information please

[Dave Noble]

Yes you are right that earning and burning FF points are important in a FF program. But what is more important is that all airfares purchased, even the lowest of lowest sale airfares, are eligible for FF points accrual. Now how many FF programs can actually claim that in their resume. I know QFF can!

That is not true of the Qantas FF scheme. It is only fares on Qantas where all fares are currently eligable for mileage earning; on partner carriers, earning may be restricted.

This would seem to be fairly standard across nearly all FF programmes that I have seen

Dave

 

[JohnK]

sure but it takes a heck of a lot of short domestic hops on cheap QF fares to earn enough points to get to europe in business or first class - even 2 round trips a week I am still looking at 2 years

I don't remember mentioning business class or first class trips on FF points to Europe. Economy with all it's aches and pains is enough for me.

 

[JohnK]

That is not true of the Qantas FF scheme. It is only fares on Qantas where all fares are currently eligable for mileage earning; on partner carriers, earning may be restricted.

I may not have been clear with my original statement.

I can purchase any airfare, almost, from Qantas and it is eligible to earn SC's and FF points in it's own FF program. Not many FF programs can claim to have that in their resume.

I know for a fact that

• certain SQ airfares are non mileage earning in SQ KrisFlyer
• certain CX airfares are non mileage earning in CX Asia Miles
• certain NZ airfares are non mileage earning in NZ Airpoints
• certain TG airfares are non mileage earning in TG Royal Orchid Plus

Feel free to add any other airlines to the above list. There are many more, AA, BA, etc. Many airlines not only have non mileage earning airfares but some of the higher airfares have a reduced mileage earning capacity, MH, TG, LH, BA, AA, etc. Some have expiration of miles if you don't use them quickly enough, SQ readily comes to mind.

Many FF programs are fantastic if you travel full economy, business class or first class all the time. They are even better if you decide you will spend $20,000-$30,000 per trip on DONE4's or DONE5's nested with Star Alliance RTW's constantly worrying whether you will make your next connection or not and using airport facilities as your hotel room.

There would not be many, if any, major airlines that do not have restrictions on their own airfares. QF does not! I didn't say QFF program is perfect, did not even say QFF program is even close to the best. It is a simple FF program with hardly any restrictions, FF points that do not expire, if you keep some form of activity every 3 years, and it is great if you do a lot of short haul economy on super discount red e-deals with 1,000 FF points minimum.

As usual YMMV.

 

[NM]

Feel free to add any other airlines to the above list. There are many more, AA, BA, etc.

Which AA fares do not earn AAdvantage miles?
Which UA fares do not earn UA miles?

And I think you will find that most (if not all) FF programs from airlines from the LOTFAP work this way, and that is likely to be the majority of FF programs by many measures (annual miles issued, members, miles balance etc).

And I can't see any CX fares that don't earn in the Asia Miles program. Perhaps there are and I just cannot find them. I am not expert in their program.

Of the other programs that seem to be common for Australians to use, Emirates Skywards provides miles for all paid EK flights, VS Flying Club pays miles for all paid VS flights.

 

[Dave Noble]

There would not be many, if any, major airlines that do not have restrictions on their own airfares. QF does not! I didn't say QFF program is perfect, did not even say QFF program is even close to the best. It is a simple FF program with hardly any restrictions, FF points that do not expire, if you keep some form of activity every 3 years, and it is great if you do a lot of short haul economy on super discount red e-deals with 1,000 FF points minimum.

As usual YMMV.

I would agree with NM, that just about any fare of any US carrier will be valid for miles with that Carrier which is a lot of programmes and a hell of a large percentage of total FF scheme members

FF points do not expire in most schemes that I am aware of for active accounts

1000FF points is the minimum earned for those with mid tier or higher status from the US schemes I am aware of and 500 otherwise.

QF is so far from being the best these days that it is not funny with about the most expensive redemptions around

Dave

 

[Mal]

Which AA fares do not earn AAdvantage miles?

"Tickets between North America and Europe, India, Asia and Latin America booked in O and Transatlantic tickets booked in Q are not eligible for mileage credit."

And I can't see any CX fares that don't earn in the Asia Miles program. Perhaps there are and I just cannot find them. I am not expert in their program.

I believe some deep discount fares aren't eligible. This is sometimes mentioned on the website when looking at el' cheapo fares. (There is a cross in the box which indicates whether a fare is eligible for Asia Miles)


I agree with your other points though, although with most of those programs I am only briefly familiar with them.

Qantas has it's benefits and disadvantages, as has AA and many other schemes. I'm hedging my bets at the moment and crediting to different programs for different things. AA will happen for me eventually, but I am not sure when.

 

[Dave Noble]

"Tickets between North America and Europe, India, Asia and Latin America booked in O and Transatlantic tickets booked in Q are not eligible for mileage credit."

IIRC, AA doesn't actually sell those fares though, but are used for unpublished consolidator fares

Dave

 

[serfty]

CX Marco Polo Club (AKA MPC), while not miles earning per se, is a status thing and I seem to recall that some booking classes on CX flights, let alone other carriers don't 'earn'.

 

[JohnK]

Which AA fares do not earn AAdvantage miles?

I think there are a few that Mal has posted.

And I can't see any CX fares that don't earn in the Asia Miles program. Perhaps there are and I just cannot find them. I am not expert in their program.

