Hi guys,

I was wondering if you could help me. I've been using frequent flyer points for a while, but only recently have entered in a line of business that has enabled me to charge 15,000+ a month onto my credit cards. I'd like to use these cards to get the best and most miles possible for our travels which will be mostly for pleasure. Right now I have the Starwood AmEx card, because of the way i can use it everywhere and overall value, and the capital one venture card, because the 2% rewards I get, are really useful everywhere I can't use the starwood card and I can use it for cabs and other expenses when I travel. Do you think this is an OK system, or should I switch to something else?

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
Reply: Good Award Redemption Rates

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: Not a ton probably, less than 25000, but would fly more with more points

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Reply:economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply:yes, can choose any. Travel for pleasure mostly

5. Which routes do you fly most often
(e.g., U.S. domestic, transatlantic, intra-Asia)
Reply:currently US, but would prefer more transatlantic flights

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Reply:any of the NYC airports

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
(e.g., AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro)
Reply:80,000 in starwood, about 25,000 in united and about 225,000 in virgin atlantic

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: don't care

Thanks!!

Hi there.

Could you possibly help me to choose the best FFP which suits me the best?

Here are my answers:

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?

good award redemption rates, lounge access


2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?

25000-50000, <25


3. What fare class do you usually buy?

economy


4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?

pleasure

5. Which routes do you fly most often

Will have 7-8 RT BUD/VIE/PRG-LON, 2-3RT TATL

6. What is your home airport?

BUD/VIE/PRG

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?

Flying Blue Ivory, around 10 000 miles

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?

none

Thank you.

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?

I'm looking for a program that I can gain some miles in with surveys, purchases, etc. since I don't fly as often as many others.

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?

<25k miles per year, and <25 flights.

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?

Economy, cheapest

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?

I travel for pleasure and am flexible.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often

I'll generally fly based on rates and direct availability. Mostly, I fly domestic in America and Puerto Rico, with occasional trips to Europe every couple years.

(6) What is your home airport?

MCO (Orlando), but I travel occasionally out of TPA when it suits the route better.

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?

20k Marriott.

(8) Preferred Airlines

I'm open to whatever the best fit is!

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Reply: Good redemption rates

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: Usually 1 flight, either domestic or international. . . with my 2 kids

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Reply: Economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes, I can choose. Pleasure

5. Which routes do you fly most often
Reply: Domestic and Trans Atlantic, mostly Ireland

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Reply: ATL

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
Reply: No status that I know of. 38K miles with Southwest. 55K miles with United.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: I guess living in Atlanta, Delta. . . but their point value seems awful.


Thanks in advance for any help!

Delta is a partner of Alaska, as is AA and other airlines. AS has a good ffp. http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...-overview.aspx

Be careful about expiry of your miles

I've had a Delta Amex in the past, but I used all of my Delta Skymiles for the last flight to Ireland.

Questionnaire: meyers66

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
Reply: Free intl. economy flights.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
Reply: I usually fly less than 13k miles / year.

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
Reply: economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Yes. I usually fly Evergreen Airlines between Taipei, Taiwan and San Francisco. Fly for pleasure.

5. Which routes do you fly most often
Reply: see above.

6. What is your home airport?
Reply: TPE and SFO

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
Reply: I have many cards. I don't know how many miles I have now.

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: Specifically Evergreen Airlines and asian airlines in general because they offer better service. I don't like United, Delta, or American Airlines.

PROFILE:
Living in Vancouver. Graduating university next year. Backpacking SE Asia Jan - Apr 2015. Probably moving out/paying rent next year as well.



1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
Reply: upgrades, good award redemption rates

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: <25000

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Reply: economy

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: travel mostly for pleasure (backpacker)

5. Which routes do you fly most often
(e.g., U.S. domestic, transatlantic, intra-Asia)
Reply: YVR - SE Asia

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Reply: YVR, BEL

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
(e.g., AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro)
Reply: Silver Elite for Marriott because of the CC

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: none.

