FlyerTalk Forums - Picking a Frequent Flyer Program

Hey all,

Nice to meet you, my name is Sean and I'm based out of Miami, Florida, USA. I was trying to do some research online about selecting a frequent flyer program and I came across this forum, which looks like a great tool as I need the help of people much more experienced in the world of flying than me. (I read the first post that said new people can post here, but if it's out of place feel free to move it)

As a bit of a background, I'm finishing my undergrad degree this May and next fall (September) will be pursuing a MA in Middle Eastern Studies from....The American University in Cairo. Pretty far from FLA! There is also a possibility that I might be heading to either Cairo or Tunis this summer depending on various internship deals. Because I see lots of air travel in the future (I also frequently go to Philadelphia and Columbus domestically), I thought that I'd take advantage of enrolling for a program and hopefully earning an upgrade or free fare sometime in the near future.

Now I don't have a lot of money and will buy the cheapest fare 100% of the time and was wondering if this would exclude me from attaining mileage on some programs. I was also wondering about which alliances I should look into, as I've been looking up airfares and have gotten everything from Lufthansa, Alitalia and Delta for the cheapest flights so flexibility is important.

I have absolutely zero experience when dealing with this sort of stuff and will appreciate any recommendations that you all give to me!