rdlmitedu

I’ve finally given up on flying Alaska today after being MVPG75K since VX Gold. The combination of lack of flights on the non west coast, horrible experience at JFK, etc makes it pretty clear. I would have just kept Alaska FF status but the 12 or 24 flight segments makes it not really worth it (doing segment run this year).

What is the best way to switch to a different OW program? Try to do a status match off my TK Elite Plus or DL Plt/Dia status next year? Bare AA challenge? My ideal long term OW is probably JL (to get lifetime JGC) or secondarily AA, but JL will have to wait on a Japan business visa given current restrictions. Would I just use the new program number at checkin but show my AS card for something otherwise, if starting from 0 in another OW program?

guv1976

Are you mostly flying domestic Economy Class?

Have you familiarized yourself with AA's new "Loyalty Points" program for achieving status, where base miles earned from credit-card spend, hotel stays, car rentals, AAdvantage Dining, and AAdvantage e-shopping all count towards attaining elite status?

rdlmitedu

I mostly fly discount intl J and domestic Y, although sometimes domestic F. I live in SJU and fly to conferences/clients a lot, so plenty of AA and DL domestic flights (30+/yr). Probably more transcons soon, but also pre Covid (and from September this year) 1-2 intl C/mo.

guv1976

If you want to pursue status with AA, I would immediately obtain an AAdvantage credit card, and start charging on it to earn Loyalty Points. I don't know whether the Citi and Barclays versions are available to residents of Puerto Rico, but there's always the Banco Popular version as an option.

If you can get status with Hyatt through your travels, that might trigger a cost-free status match/challenge from AA, given the close AA-Hyatt partnership.

If you have a couple of trans-Atlantic roundtrips in Business Class coming up soon, you could pretty quickly achieve oneworld Sapphire status by crediting to Iberia Plus. But then you'd be acquiring Avios which, depending on your redemption patterns, might not be as valuable to you as AAdvantage miles. On the other hand, OWS status earned through a foreign FFP would get you lounge access when flying AA domestically.

Good luck!

Mwenenzi

How often do you/will you fly JL?
Getting status on the airline you fly most and/or of your country is usually best. Easier to get credit card ff miles with a cc from your home country.
The AS "own flight segments" is hard. Those airline that still have this requirement often only have 4..
Do not take the airline operations and airline ffp as one and the same.

JetBlue is an AA freq flyer partner. Good range of B6 destinations from SJU. More than AA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_M...tional_Airport

BA-IB-IE-QR(Qatar) all use avios as a ff currency. Subject to t&c's can move (at no cost) avosi from one airlines ffp to another airlines ffp

Objectives from a ffp?
Flying international business class status does not give much extra.
-->Deciding on a Oneworld Frequent Flyer Program? Help is here.

SeaLuggageLover

I may be in this situation soon myself. I love AS, however, there is a good chance I'll be relocating this fall to a city with hardly any direct flight options via AS. I'm thinking AA would be a better fit in the new city for this reason, but I have concerns. I find the AA loyalty program confusing. I earn my miles strictly through flying. I am currently 75k on AS and will likely reach the same status by the end of the year. Does anyone know if it's possible to earn equivalent status on AA strictly through flights? I have very low spending habits and rarely rent a car or pay for hotel rooms so the alternate routes to loyalty points don't interest me. I don't want to jump ship and find myself moving backward. I also wouldn't make the change unless AA runs a status challenge at the beginning of the year.

Mwenenzi

If you fly AA and still credit to AS ffp would you meet the AS Qualifying flights requirements?
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/mi...rship-benefits

SeaLuggageLover

I thought about that option, but I'd probably have to do some runs to make my segments if I move and I prefer to earn status organically to save time and money. Also, if I'm flying more and taking the majority of my longer flights on AA, I'd prefer to be higher up on the waitlist there to increase my chances of upgrades. I just wish the loyalty points weren't so confusing. Part of the reason I chose to pursue status with AS in the first place was the fact that their program is so straightforward and easy to navigate. Also, all of this will be moot if AA doesn't run a status at the end of the year because there's no way I'm starting from scratch.

ssk244

10000% agree on Loyalty Points. ... is that anyway - it's so confusing! I think about jumping ship to AA but I just love AS too much.

notquiteaff

Not sure what you meant by “run a status”. Match?

The way it looks I am going to drop from 75k to MVP - and that assumes that my Condor flight from 3+ months ago will eventually post and I fly one more trip than currently planned or charge more money on my AS Visa.

That pretty much means I have no AS meaningful status next year and get to rethink my options. Should I have AA’s new program a try? Or just leverage my UA MM status. After all, I worked (spend real money) to get that…. Oh well, still have some months to think through that and get a better feel for AA’s program and my travel plans for 2023.

SeaLuggageLover

What I mean is that I won't switch programs to AA unless they are willing to offer a challenge of some sort to match my AS status. Otherwise, I'll lose my OW benefits as soon as I start crediting to my AA account. Right now, they don't have any offers. If I move, I'm hoping they'll run this sort of promotion at the beginning of the year.