Jan 20, 2016, 10:53 pm
Last edit by: jtet
A number of threads have been started with members asking for guidance on which mileage programme they should join. In order to help users I have started this thread to allow people to post their requests for information here and to allow people to offer assistance.
For members asking for information please help people to assist you, can you provide:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
GENERAL INFORMATION:
If you fly less than 50k miles per year: it is almost guaranteed that your choice will be between Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Asiana Airlines. Please look up these airlines' frequent flier programs, and make a decision as to which best suits your needs.
Some considerations to take into account:
Airlines tend to treat members of their own frequent flier program better than members of other frequent flier programs. If you fly one of these airlines, it is recommended that you choose that airline.
Some airlines have better earning/redemption charts for your pattern. For example, if you fly on cheap fares on a certain airline often, Turkish might give you miles for it, while Aegean might not. However, Turkish Airlines might charge much more for the redemption that you want to make than Aegean.
Asiana Airlines offers lifetime Star Alliance Gold for 500k miles over life. The other 2 airlines do not offer this benefit.
Asiana Airlines has a credit card in the USA and some other countries. If you are interested in credit cards, check to make sure that the program that you join has a credit card in your country.
If you still aren't sure which frequent flyer program is for you after looking these up, feel free to ask on this thread.
For members asking for information please help people to assist you, can you provide:
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Silver, M&M Senator etc)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
GENERAL INFORMATION:
If you fly less than 50k miles per year: it is almost guaranteed that your choice will be between Aegean Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and Asiana Airlines. Please look up these airlines' frequent flier programs, and make a decision as to which best suits your needs.
Some considerations to take into account:
Airlines tend to treat members of their own frequent flier program better than members of other frequent flier programs. If you fly one of these airlines, it is recommended that you choose that airline.
Some airlines have better earning/redemption charts for your pattern. For example, if you fly on cheap fares on a certain airline often, Turkish might give you miles for it, while Aegean might not. However, Turkish Airlines might charge much more for the redemption that you want to make than Aegean.
Asiana Airlines offers lifetime Star Alliance Gold for 500k miles over life. The other 2 airlines do not offer this benefit.
Asiana Airlines has a credit card in the USA and some other countries. If you are interested in credit cards, check to make sure that the program that you join has a credit card in your country.
If you still aren't sure which frequent flyer program is for you after looking these up, feel free to ask on this thread.
Need advice on which *A FF scheme to join? - please post here
Jun 9, 2013, 3:29 am
#1186
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Mildura, Australia
Posts: 3
(1) What is your home airport? MEL
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Cheapest (not sure of the most appropriate term)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? Either 25, or 25-50
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No.
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Making flights cheaper, don't care about any other perks (lounges, upgrades, etc) at all.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines: None - as long as there's something to watch that's fine with me
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Cheapest (not sure of the most appropriate term)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? Either 25, or 25-50
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No.
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Making flights cheaper, don't care about any other perks (lounges, upgrades, etc) at all.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines: None - as long as there's something to watch that's fine with me
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
Jun 16, 2013, 8:21 pm
#1187
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 128
(1) What is your home airport? NYC (LGA,JFK,EWR)
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? I fly for business, so whatever is the cheapest they can find at the time
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? this year is <50 but next year will probably be maybe 100 and over
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? i dont have status with anyone currently
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? US Domestic
(7) Preferred Airlines None but thinking UA because of the chase sap card
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? business and they book whatever is cheapest
Thank you for all your help
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? I fly for business, so whatever is the cheapest they can find at the time
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? this year is <50 but next year will probably be maybe 100 and over
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? i dont have status with anyone currently
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? US Domestic
(7) Preferred Airlines None but thinking UA because of the chase sap card
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? business and they book whatever is cheapest
Thank you for all your help
Jun 18, 2013, 4:08 am
#1188
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: United Arab Emirates & Arizona, USA
Programs: UA MM/1P, EK Au, QR, TK, Marriott Life Ti, Hilton Dia, IC Dia, Hyatt Glob, Accor Pt, Shangri-La
Posts: 4,526
Maybe new program; perhaps LH
I have already reached 1K on United this year, and have about 34K BIS miles in biz coming up on LH/TK/OZ, so would like to take this opportunity to build miles in another program and possibly transition away from UA. My plan is to (or try to, probably futilely) use my GPUs next year on around 50K of long-haul flying on UA, which will bring me close to MM status, and then reduce my crediting to UA and use the rest of my flying to earn potentially top-tier status on another Star program. I won't need to worry about Star Gold anymore.
