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wet_blanket
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« on: December 14, 2011, 04:00:26 PM » |
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I have frequent flyer accounts with a Star Alliance airline and a OneWorld airline. Both accounts were started when I lived in different countries, and there's only one route these airlines operate that I'm likely to take anytime soon. When I fly Continental and AA, the alliances mean I do get some miles. But it's some fraction of the miles I'd get if I had booked it through the airlines I have the FF accounts with, or if I had accounts with Continental or AA.
Should I stick with these accounts, or open new ones with Continental and AA? They're the airlines I'll be most often using in the foreseeable future. My account with the One World airline has some decent miles, nearly enough for a flight within North America, and took me ages to accumulate. The one with the Star Alliance airline has hardly any. I think I could call customer service of "my" airlines and get them to book me on the CO or AA flights I want and thus get more points, but that seems like a hassle, and is likely to be more expensive.
And, to open the thread to a wider discussion, what are your clever tricks for getting value from your frequent flyer memberships?
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Wet Blanket will find success. The spreadsheet is the way...
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wet_blanket
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« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2011, 04:23:41 PM » |
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Oops. I meant to put this in the travel part of the forum. Sorry!
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« Last Edit: December 14, 2011, 04:24:32 PM by wet_blanket »
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Wet Blanket will find success. The spreadsheet is the way...
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anon99
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« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2011, 09:08:36 PM » |
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I'll post my answer here, since I didn't see another post in travel.
I have miles with a Star Alliance member. The accounts are free, so why not get another account with AA or Continental? Use the one that will give you the most points. Check the fine print to see if the mile expire, how you earn miles and what you can use them for. The carrier I have my airmiles with now has expiration dates on the miles (6 years?). Not a big deal as I can use them to buy other things (including gift certificates).
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crowie
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« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2011, 09:44:35 PM » |
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Yes there is no harm in joining the programs of AA and UA/Continental if you will be most often flying them in the future. I would suggest joining United Mileage Plus rather than Continental as they just merged and I think Mileage Plus is going to be the default program going into the future.
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wet_blanket
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« Reply #4 on: December 15, 2011, 02:44:07 PM » |
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My Singapore Airlines miles are pretty low so starting from scratch with United/Continental is fine. But I have a decent number of Qantas miles, just short of being able to redeem them for something. Part of me feels like I'd be wasting these if I started a new AA account. I guess I need to crunch the numbers and figure out what fraction of mileage I get counting AA flights for Qantas miles.
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Wet Blanket will find success. The spreadsheet is the way...
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crowie
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« Reply #5 on: December 15, 2011, 03:31:51 PM » |
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You could always open an AA account and then only start using it on AA flights once you've gotten to your target # of Qantas miles.
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bacardiandlime
Ninja
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,257
That makes me more gangster than you
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« Reply #6 on: December 22, 2011, 02:48:00 AM » |
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Qantas miles don't expire as long as you do something on the account every three years (and earning miles doing something like changing money at Travelex counts as activity). Unlike Lufthansa, who just deletes miles over a certain age!!
So you can just keep the Qantas account to one side for now, and maybe in a couple of years you'll be in a situation to redeem the miles. Meanwhile, have an account with AA since you're using them most.
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YOU ARE NASTY
Go jump in lake!
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fiona
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« Reply #7 on: December 22, 2011, 03:13:44 AM » |
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You can usually trade airline miles for other things, such as kitchen appliances.
I just bought an immersion blender with a pile of Delta miles I'll never use.
I will now have excellent pureed soups for the winter and not have to fly anywhere.
The Fiona
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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madhatter
We proudly present the fora's Least
Member-Moderator
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 5,674
Just killing time
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« Reply #8 on: December 22, 2011, 10:02:26 AM » |
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You can usually trade airline miles for other things, such as kitchen appliances.
I just bought an immersion blender with a pile of Delta miles I'll never use.
I will now have excellent pureed soups for the winter and not have to fly anywhere.
That's good, because it's a hassle to get the soup into those 3.1 ounce containers. |
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"I may be an evil scientist, but it doesn't take a degree purchased from the Internet with your ex-wife's money to know how special and important you are to me." -- Dr. Doofenschmirtz
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fiona
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« Reply #9 on: December 23, 2011, 02:54:55 PM » |
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You can usually trade airline miles for other things, such as kitchen appliances.
I just bought an immersion blender with a pile of Delta miles I'll never use.
I will now have excellent pureed soups for the winter and not have to fly anywhere.
That's good, because it's a hassle to get the soup into those 3.1 ounce containers.
[/b] Soup is much better if you skip the containers and just carry it in your bare hands, like porridge. The Fiona |
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The Fiona or perhaps La Fiona
Professor of Thread Killing, Fiork University
The Right Reverend Fiona, PhD, Bishop of the Fora
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