Best Million Mile Program
Dec 5, 2009 | 9:52 am
#4
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
They are all different and each has its ups and downs for both qualification and value.
AA can be hit with all points accumulated, including bonuses and non-travel earning. I'm pretty sure they are the only ones with that feature. CO and DL can be hit with all EQMs/MQMs so partner metal flights count too. UA is UA-metal only.
On the benefits side, CO grants the same status you have to a spouse or partner. That's pretty nice. On the down-side, there isn't a ton of value in their Silver elite status other than the shorter lines most places and free bags on CO/US/UA. The other benefits for life are slightly different across all the programs so worth looking into more closely.
Finally, remember that the status is for the life of the program, not your life, so things can always change. :-:
AA can be hit with all points accumulated, including bonuses and non-travel earning. I'm pretty sure they are the only ones with that feature. CO and DL can be hit with all EQMs/MQMs so partner metal flights count too. UA is UA-metal only.
On the benefits side, CO grants the same status you have to a spouse or partner. That's pretty nice. On the down-side, there isn't a ton of value in their Silver elite status other than the shorter lines most places and free bags on CO/US/UA. The other benefits for life are slightly different across all the programs so worth looking into more closely.
Finally, remember that the status is for the life of the program, not your life, so things can always change. :-:
Dec 5, 2009 | 10:00 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,033
The benefits are related to how easy it is to reach. That, in turn, relates to what sorts of miles count. Some of these are listed in the post just above this one. In other words, "one million miles" does not have a universal definition, so comparing what different airlines offer for reaching their version of it is a bit pointless. It's almost like asking "in which country can I become a millionaire most quickly?" without taking currency exchange rates into account. You can earn a million Chilean pesos much more quickly than a million or euros, but they won't buy you nearly as much after you do.
So, it depends on what you want. If you want a few lifetime benefits with minimum effort, go for AA. If you want more and are willing to fly more, go with someone else - but most other airlines' 1MM level is more comparable to AA's 2MM in terms of what it takes to get there. (Not exactly comparable, since everyone's ratio of BIS to non-BIS miles is different, but more comparable.)
So, it depends on what you want. If you want a few lifetime benefits with minimum effort, go for AA. If you want more and are willing to fly more, go with someone else - but most other airlines' 1MM level is more comparable to AA's 2MM in terms of what it takes to get there. (Not exactly comparable, since everyone's ratio of BIS to non-BIS miles is different, but more comparable.)
Dec 5, 2009 | 5:00 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,677
I, for one, am working the AA route. I've really got almost no chance of getting to any of these by flying, so I have to do it with partner miles.
So far, I'm hoping to do some damage against my remaining 900K miles with BankDirect. But that'll take years. I was going to churn the Citibank AA cards, but it sounds like that's coming to an end.
So far, I'm hoping to do some damage against my remaining 900K miles with BankDirect. But that'll take years. I was going to churn the Citibank AA cards, but it sounds like that's coming to an end.
Dec 5, 2009 | 5:52 pm
#7
Join Date: May 2003
Location: CA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond
Posts: 2,879