I am considering a new program mainly for better award redemption: accrual and burn rates, ease of earning awards (always F/C on North America to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; or Europe to Asia, usually booked well in advance), and customer service. UA is decent, though I am tired of spending hours on the phone with agents who are inept in piecing together award itineraries much of the time.
Edited to add: I ironically posted this on the same day that United announced that, in the future, one would have to meet certain spend requirements on United-plated tickets to reach 1K (and other levels). So, unless I use an international address, I will never achieve this. Bye-bye United.
Does it make sense for me to switch? As I look at all of the factors, it seems that UA is still my best bet, but here goes:
(1) What is your home airport? SFO and DOH
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? UA GPU-upgradeable fares or P/Z, a fair bit of UA domestic travel (for which I almost never get a complimentary upgrade anymore), eco and P/Z on LH, and TK mostly, with a mix of other Star Alliance carriers 80% eco/20% biz
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 100-150K EQM on *A
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? UA 1K, soon MM (life *G)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Ability to redeem premium international awards on good airlines
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Middle East-U.S., Middle East-Europe/IST, intra-Europe, some Middle East-Asia, mix of various other routes globally. My goal is to never fly more than 8 hours in eco, but it has becoming increasing difficult to use GPUs on UA trans-Atlantic, so I am often just buying biz anyway, in which case I usually choose LH or TK (though the UA lie-flat seat and IFE are superior to my typical LH P/Z experience)
(7) Preferred Airlines? UA/LH/TK
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? 25% work, usually LH biz from Middle East to Europe, rest pleasure
My question is, would I be better served switching from UA to another program? LH's award chart seems slightly less favorable than UA's. I often find myself buying up to Q/V/G/U/W/S on LH (e.g., DOH-FRA several times per year) to earn UA miles, though I would have to do the same in LH's program -- and UA is better in that L,T earn 100% compared to 50% on LH, though, on the other hand, E/K earn 50% on LH and zero on UA. It seems odd that LH P earns only 100% in its own program, compared with 150% on UA. Another question is earning on various basic eco fares intra-Europe (e.g., SN/LX/OS, etc.); UA seems as good or better than others in this respect.
The upshot, I think, is that my spend and earning rates would be more or less the same on LH vs. UA, but I am getting fed up with award and GPU redemption on UA such that I would be willing to pay a bit more in LH's program to actually get awards. I guess the key question is, does LH make more of its own awards available (or of any partners'?) to its own members than UA does? As much as I hate to ask about op-ups, are these routine for LH SEN members? I have no hope of earning HON, unfortunately.
I like UA's flexibility -- e.g., ability to change and cancel awards for a 1K member, one-way awards, ability for stop-overs and open jaws on awards. Does LH offer this? I know they offer one-way awards. One other consideration is the two upgrade vouchers assuming I hit SEN status -- does LH make these available at booking time and can one actually use them (unlike GPUs these days)?
I see no compelling reason to choose TK Miles & Smiles versus LH -- except that TK eco fares all seem to earn 100%, as they do on UA, compared to 50% for E/L/Q/S/T, which is what I usually take, in LH's program -- since TK's award chart is less favorable. TK also offers upgrade vouchers for Elite Plus, which is easier to earn than UA 1K or LH SEN; if anyone has experience with these (i.e., ability to confirm at booking and availability in general), then that might help, though I doubt that it would tip the scales to TK.
