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Originally Posted by flashware
(Post 33289944)
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: good award redemption rates You can then determine how much it will cost you to earn enough miles to redeem for trips you want If you can get your hands on tons of cheap AF/DL miles and find sweet spots to redeem for awards then why not
Originally Posted by flashware
(Post 33289944)
Flying Blue has the benefit of being able to double dip by also earning Accor Live Limitless rewards also.
Originally Posted by flashware
(Post 33289944)
One more to throw into the ring, Air Europa. The miles could sit there and turn into Avios......
Originally Posted by flashware
(Post 33289944)
All 3 programs I can credit my AMEX miles to which I believe that takes care of any miles expiry issues?
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If you can keep good track of the non-flight FB miles, AmEx, at least in the USA, tends to have a randomly appearing 25% transfer bonus for a month or two each year for FB that can make it worth it to transfer speculatively. FB has its share of quirks, but if you can work with those quirks, you can get some good redemption values, especially if you have the flexibility to bite on some of their promo awards.
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Originally Posted by beachmouse
(Post 33290893)
If you can keep good track of the non-flight FB miles, AmEx, at least in the USA, tends to have a randomly appearing 25% transfer bonus for a month or two each year for FB that can make it worth it to transfer speculatively. FB has its share of quirks, but if you can work with those quirks, you can get some good redemption values, especially if you have the flexibility to bite on some of their promo awards.
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1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc. >>> Reply: Lounge access, priority services, various fee waivers, baggage allowance, ease of maintaining status, an occasional upgrade would be nice. 2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors? less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc. >>> Reply: Probably around the 25k miles mark but varies. Work travel is uncertain. 3. What fare class do you usually buy? first, business, premium economy, economy >>> Reply: Economy (domestic mostly), Premium Economy (TPAC/TATL), occasionally Business (if the numbers make sense) 4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? >>> Reply: Yes. Work and pleasure. 5. Which routes do you fly most often? transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc. >>> Reply: Domestic US, Europe, Asia 6. What is your home airport? >>> Reply: DFW/DAL 7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any? >>> Reply: Yes. *G with Asiana (Diamond) 8. What are your preferred airlines, if any? >>> Reply: Delta, Air France, Singapore Airlines (Yes, I know they're *A) Other things to consider here:
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Originally Posted by stupidhead
(Post 33411401)
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc. >>> Reply: Lounge access, priority services, various fee waivers, baggage allowance, ease of maintaining status, an occasional upgrade would be nice. 2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors? less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc. >>> Reply: Probably around the 25k miles mark but varies. Work travel is uncertain. 3. What fare class do you usually buy? first, business, premium economy, economy >>> Reply: Economy (domestic mostly), Premium Economy (TPAC/TATL), occasionally Business (if the numbers make sense) 4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? >>> Reply: Yes. Work and pleasure. 5. Which routes do you fly most often? transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc. >>> Reply: Domestic US, Europe, Asia 6. What is your home airport? >>> Reply: DFW/DAL 7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any? >>> Reply: Yes. *G with Asiana (Diamond) 8. What are your preferred airlines, if any? >>> Reply: Delta, Air France, Singapore Airlines (Yes, I know they're *A) DL skymiles is good if you can match mqm and mqd , but they are pretty high , on the other hand you can "enjoy all benefits" DL prepared for their members , get the skymiles credit card to get more miles and even transfer amex MR to your DL SM account You already have access to DL lounges thanks to amex , and i guess you probably also have prioritypass , then you could go with suma if you fly mostly domestic DL flights in economy . How many segments these 25k miles per year represents ??? if you are over 14 or 26 segments/sectors and you can do these with any skyteam airline then you have your status |
Originally Posted by fifty_two
(Post 33441004)
Based on data you provided , i would recommend either DL skymiles or UX suma
DL skymiles is good if you can match mqm and mqd , but they are pretty high , on the other hand you can "enjoy all benefits" DL prepared for their members , get the skymiles credit card to get more miles and even transfer amex MR to your DL SM account You already have access to DL lounges thanks to amex , and i guess you probably also have prioritypass , then you could go with suma if you fly mostly domestic DL flights in economy . How many segments these 25k miles per year represents ??? if you are over 14 or 26 segments/sectors and you can do these with any skyteam airline then you have your status The 25k miles/year would be split between 2-5 domestic trips (2-4 segments each round trip) and 1-2 TATL/TPAC trips per year (4-6 segments each round trip I assume). I have no idea what work travel will look like at the moment but it'll all be domestic. I'll take a look at UX. |
AFKL might also be worth considering if flying out of a DL non-hub in premium cabins, due to segment-based qualification (and giving 3x status credit for J).
