Hi All,

This is my first crack at an AOR and looking to fly AA or partners, I would like to go in first class (hopefully not too ambitious for my first outing) which I figured at around 125K-130K miles RT if I read the charts right. I need help figuring out which cards or combination of cards to apply to for a trip in the fall of 2015 to either Japan or Prague (leaning towards Prague). Here is what I have researched so far on here over the last few weeks and hope you guys can help fill in the blanks. On a side note, business cards are probably not an option for me as I don�t have one or plan any in the near future.

I have 17K on Hawaiian that I believe I can combine with the 6K I currently have on AA. I know, not a whole lot but I'm new to the game

Apply for
Citi Platinum 50K � 8 days later Citi Gold MC 30K, according to the posts I�ve read if this still applies?
Barclays Hawaiian 30K � combine with AA
B of A Alaska 25K � combine with AA
SPG 25K � transfer to AA 1:1

US Airways 40K � combine with AA when accts merge 2nd quarter next year, although not sure I can get to use them in time for Sept travel since I most likely have to find an award seat much sooner than 2nd quarter?

I�m avoiding applying for British Airways because of the high surcharges when used for international travel, if I understood the other posts correctly?


Thanks again guys for all you do. This forum is what gives me inspiration to tackle all this.

You can't combine AS miles with AA, nor Hawaiian.

You cannot combine HA, AS or any other miles with AA. Except US which will combine whenever they decide.

Some of the answer depends on where you're starting from.

You need to avoid BA longhaul flights as well as BA points. Unless you fly AB in which case BA points are fine. But AB doesn't have first class. Are you hung up on first class, or do you just want a flat bed seat that might be available in business class?

Most airlines (soon to include all U.S. airlines except US Airways) allow one-way bookings at half the cost in miles of a roundtrip, so earning enough miles for a one-way in two programs gives you flexibility if seats aren't available, as well as being easier to earn than all in one program.

Have you looked at seat availability? Award charts mean nothing unless there are saver level seats. You might not be able to see your dates yet, but you can get pretty close. Searches at aa.com and united.com will go a long way toward showing what is likely to be available on airlines other than IB, CX and JA. Those can be searched at BA or QF sites.

The best play for AA miles is a Platinum card and then an Executive card 8+ days later. The Plat + Gold generally results in a denial on the second card. Latest datapoints are here.

Hey guys, thanks for the quick response. I thought that AS and HA were partners with AA and that awards could be combined. At least that is what it looked like when I was checking AA award bookings. I must be thinking of something else.

I'm starting from AZ kennybsat and yes, wanted to do the flat bed seat so no problem going business class if they have that seat. Great suggestion as far as doing 2 one way bookings, didn't know you could do that. So which cards could I apply for to get the 2nd oneway? United Mileage plus 30K and Chase SP 40K transfer 1:1 ?

You cannot combine miles from two different airlines, partners or not (there may be 1 or 2 exceptions). You can use miles on some airlines to book flights on their partner airlines however (i.e. use AA miles to book HA or AS awards).

It is unlikely that you will be able to get all the miles you need in an AOR if you are limited to OW. If you are willing to use AA miles for one-way, and UA for another one-way, you can probably get enough UA miles for a one-way by applying for a UA card and a CSP. You should apply for the CSP ASAP, as rumor is that the current offer will end Monday and either the bonus will be reduced, or the minimum spend increased.

Thanks guys, I see that I still have a lot to learn. Based on this new info, which cards would you recommend for the AA miles one-way? I don’t want to consider the Citi Executive the AF is too much to chew on. Citi Platinum 50K and the SPG 25K, transferring points to AA 1:1. Should that be enough for first or business class? And the UA cards I could apply for UA Plus 30K, CSP 40K, transferring points to UA 1:1? Will that be enough for the first or business class for the return one-way?

Thanks again for the input

You can probably get an AMEX BRG card (yes it's a business card, but in AMEX's eyes everyone is a sole proprietor business owner) or possibly a personal Gold card with a 50-75K bonus which you can use for a business class one-way with Aeroplan miles surcharge free on any combination of UA, Swiss, Turkish, Brussels or very low surcharges on LOT.

AA miles can get you to PRG on AY, IB or BA as AA doesn't fly there. All of those will wind up with taxes and/or surcharges of $100-$150. IB does not show up online so you would need to search to MAD on aa.com and then look for seats MAD-PRG at britishairways.com.

Also, check your United account as you may have a 50K offer, and Chase frequently matches the 30K bonus to 50K if you ask for it. Check the UA card thread.

Unfortunately a nice clean one-stop award ticket from (PHX?) to PRG doesn't exist except on Delta's seasonal JFK-PRG where award availability is typically awful, and BA where you'd have to pay their ridiculous surcharges. But DL is worth looking at if there happen to be seats for your dates.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

AA partner award chart here:

http://www.aa.com/i18n/disclaimers/a...rtnerChart.jsp

UA charges more for premium-cabin award travel on partner carriers than on UA metal. View both award charts at http://www.united.com

Btw first class to japan is going to be much more enjoyable then first class to prague

Super suggestions guys. The plan is to do a small AOR over the next week and thanks to your help, I've got a good idea which cards to go for. Will let you know how it goes. Thanks again

Update, did my mini AOR, applied for and was approved for Citi Platinum 50K, SPG 25K, CSP 40K and UA Explora 30K. These should be enough to get business or first class each way on AA & UA. Thanks again guys for all the help. Next up, see how many points I can get towards the Hotel stays. :-)

Consider the Citi premier as well if you got a lot of dining during the year

Once you get your UA card, send a secure message to Chase to the effect that you applied with a 30,000 mile bonus offer but then learned of a 50,000 mile offer, and ask if they will match that for your account. Likely the easiest 20K miles you'll ever earn.

Don't forget the Barclay's US DM card for AA points.