Is there anything else I am missing? Any other program that might suit my needs? OZ's program seems poor, due to low earning rates for LH/TK, although some aspects of the award chart are better (e.g., you can redeem SFO-ICN in F for 150K round-trip, versus 210K on LH). I have an American Express card, so I can convert to miles in some programs (e.g., SQ), but I earn most of my miles by flying.
I probably could have stated my question more simply as follows: Is there any other program that meets the following criteria: (1) comparable earn and burn rates to UA for mid-eco and low-biz classes (as LH has), (2) significantly better *A award availability than UA; (3) comparable award flexibility to UA?
I am considering a new program mainly for better award redemption: accrual and burn rates, ease of earning awards (always F/C on North America to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; or Europe to Asia, usually booked well in advance), and customer service. UA is decent, though I am tired of spending hours on the phone with agents who are inept in piecing together award itineraries much of the time.
Edited to add: I ironically posted this on the same day that United announced that, in the future, one would have to meet certain spend requirements on United-plated tickets to reach 1K (and other levels). So, unless I use an international address, I will never achieve this. Bye-bye United.
Does it make sense for me to switch? As I look at all of the factors, it seems that UA is still my best bet, but here goes:
(1) What is your home airport? SFO and DOH
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? UA GPU-upgradeable fares or P/Z, a fair bit of UA domestic travel (for which I almost never get a complimentary upgrade anymore), eco and P/Z on LH, and TK mostly, with a mix of other Star Alliance carriers 80% eco/20% biz
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 100-150K EQM on *A
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? UA 1K, soon MM (life *G)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Ability to redeem premium international awards on good airlines
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Middle East-U.S., Middle East-Europe/IST, intra-Europe, some Middle East-Asia, mix of various other routes globally. My goal is to never fly more than 8 hours in eco, but it has becoming increasing difficult to use GPUs on UA trans-Atlantic, so I am often just buying biz anyway, in which case I usually choose LH or TK (though the UA lie-flat seat and IFE are superior to my typical LH P/Z experience)
(7) Preferred Airlines? UA/LH/TK
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? 25% work, usually LH biz from Middle East to Europe, rest pleasure
My question is, would I be better served switching from UA to another program? LH's award chart seems slightly less favorable than UA's. I often find myself buying up to Q/V/G/U/W/S on LH (e.g., DOH-FRA several times per year) to earn UA miles, though I would have to do the same in LH's program -- and UA is better in that L,T earn 100% compared to 50% on LH, though, on the other hand, E/K earn 50% on LH and zero on UA. It seems odd that LH P earns only 100% in its own program, compared with 150% on UA. Another question is earning on various basic eco fares intra-Europe (e.g., SN/LX/OS, etc.); UA seems as good or better than others in this respect.
The upshot, I think, is that my spend and earning rates would be more or less the same on LH vs. UA, but I am getting fed up with award and GPU redemption on UA such that I would be willing to pay a bit more in LH's program to actually get awards. I guess the key question is, does LH make more of its own awards available (or of any partners'?) to its own members than UA does? As much as I hate to ask about op-ups, are these routine for LH SEN members? I have no hope of earning HON, unfortunately.
I like UA's flexibility -- e.g., ability to change and cancel awards for a 1K member, one-way awards, ability for stop-overs and open jaws on awards. Does LH offer this? I know they offer one-way awards. One other consideration is the two upgrade vouchers assuming I hit SEN status -- does LH make these available at booking time and can one actually use them (unlike GPUs these days)?
I see no compelling reason to choose TK Miles & Smiles versus LH -- except that TK eco fares all seem to earn 100%, as they do on UA, compared to 50% for E/L/Q/S/T, which is what I usually take, in LH's program -- since TK's award chart is less favorable. TK also offers upgrade vouchers for Elite Plus, which is easier to earn than UA 1K or LH SEN; if anyone has experience with these (i.e., ability to confirm at booking and availability in general), then that might help, though I doubt that it would tip the scales to TK.
