BAEC or AAdvantage for INfrequent flier?
 

I have a Star Alliance program and a Skyteam program that I usually stick to, but I want somewhere to bank occasional miles from AA and BA. I don't expect to be flying enough in tier-earning classes on any oneworld partner to reach any elite status whatsoever, I just can't make myself not saving the miles anywhere at all.

Since BA miles will expire after 36 months and AA miles after 18 months, and BAEC allows for household accounts, I'm leaning towards BAEC. Have I missed something fundamental? Does any of the two programs, or any other oneworld program, ever have campaigns with sign-up bonuses?

Thanks
tourist

BA charges fuel surcharges on award travel while AA does not. Discounted BA fights added to your AA account only accrue 25% mileage. Read the fine print on the AA website:
http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...ishAirways.jsp

Alaska Airlines ?
 

Also look as Alaska Airlines. Good mix of partner airlines including many in OneWorld.

Qantas allow family transfers, but the redemption rate for award flight is terrible and you pay $ for surcharges.

Thank you for your suggestions! It looks to me that cheap BA flights give only 25% no matter what program I use, while cheap AA (or AS) flights give 100% in AAdvantage and Milage Plan, but 25% in BAEC. I didn't think of AS, that's interesting.

Looks like they'll hit you with a fuel surcharge if redeeming on BA.
Did I miss the thread on BA Award Fuel Surcharge!?

It's 18/36 months with no activity at all. So you can easily keep the accounts alive by, say, making a small transfer in from a hotel programme, or making a 1000 mile donation to charity. I wouldn't see that as a major issue.

AA doesn't charge other carriers' fuel taxes on award bookings, which is a major issue.

Normally, by this point in these FFP comparison threads, someone has mentioned that the earn/burn ratio on AA is much better than BA. I haven't done that comparison myself, but this is readily verified. If you stick to AA, however, you will (currently) earn nothing on BA transatlantic flights (and v/v).

OTOH, the AS earn/burn ratio is also supposed to be good and presumably you would earn on AS if you fly either BA or AA transatlantic.

I guess it's safe to assume that you won't use OW enough to qualify for any kind of status? That might otherwise significantly change the equation.

Methinks it would be well worthwhile spending some time on the AS website.

That is the case with flights to/from the U.S., but not for flights from Canada.

I find that it depends greatly on potential future reward trips and class of service. For example, BAEC currently offers some lovely business class reward opportunities on partner airlines other than BA, for which it typically also does not charge fuel surcharges.

For example, from North America, one can fly business class to Easter Island on LAN, with free enroute stopovers in South America for 80K BAEC miles, or one can fly from North America to Bali on Cathay Pacific with free Asia enroute stopovers, for 100k miles. In fact, the least enticing BAEC awards are on BA itself!

Nor Mexico and the Carribean.

Mea Culpa, will put brain in gear before engaging keyboard drive in future. :o

Hopefully, this USA<>UK on BA/AA nonsense will come to an end before too long.