Newbie help! Which Program to join by Sun 1 Apr?

[ziggy]

I'm flying QF1 SYD-LHR-GVA on Sunday 1 April. LHR-GVA on BA734
Then CDG-MAN on 11 April on BA 4852
returning LHR-SYD on QF32 15 Apri

This ticket is Qantas K class as far as I can see.

I am a lowly bronze QF FF. with nearly 700K FF points. Can't find a trip for the me, the wife and 2 kids that suits our schedules in the past.

I wish I'd discovered this site before I just transfered 350,000 Amex points to Qantas FF.

Anyway... This trip is currently tied to my Qantas FF

Can/should I join AmericanAirlines Advantage and link this trip to it instead? Is this trip enough for a AA Challenge? I'll be doing 2 trips to Europe and maybe one either RTW/USA/China per year for work (Discount economy).

If it is enough for a challenge is it worth going for the Challenge with this travel profile?


Normally I'd look through all the great info here, but I fly out on Sunday.

Thanks in Advance

 

[serfty]

G'day ziggy, welcome to AFF.

From the start of this year, only flight segments with AA flight numbers count for the Platinum Challenge.

 

[Dave Noble]

Although this trip is no good for a challenge, I would still join AAdvantage and credit to AA since K class is a 100% mileage earning fare and the award values in AA are so much better than QF ( in all bar a few cases )

a r/t SYD-LHR will earn 21,000 miles ( approx) which is enough for a r/t from anywhere in Australia/NZ to anywhere else in Australia or NZ and no fuel fines to pay whilst 20,000 QF points has a lot less value ( e.g. 18,000 qantas points would be enough for a one-way from SYD-AKL and the fuel surcharge would apply )

Although you cannot challenge, 2 trips a year to Europe in K class will earn > 42000 qualifying miles on its own , leaving <8,000 miles to be earned from domestic Australia travel or travel as part of an ATW ticket to attain AA Platinum Status the hard way.

Compare that with QF , where SYD-BKK-LHR would earn just 70 Status Credits , so 2 trips would give 280SCs which would not even be enough for Qantas Silver status and still leave you 420SCs short of attaining gold

Dave

 

[ziggy]

Thanks Serfty and Dave

Serfty: I missed the AA only reference in the 2007 rules. Does that mean that I can't challenge at some future time after joining AA?

Dave: Thanks for explanation and hint. I've updated my booking with my AA details.

 

[Dave Noble]

Thanks Serfty and Dave

Serfty: I missed the AA only reference in the 2007 rules. Does that mean that I can't challenge at some future time after joining AA?

Dave: Thanks for explanation and hint. I've updated my booking with my AA details.

Looking at your listed travel plans it would seem that you should reach Platinum the hard way anyways; if you do not, or in the future you do drop, you can do a challenge later; the only issue is that only flights on AA flight numbers count towards the challenge since the 1st January this year

Dave

 

[serfty]

... I missed the AA only reference in the 2007 rules. Does that mean that I can't challenge at some future time after joining AA? ...

As referenced by Dave Noble, you can do a challenge after joining.

Two main issues are:

1. Only travel with AA flight number now count towards challenges &
2. You can't do challenges more than once every two years (iirc).

One thing to remember is that Successful challenged started after June 16th every give status lasting a year longer than those starting before this date.

More here in Dave Noble's excellent thread AA Platinum Challenge and mileage earning/burning 2007

 

[ziggy]

Thanks for the advice gang...

I'm sitting in my hotel at Geneva eating a cold club sandwich at 23:52 and just checked my AA and QF points.

Despite changing my boarding passes to show the AAdvantage number my SYD-LHR flight has been credited to QFF.

So I'll have some sorting out to do when I get to LHR for the return leg next week.

Oh well.

 

[Dave Noble]

So I'll have some sorting out to do when I get to LHR for the return leg next week.

Oh well.

That's why I always advise against having 2 numbers in a booking. It can be a pain to fix. Before you fly back, phone QF and get the QF number completely removed from the booking and hopefully you'll be ok

Dave

 

[simongr]

I made the same mistake recently. I had to use my QFF number to get a seat allocation and had one flight posted to QFF - quite annoying but I should have checked it myself properly before boarding.

 

[ziggy]

That's why I always advise against having 2 numbers in a booking. It can be a pain to fix. Before you fly back, phone QF and get the QF number completely removed from the booking and hopefully you'll be ok

Dave

I just got off the phone with QFF support centre. They quickly reversed the allocation of points to Qantas. I now have to claim the miles on AA.

Regarding bookings with two numbers: if one of them is QF and it is a QF operated flight, their system automatically grabs the miles to QF. So I reiterate Dave's point of NEVER having 2 numbers on a booking.

However it was because my AA number was on the booking that they could return the points easily. Until they found that, they were trying to tell me it was irreversable.

Regards

Ziggy