Hi, I hope this is the right place to post this message...
I've just joined flyertalk as it was recommended by moneysavingexper.com as a place to get good advice on frequent flyer programmes.

I am emigrating from the UK to New Zealand in a couple of months and my parents are looking to book flights out to see me. They will be making these trips fairly regularly (twice next year for a start) and so it seems to make sense for them to sort a frequent flyer programme before booking.

Can anyone advise me on which will be the best programme for them: a global alliance one or an airline specific one or the generic 'airmiles'? Which have more ways for them to collect miles? Which are the best regarding ease of use for spending miles, length before expiry of miles, upgrade possibilities etc etc....

The only experience I have of frequent flyer programmes is Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer which we joined because we've made regular trips to NZ and they were Star Alliance so we thought they'd be more flexible. But despite earning lots of miles (they sent us gold cards at one point) we have never managed to use any except for access to the lounge once. They always seemed to expire before we'd earnt enough to put towards our next flight (for money or upgrades). So if there are any easier schemes than this, that's be a start!!

Any advice welcome, thank you!!

Welcome to FlyerTalk!!
You really only ever join an airline's program. Many airlines are members of alliances but you don't really join any program for the alliance.

As for which one is specifically best, that is always a tough call. Often it is the carrier you fly most, but it can really vary. What airline will they be flying to visit you? That will be a good place to start.

Welcome to FT!

I hope others here, many of whom know a lot more than me, will correct me as needed, but here is my advice.

Generally, US-based carriers have better FF program, even if they don't operate the most pleasant flights. Therefore, whichever airline(s) you'd be flying, find out which alliance(s) they belong to and sign up for the FF program(s) of a big US-based carrier in that alliance. So, Singapore belongs to Star Alliance and you might join United; when you fly Singapore, give them your United FF number and have the miles credited to United.

Similarly, if you fly Cathay Pacific, they belong to One World Alliance, and you'd join and have the miles go to American. Etc.

Second, it is good to bank your miles at one airline, and only fly its alliance partners. Otherwise by spreading your miles around you may never earn enough to do much with them. Do some research on which airline(s) tend to have good schedules and prices for your routes and choose accordingly.

Third, the best way to prevent miles from expiring is to have some routine activity going on in the account. One good way is to get a credit card affiliated with that airline (which is home to your miles, United in the above example). Also, familiarize yourself with your airline's shopping partners, eg, banks, phone companies, online retailers, car rentals, even restaurants. This way you'd be earning a few miles every now and then which ought to be enough to prevent your miles from expiring.

BTW, I am with AA/One World; that's all I know about and everything else is just a common sense extrapolation. However, if a Star Alliance person gives you different advice about their world, please listen to them, not me.

Good luck.

Welcome to FT! You asked a very clear series of questions that should provide you with a wide variety of answers! Hope you stick around, learn what is offered here and share your experiences as you learn the tricks of the trade.

Since others have addressed alliances and the like, let me talk a bit about airline status.

Status is granted by an airline for a certain amount of flight activity over a period of time. US based carriers tend to grant status on miles flown per year. Other airlines base status on calculations of miles flown and cost of the ticket. The beauty of status is if you earn status on one carrier in an alliance, you have reciprocal benefits with the others. What does that mean? If you have Platinum status on American, you get perks on Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and the other oneworld carriers. For example since becoming an Platinum (>50K miles flown) and later an Executive Platinum on American (>100K miles flown this year) I have enjoyed the BA Lounges, priority check-in and even a long haul upgrade!

Some carriers may have lower qualification standards and allow longer time to requalify. It seems many around here are fond of Asiana for that reason. Fly on another Star Alliance carrier, credit miles on Asiana and you can earn status quickly and have 2 years to requalify! (If I understand things right)

I suggest you poke around on FT and on the Flyerguide wiki to gain an understanding of what options are out there.

It will be a bit overwhelming at first, but a little bit of effort up front can reap huge rewards over a matter of a couple years. As a testimony to what can be learned here, last year I had no status and 19K miles with AA. I knew I was going to fly a lot (for me) this year, expecting 50K miles and I wanted to maximize my bennies. I wound up flying a lot more than 50K and am now sitting on 300K redeemable miles, have been upgraded on 5 longhauls, earned 8 system wide upgrades and have used 2 for me and 3 more for my family. I've enjoyed oneworld lounges in the US (x5), Britain (x2), South Africa and Spain. Sunday I will be checking out the lounges at London-Gatwick) I no longer stand in long lines and when flying coach I sit in exit rows. I am among the first to board thus almost guaranteeing overhead bin space. When the inevitable goes wrong, I have access to a special line dedicated to helping elite members.

So I urge you look around, ask questions, and learn how to make flying a much more pleasant experience!