Which scheme to use?
 

I am in the fortunate position of having access to 300k miles in Flying Blue, 100k in Diamond Club and 100k in BAEC.

In the past if I wanted to fly anywhere I'd look on the web for the best fares in economy, but thanks to all the help I've received on FT I'm now looking to fly club or first, using miles / cash, whichever is best in whichever scheme is best. I haven't yet achieved a 241 with BA, but I'm hoping to by the end of this year.

Two trips I am considering, are UK to Florida and UK to Far East, maybe Hong Kong. I'd be very grateful for any FT advice.

Please give this some thought folks?

I'm a total beginner!
 

I have not yet signed up to any frequent flyer programs but am looking around trying to find where to start! I saw an advert on TV the other day for airmiles.co.uk and have since been intrigued to find out if it is worth me joining? My partner and I travel to the UAE once a year and one long haul then just the odd trip within Europe, does anyone have any advice re which flyer program would suit me best and which to avoid?
Thank you :D

Welcome to FT, Mrs. B

To answer your question, it would be helpful if you could provide a little more information, such as the following. 1) What class do you usually fly in for your trips to the UAE and your yearly long-haul flight (e.g. cheapest economy, economy plus such as BA World Traveller Plus, Business or First)? 2) Who pays for the tickets, especially for your long-haul flights (e.g. you, or an employer)? 3) What's your departure city for flights (e.g. London, Edinburgh, etc?) 4) How much do you, would you, spend on a credit card per month if you got a credit card that generated airlines miles (e.g. BA Amex)?

In addition to reading answers on this thread, you should have a look at the discussion threads for airlines like British Airways, BMI, Virgin and others (i.e. those you're likely to fly with). In particular read any "stickies" (these are discussion threads that are "sticky" in that they always appear at the top of the list of discussion threads) and that provide guides to the airline's frequent flyer program. These will provide a lot of detailed, basic information about these programs and are a good place to start learning about the programs.