Chinsexpat

Moving to the USA start of January. In theory for good assuming my wife still loves me

I am a BA Gold and will have requalified by Christmas for the next 18 months.
Don't expect to be travelling as much internationally post move, more internal metal in the US with 2-4 flights back in WTP per year to U.K./Finland. US flights will all be coach. Main airports for me will be EWR and PHL.

Will still have a UK address to use if neeed. Want to obviously keep as good a status as possible, collect miles to use to fly kids over and visit uk. I have a Priority Pass card for lounge access if needed (Amex Plat).

In theory will also move my Amex account over to the USA - have an Amex Plat and BA Amex.

No doubt this have been covered off elsewhere, but I couldn't find it and would really appreciate some words of wisdom

Appreciate

When I Travel The World

If you are going to stay I would probably start crediting my flights to AA Advantage over BA, there will be more benefits for you during this time.

You can use your status with BA for lounges by using your card and the claim back your flights to AA after and don't put FF number in booking.

I would also change address on BA account to US one and use ant 2 for 1 certs before doing so.

BAs chase credit card is great with the 100K sign up bonus that comes around often and the 2 for 1 is easy to hit.

Welcome to the wonderful world of US credit card rewards.

just my views though. People probably Have better advice.

Mwenenzi

This question has been asked before.
Most people would go with AA, but some stay with BA.
Some USA folk have moved from AA to BA following the last AA ffp changes
You need 2/4 BA IB flights to re-qualify for BA status next time, if you stay with them. That may/may not be hard for you.
Look at the BA sticky thread/links.

What are your objectives from a ffp?
Look here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html

corporate-wage-slave

Welcome to Flyertalk Chinsexpat and welcome to the BA forum. It's good to see you in the forum and I hope that you will stay in touch with us here.

Simplistically it's likely to be a choice of BA benefits (lounges, UuA) versus AA benefits (upgrades and cheap redemptions). So it's more a question of what you want a frequent flyer programme to look like and whether you are prepared to shift supporting credit cards around to maximise the benefit. There isn't a universally hard and fast rule here, well apart from Air Berlin probably isn't a good idea at the moment, since we are all different in our objectives in life.

Chinsexpat

Will certainly be looking at CC's.

If I move to AA from BA and don't put a FF number in the booking my main issues whilst I build miles with AA would as I see it be seating on transatlantic if I have to use coach and even on internals. For my wife any myself choosing nice seats is an extra £400 in coach, but free with my BA GC entered.

robski

Hi Chinsexpat
I did same move (although to the SFO/SJC area) 2 years ago and had exactly the same situation.
I've stuck with BA, despite looking at moving over to AA. My BA Gold status getting into lounges and even the new AA JFK lounge on domestic flights has been worth its weight in gold and as you say being able to chose seats FoC again is awesome.

I don't have lots of data points on the upgrades that AA Status gets you on their metal at the gate, but have very rarely seen any people listed on the Gate Screen get upgraded but I'm generally on the SFO/JFK A321-T or flights from SFO that are so short I'm not worried about an upgrade even though I'm 6'5.

You have to move your BA account to the US, to link it with an eventual application for the BA Chase Visa. Down side to that is that for some reason, the fees/taxes are more for US redemptions with AA and Alaska, but still cheap. (19 GBP > 80 USD). Haven't had chance to look at that properly.

Read up A LOT on the Credit Card point situation, but be careful when you apply with no credit history. Eventhough we had 999/999 credit history with Experian in the UK, it counts for nothing in the US with Experian who will give you 0 at day 1. The more premium cards with decent Airline points won't want to know you for a year or so, so be careful about applying early. Plenty of threads out there on how to build credit history quickly and we comfortably get all 3 of us back to the US each year CW or First with points which are 75% from CC spend/sign-ups and 25% from my 5 to 6 domestic trips a year and 1 international in Biz.
For us, sticking with BAEC Gold seems to be right, but other factors may sway you.
Getting the 4 BA flights in for us will be hard this year, because I just realised Aer Lingus doesn't count even when booked through BA flight number. Only Iberia and BA. We generally fly Dub > LHR > SFO/SJC and back (on miles), booking a separate cheap ticket back to Manchester with cash. I'll need to work out a Biz trip to EU between now and March to get the 4 BA flights in to keep gold.
Good luck with the move... and get ready for the US Bureaucracy. Forms and rules for everything, very little government stuff can be done online. If you thought the Visa process was inefficient, just wait till you get here. That said, we still love it.
Cheers, Rob

ChrL

I moved from the UK to the US about 5 years ago. Feel free to PM me if you want any advice on anything.

Re credit cards: One thing you can do is apply for a UK Amex card whilst still in the UK and then take advantage of their global card transfer policy to get a decent credit limit whilst you are building your US credit history.
https://www.americanexpress.com/glob...ed-states.html

JAXBA

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chinsexpat

In theory will also move my Amex account over to the USA - have an Amex Plat and BA Amex.