Is there anything else I am missing? Any other program that might suit my needs? OZ's program seems poor, due to low earning rates for LH/TK, although some aspects of the award chart are better (e.g., you can redeem SFO-ICN in F for 150K round-trip, versus 210K on LH). I have an American Express card, so I can convert to miles in some programs (e.g., SQ), but I earn most of my miles by flying.
I probably could have stated my question more simply as follows: Is there any other program that meets the following criteria: (1) comparable earn and burn rates to UA for mid-eco and low-biz classes (as LH has), (2) significantly better *A award availability than UA; (3) comparable award flexibility to UA?
Last edited by mecabq; Jun 18, 2013 at 8:59 am
Jun 18, 2013, 9:46 am
#1189
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
PVG
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
Y, Sometimes Business Class (depend on client)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
This year i have flown for 60K.
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
Skywards - Silver 30K+
Kris Flyer - 23K (2K miles to Silver)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
Redemption for holiday and Airport Lounge (with 1 guest if possible?)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Asia Pacific and EMEA
(7) Preferred Airlines
N/A but if i have to chose maybe Emirates because their lounge in DXB?
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?)
Work though redemption will be for holiday with GF.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
I just registered Aegean M&B today but then after quick calculation, my current KF already at 23K miles hence about the same to get Star*Gold status. is it still worth it to go with Aegean?
I also plan to register for Oneworld or Skymiles but no idea which airline fit best.
Please advice.
PVG
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
Y, Sometimes Business Class (depend on client)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
This year i have flown for 60K.
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
Skywards - Silver 30K+
Kris Flyer - 23K (2K miles to Silver)
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
Redemption for holiday and Airport Lounge (with 1 guest if possible?)
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Asia Pacific and EMEA
(7) Preferred Airlines
N/A but if i have to chose maybe Emirates because their lounge in DXB?
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?)
Work though redemption will be for holiday with GF.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
I just registered Aegean M&B today but then after quick calculation, my current KF already at 23K miles hence about the same to get Star*Gold status. is it still worth it to go with Aegean?
I also plan to register for Oneworld or Skymiles but no idea which airline fit best.
Please advice.
Jun 21, 2013, 11:18 am
#1190
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: BLR
Programs: UA, DL, EK
Posts: 1
Need to change *A program post UA FF changes
Have been a long time UA MPlus member, but considering shifting to another *G program (TG/SQ/Asiana/others ?) because of proposed 2014 changes in UA and I hardly fly UA in this part of the world. Was living in the US until 2010 and have racked about 600k lifetime UA miles.
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.): BLR
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.): Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k): ~75-125k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc): None
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.): good award redemption rates, Frequent upgrades on travel,
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
BLR-> PVG (1 / month, usually on SQ), BLR-SFO (1-2 times a year, mostly on EK/LH and on cheapest Biz class)
(7) Preferred Airlines (SQ, TG for Asia travel; EK for US travel because of cost)
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?) -Mostly work; some flexibility on airlines but not on class of service; like to avoid AC
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.): BLR
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.): Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k): ~75-125k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc): None
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.): good award redemption rates, Frequent upgrades on travel,
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
BLR-> PVG (1 / month, usually on SQ), BLR-SFO (1-2 times a year, mostly on EK/LH and on cheapest Biz class)
(7) Preferred Airlines (SQ, TG for Asia travel; EK for US travel because of cost)
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?) -Mostly work; some flexibility on airlines but not on class of service; like to avoid AC
Jun 25, 2013, 2:09 pm
#1191
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
Thanks in advance for the help!!
We're moving to Taiwan for the foreseeable future, so obviously the addition of EVA makes this an interesting choice.
Two use cases:
- I will travel to SFO at least three times a year, and likely somewhere else far one other time a year (strongly prefer direct, which means EVA)
- The entire family will travel to Chicago once a year. We prefer Asiana (this is why we are currently members), and like to avoid US airlines.
- We will have minimal flights within the US
- My wife and I will travel around Asia every few months
We're long-time members of Asiana, and each of us has around 40~50k. We're all Gold Members currently.
