Relocating to Paris - recommendations for loyalty programs
 

I'm changing jobs and relocating to Paris for several years. In my current job, I flew 10-20 times a year on business (usually one or two RTWs), about 2/3 of that either trans-Atlantic (from Canada) or trans-Pacific (the rest Canada-US). I had a lot of autonomy in terms of which airline I flew; I usually flew Air Canada in North America and Oneworld for other trips. Initially, the Oneworld allegiance came from the facts that I was already BAEC Silver (following a year in London) and it was one of the few airlines with a premium economy product. I have a Royal Bank BA Visa (great for companion tickets) and a CIBC Aerogold Visa with Maple Leaf Club access (I always flew economy in NA, so it was worth it to pay personally for MLC access.) I've had BAEC Gold for two years now and will keep it at least until August 2006; I've got no status on Aeroplan, but 12,000 status miles for the year to date.

In my new job, I'm not sure how much I'll travel but I expect it will be somewhere between 4 and 20 times per year. A lot of it will be short haul in Europe and around the Mediterranean (e.g. North Africa, Middle East), but it could very well involve long haul to Asia, the Americas, etc. I also expect that ticket booking in my new firm will be much more centralized, and I'll have less choice about which airline I fly (and I'll be flying economy more often). So I expect that I'll have to fly Air France a lot. My partner and I also expect to travel fairly often (buying tickets when it makes sense, but using my stash of points for some luxury trips). An airline that has a premium economy product and allows upgrades with points from E to PE or PE to business would attract some of my business to the extent I can control it.

Can anyone offer suggestions about maximizing points-earning and status-earning opportunities (through business travel and personal spending)? I've heard that there's no chance of a status match with Skyteam, but should I try it with Star Alliance while I'm still BAEC Gold? Am I better off signing up with AF's frequent flyer program or with another Skyteam member? If I'm going to change allegiance, when should I do it? (Do Skyteam airlines' points programs view points on a calendar year basis or calculate from the time you join, as BA does?) What about credit cards with points accumulation? I'll need to get rid of most, if not all, of my Canadian cards (tax status issues). Thanks for the advice.

I would hold on to your Aeroplan membership as AC offers direct service from Paris (in case you want to come back and visit) ;) Keep in mind that all STAR airlines service Paris so you will be able to benefit with STAR. You will also be able to use MLL in Paris as long as you have confirmed ticket/same day with a STAR partner.

Good luck with your move! :)

With your BA Gold status and your France residency, you should be able to get a status match from BMI which will grant you *G status immediately. The BD network isn't that great, but with gold level, you'll get 25% bonus on any *A flight, as well as a very generous cash+miles redemption program. You are also entitled to a "soft landing" if you don't maintain your gold status, meaning you drop down to silver before you plunk to basic blue. The BD *S status would still give you the 25% bonus on any *A flights, as well as access to select BD and partner lounges. The BD membership year runs from the time your membership becomes active.

More details are in the BD forum, especially on Wingnut's very helpful sticky.

Yes, good luck with the move! :)

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm going to try to keep BAEC Silver for the year following the 05/06 year. What about the strategies for dealing with Air France/Skyteam? As I mentioned, I think that I'm going to have to throw some of my business in that direction, and it's probably going to be in uncomfortable economy.

Hi!

Well, I guess first, welcome to this side of the ocean. With regards to your question on AF FP or rather known know by one of its "christianed" name, Flying Poo, Flying Boo, etc.. and from the info you gave above, being in the AF/KLM "Flying Blue" program seems to currently have more disadvantage rather than advantage.. with its new slogan "Generous by nature"... the program has become a pain the "derrier" for lots of current members incld me. Earnings in Econ has gone down and it now depends on the sub-class in econ that you have. One more setback is that if you register with a French add, you will have to have more miles to mov to the next level compared to non-French add. Overal, the benfits of the being Silver (Elite) in the program does not have much benefits.. just checking in Biz, priority boarding and I think about 5kg extra of luggage and I think 50% bonus miles. Other than that not many. Being a gold (Elite +) gives you lounge access and a few other perks, and of course being Platinum gives you more perks. Though these levels depend if you are registered as N.American/ European address.
So, there are lots of factors that you will need consider here.

