Frequent flyers/ Airmiles

malkie76

BA-AA on TATL routes to the US was the example I was going to use. You can earn BA miles on US domestic flights on AA metal, and interestingly you can also earn miles on UK to Canada flights on AA. This does carry over onto other alliance partners who operate on the same routes. As you, myself and others have pointed out it's always worth double checking with the airlines exactly what you can earn from which scheme.

Everything you've said has been good information, and it does come down to the individual passenger and their particular needs.

We do need clarity on 'a lot' before any really useful information can be shared.

stoneman

richardw wrote: »

BA and AA had system where you couldn't earn miles on each other's transatlantic flights, so many have both, just like so many have both Nectar and Tesco Club cards.

When I first read this thread that was the one exemption I had in mind as well.
You also can not use the AA 500 mile upgrade vouchers TA . So we get a flight that takes us to NY then use some 500 mile upgrades for the internal part of the journey
Agreed that "a lot" needs clarification. Some people think 4-6 times a year is "a lot". We traveled with NWA 4 times last year (twice in 1 month thanks to the infamous Expedia Australia give away) but because we always bought the cheapest ticket, we don't even have enough miles to buy a stick of chewing gum.
I would say 10+ times is a good enough reason to stick with one carrier, the 6-10K miles per trip and tier points would start to add up nicely

old_motters

malkie76 wrote: »

Some of the information you've been given is inaccurate and misleading, so always double-check what someone says on here with the website of the airline or alliance before making decisions.

For example, you often can't earn miles for airline X when travelling on airline Y even if they are part of the same alliance. The result can be you earning small amounts of miles in different FF programmes which cannot be combined.

It's also misleading to suggest that miles may expire before you can use them. It's true that miles in an inactive account will expire in some programmes, however to keep a programme active you only need one transaction every three years to maintain all of the banked miles. This could be as simple as a short domestic flight, converting some Tesco's vouchers, taking an online survey, buying a small amount of miles, or even doing a single online shopping transaction.

Could you clarify 'a lot' for us to help shape your miles earning - how often, and is it always on the same route ? Do you take internal US flights when there ? (These are important questions).

My personal recommendation is to pick your favourite airline and stick to them - you will be surprised how quickly miles will accumulate. Also learn the fare structure for that airline, and realise that occasionally you will be able to earn full miles on a flight on a ticket class which is only a few more quid than the cheapest ticket available.

Consider getting the airlines official creditcard which will earn miles for purchases, and additional miles when you book flights. You typically get a sign up bonus.

Consider doing all of your online shopping through the airlines website. Some outlets offer excellent miles to spend ratios, and there are always promotions on the go.

Consider doing your grocery shopping at Tescos and earning clubcard points then converting them to miles - this can seriously bump your miles earnings up without ever leaving the ground.

It's worth pointing out that the lowest tier of status counts for something (nearly) versus passengers with no status at all. It puts you ahead of them in the line for special treatment (but of course behind full status holders and full-fare ticket holders).

Agree with everything you've said, having an FF account is better than no account. If the OP is choosing the cheapest then it would be good to have an account with one airline from each alliance.

I would pick the airline based on mileage earning since it is likely status will be too hard to achieve. These will usually be US airlines since a lot of European airlines offer 25% mileage on the cheapest economy fares.

neilm22

Well, I appreciate all the effort put into the discussion.

I fly 2-4 times to America per year. Mostly to Chicago O'Hare.

Does this make a difference?

inflationbusting

Using the cheapest economy fares, it's going to take a while to earn anything good.

Take a look at BMI's Diamond Club, as you can earn miles off Star Alliance partners.

stoneman

neilm22 wrote: »

Well, I appreciate all the effort put into the discussion.

I fly 2-4 times to America per year. Mostly to Chicago O'Hare.

Does this make a difference?

I would just go for the cheapest ticket then. On the other hand, look at Virgin flying Club, they are usually voted the best frequent flyer club, and they do give decent points (even if it is hard sometimes to use them!!)