1) lounge > baggage > awards > upgrades
2) around 40-50k miles 20 segments scattered to different airlines
3) economy
4) mostly travel for sightseeing lot of TATL flights and very short connecting flights
5) KRK,WAW - DFW
6) KRK,WAW
7) LO M&M 60k KLM FB 20k BA EC 15k
8) cheapest with the full earning millage through-out alliance they are in


Until recently I was going to do *A Gold in A3 but rules are about to change and the fastest I'll hit 20k there is in FEB (if I credit x2 14k UA V flights) and from what I've read on the forum that won't be enough for new members. So I try to get some info on whether or not there is still some better option for me than A3

For those using Aegean Air for lifetime *G, the party's over - or at least not quite as wild.

New rules require requalification within 12 months of qualifying or requalifying.

Initial qualification for Gold now requires 48,000 A3 or partner miles, or 24,000 miles including 4 Aegean or Olympic Air flights. Requalification requires only half that many.

Still looks easier than other *A programs.

Ex-SIN
 

1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
(e.g., upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access)
Reply: Baggage allowance and Lounge Access I guess.

2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors?
(e.g., <25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles and <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: <25000 and <25 sectors

3. What fare class do you usually buy?
(e.g., first, business, premium economy, economy)
Reply: Discounted Economy or Budget Airlines

4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: Leisure only so I tend to buy cheap economy fares.

5. Which routes do you fly most often?
(e.g., U.S. domestic, transatlantic, intra-Asia)
Reply: Intra-Asia. US (IAD) once a year or once every 2 years.

6. What is your home airport?
(e.g., SFO, LHR, HKG)
Reply: SIN

7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in a FFP, if any?
(e.g., AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro)
Reply: No status. 9k SQ, 10k UA, 7k MH, 5k AC, 1k BR, 1k CX

8. What are your preferred airlines, if any?
Reply: No preferred airlines but recently been flying lots of MH within Asia due to the cheap fares.

I was considering crediting *A flights to A3 but due to the recent changes, OZ would probably be a better choice. Since my long haul flight would be IAD (20k miles), was considering to bank into OZ in the long term. I would fly to IAD once a year or once every 2 years. Or bank those miles to SQ instead? OZ would be easier to maintain status since their re-qualification period is every 2 membership years. If going with OZ, I would fly to JFK then connect to IAD via Delta.

Skywards versus Voyager
 

I have never had any loyalty to any airline but I now fly over 50,000 miles a year and think some loyalty should lead to the occasional free upgrade, better treatment and hopefully the opportunity to buy the odd flight with miles.

Based in Luanda, Angola, the most obvious programmes to join, it seems, are Skywards or Voyager, as both EK and SA operate daily flights to their respective hubs.

Outside possibilities are ET's Sheba and LH's M&M, due to their star alliance membership.

The only other airlines offering daily flights are DT (TAAG), SW (Air Namibia) and TP (TAP Portugal) - airlines I try to avoid as much as possible and none of them have very good networks.

Meanwhile, looking at the other global alliance, OneWorld appears unattractive for flights within Africa or from LAD-Middle East. SkyTeam appears a bit better but only offers KQ in Africa which only flies a couple of times a week from LAD and has poor coverage of southern and western Africa.

I think I can gain Gold on either Skywards or Voyager quite easily now. And I may be able to gain Silver on the other but perhaps only in a year or two.

But which to choose as the one to go for gold on?

(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
(upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, extra baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, free - discounted lounge access, etc.)
Reply: Operational upgrades, lounge access (excluding LAD as I don't need a lounge here), good redemption rates

(2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors?
(<25000, 25000-50000, >50000 miles - <25, 25-50, >50 flights?)
Reply: >50000 miles

(3) What types of fares do you usually buy ?
(First, Business, Premium economy, Economy, cheapest)
Reply: Y mainly or sometimes discounted economy

(4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure?
Reply: I can choose airlines most of the time - 50% work/50% pleasure.

(5) Which routes and airlines do you fly most often
(US Domestic, Transpacific, Kangaroo, in Asia etc)
Reply: Luanda to Europe and Middle East as well as regionally in Africa. The bulk of my miles are gained LAD-DXB/BAH or LAD-LHR.

(6) What is your home airport?
(SFO, SCL, London LHR, HKG, Singapore SIN etc.)
Reply: LAD, Luanda

(7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP?
(AA Executive Platinum, UA 1K, LAN Comodoro, etc)
Reply: Silver on TAAG's Umbi Umbi and 20,000 in Voyager

(8) Preferred Airlines
Reply: EK, ET and SA


Advantages and disadvantages of EK to me

I think the EK fleet is much better than SAA's. The inflight food at the back is a bit better and the ICE is substantially better. I also prefer DXB over JNB and EK's website is much more user friendly.