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(1) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Reply: Lounge access, possibility of upgrade (2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors? Reply: Haven't done much in the past 2 years but planning 2-4 trips, 30k-50k miles / year (3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Reply: Economy but business if it makes sense. (4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Reply: Yes. Mostly pleasure. Can travel at a short notice as work is flexible (5) Which routes do you fly most often Reply: Canada to Asia, Canada to US (6) What is your home airport? Reply: YEG but can fly from YYC/YVR easily (7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP? Reply: No (previously AC 35k but that was *A!). Approx 50k in Delta (8) Preferred Airlines Reply: DL, KL, AF Currently booked a business class fare (Combination of Westjet/AF/KL - Z, C and I on different segments) YEG-YVR-PAR-ZNZ and DAR-NBO-AMS-YEG. Planning to credit to DL but not sure if I should credit to Flying blue? AF reservation page says I could earn 171 XP for the trip which would make me silver right away. And another similar trip gets me to Gold! Am I missing anything? Thanks |
II've been DL Gold Medallion the past 4 years, kind of by accident. I discovered that getting cheap J fares through Expedia packages could lead to ridiculous mileage earning way out of proportion to my spend (the "exception fares" rules). Since travel has been much reduced since Covid, I know I won't have any more status once they end rollovers. The benefits I've most enjoyed as a Gold have been the lounge access on transatlantic flights in Y, access to exit row seats, and the same-day change policy, but none of those are super-important. (I've had only one upgrade in 4 years, so that benefit doesn't matter.) I have Amex Platinum, which gets me Skyclub access when on DL (but evidently not partners? must be an 006 ticket) and Priority Pass, so lounges are less of an issue. I am willing to pay a few $$$ extra for the DL fare when it means lounge access via my Amex.
When my status runs out, I'm thinking I'll just start going for the lowest fares on whatever airline (not Southwest). However, I'm sure I'll still be doing a lot of DL travel, and I'm wondering what the best program would be for those flights going forward, given the info below? 1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)? good mileage EARNING rates, good award redemption rates, better award access, 2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors? Post-covid--probably 1 or 2 transatlantics a year and 5-10 domestic flights. 3. What fare class do you usually buy? Usually economy, but am always alert for a J bargain and will snatch those up when available 4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Mostly pleasure, so I can choose 5. Which routes do you fly most often? Mostly domestic, as per the answer to 2 above. ATL-Texas, NYC, and California mostly, plus various European destinations 6. What is your home airport? ATL 7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any? Currently DL Gold, not likely to continue after Covid status rollovers end. I have about 70K miles banked at the moment. I also have about 120K Amex points, and after I get my next bonus, close to 200K UR points. 8. What are your preferred airlines, if any? DL and other Skyteam. I'm mostly interested here in the best Skyteam program option for someone with my travel patterns and priorites (see #1). For example, going forward, I'm planning to abandon AAdvantage and just earn Avios on my domestic AA flights. Domestic redemptions are much better with them. |
I’m curious what advice the community here would give to me on which FFP to credit all this stuff to. I’ve flown SkyTeam regularly over the years since I became a frequent flyer, but never enough to get status (I think I did 24 MQS on DL one year). Due to the big SkyTeam TATL sale a few months back, I find myself with a large number of trips booked on SkyTeam (mostly KL metal, but ticketed pretty evenly by KL and DL).
My base case is that I’ll do a DL status match challenge shortly before Trip 1, as Trips 1, 2, and all or at least the first half of 3 should be within the 3-month period. I know SkyPesos don’t have great value, but I’ve always felt it was generally best to get status with the airline(s) you actually fly with, and they’re usually the SkyTeam carrier I fly with most. But that may well be a terrible answer, which is why I’ve come to this thread. I’ve answered the questionnaire below and also laid out all the SkyTeam flights I have booked for the remainder of this year (plus a stub in early 2023 on the last trip). Any insight is appreciated! Questionnaire
Spoiler
SkyTeam trips booked in 2022
Spoiler
Couple of other minor notes:
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Originally Posted by Adam Smith
(Post 34414677)
I’m curious what advice the community here would give to me on which FFP to credit all this stuff to. I’ve flown SkyTeam regularly over the years since I became a frequent flyer, but never enough to get status (I think I did 24 MQS on DL one year). Due to the big SkyTeam TATL sale a few months back, I find myself with a large number of trips booked on SkyTeam (mostly KL metal, but ticketed pretty evenly by KL and DL).
My base case is that I’ll do a DL status match challenge shortly before Trip 1, as Trips 1, 2, and all or at least the first half of 3 should be within the 3-month period. I know SkyPesos don’t have great value, but I’ve always felt it was generally best to get status with the airline(s) you actually fly with, and they’re usually the SkyTeam carrier I fly with most. But that may well be a terrible answer, which is why I’ve come to this thread. I’ve answered the questionnaire below and also laid out all the SkyTeam flights I have booked for the remainder of this year (plus a stub in early 2023 on the last trip). Any insight is appreciated! Questionnaire
Spoiler
SkyTeam trips booked in 2022
Spoiler
Couple of other minor notes:
If you fly J most of the time then a FFP status wont bring much |
Recently started flying Skyteam due to government carrier rules. I have not flown any Sky Team airline in over a decade. Please help me decide if I should do Delta Skymiles or Flying Blue.
