Old Mar 6, 2022, 12:20 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: LovePrunes
CAUTION: Buyer Beware! DOES NOT WORK TO GET EXP This way
A caution to anyone who may try this suggestion to earn LPs buying FTD bonsai trees and hoping they get credit as a large multiplier of LP's from FTD. The Original Poster (and others) posted back that it posts as bonus miles and not base, so no LPs are earned.

some data points:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34174381-post70.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/34048144-post308.html
Here's the thread on FTD:

Missing miles/LPs from FTD purchase in mid-Feb




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127 bonsai trees for EXP

Old Jan 6, 2022, 12:48 pm
  #106  
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Originally Posted by dmsdfw
You seriously think that AA didn't model every possible scenario before announcing the program?
Every possible scenario? I seriously think that AA didn't model every possible scenario.


Originally Posted by KDCAflyer
Waiting for the CNBC article:

"Savvy frequent flyers create national bonsai tree shortage"
Nice potential clickbait article title but the "savvy" part is quite debatable. That someone found a cheaper way to achieve EXP status (worse yet, EXPLite status) doesn't mean that the value of that status isn't still less than the cost of all those bonsai trees.

The participants in the bonsai banzai are still shelling out real money for something of dubious value.

Last edited by Herb687; Jan 6, 2022 at 12:54 pm Reason: multi-quote
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 7:15 am
  #107  
 
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Originally Posted by WindowSeatFlyer
Any way to get around the $20 FTD delivery charge? It makes the Bonsai run significantly more expensive.
If you already order / send flowers a couple of times a year, you used to be able to get something which I think was called FTD Gold where you would pay a flat annual rate and get free delivery all year. IIRC you were ahead after just two or three flower orders.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 7:33 am
  #108  
 
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Originally Posted by Herb687

The participants in the bonsai banzai are still shelling out real money for something of dubious value.
I find bonsai trees to be very therapeutic and beautiful.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 8:51 am
  #109  
 
Join Date: May 2017
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I'm modeling out how I can re-qualify for EXP in 2022. I don't have (and don't want) any of the AA credit cards and it's extremely unlikely I'll be spending enough on flights alone to re-qualify. Looking through the shopping portal, nearly every store I already buy from online is represented here — many with 2+ mile/$1 rates — and if I'm consistent with booking through it, I'll re-qualify in March. Wow.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 9:04 am
  #110  
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Originally Posted by IADCAflyer
I find bonsai trees to be very therapeutic and beautiful.
Are you saying that at least two bonsai trees, one for home and one for the office, are reasonable?
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 9:05 am
  #111  
 
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Originally Posted by potus18
I'm modeling out how I can re-qualify for EXP in 2022. I don't have (and don't want) any of the AA credit cards and it's extremely unlikely I'll be spending enough on flights alone to re-qualify. Looking through the shopping portal, nearly every store I already buy from online is represented here many with 2+ mile/$1 rates and if I'm consistent with booking through it, I'll re-qualify in March. Wow.
March? At ~2 miles per $1 thats a *lot* of natural spend in <10 weeks.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 9:43 am
  #112  
 
Join Date: May 2017
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Originally Posted by coleslaw
March? At ~2 miles per $1 thats a *lot* of natural spend in <10 weeks.
I have a fair bit of J travel booked for Jan-Mar so I'm including that. I had previously planned on making a bunch of large one-time purchases at a few of the 2+/$1 promo stores already (e.g. Mr. Porter at 3/$1 and Home Depot at 4/$1) for myself/family/work, so those carry me fairly far. Adding in the stores I regularly shop at with more conservative earning ratios (e.g. CB2 and Marriott at 1/$1) and stores with crazy high earning ratios that I can shift existing spend to (e.g. ThriveMarket at 20/$1), re-qualifying in March (realistically closer to the end of March) is very possible.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 10:06 am
  #113  
 
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Frequent miler has a challenge started :

Frequent miler​​
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 1:22 pm
  #114  
 
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This is going to get very, very strange very fast....
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 1:36 pm
  #115  
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Originally Posted by potus18
I have a fair bit of J travel booked for Jan-Mar so I'm including that. I had previously planned on making a bunch of large one-time purchases at a few of the 2+/$1 promo stores already (e.g. Mr. Porter at 3/$1 and Home Depot at 4/$1) for myself/family/work, so those carry me fairly far. Adding in the stores I regularly shop at with more conservative earning ratios (e.g. CB2 and Marriott at 1/$1) and stores with crazy high earning ratios that I can shift existing spend to (e.g. ThriveMarket at 20/$1), re-qualifying in March (realistically closer to the end of March) is very possible.
It's a shame I just finished remodeling a rental house shortly before this program was announced. Home Depot would have been excellent.
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 1:37 pm
  #116  
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Originally Posted by IADCAflyer
This is going to get very, very strange very fast....
Speaking of that, just wait until FTD starts selling weed plants, lol...
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 1:42 pm
  #117  
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Originally Posted by nk15
Speaking of that, just wait until FTD starts selling weed plants, lol...
Promo code : MILEHIGHCLUB
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Old Jan 9, 2022, 1:45 pm
  #118  
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Originally Posted by IADCAflyer
This is going to get very, very strange very fast....
This guy has some good ideas, get EXP by paying for 20 funerals...

So far, everyone seems to be getting scammed by Byte...
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Last edited by nk15; Jan 9, 2022 at 1:59 pm
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Old Jan 14, 2022, 12:07 pm
  #119  
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My tree was delivered! Definitely doesn't look like the photo on ftd, but I'm still a fan.
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Old Jan 14, 2022, 3:59 pm
  #120  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
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Originally Posted by ghsbass0406
I understand the economics of it. AA is just a credit card company that happens to fly planes. It's just bananas that this is the current state of affairs. And while I don't consider TPG, VFTW, OMAAT, and the other blogs as Pulitzer prize winning journalism, they're all reporting FTD as an LP partner.
Not even, they a credit card dealership for Barclays and Citi.
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