Advice re AA vs QFF using CCs and One World question

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Slats

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Advice re AA vs QFF using CCs and One World question

Ok I have been following a few recent posts on the advantages of AA over QFF.

Let me give you my current situation.

Since baby has recently arrived, I have cut back drastically on my travel to the point it is really non-existent.

My QFF balance is 305,000 pts. I add to this annually around 30,000 pts for ANZ Visa Gold and 125,000 pts from my Amex Gold rewards maximiser.

Given I no-longer earning the lion share of pts through flying, is there an advantage to me in joining AA?

My wife and I planning just for now (for the next 3 to 4 years) on accumulating points until we get to a stage of having enough for J class jaunt back to Europe or North America and feel ok about carting young-one with us or make other childcare arrangements.

Should I stay accumulating pts with QFF (primarily through card pts and bonuses and virtually zero Flying), or would I be better off with AA?

Also, I was recently reading an article in a travel magazine, which described a FFs program as "One World." I thought One World was rather the network of airlines that you as a member of a FF program might link into, rather than it being a FF program per se. Or is One World a FF program in its own right?


Thanks
John
 
In my view, the biggest benefits for AA membership are the flying-related benefits that come from quick access to Platinum FF status. If you are not going to get to and maintain AA Platinum status, then there is not a great deal of point to changing.

If not doing much flying now, why not just keep accruing the points in the credit card plans for now and then make the decision on to best use them for your goal reward when the time comes. Things can change a lot in 3 or 4 years.
 
One of the AAdvantage disadvantages is the fee for issuing
tickets. Two one-ways, London to Copenhagen, cost us a total of 20k miles, "tax" was $132.20, and fees $120. I got $124.38 back on cancellation. At least they didn't charge another $120 fee!
 
To answer your One World question, which others seem to have overlooked, I don't believe that there is such a thing as a One World Frequent Flier Programme. The alliance benefits have to be accessed via the programme of one of the member airlines. That's my understanding, but I would invite others to contradict me.
 
To answer your One World question, which others seem to have overlooked, I don't believe that there is such a thing as a One World Frequent Flier Programme. The alliance benefits have to be accessed via the programme of one of the member airlines. That's my understanding, but I would invite others to contradict me.

You are correct. There is not just a single Oneworld FF program. You join the program of your choice, then when you attain sufficient status on that carrier, you get the oneworld benefits as stated on the Oneworld site (and most carriers sites).
 
The other 'issue' with AA if you are not flyign is there is no Aussie credit card that allows a direct transfer to AA miles.
Best transfer I believe is through SPG (Starwood) but the ratio is then quite poor.
 
You forget DC ... where it's 2MR for 1SPG

Amex transfers at 100MR for 33SPG, 20,000SPG for 25,000 AA (60,700 MR-> 25,031 AA)
 
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Yes and as an AA mileage junkie rather than transfer direct to AA I transfer via SPG to get their bonus on transferring to Aadvantage.
So 2 DC points =1 SPG point=1.25 AA miles.
This means on triple points Wednesdays $1 spend gets me 1.875 AA miles.
 
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