Bank Accounts are to bankrate.com as Frequent Flyer Miles are to X? Solve for X.

August 12, 2009 7:33 AM

Is there a frequent flyer program comparison website?

I've seen the forums that previous posts have linked to, but I'm curious. Bankrate.com compares banks and helps me find the best interest rates, etc. Is there a similar site that will aggregate data about frequent flyer programs? I'm traveling this fall and am not constrained by any airline or prior miles programs. As such, I would like to establish a relationship that will benefit me most. Is there a one-stop reference for this info, or will I have to plow through outdated websites and anecdotal forums?

posted by jefficator to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Flyertalk.com has lots of great information about programmes. They are hard to compare because it depends so much on where you fly, when, etc. You are best off choosing the programme of the hub closest to you. I have a friend who is in American but lives near Denver, a United hub. Not so useful.

I am a member of Qantas, United, JAL, Lufthansa, ANA, Singapore programmes. Generally, I only use Qantas and United to get coverage of the Star and OneWorld alliances.
posted by wingless_angel at 7:55 AM on August 12 [1 favorite has favorites]

I agree that the most important feature is who has the best flights and prices for flights from your local area. That leaves most people with one good option. If you have more than one you can do your own comparison better than a review site for most things. How important are different things to you? For instance some plans never let miles expire and for people who are saving them up for a big vacation that can be useful. Other people burn them up rapidly and that feature is of little benefit. The one thing that is hard to gauge is how difficult it is to use your miles and for that flyertalk.com is pretty decent.
posted by caddis at 8:41 AM on August 12

I think you're stuck with anecdotal forums. There are just too many variables -- where can you earn the most BIS (butt in seat) miles, combined with your desire or ability to combine BIS miles with credit card sign-up and spend bonuses, etc, not to mention what your ultimate redemption or elite qualification possibilities and goals are.

So, for instance, if your home city is served primarily by United, you might want to register for Air Canada or even another Star Alliance partner and credit miles flown there -- if you care more about "avoiding" United's StarNet blocking and less-than-favorable award chart than earning elite status on United (which is a big deal if you are flying United a lot). OTOH, if you're never going to aggregate enough miles on that Star Alliance Partner for premium international travel (which is usually the point), then you'd definitely want to stick with United in the example above.

Also, on most airlines I am familiar with, elite status qualification is based on calendar years. Starting heavy travel in the fall puts you at a slight disadvantage. Some airlines (AA) offer "challenges" that will fast-track you to elite status, if you are doing a LOT of flying in a short period of time.

How much are you actually flying? Are we talking the start of regular trans-oceanic commuting here, or just one or two flights? The answer there will make a HUGE difference.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 9:38 AM on August 12

If you google for various combinations of the keywords "best", "travel", "air", "loyalty", "rewards", "program", you will certainly find all the information you need. The Starwood reward programs seem to be all-round favourites.

More specifically, Upgrade, Travel Better is a great blog devoted to this subject. If you read through the archives of this and Flyertalk that others have mentioned, and follow them both closely between now and when you start travelling, you will be very well educated about loyalty programs.

The general rule of thumb, though is this:

- if you're travelling on your own dime, join every no-fee loyalty program under the sun, but just book the cheapest flights you can find regardless of the carrier. You'll save more in the long-run than the value of any "free" flights you earn through miles.

- if your travel is covered (e.g. by your employer), then keep in mind that you need to fly a LOT to reap the rewards. I.e. averaging at least a couple of short-haul flights per month over an entire year, or a few transcontinental flights throughout the year. And you need to be a little bit sneaky when you book flights, as employers generally frown on paying more to stick with one airline just so that you can earn miles.

The good news though is that, with the airline industry in the tank, there are more rewards incentives being offered now than ever. Double-this, triple-that, often all EQM (elite qualifying miles).
posted by randomstriker at 10:40 AM on August 12