Note that if you change your BAEC address to the US it will be disconnected from your BA Amex and any Avios earned won't be credited until you change your BAEC address back to the UK. I don't know if it's possible to have a US billing address on your BA Amex, but even so I don't think that will prevent the disconnect from BAEC.

fechter

I have a follow-up question here: if you use the Amex global transfer program, do you receive the sign-up bonus points for the 'new' card that you apply for, or is it treated as a 'change' in card, without a sign-up bonus?

This would affect which one to go for quite heavily..

Thanks,
fechter

NA-Flyer

I recommend that you stick to BAEC while living in the states. Don't switch to AA as status earning is much harder and still AA will treat you with great respect as GCH when flying with them. You can also use US and UK based CC for your BAEC account while living in the US.

flatlander

Bear in mind that some AA upgrades clear before the gate opens; on less status-heavy routes my upgrade rate as an AA EP is reasonable.

For routes like SFO-LAX, "fuggedaboudit". EP is two a penny there, Conciege Key is what you need for any serious upgrade chance. SFO-JFK is barely better. Routes that are not between the richest metropolitan cities in the USA have a much better chance. So which sort of route will your (Chinsexpat) flying be on?

Also, don't underestimate the system-wide upgrades, especially if there's likely to be a lot of international or JFK-LAX/SFO in your life. Since you only get 4 (when you reach AA EP) they're not much use for the family, but if you have an employer with a relentlessly economy-only travel policy they can make life rather more pleasant. So consider if you would use them much, or if you intend directly to buy (cash or miles) the premium seat.

If your likely travel style isn't one that will get much benefit from either sort of upgrade, or if your spending (or your employer spending) is unlikely to get near the EP spending and mileage requirements, then stick with BA. From what you've said, it might be most reasonable to stick with BA for a year or so, then consider how it's turning out.

swingaling

Since you still have a UK address, you'd be able to sign up for AA and get an EQD waiver. EXP is a lot easier to attain without any EQD requirement. Especially when TPACs in Y can be had for $400-$500 fairly regularly.

golfmad

Nice try fechter and a warm welcome to the posting world of Flyertalk. There is no sign up bonus for the US card with the global transfer programme. At least there wasn't when I did it in 2011.

Peter M

Frequent flyer checklist:

1. Select the airline that flies directly where you regularly need to go, unless there is a much less expensive alternative that is not unduly more burdensome (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #1 ).

2. Select the FFP according to the airline you fly the most, except if there is a more generous partner program that will give you better benefits (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #2 ).

3. Earn the highest elite status than you can afford in terms of cash and time (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #3 ).

4. Fly the most premium cabin you can, preferably through the lowest cost upgrade (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #4 ).

5. Relax in the best lounges available (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #5 ).

6. Know how to circumvent airline policies to obtain benefits (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #6 ).

7. Multiply your elite status through matches to other programs (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #7 ).

8. Maximise award earning promotions (Flyertalk suggested intuitive rule #8 ).


According to the details provided by the original poster, some answers may be:

Rule #1 . EWR is a United fortress hub, so it may be more convenient to fly United to various destinations.

Rule #2 . If mostly flying AA, then switching to American Advantage makes sense. Do your homework on the airline and program which suits your particular needs. Southwest may even turn out to be best, because all tickets are refundable and there are no bag fees, and you get a free drink and snack. It has a huge network.

Rule #3 . Changes to program earning requirements has made it more difficult to earn the top tier status level without serious flying and spending, which is why checking flying patterns with programs is important to maximize benefits. Mid-tier benefits in one program may be better than low-tier benefits in another.

Rule #4 . BA status does not get complimentary upgrades on American (although VS status does on Delta, a hold over from the KLM and NWA days). You have to earn status in AAdvantage to get on the American upgrade list.

Rule #5 . If you keep the AMEX Platinum card you can access Centurion Lounges when flying in the US (PHL and LGA), which are generally better than most lounge alternatives.

Rule #6 . If you keep a non-US address, or obtain certain airline affiliated US credit cards, you might be able to get the minimum spend requirements waived to obtain a higher elite status level.

Rule #7 . Consider elite status matches or challenges on other airline frequent flyer programs based on your BA Gold status. Think beyond airline programs for other useful travel benefits, such as hotel and car rental partner programs. As an example, United Airlines mid-tier and above elite status, also earns Marriott elite Status (hotels) and Hertz elite status (car rental).

Rule #8 . Many flyers keep churning (open and close) credit cards for the sign up bonuses, and manufactured spend on credit cards to earn more points.

Happy flying and getting used to new holidays, like Thanksgiving.

Chinsexpat

Have to say it’s still hard to work out what I should do.Sat at 38000 ft in economy on AA flying back from JFK after triggering my visa/green card.

Im expecting 3-4 Transatlantics in a year in WTP+ with a coupe of paid for leg upgrades to Club if a good price comes available.
On top of that I am guessing about 5000 miles a month on AA in economy again with maybe one 1000 mile flight in First.

i plan on using Amex global transfer for my plat card and I guess that also means my BA Amex? Will remember to spend my 2-4-1.

Still feels easier to keep Gold on BA than getting there on AA, but the downside maybe internal upgrades. On the other side I will get access to Admirals.
Plan on keeping a UK address.

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