When flying to Europe and Middle East from LAD, I also prefer the idea of flying in the direction of DXB than JNB (which is 1500 miles and 3.5 hours in the wrong direction and then a further 1500 miles of backtracking).

Outside Africa, EK fly to many destinations regularly and departure from LAD is well timed as flight leaves in early evening, meaning one can get some work done earlier on departure day.


Advantages and disadvantages of SA and Voyager to me

EK only flies to a few destinations in Africa but Voyager gives me access to SA and ET - the latter also pays 100% miles on most discounted economy fares. Voyager's African coverage is much, much, better than EK's Skyward's.

On the downside, both SAA and ET depart Angola at inconvenient times in the middle of the day and transfers at JNB and ADD often involve lengthy waits, at JNB in particular. SA is particularly inconvenient for trips to ME and mileage accumulation is poor as JNB-DXB is on either EK or EY metal.

On the plus side, SA is normally a bit cheaper than EK. Also, their check-in operation at LAD, whilst still hopeless, is marginally better organised than EK's.


Advantages and disadvantages of ET and Sheba to me

I like ET inflight and it is generous with the rewards it seems. But I can pick these rewards up on Voyager. And Voyager's stregth over Sheba is that I can accumulate miles (not tier miles) on EK as well as other operators such as EY. ET does not offer this breadth of partners. ET is sometimes very cheap and sometimes outrageously expensive. It is not well organised at LAD!


Advantages and disadvantages of LH and M&M to me

LH is well organised at check-in at LAD and frequently upgrades Gold members Y-J on the LAD-FRA route (outbound). Like ET, it does not have the cooperation that SA has with EK and EY though. Its non-airline partners are much better than the offerings from EK, ET or SA but not enough relevance really to me I don-t feel.


My guess?

I joined up for Voyager but think I will do better with Skywards. On a recent discounted trip LAD-JNB-DXB I gained about 1500 tier miles. The trip was about 16 hours outwards and 20 hours return. It cost $1300 but I had to get a hotel on return leg in JNB so actually cost $1450.

On EK, the same saver trip would be seven hours each leg and is direct and I would gain 2250 tier miles and 4500 Skyward miles. The cost is only $350 or so more and the convenience is much better.


So

Does my hunch that EK seems best seem right? Or have I missed a trick?

angolanexpat Welcome to FT

How long will be living in LAD for? Months/years/for ever? Where will your next home be?

The airline you fly and the ffp you credit those miles to do not need to be same. Airline ffp have alliance and non alliance partners.

You can forget about free operational upgrades being a consideration. Its only USA based airlines that make a habit of giving away upgrades. For airlines in the rest of the world expect to fly in the cabin you pay for. Or pay cash and/or miles for upgrades. Many to most non USA airlines will fly with empty business & first class seats.

Have a look as AS ffp. EK, KLM/AF & AA are partners. Good award value
http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mil...-overview.aspx

EK is a QF partner, but QF is a very poor ffp. High award cost and high cash co payment. However there have been a few reports of QF top status pax getting occasional EK upgrades. This may be more to do with EK trying to poach QF passengers on the codeshares

If you fly EK the most go with EK Skywards

Thanks for the reply.

I hadn't considered Alaska's Mileage Plan. Thanks.

I will be living here for at least the next five years and will probably still be visiting regularly after that.

I like Alaska's FFP. It has BA which is great as it flies LAD-LHR direct and it has EK which is good for LAD-DXB. Its weakness is that it has no African airline so one has to go through DXB, AMS, CDG or LHR to fly between African countries.

ETA: I understand LH do dole out upgrades from LAD if there is space in J and this is not just when the aircraft is packed in Economy. I dont know if EK does the same but EK is getting packed these days - hence why it wants two daily flights. It has daily flights from LAD (BA, AF etc are stuck with two flughts a week) and and offers connections everywhere. Cubans, for instance, can not fly back to Havana on most Schengen carriers witrhout a transit visa. The Emiratis don't require transit visas for most nationalities so EK has picked up most of the Cuban traffic from TAAG which flies direct to Havana, but only fortnightly. But it seems EK is packed so if it is overbooked there is a chance of a bump up, an operational upgrade, to the class above for a Gold member I would have thought.