Finally, I currently use the SPG Amex, but am open to changing, especially if there is a card that doesn't charge international fees. Unfortunately the Asiana AMEX has a 1% currency conversion fee.
Thanks again!
(1) What is your home airport? TPE
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y, but will seek discounts.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 50k (me), 25k (wife), 15k (kids)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Asiana Gold
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Potential upgrades are most important to me; free tickets most important to my family
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? TPE-SFO (me), TPE-ORD (family)
(7) Preferred Airlines - 1) EVA, 2) Asiana
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? half-and-half, but I can choose my airline regardless and will usually book economy
We're moving to Taiwan for the foreseeable future, so obviously the addition of EVA makes this an interesting choice.
Two use cases:
- I will travel to SFO at least three times a year, and likely somewhere else far one other time a year (strongly prefer direct, which means EVA)
- The entire family will travel to Chicago once a year. We prefer Asiana (this is why we are currently members), and like to avoid US airlines.
- We will have minimal flights within the US
- My wife and I will travel around Asia every few months
We're long-time members of Asiana, and each of us has around 40~50k. We're all Gold Members currently.
Finally, I currently use the SPG Amex, but am open to changing, especially if there is a card that doesn't charge international fees. Unfortunately the Asiana AMEX has a 1% currency conversion fee.
Thanks again!
(1) What is your home airport? TPE
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y, but will seek discounts.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 50k (me), 25k (wife), 15k (kids)
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Asiana Gold
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Potential upgrades are most important to me; free tickets most important to my family
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? TPE-SFO (me), TPE-ORD (family)
(7) Preferred Airlines - 1) EVA, 2) Asiana
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? half-and-half, but I can choose my airline regardless and will usually book economy
Jun 26, 2013, 7:45 am
#1192
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 1
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.) MNL
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.) Business (International)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 25k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc) Asiana Gold. I have 46,000 miles in it, thinking that we would be upgraded already to Asiana Diamond / Star Alliance Gold. I was told that we need 40,000+ miles flown on-board Asiana (excluding Star Alliance partners).
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
Star Alliance Gold Status, if possible. If not, then luggage allowance and priority service.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Regional (Asia), MNL-North/South America, MNL-Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines - SQ, ANA, Asiana
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?)
Work and pleasure
Thank you in advance!
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.) Business (International)
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k) 25k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc) Asiana Gold. I have 46,000 miles in it, thinking that we would be upgraded already to Asiana Diamond / Star Alliance Gold. I was told that we need 40,000+ miles flown on-board Asiana (excluding Star Alliance partners).
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
Star Alliance Gold Status, if possible. If not, then luggage allowance and priority service.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
Regional (Asia), MNL-North/South America, MNL-Europe
(7) Preferred Airlines - SQ, ANA, Asiana
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you choose your airlines, class of service?)
Work and pleasure
Thank you in advance!
Jul 1, 2013, 12:23 am
#1193
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: OSL
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Silver, LH, AF
Posts: 147
Thanks in advance for your help!
(1) What is your home airport?
SIN
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(Discounted) Y or Premium Economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year?
>50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it?
BA OneWorld Bronze, to be Silver next month (equivalent to *A Gold). M&M no status, but about 70K miles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Frequent upgrades on travel, good award redemption rates/availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often
SIN - TOK, SIN - SEL, SIN - DEL
(7) Preferred Airlines
None, they're all the same!
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure?
Both, and yes, can choose airline, and class as long as it is within travel budget.
(1) What is your home airport?
SIN
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy?
(Discounted) Y or Premium Economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year?
>50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it?
BA OneWorld Bronze, to be Silver next month (equivalent to *A Gold). M&M no status, but about 70K miles
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP?
Frequent upgrades on travel, good award redemption rates/availability
(6) Which routes do you fly most often
SIN - TOK, SIN - SEL, SIN - DEL
(7) Preferred Airlines
None, they're all the same!
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure?
Both, and yes, can choose airline, and class as long as it is within travel budget.
