iamq

We've just drained our United FF miles account, so I'm thinking that this would be a good time to change/switch programs if that is what I want to do. I earn most of my miles from my Chase/Unitied Visa cards and some from actually flying United. On the average I earn about 70,000 miles a year. I don't travel for business. The problem that I have with United is that their fares always seem on the high side and I hate to pay more just to get miles. In my future I see trips to Hawaii, the South Pacific, the Caribbean and Europe.

Should I switch and if so to whom? What program(s) do you belong to? How does it work for you? Many thanks!

rkkwan

Where do you fly out of?

iamq

SFO or SJC. Thanks.

rkkwan

I'll suggest staying put. From SFO, UA offers you many more non-stop flights then other carriers/alliances, and there are two other big benefits. One is that Mileage Plus (or other Star Alliance) miles seem to be easier to to use than oneworld or Skyteam. The other is Economy Plus on UA's flights if you're a Premier.

iamq

Thanks rkkwan.

mrwunrfl

How many miles do you fly a year?

iamq

My partner and I have flown around 30,000 miles each this year. A little less last year. This coming year will be a little less.

rkkwan

That's a very important question by mrwunrfl that I failed to ask.

Basically, my theory is that the FF game should be played only by people who fly at least 25,000 <b>paid</b> miles (or less if in business or first), so they're can at least qualify for a bottom level elite on one airline.

If you have trouble maintaining that every year, then I'd suggest just get a cash-back credit card for your purchases, and then buy the cheapest ticket for each trip.

BlueSea

We all are AA FFs. We like the AA transatlantic flights. We have redeemed miles several times on upgrades or free tickets.

DH has MC/AA credit card that sure helps a lot (I let him pay for most of the shoping!).

It depends on your home base. We do not have United here, and we find AA does go to many places via JFK and MIA.

tnnonline

I live in MCO and don't fly as much as I would like, but when I do fly--I fly.

Because MCO is not a hub city, we can pretty much be guaranteed a single stop for wherever we're going. I earn miles with AA, CO, and DL, the three legacies that I actually like. (And they all fly Boeing.)

My advice is that even though you can get miles with UA, do you like UA when compared to other carriers? I think that a big part of travel is enjoying the experience, and not just getting from point A to point B at the cheapest rate.

Momliz

I read somewhere, on Frequent Flyer, I think, that United doesn't treat their elite members as well as Delta, but they do treat their non-elite (like you, and me) members better, so I am switching to United, from Delta.

So, rkkwan, you think that flown miles are the best? Why is that? I am a newb to the FF world and spend a lot of time envying the elite travelers. I don't fly much each year either, but do 1 long trip - Egypt this year, Botswana next year. Most of my miles are from credit cards. I always go for the cheaper fare, since I don't travel much, but if the fares are close, I'll go where I have the miles. Does that make sense?

cynstalker

I just got an American Express Starwood Preferred Guest card, as you can transfer the points on a one-to-one basis into a bunch of different airlines - AA is what we use. We already have the Citibank AAdvantage card, but the benefit to SPG is for every 20000 points transferred, they add 5000 - unlimited (although there is a daily limit of 99,999). We'll keep the citibank card, though, because a lot of places don't accept AMEX.

I like AA - we've been able to use our miles fairly easily and regularly flying out of BDL. We've been able to achieve elit status with them primarily by credit card spending - this year we should hit the 2 million mile mark, giving us (me) permanent platinum status. It helps that we have a business that also adds miles.

rkkwan

Momliz -

Basically all airlines let people sign up for their FF programs for free, but many find out that their &quot;hard-earned&quot; miles collected over many months are hard to use. No availability on the dates and routing they want. Worse, some find that their miles can expire if they don't keep the account active.

I hear these kinds of stuff often, and it's true. But most of these people are not frequent flyer. The programs are called <b>frequent</b> flyer for a reason.

All airlines recognize the real FF by having elite levels in their programs. First level usually start at 25,000 elite qualifying miles (EQM). Second 50K, top level 75 or 100K. EQMs are collected through each <b>calendar year</b>, for the sole purpose of elite level determination for the next program year (which starts when the passenger reaches the level, and lasts till end of Feb of the third year. You can only earn EQMs (with rare exceptions) by <b>buying a qualifying ticket</b> and <b>actually flying</b> it. Not by credit card purchases, and some discount fares may earn less than 100% of the fare. Business class or above will earn bonus EQMs.

