btd007

Hoping to get some advice on the best solution to whether to switch from AA to BA mileage program and when to switch..

Recently changed jobs and country (USA to UK) and now flying much more than previously.
Currently I have around 60k AA miles, gained when booking return flight to the UK and while in the US.

New job means that most of my flights are European based, however all have to be booked through BA. Long distance travel is limited going forward.

My current miles goal is to take the family back to the US for a holiday (or at least get to 80k AA miles for 2x off peak AA trips and fund 2 more tickets myself).
This seemed quite simple as I could just use the BA flights and collect the code share miles with AA, and get the elite status with AA (proposed trips leave me on the cusp)

However the elite status has changed for AA and I must fly 4 AA segments as opposed to flying BA and transferring the segments and therefore I am wondering if I should switch to directly collecting BA miles?

I am on the border for reaching AA or BA elite status with the amount of travelling I am doing.

My current thought process was to stick with AA and get to 80k miles, accept I might do enough segments for elite with AA, but not meet the min 4 segments. And then once I have the 80k miles with AA switch to BA.

Then when I book my USA trip I book 2 reward tickets on an AA flight, and then buy 2 tickets on the same flight using my BA account and start gaining BA miles (plus a nice starting chunk for the transatlantic flight).

If it looks like I won’t reach elite, am I best just to keep collecting AA?

Any other options? Or better solutions? Do I switch immediately and start to build BA miles?

Many thanks in advance for thoughts.

guv1976

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

If your primary mileage goal is to redeem for TATL award travel in Coach during times of the year when you can actually find off-peak SAAver award availability on AA/US metal, using BA Avios would yield relatively poor value because of the hefty surcharges BAEC imposes on such redemptions. If you redeem AA miles instead, you won't pay those surcharges if you fly on AA/US metal.

If you will have to buy at least one TATL ticket for cash, make it the one for yourself, and fly on AA/US. You don't say what your U.S. destination will be, but even if it's a place with nonstop service from LHR on AA, you don't necessarily have to book the nonstops. If you book a connection in each direction -- say LHR-RDU-LGA/JFK-RDU-LHR, instead of LHR-JFK-LHR, you'll get your four AA segments, and might -- or might not -- pay less than you would for the LHR-JFK-LHR nonstops.

If, one the other hand, you were looking to use miles for short- or medium-haul travel on BA from LON to the rest of Europe, BA Avios would be far more valuable than AA miles, because of BAEC's distance-based award structure, and the availability of Reward Flight Savers.

MSPeconomist

If you do decide to switch, think carefully about the timing. First try to qualify for elite status with AA by the end of this year. Then assess whether you want to continue with AA for 2015 (maybe earning the AA miles for the trip home in 2015 rather than by the end of 2014). If you do decide to switch, note that status matches/challenges done early in the calendar year often are good only for that year, while those done in summer or later cover the rest of that calendar year and all of the following calendar year.

However, for BA (and many other foreign FF programs) the program year is based on when you join (and maybe when you achieve status), not January 1 for most people to achieve status.

Your new employer might be able to get a courtesy status "match" for you with BA since it seems to have a BA contract and require BA tickets for your business travel.

Mwenenzi

Look here at the linked posts in post 2 http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html
Your AA vs BA question has been asked before. There are some good AA vs BA threads.
For long haul awards AA miles are better than BA avios
BA status need 4 BA segments just as AA status need 4 AA segments
AA also has the plat challenge. BA flight are eglilable

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...post-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/skyte...i-sign-up.html