> It's WAY MORE important to maintain elite levels than spending on credit cards to earn the spendable miles.

Well, it depends on the specific FF program, as well. On Lufthansa, I receive only a 25% bonus for elite status, while some elite levels on American and United receive 100% bonuses. On the other hand, I get a 100% bonus for flying in business class and a 200% bonus for first, even for very deeply discounted business and first. (That's in addition to the 25% elite bonus.) Plus, elite membership is valid for two years. So, a single 34,000-mile RTW in F has (on 2 different occasions) gotten me over 100,000 miles plus 2 years Senator (* Alliance Gold) status.

I don't have an airline-affiliated card either, nor do I often travel for work. I still manage to earn 100k to 200k miles each year.

travelgourmet, tell us more!

Me too, travelgourmet. I maintain my 1K statues out of my own pocket, and most of it for pleasure.

All the imput has been very helpful.
sf7307, A question re:the Hyatt credit cards. Do you have to buy several nights full price to get the 2 free nights? I looked at Grand Hyatt in Istanbul, the cheapest room costs over 300 euro per night, litttle steep for me.

Just an update, I've been home for a week and I discovered that the red wine and french fry diet doesn't work so I've been at the gym burning 700-800 calories every day doing a one-hour bicycle spin class. I've only had two glasses of wine in a week! I just booked LAX to Singpore and Bali. $1,250 seemed like a good deal with Singapore and it should help me make 100K.

Where did you find that deal wally? I need a deal like that!

<i>travelgourmet, tell us more!</i>

Not much too it. I fly a lot.

<i>A question re:the Hyatt credit cards. Do you have to buy several nights full price to get the 2 free nights?</i>

Nope. You get two free reward nights (standard room only) with your first use of the card. In Istanbul, I'd suggest the Park Hyatt over the Grand Hyatt if using your free nights.

I found the deal on www.singaporeair.com. www.kayak.com said the ticket was $3000+. I'm on an Airbus A380 from LAX to Tokyo and on to Singapore. After three days I fly Silkair from Singapore to Bali. It is a Y Class ticket and had a checkmark on miles.

Confirming what travelgourmet said about the Hyatt credit card. In fact, DH and I each got a card, and got 4 consecutive free nights, no problem. (I do understand some people have had problems getting the free nights in, I think, Paris? It's supposed to be good for any Hyatt anytime, as long as a "standard" room is available. We actually shifted our dates a bit to get the room type we preferred -- garden view vs. mountain view)

Yes, the Hyatt deal is good for any Hyatt, any time, when a "standard" room is available. What might be confusing is the expression "standard room". That doesn't mean "any room"; rather, it means a specific type of room, as defined by the individual hotel. For the Park Hyatt Paris, it means "Classic Queen" room. The hotel is small and there are relatively few of those rooms, so scoring one can be a challenge.

Wally, just make sure your good deal is being booked at a high enough fare bucket to earn you some miles. With some of the star alliance partners, you have to book a higher fare than the cheapest ticket in order to earn miles/eqms.

There was a checkmark on miles and I have typed in my FF number with Continental.

The hyatt card sounds like a good deal. I am getting it.
Singaporeair is one of my favorite airlines but I wish they fly JFK - Singapore via west coast instead of Frankfurt (hate that airport, way too small for the flow of passangers).
The best way to book is to go directly to www.singaporeair.com. I registered and signed up for their email alerts. Got some good deals awhile ago.
wally34949, you got a good deal. If you have time you can hop all over Asia with Air Asia for very little. I did that. Was fun.
There is an Indonesian destination expert on the Asian Forum. Bali is lovely if you have not been. Enjoy!

Mohan, you have to use the hotel within a year of card issuance. Also, the card isn't free (I don't think). Full disclosure!

sf7307, paying the fee for the first year whatever it may be is not an issue. Then what?
I put the card aside and stop paying the annual fee the following year............no bad consequences?
Everytime I see a good deal, I do the same and my credit score doesn't get affected?

Mohan, I think that's right - I definitely have gotten cards that I have cancelled after the first year.

I think getting multiple cards can affect your credit score, but I don't know all the rules, and only know that we just refinanced our house, and my credit score was just fine, despite getting the Alaska card, Hyatt card, Delta Skymiles card and British Air card all this year.

Actually, getting credit cards can <i>raise</i> your FICO score. An important element of your credit score is the percentage of available credit that you're actually using. If you get additional cards, especially if they have good-sized credit lines, your ratio of credit-used to credit-available will go down, and your credit score will go up.

You cannot just put your card aside next year and not pay annual fees. The annual fees will be there and you will be responsible for it. To avoid the fees, you have to call to cancel the card or have the fee waived.

Agree with what DonTopaz said about credit scores - what you don't want to do is get credit cards and not use them!