Last edited by heman; Jul 1, 2013 at 12:37 am
Jul 5, 2013, 8:54 am
#1194
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 6
Hey All,
I have been lurking around FT for years, finally decided to join up to take advantage of the depth of knowledge that is here. Anyway...
(1) What is your home airport? MEL
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25k-30k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Virgin Australia Silver
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Redemption rates, long point expiry period.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Long / Medium Haul
(7) Preferred Airlines SQ, OZ, LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure, so I have complete freedom with airline/class.
I know I fly very litte, typically I make 1 long haul flight per year (Europe or North America) and 1 to 2 medium haul flights (Asia) per year. I am not that concerned with status, my biggest concern are decent redemption rates and having points not expire before I can use them. I do some domestic flights per year, but I typically slum it on a LCC.
Through my research, I am heading towards OZ, but I am concerned about redemption rates. Do you have any other suggestions for a program that may suit me best?
Thanks for any advice.
I have been lurking around FT for years, finally decided to join up to take advantage of the depth of knowledge that is here. Anyway...
(1) What is your home airport? MEL
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Y
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25k-30k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? Virgin Australia Silver
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Redemption rates, long point expiry period.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Long / Medium Haul
(7) Preferred Airlines SQ, OZ, LH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure, so I have complete freedom with airline/class.
I know I fly very litte, typically I make 1 long haul flight per year (Europe or North America) and 1 to 2 medium haul flights (Asia) per year. I am not that concerned with status, my biggest concern are decent redemption rates and having points not expire before I can use them. I do some domestic flights per year, but I typically slum it on a LCC.
Through my research, I am heading towards OZ, but I am concerned about redemption rates. Do you have any other suggestions for a program that may suit me best?
Thanks for any advice.
Jul 9, 2013, 3:22 pm
#1195
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: DEL
Posts: 292
(1) What is your home airport? DEL
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y but will probably take J on long haul if the price is right.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? Silver with 9W
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? US to India, not sure what the term is. Domestic within India and domestic within US
(7) Preferred Airlines: None
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? 70% work 30% pleasure
Thanks in advance.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Y but will probably take J on long haul if the price is right.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 25-50
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? Silver with 9W
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Upgrades
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? US to India, not sure what the term is. Domestic within India and domestic within US
(7) Preferred Airlines: None
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? 70% work 30% pleasure
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by mohitmadaan; Jul 9, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Jul 11, 2013, 9:53 pm
#1196
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 4
(1) What is your home airport? BER and BOS
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Y, international, cheapest available.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 65K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Award redemption, specifically on the BER-BOS route. I have a fixed number of flights per year and am looking to minimize their total cost over time.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? BER-BOS
(7) Preferred Airlines: None
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Neither. Commute between two homes.
Here's my problem: UA has no fuel surcharge and low status level requirements, but doesn't let you earn miles for many of the cheap flights, e.g., LH economy. LH lets you earn M&M miles on such flights, but they're worth much less to me due to the fuel surcharge. Which program will let me maximize (savings from miles) - (cost of earning miles)?
Thanks in advance.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy? Y, international, cheapest available.
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 65K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? No
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Award redemption, specifically on the BER-BOS route. I have a fixed number of flights per year and am looking to minimize their total cost over time.
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? BER-BOS
(7) Preferred Airlines: None
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Neither. Commute between two homes.
Here's my problem: UA has no fuel surcharge and low status level requirements, but doesn't let you earn miles for many of the cheap flights, e.g., LH economy. LH lets you earn M&M miles on such flights, but they're worth much less to me due to the fuel surcharge. Which program will let me maximize (savings from miles) - (cost of earning miles)?
Thanks in advance.
Last edited by commmuter; Jul 13, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Jul 19, 2013, 4:27 am
#1197
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1
(1) What is your home airport? Preferably EWR, JFK sometimes
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Discount Y?
