Newbie - Help please
 

I just became a flyertalker ... but am disoriented. I saw the article in the CN Travel magazine and realized that there is much to be learned if I want to travel more ... which I do (thanks to a cancer diagnosis I've freed up time in my schedule).
I collected ~ 900000 miles on AA but then used them all for vacations ... great vacations ... and when I just tried to fly for free to Kauai in 2 weeks I realized I don't have enough miles ... no more. So I am determined to learn how to maximize my mileage bank but ... I do not fly for work so I can't easily collect miles through flights; in fact, the largest source of my miles is my Citi/AAdvantage card.
I did sign up for dining awards but that'll take a while. I just looked at the offer to buy miles: AA $1000 for 45K miles ... doesn't sound like a good offer. I could probably get a flight cheaper than that ...
So because I am not independently wealthy but really want to travel more, I need to know: where do I learn the basics about how to collect miles fast.

My main goal is personal travel ... while business or 1st class would be nice, I'd be happy to just have enough miles to travel frequently.

I'd looking into the 100k miles BA-Visa deal in some of the other forums since you like AA.

go to the US Airways forum where they currently have a double-miles promo, e.g. for $1400 you get 100,000 miles which is sufficient for a business class flight (on LH, UA or SQ) to Europe. good deal.

Welcome! I'm still a newbie too but have found loads of great info here. Some things that come to mind off the top of my head:

You might find the Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX to be useful. Points can be transferred into miles with various airlines, many at a 1:1 ration (incl AA). Up to a 25K signup bonus if you meet the spend threshold. I'm planning to apply https://www143.americanexpress.com/a...landingCode=44 I guess if you're 45K miles short that doesn't quite get you all the way there in the near term.

You could try doing a mileage run to accrue some cheap miles. Scrub through all the various partner offers on AA to make sure you're earning miles on everything possible.

May or may not be able to cancel & reapply on the CIti card and earn another bonus (and/or add a business card)... do a quick search and youll find threads discussing this (I'm not real familiar but have seen the info out there).

Good luck!

Since you like AA you should register for all promos at AA.com. Check that website often and always look out for special fares and/or mileage deals.

Remember to pass along any and all deals you find to everyone here at FT!

Welcome to FT!

Sorry about your cancer diagnosis. My husband just had his first relapse from his diagnosis of incurable cancer. So we're looking at traveling, too! Got to get to that bucket list.

Where do you want to travel?

We're thinking Costa Rica; England.

Looking for more ideas.

Sorry about your and OP's diagnosis.

Go to Asia, if you haven't already!! Mix in relaxation with vibrant scenes and unmatched (IMO) energy.

transcons on AA from LAX-JFK/BOS
 

hi Skywalker22,

welcome to FT. hope the prognosis continues to be good!

if you need some miles cheap you might look into doing some transcon MR's out of LAX to BOS or JFK. with some luck you might get the cost/mile down around 4 cents.

suggest you watch the Mileage Run Deals and Mileage Run Discussion forums for more news and info

best wishes,
benzguy80

Best of luck to you with your treatment :)

Just FYI- the BA deal is dead for now.

Welcome to FT, Skywalker22! Sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but I'm glad to hear that you're trying to make the best of it.

Thanks ... and more info please for beginners
 

Thanks to all who responded to my initial question and for the good wishes. Very kind of you.

It seems l need a FF for Dummies book - is there such a thing (can't find one under that title)? I'll look at the mileage run threads (so much to look at and so little time) - it seems that one needs to just fly to collect miles and spent hours, days, weeks in plane and airport? Who has the time ...? Or am I not understanding it right?

Here are a few questions:

• is there a 'best' FF program / airline?
• is there a 'best' credit card?
• can one buy miles through brokers? I've seen online some offers but am not clear whether this is legal or not?
• what is the average value of a FF mile?
• is there a way to charge mortgage payments to credit cards?
• I realized only now that I have with AA Platinum Elite status ... never knew. I read the various benefits associated with it - but how do I get them? e.g., preferred check in; upgrades, more miles on certain elite eligible flights ... none of that I ever did get automatically. So do I need to each time wave my Citi/AAdvantage Platinum card and say what I want (presuming I always know what I am eligible for)?
• any other tips?

Skywalker22: I too am new to the FF and mileage game, but I have spent a fair amount of time reading forums and trying to come up to speed on mileage opportunities. I would love for there to be a FF for Dumies book, but I think the game is so fluid that it would quickly be outdated.

I just recently applied for the SPG AMEX card based on the many recommendations here on FT. It is generally viewed as the most flexible card with a decent reward amount (transferring 20K points to a host of different airline programs at a 1:1 ratio, and a 5K bonus). The Chase BA card is some low hanging fruit. The offer has come and went several times, but I think may currently be available again. It gives you a 100K BA miles after a 2K spend which are usuable in OW alliance which AA is in. It also has a good earning ratio of 1.25 miles per $ spend.

I'm still trying to figure out redemption and how all that is handled. If someone has a good site on the ins and outs of redeemiing miles on the alliances that would be great...my guess is you will steer me to FT.

The best airline in my opinion is the one that gets you where you want to go. Sound simplistic, but I am focused on figuring out my next trips and who flies there. That said, I'm not in the habit of turning down miles in any program. I will register for miles in any program on the off chance I may use them or possibly transfer them through points.com or convert them into something useful later.

