Infrequent Flyers: the best loyalty programs for the disloyal
Aug 25, 2012 | 3:57 pm
#46
Flyertalk Posting Legend Moderator: Credit Card Programs, American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Diners Club, Eco Travel, Signatures
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA, IHG & Marriott Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 51,877
Aug 26, 2012 | 6:33 am
#47
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,443
Aegean.
What? 
miles.site666.info updated:
BA, BMI, Iberia
You can move miles between BMI, Iberia, and BA in any direction you like, but moved miles cannot be moved again.
BA will match your BMI status if you ask them.
KLM, Air France
No more fuel surcharge for flights within Europe, North Africa, and Israel.
You can pay excess bagage fees with miles.
BA, BMI, Iberia
You can move miles between BMI, Iberia, and BA in any direction you like, but moved miles cannot be moved again.
BA will match your BMI status if you ask them.
KLM, Air France
No more fuel surcharge for flights within Europe, North Africa, and Israel.
You can pay excess bagage fees with miles.
Aug 26, 2012 | 5:22 pm
#48
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
Aug 26, 2012 | 6:38 pm
#49
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,443
Aug 27, 2012 | 9:26 am
#50
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
When you're disloyal enough not to worry about maintaining status with an airline, other factors become important. Things like mile expiration policy and cost of award tickets.
Aug 27, 2012 | 8:17 pm
#51
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,443
You're about to choose a SkyTeam ffp. Would you rather use Delta Skymiles to get into their lounges (and pay a fuel surcharge for KLM award flights) or would you choose FlyingBlue and not pay the surcharge for the same award flight?
When you're disloyal enough not to worry about maintaining status with an airline, other factors become important. Things like mile expiration policy and cost of award tickets.
When you're disloyal enough not to worry about maintaining status with an airline, other factors become important. Things like mile expiration policy and cost of award tickets.
If you're disloyal, alliance should be completely irrelevant...
Aug 27, 2012 | 11:03 pm
#52
Join Date: May 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: AA EXP (2.5MM), Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 4,857
A specific case for all you disloyal flyers:
My FIL is flying out here in June. He seriously never flies, except once every few years to see us. Doesn't understand the first thing about FF miles- wanted us to book the tickets "so we could get the miles." (I booked the tickets anyway, without explaining, so that I could be sure he got the best flights possible...)
Because of flight times, the main leg of his flight is on United (about 2,000 miles one way) and the second (500 miles one way) leg is on American.
Trying to decide where to stash the miles. Haven't found a reasonable program that works for both (not really interested in opening up a Jet Airways account).
Goal would be to get something useful out of the miles (trip, hotel stay, etc) in the long term without too much maintenance (because I will be doing the maintaining). Any creative thoughts, aside from just stashing at United & American and trying to keep them alive over time?
My FIL is flying out here in June. He seriously never flies, except once every few years to see us. Doesn't understand the first thing about FF miles- wanted us to book the tickets "so we could get the miles." (I booked the tickets anyway, without explaining, so that I could be sure he got the best flights possible...)
Because of flight times, the main leg of his flight is on United (about 2,000 miles one way) and the second (500 miles one way) leg is on American.
Trying to decide where to stash the miles. Haven't found a reasonable program that works for both (not really interested in opening up a Jet Airways account).
Goal would be to get something useful out of the miles (trip, hotel stay, etc) in the long term without too much maintenance (because I will be doing the maintaining). Any creative thoughts, aside from just stashing at United & American and trying to keep them alive over time?
Aug 28, 2012 | 7:53 am
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
By sending your miles for KLM or Air France flights to another SkyTeam program you can avoid the 20-month expiration policy of FlyingBlue. Preventing mileage expiration is very important for a disloyal flyer.
Expiration policy, award flight availability, redemption rates, non-flying earning opportunities... if you're disloyal, alliance is very relevant. Choosing the right airline combo in an alliance allows you to be even more disloyal.