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? negatory
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Bonus miles on signup
(6) Which routes do you fly most often : EWR->BOG
(7) Preferred Airlines I hear Taca and Copa are good for South America
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
Recently found a reason to travel to Bogota so I'm trying to find the best signup bonuses and long term bonuses, primarily interested in the signup bonus for now.
I'm trying to get my first round trip completely covered (minus fees) with just bonus miles. A close friend used the Taca sign-up bonus to get 30k LifeMiles with a 45$/year fee. We had found some flights going for 13k miles if we looked hard enough. Unfortunately there are no Taca card deals anymore that I'm aware of.
Thank you
p.s. Looking to travel in the end of december... I'm new to this so if the registration could potentially take months I could also use that info.
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Discount Y?
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <50K
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? negatory
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? Bonus miles on signup
(6) Which routes do you fly most often : EWR->BOG
(7) Preferred Airlines I hear Taca and Copa are good for South America
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? Pleasure
Recently found a reason to travel to Bogota so I'm trying to find the best signup bonuses and long term bonuses, primarily interested in the signup bonus for now.
I'm trying to get my first round trip completely covered (minus fees) with just bonus miles. A close friend used the Taca sign-up bonus to get 30k LifeMiles with a 45$/year fee. We had found some flights going for 13k miles if we looked hard enough. Unfortunately there are no Taca card deals anymore that I'm aware of.
Thank you
p.s. Looking to travel in the end of december... I'm new to this so if the registration could potentially take months I could also use that info.
Last edited by a4air; Jul 19, 2013 at 4:34 am Reason: p.s.
Jul 19, 2013, 8:06 am
#1198
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: RDU
Posts: 20
On behalf of a friend:
(1) What is your home airport? MKE
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? don't know
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <25K. Next year, sister is buying round-trip ticket to South Africa for her on South African Airways
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? None.
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? good reward redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Trans-atlantic
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
(1) What is your home airport? MKE
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? don't know
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? <25K. Next year, sister is buying round-trip ticket to South Africa for her on South African Airways
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? None.
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? good reward redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often? Trans-atlantic
(7) Preferred Airlines
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? pleasure
Last edited by LucyP; Jul 19, 2013 at 3:34 pm
Jul 19, 2013, 4:47 pm
#1199
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 16
(1) What is your home airport? YVR, YYZ
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Normally just for the cheapest, but if it makes a big difference, I'm willing to pay a bit more for miles/upgrades
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 40k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? EVA Gold
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.) Upgrades/Good award redemption rates/lounge access
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Transpacific and domestic Canada
(7) Preferred Airlines AC/BR
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?) Pleasure
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? Normally just for the cheapest, but if it makes a big difference, I'm willing to pay a bit more for miles/upgrades
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? 40k-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? EVA Gold
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.) Upgrades/Good award redemption rates/lounge access
(6) Which routes do you fly most often Transpacific and domestic Canada
(7) Preferred Airlines AC/BR
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?) Pleasure
Jul 19, 2013, 9:17 pm
#1200
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Programs: AA Gold
Posts: 11
(1) What is your home airport? (SFO, LAX, MCO, etc.)
PVG & PIT
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
discounted economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
nop
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
good award redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines
UA, AC & NH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
I could choose airlines.. but mainly for price.
PVG & PIT
(2) What types of fares do you usually buy ? (C, F, Y, etc.)
discounted economy
(3) How many miles do you usually fly each year? (<25K, 25k-50k, >50k)
25-50k
(4) Do you have any kind of status at present? What is it? (UA Premier, M&M Senator etc)
nop
(5) What is most important to you in a FFP? (Frequent upgrades on travel, priority services when flying the airline, good award redemption rates, free lounge access, etc.)
good award redemption rates
(6) Which routes do you fly most often (US Domestic, Transpacific etc)
transpacific
(7) Preferred Airlines
UA, AC & NH
(8) Do you travel for work or pleasure? (Can you chooose your airlines, class of service?)
I could choose airlines.. but mainly for price.
Last edited by michaelyang510; Jul 20, 2013 at 1:56 am