Hi all, I'm new to the forums. I wasn't sure where to post this. This forum seemed the most appropriate.

I used to work for the airline industry, but have left for a different career. Unfortunately, my time in aviation has left me bitten by the travel bug! I'm used to playing the non-rev game, but I'm completely new to the frequent flyer game.

Facts about me:

1) I live in Dallas. I plan on flying to a variety of destinations, so AA will probably become my preferred carrier.

2) I anticipate taking around 3-5 international trips a year for vacation, with a handful of weekend domestic flights thrown in for good measure.

3) I see myself flying above 50k miles a year, but probably less than 75k.

4) My main reason for being interested in a frequent flyer program is for savings. Perks like upgrades are nice, but essentially I'm looking to save money on travel that I plan on doing anyway.

Everything I've been reading online suggests that I should be a member of AAdvantage, which makes sense given I'll mostly be flying out of DFW. I've applied for a Citibank AAdvantage card, waiting to receive it in the mail.

However, I was planning a trip to ICN, when I found a $840 all in fare DFW-ICN via DTW on DL (this fare has since been cancelled - in fact, cheaper fares were available, but I would have been required to fly on days I couldn't fly). I purchased the fare.

This was significantly cheaper than DFW-ICN marketed by AA, or any other carrier for that matter. Somebody correct me if my thinking is wrong, but 15k miles is worth less than $500+ dollars, so I feel like I made the right move. On top of that, I signed up for a Gold Delta Skymiles card and instantly got 30k miles, as well as a $50 discount on my fare, which felt like icing on the cake.

I do not currently have miles earned on any other program at this time.

I have two questions:

1) Did I make the right decision? In the short term, I think it's clear I saved money on this particular flight, but am I losing in the long term by not keeping all of my travel on the same carrier?

2) (this is going to take some set up)

30k miles seemed like a good deal, plus I'll gain miles on the flight itself too. If I'm understanding this right, that alone is enough to redeem for a flight.

However, I don't plan on using DL long term. Skyteam has a great network, but as I said earlier, I live in Dallas, and AA/oneworld is usually going to be a more logical choice. After I redeem these earned miles, I anticipate largely using a Citibank card to earn miles on AA and cancelling the American Express Skymiles card.

If I run into another situation 6 months from now, where DL/another carrier is significantly chearper than AA, can I reapply and still get a big mileage bonus?

NOTE: I do NOT want to break any laws. If there is something illegal about cancelling a credit card and reapplying to regain miles, I definitely do not want to do so.

Mostly, I'm posting this to get advice from people with more experience doing this sort of thing than me. Thanks!

There is nothing illegal about getting a card for the bonus, then cancelling and reapplying. However (a) most issuers have a minimum period between applications for the same card to get a bonus and (b) some (not many) might actually take back miles if you cancel your card too quickly. If you keep it 6 months you will almost always be safe from a clawback.

You might think of the value of a mile as something between 1 and 2 cents - depending on your travel patterns.

Concentrating your travel on one carrier has the advantage of gaining elite status, which has many advantages. One of these is usually bonus miles, i.e. a 25%, 50%, or 100% bonus on miles flown. If you spread your travel over different airlines, you may sacrifice not only the miles gained on your primary airline, but bonus miles for achieving elite status, or a higher elite level.

Serious "Road Warriors" might fly 150K miles a year, have a high elite status and get a 100% bonus, perhaps sometimes an extra bonus for buying high-fare tickets, and get 300K a year or more points from flying. Most people who don't do that get the bulk of their points for signup bonuses.

I would suggest getting as many credit cards as your credit score and ability to meet the minimum spend will bear. If you choose to fly AA mostly, there's no reason not to get a United card, which gets 55K points if you do it right, and then you're within spitting distance of an international ticket. A USAir credit card gives 40K, plus 10K each year, so after having the card for just over 2 years and paying $178 in fees you again have enough miles for an international ticket.

I agree: churn those cards. The credit card forums, here on FT, are very helpful on the issue of timing. How long to keep the card before cancelling, how soon to reapply for same card, how many cards from same provider, etc.

I also agree about favoring Airline A while getting a card for the signing bonus of miles for Airline B. Let's say 50,000 of your 75,000 BIS miles will probably be on AA. That means you'll eventually be PLT which means every single mile of travel gets you 2 AAdvantage miles. Which gets me thinking...

Maybe you should do the PLT challenge as soon as your travel schedule allows. There's a lot to read about it before you decide to take the plunge, but I think for your situation it might be worth it, because you're in DFW and because you're projecting well over 50,000.

Getting Elite status early will help you with your stated goals, because of the double miles. Imagine: one trip to Bangkok or Seoul or Mumbai and you'll get 35,000 AAdvantage miles. Two trips to Asia and you've got the next one free. Priority seating, lounge access, tiny little comforts along the way make the experience endurable in economy. Especially the choice of seating.

Meanwhile, if you obsessively and addictively seek out credit card signing bonuses, you'll probably be able to get a quarter of your trips for free. Fellow addicts in the Credit Card forums will be happy to serve as enablers ;-)

You're right to assume AA should be your preferred carrier. I live in Toronto, the epicentre of the known cosmos for Air Canada, but I'm a loyal PLT on AA. It's hard living in the wrong hub and I don't recommend it. For me, AAdvantage is so good that I feel it's worth it.

Good luck and enjoy paying for your trips!

Wow, you need to read some of the beginner's guides on most of the blogs out there. Getting multiple credit cards is the key technique used to earn miles. It's good to focus on AA, but you will soon learn you will want to also earn on other alliances to take advantage of other opportunities.
Read about the two browser trick on flyertalk about getting two citibank bonuses at once.

Thanks all for the advice and the suggested resources! Clearly I've got some homework to do, but I think this is enough to get me started.