There are lots of real benefits by being elites. These vary from airline to airline, but in general include bonus miles, better reward flight availability, better seat assignments, dedicated phone lines and check-in counters, elite security lines are hub airports, advanced boarding. And on United, access to the Economy Plus seats with 4-5 more inches of legroom.

All of those are very significant benefits, and therefore I strongly believe those who pay for and fly enough each year to become elite on one airline program should do so, even if the fares may not be the cheapest all the time.

On the other hand, if one cannot sustain at least the bottom elite level each year, then it's not worth the trouble with staying with one airline all the time. Doesn't matter if you earn lots of miles each year with the credit card - you still can't get the better award availability that elites can get, or other elite benefits. I suggest those to just buy the cheapest fare or best routing trip by trip. Get a credit card that earns you 1% or more cash rebate instead.

Say you put $50K on your credit card each year. Rather than earning 50,000 miles on an airline card that may be hard to use, why not just get a 1% card to earn $500 back, plus the $50-80 you save on the annual fees?

Momliz

Thanks, rkkwan, I will stick with getting the cheapest fare, and hope for the best.

United now has an interesting program where you buy into a Economy Plus club. Then you can get econ plus seats if there are some available. But, they do not guarantee availability. So, the $350 that you spent does not guarantee availability, but if there is a seat they will upgrade you and a companion. Could be a rip off.

mrwunrfl

Your approach does make sense, Momliz.

The OP, OTOH, qualifies for Premier status if at least 25,000 of the 30,000 miles flown is on United and Star Alliance and credited to an MP account. If OP considers EPA to be worth the fee then it might make sense to pay a bit more in airfare, fly United, and get the Premier status instead of paying the fee.

That is the first time that I heard anyone suggest that United doesn't treat it's elites well. I've been Premier, Premier Exec, or 1K for the last 6 years, and for a few years in the 80s I had elite status. They treat me very well.

It is also surprising to hear it said that United treats non-elites better than other airlines treat their non-elites. Seems to me that United is all about their elite-level travelers, the frequent flyers - especially the last minute business traveler who pays a high fare. From my lofty position I perceive that GMs (general members) aren't treated all that well.

Last year I flew 65,000 EQMs on United and *A, actually 62,000 BIS. I am a 1K this year, getting the 35,000 bonus EQMs via the MP Platinum Visa, the double-EQM offer, and even business class-of-service bonuses when flying on discounted economy.

rkkwan

Economy Plus along is worth the trouble of getting elite status, if one flies UA enough.

For non-elites buying E+ Access, you should buy it at the time when you can get guaranteed assignments. It's then good for a full year for you and a companion when traveling together.

ms_go

I don't think I'd call E+ Access a rip off--as long as you fly enough to get your money's worth and recognize that you're getting a few extra inches of leg room and not a real premium economy product.

It's first come, first served for United elites and E+ Access subscribers alike. Once the system recognizes you as a subscriber (within several days of purchase, I believe), you can see and choose E+ seats. As long as you book a reasonable amount of time in advance, you're pretty likely to get E+ seats.

I've had UA elite status every year since United introduced E+, and the only times I can recall not getting an E+ seat were when traveling on one PNR with two other non-eligible passengers (daughter is now a Premier, so this is no longer an issue) or when flying standby on a flight other than the one on which I was originally booked. I think once, a few years ago on an elite-heavy SFO-ORD flight, I could not reserve an E+ seat when booking about two weeks in advance--I called and had an E+ middle seat unblocked.

Jack

rkkwan,
I agree with all your comments, but would add one other thing. Another reason to build up miles (over getting cash) is for upgrades. Personally, I think using miles for that purpose, especially on inter-continental flights, makes an awful lot of sense.

mrwunrfl

SHE has a card that earns 1% cash back.
HE has a card that earns 1 mile per dollar.

Both of them spend $10,000 per year on their cc.

At the end of 2.5 years She has $250 cash back in her purse.

At the end of 2.5 years He has 25,000 FF miles and has paid MP Visa $150 (at $60 per year) in annual dues.

Basically, because of the annual fee, He is paying 1.6 cents per mile or $400 for those 25,000 miles.

The both go to Vegas together on Ted. She pays $250 for the rt ticket and earns 4000 miles. He pays 25,000 miles for the same flights. He paid $400 for the ticket that cost her $250.

mrwunrfl

Point being is that some people don't think it through.

Jack thought it through to a different conclusion under different circumstances.