Originally Posted by
JournoFlyer
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And does it even matter at all, since I'll be flying less than I currently am? I'm probably looking at 5-6 domestic round trips and 1-2 long-hauls per year in the future
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No. The main USA frequent flyer programs are really frequent spender programs.
What class of travel? 6 to 8 trips per year will not get you status with a USA ffp.
Status matches are now more often
"status challenge". With few flights qualifying will be hard~impossible.
If a corporate EU to USA transfer ask if the company travel dept can help (if it exists)
With no credit USA history, as you note, getting a credit card may be hard. Ask your EU bank/credit card provider and see if they have a relationship with a USA bank/credit card provider.
Be a free agent and select flights based on schedule and price. Any consider an ff miles as a bonus to FB or another ffp that may/may not be able to be used in the future.