Originally Posted by Jambell
I'm an Aussie having just moved to the UK with a new job where there will be loads of European and US travel. I have been a Platinum Qantas member for years (One World - Emerald). What is the best European airline programme to join? Or should I keep allocating points back to my Qantas programme? Thanks for any advice. Cheers
If you will be flying on American and British Airways between Europe and the US, you should note that BA flights between the US and UK cannot be credited to American's program and that AA flights between the US and UK cannot be credited to BA's program. If you plan to mix the transatlantic carriers, then a non-BA/non-AA program may make sense. Another thing to note is that BA only gives full mileage on higher fares and so most coach/economy fares only accumulate 25% whether you do/can credit those flights to AA's program or BA's program; AA flights give 100% mileage credit.
I don't know enough about non-AA/non-BA/non-LA programs to comment about the relative benefits of Qantas, Finnair or Cathay's programs vis-a-vis each other. (I do love Cathay's Asia Miles program however).