Which FF Program next.

[Jada]

Can anybody please let me know your advice on which is the next best FF program to use next.

This year achieved QF WP, Virgin WP plus 1,000 extra SC to give another WP away and still have a couple of months to run before my QF and Virgin year starts again and thought I could squeeze another one in.

I fly heavily around Aus weekly (preference QF then Virgin), once a month to the east coast of the U.S.

If I pick up a Star Alliance WP I think I would be well covered? I have enjoyed the service on the 777 in F that Air New Zealand run from Melbourne - Auckland - LA, but wonder if they have the best program in Star Alliance.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dajop]

Do you want it just for the status or do you want to make reasonable use of the points earns as well? If the points are of little consequence Airpoints may work for status, could get you star gold with a single return to US (other programs will take more). Otherwise it is almost certainly the worst program in star alliance.

Also no such thing as star alliance WP. Highest alliance wide tier is gold, but most have another higher tier with exclusive benefits just on that airline and its subsidiaries. With a range of different ways of earning highest tier depending on the program.

 

[RooFlyer]

I like your strategy of diversifying your Alliance status - I manage to maintain both QF WP and Star Alliance Gold via Air Canada/Aeroplan and it allows me a much wider choice of flights around the world where lounge access is important.

However I wouldn't recommend Aeroplan; I fly to and around Canada mostly and it pays to have high status with them in particular (as dajop says, each airline has higher tiers than Gold, each with their own perks on the particular airline). For instance, flying 50K qualifying miles on Aeroplan gets you Star Gold, but there are 75K and 100K tiers above that in Air Canada.

If I were you I would try United. Their TPAC service used to be very ordinary, but their 787 in J might be OK. And you obviously then have the UA services to the East Coast. I recently flew EZE-IAH-YYC on United J and it wasn't bad at all. Pretty good earn/burn rates; its the program I would switch to if I dumped Aeroplan (which I'm always tempted to!). Or you could fly ANZ or AC to Nth America and earn on United (but I think they have a number of segments you have to fly with them and maybe the earn rate wouldn't be so great)

Even if United wasn't a long term option, you might get Star Gold on them and use that while you earn on another scheme.

 

[kloepta]

What about Air Alaska? They in them self aren't that useful to people ex C6 but they have an impressive list of partner airlines that you can use the points with.

 

[VAG newbie]

What an envious position to be!

If you want Star alliance status, why don't you simply apply for a status match with Turkish with your QF WP?

 

[smit0847]

NZ Airpoints is one of the worst FF programs in the world. Avoid! You could prob get a statua match with TK to get star gold now, otherwise UA is prob a good all rounder.

 

[Anna]

I would not start looking around for another program until I had got LTG squared away on QF. Presumably there will come a time when you won't be flying this much any more, and it would be good to have earned a lifetime benefit out of it before the flying slows down. YMMV.