Active:

VARIG Smiles : 100k
QANTAS FFlyer : 40k
AmericanAirlines: 10k

some points with JAL.


MMM

ps: changing from QANTAS to AmericanAirlines,.. don't like annual fees! :{

Airline:
- Air Canada Aeroplan Elite 1999
- Canadian Plus Gold 1999
- British Airways Executive Club
- American AAdvantage

Hotel:
- Starwood Gold
- Hilton HHonors Silver VIP
- Delta Privilege (Canada)

Active in:

UA PremEx - about 130,000 miles
AA (took the Platinum challenge and has since flown 20,000 miles) - 35,000 miles


Not so active in:

Starwood (ex Sheraton Gold) - 8000 pts
NWA

Practically comatose in:

USAirways
Continental
Hilton Silver
Hyatt Platinum

OMNI: Airlines and hotels are not the only places that have frequent customer programs.

I keep the travel cards in a separate wallent. But In my overpacked regular wallet I carry cards for:

Triple A Auto Club (Plus membership)

Blockbuster video card

Shop Rite Price Plus Club
A&P Bonus Saving Club
Food Emporium Bonus Saving Club

*These are NYC area Supermarkets*

Also:

Ruth's Chris SteakHouse Gang Card (You get free deserts, drinks, etc comped by the manager. Ruth's is not taking new members currently.)
Petco PALS (Petco Animal Lovers Save) card
Eddie Bauer Rewards card.
Hallmark Gold Card (I get gift certicates for this one!)

And my favorite card: My Red Green Show Possum Lodge membership Card #63606

------------------
CATMAN

As most of you know by now:
United, United, United: Premex last 2 years (maybe 1k this year??), prmier for 2 years before that. Countless upgrades, award tix (for family), hotel transfers, etc. since...

Useless (sorry, just can't resist) Chairman preferred, or whatever they called it, for 2 years before that. Still have 12,000 miles locked in the USAirtight vault.

Have Delta, American and America West just because I signed up when I got bumped and wanted to double-dip.

Hhonors: use lots and lots of awards
Marriott: points to UA
Hyatt: personal first choice but my company's last!

Hertz #1 club gold

Stimpy:

I also stay at Leading Hotels very frequently (over 200 nights in the past year), so I was interested in the Leader's Club when Rudi mentioned it a few weeks ago. I called the office and was informed that the program is by invitation only. I asked for an invitation I will let you know how it turns out.

My programs:
UA (1K)
AA
Asia Miles

Shangri-La
Hilton (Silver)
Hyatt
Mariott
Sheraton (now Starwood)

Hong Kong Flyer

BB, since you ask:

BA Exec Club (oneworld), AC Aeroplan (Star Alliance)
and I believe I have a dusty Alaska card somewhere.

The rationale behind my choice: BA and AC offer excellent service in the air, take me to the places I want to go, and belong to the two major competing alliances, allowing me to gain credit for travel with their partners when I cannot fly on their own aeroplanes. Although I have yet to claim an award ticket, I believe that by focusing my travel with these two airlines I will
1) maintain/gain elite status and thus be given even better service, more privileges and mile-earning opportunities
2) be able to claim the long-haul awards I am really interested in - such as two BOS-CPT tickets next year

If, for business purposes, I am obliged to travel on non-alliance airlines, I will probably sign up for their ff programs - but I hope to avoid this.

I have no interest in collecting a wallet full of different ff cards: a large part of the reason why I enjoy BA so much is that, by flying with them regularly, I am intimately familiar with their style and system - and as a result I receive superlative service.

I think some of you will be expecting to find me in here somewhere, so I thought I won't disappoint anyone.

Current programmes:
(* means STAR status), (vv means 1 World)

AC Super Elite (* Gold) (Member Since 1984)
CP Executive Platinum (vv Emer) (MS 1985)
AA AAdvantage (no status) (MS 1981)
UA Mileage Plus (no status) (MS 1992)
SR Qualiflyer Travel Club (MS 1994)
LH M&M Senator (* Gold) (MS 1994)
AN Global Rewards (* Gold) (MS 1995)
QF Qantas Silver (vv Sapphire) (MS 1995)
CX The MP Club Gold (vv Sapphire) (MS 1998)
SK Eurobonus Silver (* Silver) (MS 1996)
AF Frequence Plus (no status) (MS 1997)
TG Royal Orchid Plus (* Silver) (MS 1994)
PS Passages (dead) But still redeeming points

Got my AC ,CP and AA in Canada then slowly branched out to others when I moved to Europe/Australia/Asia. Most of my programmes seem repetitious but I like the status they give their own members and not through alliances. Once I attain status, I then pool the rest of my flights to my 2 preferred programmes - AC and CP.

