2020 MP changes — Will you switch loyalty programs? What program will you switch to?
 

So with the new requirements, although I will be a 1K for 2020, I will not be close to anything close to Platinum for 2021. I will be Gold due to 1MM status.

I fly TATL to London/Europe 2-3 times a year and TPAC 2-3 times a year.

I do fly an assortment of airlines but am looking for the program that will give me the best bang for my buck to try and do a status match or start earning status.

I am based in SAN so can position myself to LAX if needed for flight originiation.

Try to find a new FF program or.just wing it?

I think NZ may be the way to go as they go to both London and Sydney...I can then also use my *G benefits.

Or perhaps LH for the *G benefits

So will not be a status match but at least leverage my *G benefits.

Be a free agent and enjoy flying. *G will always be there when you need to fly " Alliance.

If I were close to a hub like LAX, I will be trying out carriers primarily on comfort and schedule convenience (along with price)

If you're talking about finding a new FFP in which to earn *G, LH is among the hardest to earn *G. IIRC TK, OZ, and A3 are among the easier to earn *Gs out there.

I have *G as 1MM on UA.

It may be that there is no airline where I will get 1K equivalent benefits was just trying to work out the best way to maximize my spend for benefits going forward.

Are you on paid business class tickets for your trips or economy? That makes a huge difference in determining a program. LH is actually not that hard to earn *G (Senator) if you're on paid J fares, but the benefits aren't as good as 1K. (it does suck to try to earn Senator on discount economy fares, which is why it's typically an unpopular one on this board).

I’m looking at A3 and OZ, perhaps AC and SQ. AC offers the most elite benefits, but still has the PQD nonsense. A3 and OZ have very easy *G earning, and OZ has great mileage redemption. If anyone has any other ideas, I’d be happy to hear them.

The only issue is getting the most out of 1K while still trying to get *G on those other airlines. Guess I’ll have to lose out on a few benefits like CPUs.

If one has LT *G, then any better status on an alternative program will mean you need to fly that carrier. *G is the presently the high cross-carrier status (although there has been talking in *A about a high alliance wide status). So for status benefits pick the carrier you will fly the most.

For RDM benefits, it gets more complex. There is the earning rate and there is more variation especially for deep discount fare with other programs (effectively Similiar to UA PQD multipler approach).
Then there is redemption available, again this matters what carrier you wish to use for award flights as most programs provide better access to their native program. (aka no XN or the rare IN for non-UA elites - similar for other carriers)
And there are fuel surcharges, some carriers have hefty cash requirements for awards (especially for partner flights).

For upgrades -- you are generally restricted to your home program except to top fares (UA GPUs on LH/NH/CM are an exception)

And advance preferred economy seating to generally restricted to the carriers' elites. (aka UA E+)

Maybe overly simplified, but status above *G is not very useful unless you are flying the carrier you have status with.

And what fares you purchase will matter if status is of any benefit.

And finally, *A carriers generally will not status match another *A program's status.

This. Get an AMEX Centurion card and Priority Pass, and you will virtually never be without a lounge to frequent. LH, LX, OS, SK all have a form of bidding for an upgrade which I've found to be superior to playing the W fare lottery on UA. On TK, KL and BA, unsold C seats are often available at T-24 for an attractive price. I've been flying all these airlines over the past 2 (almost 3) years - along with UA - and it's on UA where I sit in the back most often.

While I'm not a member of Miles and More, as a lifetime UA *G I'm treated better on LH than on UA. YMMV, of course.

With the new program and generous earning rates for partner travel, you may find it easier to make 1K on UA, even flying economy

2020 MP changes — Will you switch loyalty programs? What program will you switch to?
 

Perhaps posing these questions now is slightly too early, and many are not yet settled on an answer, but with the changes to the MileagePlus program in 2020:

Will you change to or favour another airline loyalty program?

What program(s) do you find to be better going forward?



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My own perspective now is mainly uncertainty.

I do virtually all of my travel planning, and also virtually all of my travel spending comes out of my own budget or income. I feel the program has rapidly become too expensive relative to the cost. Without finding a special niche or loophole, the cost of 1K status has gone up $6k in two years. I think that is simply too much. Over those two years the ability to upgrade long-haul flights has not improved, and at least to me that was the main value in the loyalty program. Most domestic benefits — short haul CPU, snackbox/burger, even E+ — are to me worth tens of dollars per flight, i.e. not much. I usually can be flexible with schedule to make it work, but it's tiresome doing that every trip.

For the questions above, I am suspecting I may switch to having no focus on any program, but I have not done a thorough analysis yet to know everything that is out there. The Star Alliance network has been well suited to my travel, but I also have relatively limited experience with Oneworld and SkyTeam. I'm sure DL and AA are not going to be any more appealing than UA next year, but perhaps a foreign program will be. So as to the questions —

Will you change to or favour another airline loyalty program?
Subject to change in my thinking, I will primarily fly UA in 2020 with status benefits, and thereafter begin splitting credit between something in *A and something in SkyTeam or Oneworld for low/mid tier status in both.

What program(s) do you find to be better going forward?
Unsure at the moment.

The only thing I am sure of now is I will not be handing over 18k to UA next year!

Will you change to or favour another airline loyalty program?

No, because I made the change 2 years ago. Since then I've been a free agent, flying 55% *A non-UA partners (LH, OS, LX, TK, SK, EW), 35% ST carriers (KL & AF) partners, 15% OW and 5% UA. I credit my *A miles to UA, ST to DL, and OW to AA.

What program(s) do you find to be better going forward?

I don't choose a particular flight/airline based on the value of their FFP. I base my choice on comfort and value - short haul, I don't want my knees in my chest and a padded seat. Long haul, I want true PE and a fair opportunity to pay a reasonable price to sit up front. In any event, I believe the heyday of the FFP is over. MR's were fun, but who still does that? It's like trading stamps that my mother used to save. Everyone did it, and now, you ask someone about it and unless you're a boomer, all you get is a blank stare.

I think I’m just gonna be a free agent. Living in Chicago, I have plenty of choices, and only stuck with United because I was a silver. And as someone who takes a lot of cheap TPAC flights, the program is now basically worthless, plus I can usually get a cheaper fare on a Chinese carrier anyways

Will you change to or favour another airline loyalty program?
No, unfortunately being based in YYZ, I'm tied to *A. I refuse to support AC in any way possible; just because of the consistently bad service I get from them and their business practices.
I'll have to see how my flight patterns in 2020 work out, and based on this I might be a free agent and not bother with FFPs at all -- just fly premium cabins instead for long-haul.

What program(s) do you find to be better going forward?
I wouldn't be surprised if the airline industry starts to lean towards what UA has announced. So I don't think there will be one 'better' for me going forward. I'll choose to be a free agent and that'll probably save me all the trouble of navigating through all the program requirements.

Might be coming back to UA (after spending a year away as a Eurobonus Diamond). We'll see.

Have been a free agent, and will continue to be one. This change from UA affects me very little, if anything. I think the largest impact would be down the line, as I would probably give up the pursuit of becoming a MM with UA.