I don't know the value of miles or the broker question, but I think EQ miles and regular miles are probably valued differently. Wishing you the best of health and travel!

I suggest that all newbies spend a few hours studying my website below. Then you will have a very good education on how to acquire free and very cheap miles.

I write the site with you, the newbies, especially in mind. No acronyms, no codes, always the name of the airline, with only rare mention of the name of its miles program.

First, read pgary's site, its awesome. Second, look for the sticky threads in each forum that are relevant to you, e.g., Miles Buzz, American Airlines, and later on, perhaps specific hotel programs or other airline forums. Also keep an eye out for any thread that has the word "consolidated" in the title. Let me say I am also a newbie, but I have spent a good amount of time reading on this site. So let me take a shot at your questions, one by one:

• is there a 'best' FF program / airline?
  NO, there is only a "best" for you. Variables include where you are located, where you like to travel, what aspects of the FF program are most important to you (i.e., is it the mileage build up, or some of the many and varied elite status benefits?), etc. Continental is rated very high by one of the premiere experts in the field, but honestly, all of the major alliances have pretty good programs if you are located in one of their hubs. If you like American,
  (and remember that with American you are actually getting benefits from all of the One World Alliance members) are conveniently near one of their hubs, and already have Platinum status, I would stick with it. I am AA Plat as well, and really really appreciate the benefits I get from that status compared to two years ago when I had no status. Aiming for Executive Plat this year for sure.
  
• is there a 'best' credit card?
  Again, depends on what you will do with it. First decision: miles or cash back. Since you plan to travel, miles seems like the way to go. If you checked every thread asking for the best card from the past year, you will probably note that the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) American Express card receives the most recommendations. There is a reason for this: it is really good. Solid initial miles bonus (10K miles, + 15K miles after the first $15K in spend within six months), low annual fee (waived the first year, $45 after that), flexibility in that you can transfer to most mileage programs including AA, and a 25% bonus in miles when you transfer 20K points at one time. (i.e., transfer 20K points to AA and they actually transfer 25K points. Hard to beat that.) Also, they are associated with one of the better hotel loyalty programs around.
  
• can one buy miles through brokers? I've seen online some offers but am not clear whether this is legal or not?
  I know nothing, but sound shady.
  
• what is the average value of a FF mile?
  2 cents per mile. Others will no doubt contradict me, but this seems like the most frequent value applied. Some programs have a slightly different value scale. You will not that this 2 cent value reenforces GK1998's recommendation about US Airways doulbe miles purchase offer. $1400 for 100,000K miles means a 1.4 cent per mile purchase price. Pretty good, if you fly US Air. Now, if you are talking about building up miles and status via flying, such as mileage runs, then the standard "good deal" is about 4 cents per mile, all in. In other words, a good mileage run only costs you 4 cents per credited mile, once all costs are taken into account. (ticket, taxes, fees, etc.)
  
• is there a way to charge mortgage payments to credit cards?
  Depends on your mortgage service. Most don't take CCs. You can look into a service like ChargeSmart, a broker that charges you a fee for helping you pay your normally unchargable bills via credit card. But the fee structure, which is a bit questionable, will usually cost you more than the value of the miles you would earn. I have $630 of recurring bills on my credit cards, just not the mortgage. The key: check ALL of your bills. For me, Geico, Netflix, AT&T, Atlantic Broadband, and David Barton Gym all take a CC without any "convenience" fee added.
  
• I realized only now that I have with AA Platinum Elite status ... never knew. I read the various benefits associated with it - but how do I get them? e.g., preferred check in; upgrades, more miles on certain elite eligible flights ... none of that I ever did get automatically. So do I need to each time wave my Citi/AAdvantage Platinum card and say what I want (presuming I always know what I am eligible for)?
  Minor question here: Having the Citi AA Platinum card does NOT mean you are a AA Platinum member. AA Platinum status is granted entirely separately. You may already know that, forgive me if I am not giving you credit for that knowledge, but the way you transitioned there to the credit card makes me wonder if you got the programs confused. Now, on to the actual question. Make sure you have an online AA miles account. You don't have to have one registered, but it makes keeping up with this so much easier. Whenever you make a reservation, provide your AA number. This will give you benefits immediately, in that certain fees get waived, and your boarding pass will have Priority Access Platinum Member printed on it. Keep your AA Platinum Member card handy with you just in case. When you want to use on of your 500 mile upgrades, call a few days before the flight and ask for it. You will be notified before boarding if you got it. For security point and gate check in, look for the priority access signs. As long as you gave your FF number to an agent at some point, you will get the miles bonus. Check it on your account to make sure, call if you didn't get it. That's it. You get benefits.
  
• any other tips?
  Read Flyer Talk.
  

Let me add one more thing: The very general consensus that I have noted on FT as to the best use of reward miles, in terms of what you get for the mileage cost, is international, long haul (i.e. trans atlantic or trans pacific) first/business class travel. If you compare the mileage cost to the average ticket price, it is a wonderful the value. Other than that, I use them for emergency short notice travel in which I can't find a reasonable ticket price. Last night I used 25K for a round trip MIA to BNA (Nashville) flight for my wife due to a family emergency. It was either 25K in miles to use the airport close to us, or $400+ and a road trip to FLL in rush hour traffic. Granted, a 1600 mile round trip is a pretty inefficent way to spend 25k AA miles, but it was a toss up, so I used it.