Aug 31, 2012 | 11:24 am
#55
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: UA,UR,Bonvoy
Posts: 17
As far as hotels go I would recommend SPG, as long as you have the SPG Amex CC. An infrequent flyer should be accumulating SPG points via regular CC spend (especially with the US Mint coin deal), then the points will be there for you when you do decide to travel and need a decent hotel room and/or need to xfer some SPG points to your 1:1 SPG/Airline mile program to get that flight you need.
what is the US Mint coin deal?
Aug 31, 2012 | 11:36 am
#56
Flyertalk Posting Legend Moderator: Credit Card Programs, American Express, Capital One, Chase, Citi, Diners Club, Eco Travel, Signatures
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Miami, Mpls & London
Programs: AA, IHG & Marriott Platinum; DL & HH Gold
Posts: 51,877
The post to which you replied is from 2010. It is no longer possible to purchase $1 coins from the United States Mint with a credit card at face value. Discussion from 2008:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-shipping.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-shipping.html
Jan 6, 2013 | 5:03 pm
#57
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: The city of sex and drugs and KLM
Programs: KLM FB, BA EC, Miles&Mafia, Delta SM, Mile High Club
Posts: 347
Updated miles.site666.info
Iberia no longer a bad program, because you can transfer your Iberia miles to BA to keep 'em alive. Transfering BA miles to Iberia is a good way to pay way less taxes and surcharges on (long haul) award tickets.
Delta and eMiles have split up.
Iberia no longer a bad program, because you can transfer your Iberia miles to BA to keep 'em alive. Transfering BA miles to Iberia is a good way to pay way less taxes and surcharges on (long haul) award tickets.
Delta and eMiles have split up.
Jan 7, 2013 | 8:59 am
#58
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: MCI
Programs: AA Gold 1MM, AS MVP, UA Silver, WN A-List, Marriott LT Titanium, HH Diamond
Posts: 53,011
Infrequent flier, but most likely to find themselves on *A: Aegean.
Infrequent flier, but most likely to find themselves on OW: BA Avios.
Infrequent flier, but most likely to find themselves on Skyteam: I truly have no idea. Probably not DL though.
Infrequent hotel guest with access to all of the U.S. credit cards: HHonors.
Infrequent hotel guest with no access to U.S. credit cards: Don't really know, but probably Priceline, local boutique hotels, or maybe something like Club Carlson thanks to crazy promos that can be fulfilled with 1 night stays. Probably some region-specific programs (Melia, etc.) that are good but don't get a lot of Flyertalk play.
Infrequent car renter: Probably a mix of the base Emerald Aisle (National) service and Priceline. Or research airport-by-airport to figure out where companies like Dollar or Budget have operations that are on-par with the majors thanks to combined rental facilities, kiosks, etc.
Infrequent flier, but most likely to find themselves on OW: BA Avios.
Infrequent flier, but most likely to find themselves on Skyteam: I truly have no idea. Probably not DL though.
Infrequent hotel guest with access to all of the U.S. credit cards: HHonors.
Infrequent hotel guest with no access to U.S. credit cards: Don't really know, but probably Priceline, local boutique hotels, or maybe something like Club Carlson thanks to crazy promos that can be fulfilled with 1 night stays. Probably some region-specific programs (Melia, etc.) that are good but don't get a lot of Flyertalk play.
Infrequent car renter: Probably a mix of the base Emerald Aisle (National) service and Priceline. Or research airport-by-airport to figure out where companies like Dollar or Budget have operations that are on-par with the majors thanks to combined rental facilities, kiosks, etc.
Jan 7, 2013 | 9:20 am
#59
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: RDU
Programs: DL Platinum, SPG Gold
Posts: 244
Jan 7, 2013 | 10:12 am
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 21,271
AS is probably a decent option since it accepts miles from both a number of SkyTeam airlines and oneworld airlines. Less orphaning of small amounts of miles.