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP? Reply: Lounge access, possibility of upgrade (2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors? Reply: 30k-50k miles a year, approximately 12 flights (3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Reply: Full-fare economy for work (government travel), varies for pleasure but mostly economy. (4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Reply: Sometimes. Work travel is mostly restricted to contract carriers, but I have had good luck with cost construct fares and flying preferred airlines. (5) Which routes do you fly most often Reply: domestic US, some Europe, mostly East Africa. (6) What is your home airport? Reply: IAD/DCA (7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP? Reply: Yes. Premier 1K on United for the past 9 years. Not many miles banked because I am pretty good at using the accrued miles. (8) Preferred Airlines Reply: United, Turkish, Austrian, maybe KLM. |
Originally Posted by passioninlife77
(Post 34563066)
Recently started flying Skyteam due to government carrier rules. I have not flown any Sky Team airline in over a decade. Please help me decide if I should do Delta Skymiles or Flying Blue.
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP? Reply: Lounge access, possibility of upgrade (2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors? Reply: 30k-50k miles a year, approximately 12 flights (3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Reply: Full-fare economy for work (government travel), varies for pleasure but mostly economy. (4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Reply: Sometimes. Work travel is mostly restricted to contract carriers, but I have had good luck with cost construct fares and flying preferred airlines. (5) Which routes do you fly most often Reply: domestic US, some Europe, mostly East Africa. (6) What is your home airport? Reply: IAD/DCA (7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP? Reply: Yes. Premier 1K on United for the past 9 years. Not many miles banked because I am pretty good at using the accrued miles. (8) Preferred Airlines Reply: United, Turkish, Austrian, maybe KLM.
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Originally Posted by passioninlife77
(Post 34563066)
Recently started flying Skyteam due to government carrier rules. I have not flown any Sky Team airline in over a decade. Please help me decide if I should do Delta Skymiles or Flying Blue.
(1) What is most important to you in a FFP? Reply: Lounge access, possibility of upgrade (2) How many miles do you usually fly each year & in what class? How many flights/sectors? Reply: 30k-50k miles a year, approximately 12 flights (3) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Reply: Full-fare economy for work (government travel), varies for pleasure but mostly economy. (4) Can you choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? Reply: Sometimes. Work travel is mostly restricted to contract carriers, but I have had good luck with cost construct fares and flying preferred airlines. (5) Which routes do you fly most often Reply: domestic US, some Europe, mostly East Africa. (6) What is your home airport? Reply: IAD/DCA (7) Do you have FFP status of any kind in an airline? What is it? Do you have any miles banked in a FFP? Reply: Yes. Premier 1K on United for the past 9 years. Not many miles banked because I am pretty good at using the accrued miles. (8) Preferred Airlines Reply: United, Turkish, Austrian, maybe KLM. (1) For free elite upgrades on domestic DL flights, all DL elites are prioritized above all FB (AF/KLM) and other eligible partner elites. However, depending on routes and day of week/time of day, I wouldn't expect a Gold (50,000 status miles level) to get many upgrades to domestic FC. C+ (extra legroom seats at the front of coach with free drinks) are more likely, especially if you're willing to accept a middle seat and the ticket isn't issued at the very last minute. To attempt to answer some of the questions asked above, yes, DL government fares earn full FF credit and are eligible for elite benefits. For foreign trips, DL marketed flights would be allowed, so the the government traveler is allowed to fly on KLM, AM, AF, KE etc. operated flights provided that a DL flight number (codeshare) is used. |
1. What is most important to you in a frequent flyer program (FFP)?
upgrades, priority services, baggage allowance, good award redemption rates, better award access, lounge access, etc. >>> Reply:No matter the program I will end up at the highest tier so difficulty to reach the highest tier isn't a concern. It'd be fair to just compare highest reward tiers. In general the most important things for me will be comfort in airports and flight e.g. extra legroom, upgrades, lounge access, priority bag collection and security Benefits that decrease my expenditures while abroad will be immensely useful for helping with my savings. (I'm a contractor so free food and drinks will be useful as I cant expense them to a company, the only thing that gets payed for is hotel and travel). I also really put value in earning miles and membership benefits that extend beyond my job. (e.g. British Airways EC gives me the ability to get lifetime gold membership; some airlines have more frequent and valuable miles and some have longer times till expiry) long lasting miles would be ideal as it would pay for my holidays up until they expire. I may not have this job in two years time so if I can get more out of it I will. Partnerships with hotels will also help as I need to sign up to many hotel loyalty programs too. 2. How many miles do you usually fly each year? How many flights/sectors? less than 25000 miles, 50000+ miles and 20-25 flights, etc. >>> Reply:~200 flights yearly 3. What fare class do you usually buy? first, business, premium economy, economy >>> Reply:Economy 4. Are you able to choose your airlines and/or class of service? Do you travel for work and/or pleasure? >>> Reply: No choice, ability to upgrade on own dime. Travel is for work. 5. Which routes do you fly most often? transatlantic, domestic USA, intra-Asia, etc. >>> Reply: Europe 50% of the time rest of the world the rest. 6. What is your home airport? >>> Reply: ased in Europe, Not a specific country 7. Do you have status in any FFP? What is it? How miles do you have banked in each FFP, if any? >>> Reply: No, I've not flown for years. 8. What are your preferred airlines, if any? >>> Reply: no preference Thanks for reading, as I'm new to the frequent flyer world any information and tips would be greatly appreciated! |
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