First I'd like to thank all of you for this great resource. I've spent the last few days going through tons of threads, wiki, etc and learned a lot. In fact I may be suffering from information overload as I try to process of all of this into what is best in my situation and goals. So I humbly ask for your help. If this is the wrong forum, please point me to the right one, I didn't see a "newbies" area...

My quick story: I recently accepted a new job where I will be flying a lot more, by my standards. I will be on the road 30-40 weeks/year; flying round trips from my home base in Austin, TX to all over the USA and maybe 10% int'l. I'm currently a member of all the major FF programs but don't have miles to speak of b/c my past roles didn't require much travel so I didn't keep them up.

I'll be booking all of my own travel (airfare paid by company, hotel/car floated by me for reimbursement) so have some flexibility on choosing providers. I have excellent credit (Fico >780) with very good ratios so getting a rewards card is no problem if it makes sense. General business guidelines are best available rate although I do get biz class for int'l travel. By my best calculations I'll do something like 60-75,000 miles/yr (?)...

My goals are:
* Get to a level where I get upgraded to first on my business trips as much as possible
* Accumulate enough miles to do a nice int'l trip in 1st with my wife 1x/yr
* Get access to lounges whenever possible at the most reasonable rate

I have some questions I need your help on:
* Based on my home base (Austin), reading about the various FF plans, it seems like AA is my best bet. Aside from SWA they have the most gates in AUS and a close hub in DFW. Other options would be Continental, Delta, United in that order. Am I thinking about this right?
* What kind of status should I expect and how fast to get there?
* Based on my pattern of travel, should I do a challenge?
* Based on my travel and goals, is there any rewards card that would be a better bet for me than others?
* Are there any other questions I *should* be asking?

Thank you to everyone in advance!

check out the aa gld/plt challenge....info in a sticky at top of aa forum....good luck...

If AA is your primary carrier out of AUS, you will probably get 4 segments on many of your flights. If you fly 30-40 times a year, that will easily put you at the EXP level. Once you get there, you will get 8 international upgrades, which are very easy to use, and you get free space-available upgrades for all domestic flights.

I would start with a Plat challenge, though, in order to get double miles (and possible sticker upgrades) until you hit EXP.

I like the SPG card for AA, plus SPG is easy to transfer to other airlines, too. I disliked the AA-branded Citi card.

I don't use lounges much, since I fly out of the DFW hub. AA Admiral's club is cheaper after you get to EXP. There is some sort of AmEx card (maybe Platinum card?) that gets you access to lounges on multiple airlines. It has a hefty annual fee, comparable to a one-year membership to the Admiral's club.

Agree with the SPG card. HOWEVER, to help get things going in the right direction, you might want to apply for the Citi AA card. 35K sign up bonus.

Also believe you can still sign up for the 30K SPG bonus for the Personal card. But do it fast before the offer actually goes away.

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Welcome to Flyertalk, webhorn. Another thing to keep in mind --- Be sure to register for the American Airlines Rewards Network Dining program at www.aa.idine.com and also register for the Restaurant Hopping Bonus that the AA Rewards Network currently has going through September 30, 2010. You should be able to get a number of 500 mile bonuses between now and the end of the promotion to help kick start your miles balance. You can read about the AA Rewards Network promotion at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/idine...ed-before.html

If you haven't had a Citi AA card yet, here is 35000 bonus miles for a spend of only $750 and no annual fee:
http://creditcards.citicards.com/usc...12225010E2DA04

Agree that the SPG Amex is a must have! ^

thanks for all the advice...I want to make sure I understand, from what I read on the wiki, none of the miles or SPG points I would get from these cards would qual me for G/Plat/EXP right? They're strictly RDM? I ask b/c I'm very guarded on my credit and prefer not to get a bunch of CC's only for the bonuses.

Correct. EQM are only earned flying.

i agree with others....definitely get the spg amex....