OK, here goes. Let me know if I missed anything that will help. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. I genuinely don't want anyone to do the work for me, I would just love a push in the right direction.
Flights
We live in Miami, FL. We generally fly about 12 to 15 times a year, mostly in the US, maybe one flight a year to Dubai, and one flight a year to Canada. If the dollar/euro rate ever comes down, then maybe one flight to Europe
We almost always fly economy. We always upgrade for a fee when offered the choice when checking in, but I doubt I would use miles to upgrade domestically. Internationally, I try to use miles to upgrade to business class.
I have been trying to make American our main airline, since they have a hub in Miami, and I read on here that you should stick to one airline and try to build up your status and miles. As much as I try to stick to AA, I occasionally book a low-cost airline from Ft. Lauderdale when we are going on a trip with a high probability of changing the return date since the change fees are a lot more reasonable than the mainstream airlines. We will also occasionally fly Delta or US Airways if they have a direct flight when AA does not.
I currently have gold status on AA, but my husband does not. It is expiring and I have been offered to pay a fee to renew for another year (is it worthwhile for me?) Since my travel is usually pretty flexible, I can usually get decent prices for all domestic travel, so I usually try to use FF miles towards international travel. I like the idea of being able to use the Admiral's Clubs when flying. However, I did notice that the Platinum Amex now gives you lounge access to AA. The airports we most often fly to are CLT, LGA, and LAS.
I am part of a household account on British Airways that has close to 500,000 miles in it. I always try to use them, but have yet to able to get a ticket for MIA/LHR/DXB. I also like to fly Emirates, who have a pretty flexible FF program that allows me to buy an economy ticket and use my father's FF miles to upgrade.
Credit Cards
We currently have the Gold Rewards Plus Amex that has about 260,000 membership rewards points on it. I have read on here that either the Hilton Hhonors or SPG Amex are the best. I am also interested in the Platinum amex (for the lounge access and FHR). Also I took a look at the Costco Amex. We probably spend about 60K on the cards annually, but I could definitely put more of our household expenses (utilities, mortgage) on the card to generate more points if that makes sense. I've read a lot of the threads in the Amex forum, but I keep swaying back and forth between which is the best card for us.
Hotels
Here's where I know I'm making the biggest mistake. We don't really stay at one particular brand of hotel, though we most often stay at Hhonors hotels. 95% of our hotel stays are leisure, and probably 60% of them are last-minute. We like flying to somewhere, renting a car, and going wherever we feel like - so generally I just find a hotel the same day. I've signed up with a million hotel programs, but we don't stay at any one of them to really make an impact. I know so many of the hotels and airlines have partnerships. Is it best to apply my hotel points to my AA account? Or are the hotel points worth more redeeming for a free stay? If I tried to concentrate on one hotel loyalty program, I would most likely save them up and use them for a luxury hotel stay.
Car Rental
We usually rent a car when we travel. We use Hertz 85% of the time. They also have a loyalty program. Is it best to apply these as well to AA FF? Or are they more valuable towards free/reduced car rentals?
I think that's everything. Thank you again for any tips or suggestions you may have. I've spent a lot of time reading the forums here, and have no problem spending a lot more time reading and researching - I just feel like many of you are light years ahead of me, and I would really appreciate any nudges into the right direction!