Front page on their website. Almost any sale airfare is non points earning.

Of the other programs that seem to be common for Australians to use, Emirates Skywards provides miles for all paid EK flights, VS Flying Club pays miles for all paid VS flights.

I would have thought that SQ Kris Flyer, TG Royal Orchid Plus, NZ Airpoints and MH Enrich would be fairly common for a lot of Australians yet these programs have many non earning airfares and many discounted points earning airfares.

 

[JohnK]

FF points do not expire in most schemes that I am aware of for active accounts

Don't take my word for it. Just look up FT or do a google search.

SQ Kris Flyer is closer to home than most US FF programs and points expire on a rolling 3 years basis. You may be able to extend the life of FF points by about 6-12 months if you pay money.

TG Royal Orchid Plus miles expire at 31 December of the 3rd calendar year after earning (eg miles earned in 2004 expire 31 December 2007).

NZ Airpoints have FF points expiry after 4 years. Airpoints Dollars you earn are available for redemption until the end of the fourth year after the Membership year in which they were earned.

CX Asia Miles points expire after around 3 years.

AC Aeroplan soon to be miles expire after 7 years but you can extend for another 7 years if you pay C$30 +0.01 cent /mile.

LH Miles & More miles for lowly FF members expire after 3 years.

NH ANA Mileage Club for lowly FF members miles expire at 31st December of the 2nd calendar year after earning (eg miles earned in 2004 expire 31 December 2006).

SK Eurobonus miles expire after 5 years.

There are other lesser FF schemes. And there are also many FF schemes, QFF included, where points/miles expire after a certain period of inactivity.

 

[Yada Yada]

For international carriers you have a choice of Virgin Atlantic, Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or Singapore Kris Flyer but your Amex MR points transfer at a ratio of 2:1 into these programs.

I wonder if you can transfer points to MH and then use them to book flights on DJ?

 

[JohnK]

I wonder if you can transfer points to MH and then use them to book flights on DJ?

Now there is one to research although you would lose half the Amex MR points.

 

[Dave Noble]

I think there are a few that Mal has posted.

Though as I also pointed out, these are not sold by AA, but are used for consolidators. In the same vein, QF lists the eligable economy classes as GLMNOQRSVYBHKW , so any economy fare issued outside of that range is not eligable. It happens that QF themselves do not (tend to) offer fares in other economy classes.

iirc, just about all ( if not all) US schemes allow earning on all published fares.

Dave

 

[hvb]

I wonder if you can transfer points to MH and then use them to book flights on DJ?

Yada Yada,

I think you've missed the point a bit Amex MR points can go to Virgin Atlantic at the rate of one to one. From there you can use Virgin's partner SIA thereby virtually getting 1 : 1 for you MR points to SIA. Go back and read this thread again.

HVB

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Don't take my word for it. Just look up FT or do a google search.

SQ Kris Flyer is closer to home than most US FF programs and points expire on a rolling 3 years basis. You may be able to extend the life of FF points by about 6-12 months if you pay money.

TG Royal Orchid Plus miles expire at 31 December of the 3rd calendar year after earning (eg miles earned in 2004 expire 31 December 2007).

NZ Airpoints have FF points expiry after 4 years. Airpoints Dollars you earn are available for redemption until the end of the fourth year after the Membership year in which they were earned.

CX Asia Miles points expire after around 3 years.

AC Aeroplan soon to be miles expire after 7 years but you can extend for another 7 years if you pay C$30 +0.01 cent /mile.

LH Miles & More miles for lowly FF members expire after 3 years.

NH ANA Mileage Club for lowly FF members miles expire at 31st December of the 2nd calendar year after earning (eg miles earned in 2004 expire 31 December 2006).

SK Eurobonus miles expire after 5 years.

There are other lesser FF schemes. And there are also many FF schemes, QFF included, where points/miles expire after a certain period of inactivity.

This isn't quite right. For example NZ elite members points do not expire as long as elite (which could be the case years after any activity). There is a thread I help maintain on FT listing the expiry policies of many FFPs.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I don't remember mentioning business class or first class trips on FF points to Europe. Economy with all it's aches and pains is enough for me.

But I do, and can do better by paying a slightly higher fare and getting both more miles and cheaper awards than QF.

For the awards I use, QFF is virtually useless (unless earning vast quantities of miles cheaply). Almost any other FFP has better earn/burn characteristics. That said, I still value QF status.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Many FF programs are fantastic if you travel full economy, business class or first class all the time. They are even better if you decide you will spend $20,000-$30,000 per trip on DONE4's or DONE5's nested with Star Alliance RTW's constantly worrying whether you will make your next connection or not and using airport facilities as your hotel room.

Who spends that kind of money on a RTW when they can be had for a small fraction of the price?

 

[simongr]

Who spends that kind of money on a RTW when they can be had for a small fraction of the price?

well - I do if you include hotels, food, booze and taxis

 

[JohnK]

iirc, just about all ( if not all) US schemes allow earning on all published fares.

Other than UA or AA, which other US based FF program would any Australian seriously consider joining?

 

[Dave Noble]

Other than UA or AA, which other US based FF program would any Australian seriously consider joining?

What is the relevence of that. You made the assertion that QFF was in a small minority of schemes which allow mileage earning on all fares

Dave