My suggestion would be if you want to have a Skyteam FFP, the most beneficial one and with the most mileage earning ability is the one from Alitalia, where you earn a minimal 1200 miles. It is one of the most generous one left here on this side of the ocean. The rest are being very class restrictive in their mileage. Although one setback of Alitalia is that lots of people are not sure of their future.. but service wise, they are good and so far they have not dissapointed me.

I suggest that you look into the various forums for more info, eg. the adv and disadv of the Flying Blue program.

Hope this info helps.

:)

As I've mentionned my daughter has been transferred to london and will be flying somewhat in Europe and more frequently back to NA. My review of points earned, points to redeem, U/G possibilities,etc leads me to recommend AC/AP/*A to her.

This one is an interesting point with Canadian banks. I am no longer a Canadian resident as far as the tax man is concerned but I still have Canadian credit cards and pension savings in Canadian banks. I have not had any problems with the tax man regarding these accounts as I have a principal residence outside of Canada. Canada is my summer "vacation" destination.

There was some grumblins from my bank about me having an account with them and they said it was not allowed. I said fine = close it - but they could not because of the restrictions placed upon the bank by Canadian Pension laws. I have what they call "Locked in Retirement Money"(LIRA) which can not be withdrawn until I am old and grey under any circumstances. Plus - I owe them student loan money. The long and the short of it was it was not in the banks interest to shut me down and they did not. Hence, I get to keep my cards.

On the other hand - E*Trade Canada shut me down real fast. Overall, Canadian banks cannot have money in their banks if it does not come from Canadian residents. Unlike the US or the UK or Switzerland.

I would suggest - make the "moves" needed to show that you have cut ties with Canada and keep your Point Based cards running. (American Express has no problem with this).

You should not dump BA as a major carrier in your plans [and you've said you will want to keep your ExecClub Silver status, as long as you don't mind doing your longhauls via LHR. BA's fares ex-CDG will be very competitive even in their mid and premium cabins, so if your centralized TA is looking for good prices, BA could actually be a realistic choice. While AF will be more convenient with non-stops, its fares will be higher ex-CDG. [The irony of this is that flying AF from any other European country but France and connecting at CDG has provided among the cheapest fares for longhaul travel. BUt starting in France bumps the fares up considerably. Same holds for BA ex-LHR or LH ex-FRA/MUC. However, start your trip outside the home country of these two carriers, and the fare drops significantly.] So this should assist in keeping your BA status. Aside from short intra-European trips which will likely be more practical taking AF non-stops, you shouldn't have to make a major change in FF program strategies.

As for your credit cards, I know RBC is active in the UK, and even think they operate a version of BA's affinity Visa, so that may not pose a problem transferring it to the UK version [though that one may not contain as generous a set of benefits, including that second ticket you mentioned]. And you can likely keep the CIBC AeroGold going as long as you maintain a Canadian address for the account, and just leave it as is. Davistev has lots of experience in this regard, having lived, it seems, everywhere but Canada, so heed his counsel! ;)

I agree with davistev as I also have Canadian account , TD Waterhouse and an Aerogold card. I have never been hassled by the tax authority as a non-resident of some years.

I know several people who are official non residents and keep bank and stock accounts here and one who continues to own "vacation" property.

FORGET PARIS

I agree if you´re talkin about Paris Hilton, but I´d have to disagree if you´re talking about Paris, France.

Well, gee. That's going to be kind of hard. If I forget Paris, I'm going to get lost on the way home from business trips.

I probably shouldn't provoke you to explain your rather unhelpful response but I'll bite: why should I forget Paris? (I could understand "forget Air France"?, but why Paris?)

Very valuable post. :rolleyes:

Those in glass houses ....... ?


Ken in Phx