Hi all
I'm a Platinum Qantas FF member for a long time and accumulated and used hundreds of thousands of points over the years. I have also used Mileage Plus a lot in past years but not recently as I try to maintain Platinum status.
My wife and I are relocating to Philadelphia in January (no, I am not looking forward to the winter
) and we will likely be living in the US for at least five years. We expect to travel mostly to Latin America and Europe whilst living in the US with an annual trip home to Sydney. I am trying to determine:
1. Should I continue to align myself with OneWorld and try to fly American Airlines as much as possible? I don't think I can transfer points from Aadvantage to Qantas so is there really any advantage in staying with AA? Will Qantas Platinum membership really do much for me in and around the US and should I pour the same energy into maintaining it now?
2. Which credit card I should obtain? I have Qantas platinum cards with NAB, ANZ and Earth (Westpac) and have used Amex extensively in the past also to help grow my miles. A little research would suggest I could go for the Visa Aadvantage card with Citi, Starwood Preferred Guest with Amex or Visa Mileage Plus card with Chase - can anyone comment on the merits of any of these? Also - any hints on obtaining a card given I have no credit history in the US at all would be appreciated.
Would welcome ANY and all suggestions - I am not sure which way to turn and would greatly appreciate your wisdom!
Phil
I'm a Platinum Qantas FF member for a long time and accumulated and used hundreds of thousands of points over the years. I have also used Mileage Plus a lot in past years but not recently as I try to maintain Platinum status.
My wife and I are relocating to Philadelphia in January (no, I am not looking forward to the winter

1. Should I continue to align myself with OneWorld and try to fly American Airlines as much as possible? I don't think I can transfer points from Aadvantage to Qantas so is there really any advantage in staying with AA? Will Qantas Platinum membership really do much for me in and around the US and should I pour the same energy into maintaining it now?
2. Which credit card I should obtain? I have Qantas platinum cards with NAB, ANZ and Earth (Westpac) and have used Amex extensively in the past also to help grow my miles. A little research would suggest I could go for the Visa Aadvantage card with Citi, Starwood Preferred Guest with Amex or Visa Mileage Plus card with Chase - can anyone comment on the merits of any of these? Also - any hints on obtaining a card given I have no credit history in the US at all would be appreciated.
Would welcome ANY and all suggestions - I am not sure which way to turn and would greatly appreciate your wisdom!
Phil