) or have a money component (AA). So, e.g. with BA or IB you'd need to fly about 5-6 long haul discount economy return flights for Ruby and about 12-14 for Sapphire.
From what I found, AY is probably the best option for those who want to gain status via discount economy travel. Ruby with about 2-3 long haul discount economy return flights and Sapphire with about 6-7.
QR looks promising in terms of their tier thresholds but unfortunately their mileage/elite points calculator does not work, so it is not known if they are a better option than AY.
Thanks for your analysis. I am looking for more information on this topic. I find OW Ruby to be useful on AA to get me decent seat assignments and last-minute extra legroom seats. I could probably make the mileage component on AA for Ruby, but I don't spend $3000/year (most of my paid AA flying is on junk fares). I have cheap-fare-class long haul flights booked on Qantas and BA. Is crediting to Finnair my best shot for getting Ruby? Would it make any sense to do this, and is there any other viable alternative?