My plans for 2003 are as follows. My travel profile is about 20k-30k paid miles per year, 30-40 hotel nights, about two-thirds personal, one-third business.

(1) Reach 1M lifetime AA miles. I should pass this mark by late 2003.

(2) Continue to give AA nearly all of my air travel business for two reasons: (a) their customer service is a notch better than their competition (they get a "C" in my book; everybody else gets a "D" or an "F"), and (b) MRTC is the most beautiful thing in the world for those of us who don't spend every segment up front.

(3) Redeem nearly all UA and US miles. I will spend about a quarter of a million miles in 2003 from these two programs. I'm not taking trips I wouldn't ordinarily want to take anyway, but I'm going out of my way to use these airlines and their partners for award travel. Then my only concern with these two airlines will be how they burden my mutual funds.

(4) Cease aggressive participation in hotel programs. Key word here is "aggressive": until recently, I have been an avid hoarder of Marriott and HHonors points, willing to pay higher-than-Priceline rates on leisure stays and stay in less-than-optimal properties on business stays just to accrue the points. In 2003, I will no longer do that. Where Priceline is not a suitable option, I will continue to participate in the programs, but I will spend more time understanding the near-term promotions (i.e., Take 2, FFN, etc.) and which properties I actually *want* to stay at, and less time worrying about earning hotel points. The result is that I will probably begin to earn some SPG and HY points along with MR and HH, but I will never again pursue an ALOA or MR 713 type award.

(5) Redeem a GLONP and a MR 087 as part of a 3-week vacation in late 2003. Same trip that will blow through those UA miles...

(6) Switch from the Citibank AA Mastercard to the Rapid Rewards Visa after I cross the Lifetime Gold level, earning Southwest roundtrips after every $16,000 spent - certificates that can be legally sold (for about $320), traded, or given to anyone.

1) Continue to fly AA and make Platinum again. Although I'm tempted to obtain Lan Chile's Premium Silver, I don't want to lose out on AA benefits (Exit row booking, immediate upgrade confirmation, seat block for elites, etc.)

2) I will start to accumulate more bonus miles w/AAdvantage (Will have to cancel Amex Plat and Amex HH, and concentrate spending on AA MC card)

I'll try to requalify for AA Plat, but won't spend as much time at hotels as I did this year. All this on leisure travel, no business travel). Also I'll probably keep trying to earn more AA miles via other means, if only to work toward AA's 1MM/2MM.

Overall, I'm trying to cut back on my travel a bit while maintaining my AA status.

Hi,

Staying with VS FC ( to retain Gold and enjoy the benefits of lounge access even if flying Y ( and free haircuts at LHR!!

Also staying with HH ( Gold)- I enjoy the benefits and get 1000 VS miles per stay

Regards
TBS

As it stands right now - I go from PLAT to GOld Mar 1 on AA.
Game plan is to wait till after June 16th - the take PLAT challenge. That will carry me as PLAT till Feb of 2005. Such a deal.

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TANSTAAFL - but if you work it right, FF miles comes pretty close.

Air:
1. most short-haul work trips (0-750 miles/segment) on United, goal is 60 segments in 25 trips.
2. everything else on American, goal is 50,000 miles in 25 trips.

Hotels:
1. Work should get me 22-24 Hilton stays, I'll pick up the others at some point on one-night stays.
2. Priceline 3*/4* for everything else

Cars:
1. Budget and Avis depending on price
2. Hertz/National have gone from 100% to 5% of my business

Affinity - key point of reevaluation later this year, don't want to touch anything right now as I'm looking to buy a place to live this spring.

Well I'm already about half way to PM again on DL (thanks to their early qualifying bous holdback thing for PM's), and about halfway to KLM PE, based on a bunch of flying since the end of October.

Richard, do you have a link to that credit card? Is it a full 2%, or is it tiered (e.g. first $10,000 at 1%)? Also, I do not believe credit card rebates are taxed in the U.S. since they are considered a purchase discount rather than income. BTW, the card I am using is based on a strict calendar year spending and maxes at $500 per year (spend about $30,500).

Air
1.) LH: status is valid until 02/2005; only some flights planned in 2003
2.) KL: status requalification planned

Hotel
1.) Marriott, Starwood: requalification planned with stays mainly in Europe. I will choose where to stay on current promotions, place, price, or mood.

LemonThrower, the card is not tiered, the 2% applies from the first dollar charged. There is a cap as I said. They mail you a check when you buy or lease a new or used card, it is apparently that simple.

It is called the CitiBank Drivers Edge card.

The website says 1% rebate, up to $500 per year. They called us and offered us this card for 2% rebate and $1500 per year, so there is some flexibility. I would call them and see what you can get.

http://www.citibank.com/us/cards/cardserv/drivers/



[This message has been edited by richard (edited 12-27-2002).]

Don't know if I'll qualify for an elite level, but I think I am gonna try and shift some of my flying with DL to AA. In the long run, I think that's who I would rather have miles with. However, I will continue to use my DL AmEx at every opportunity, especially the many bonus opportunities!

yorock

Spend at least as many miles as I earn. When I have a choice, fly Midwest Express, Continental, Northwest (in that order). Concentrate more on price and schedule and less on loyalty. Probably will slip to silver elite next year as a result of flying YX more and flying more reward flights on CO.

Go for 1K on United. Fly NW but earn the Onepass Miles to keep my CO Plat. Stay at *wood and Hyatt. Cash in my HHonnor points before the changes in June 2003.

My strategy has always been to fly as far on United as I can and go the rest of the way with *A rewards tickets. Using this strategy I have gone to every continent except Antarctica, in business class, for $600.00 or less. I always stay at *wood and almost always get upgraded to a suite. As long as it is still working I see no reason to change.

Start buring DL miles; start earning AA and NWA miles. Encourage those in this office to do the same!