Got my QF Silver because I was a Marco Polo Club member and CX was basically switching all Australian based members over to their oneWorld partner, Qantas. I didn't want to but then again didn't want my miles go to AsiaMiles.

Hotel programmes:
Hyatt Gold Passport - Diamond
Starwood Gold
Hilton Gold (Courtesy of AC SuperElite)
Marriott Rewards
Shangri-La Golden Circle Executive

FYI - none are comped except where noted!

Well you can add a few more to my list now, OneWorld has written saying BA Premiers are being given the following status's with the other OneWorld partners:

AA - Exec Platinum
CP - Exec Platinum
CX - Diamond
QF - Gold

Thank you OneWorld, good thinking!
Nick

Merry:

What does that mean? They're not actually giving you a membership card and member kit for each program are they? Are you referring maybe, to the arrangement where all oneworld airlines treat each other's members the same as their own?

Regards,

Ken Hamer

I think Merry means that Premier members are recognised as "Emerald" level. The same status as : AA/CP - Execu Platinum, QF - Gold, CX - Diamond.

Since Premier is basically an "invitation' level after Gold on BA's programme.

CX has another level above Diamond - it's Diamond Life. So I gather it's "Emerald Life" for them too.

[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 03-27-99).]

For the new among us...

go back and read "Merry Flyer"'s posts during the period September - December to see some of the benefits of being a BA Premier member.

Essentially, one is treated as a demi-god.

Methinks Mr Merry was not too charmed at the thought of being lumped in among all the common-as-muck "Emerald" oneworld members. And now they have done something to soothe his dented ego...

Celestar: Premiers have been very disappointed that OneWorld has not recognised their status across the alliance until now.

Therefore OW has agreed for Premier's to be given Top-tier status in each of their member schemes.

ie. actually a member card, not just emerald status.
Nick

Bab's: My love, how right you are.

I want Premier benefits across the whole OW alliance. I suppose top-tier in each member scheme will just have to do.

Celestar: Diamond Life is a permanent version of Diamond, it in no way gives the benefits of Premier.
Nick

Unless I am travelling someplace else, I make two North/South, West Coast trips a week, so ALASKA AIRLINES MVP GOLD is the only answer. Alaska miles accumulate so fast it is hard to keep track and when you are MVP Gold, they treat you like MVP God. Anybody who has had the privilege of flying Alaska First Class, knows IT STILL IS. Great Airline!!! Got tons of 1st class upgrades I'll never use if anybody wants any. Just booked 4 BA Biz Class trips from Seattle to London; London to Malaga; Malaga to Madrid; Madrid to LaPalma; LaPalma to London; London to Seattle, as well as two Alaska Seattle to Cabo (and back) First Class tickets. Frequently take and/or send my semi-adult kids along on trips on mileage tickets. In addition accumulating the majority of my flight miles to Alaska, I also gain 15,000 to 30,000 miles a month on Alaska Airlines on my Credit Cards.

Ok, we still have East/West domestic flights to deal with, so I put enough mileage on Northwest to get silver elite. This assures that I have no limits on my credit card mileage limitations. I have one vendor with whom I spend about $300,000.00 per year and have a Norhwest Mileage Credit Card dedicated to that account (which nets me $15,000.00 in annual credit card payment discounts) plus the 300,000 NW miles which we use to upgrade all our East/West domestic flights.

For international (which is almost exclusively for pleasure, not business, we use Alaska mileage for KLM/SAS/TWA/Qantas/British Air, First/Biz Class tickets, whichever works.

I also maintain a minimal United account, just for those occasions when United's scheule is the only one that makes sense. Generally speaking, I detest United and avoid it whenever possible, but sometimes I can't help it.

This all works pretty well for us. We also do a lot of Marriott Rewards which we are saving up for a blow-out retirement trip on the Concorde with a cruise and all the bells and whistles. How many points do you think I can accumulate in 10 years? Any other suggestions on how to get the most out of the systems are greatly appreciated.