No Miles? No Points? No Problem. - April 2015 Edition
This is part three of FCF’s five-part series grading mileage programs of the three major alliances, based on how easy they make it for the novice or the person with no or not enough miles to get into the game through mileage-purchase or mileage-transfer opportunities. (You mileage vets will also find this useful.) In short, we’re grading carriers on the ease of getting miles, which FCF calls the Rapid Miles Accumulation Rating.
In January, FCF rated SkyTeam and in February one world airlines. This month Star Alliance is up; next we’ll rate non-Alliance carriers and last will be a recap of the carriers that are best at offering easy mileage access, the A-list.
The grades awarded—A through F, just like in grammar school—are based on the breadth of Mileage Purchase Opportunities an airline offers. There are two criteria:
- The airline’s annual mileage-purchase limit and the price when miles go on sale and
- The number of points that can be purchased annually from the carrier’s credit card transfer partners.
The more ways to purchase miles, either through the airline or credit card partners, and the higher the purchase limit, the better the grade.
And the better the grade, the more opportunities for those who have few or no miles and want to pursue aggressive, low-cost upgrade strategies, which are not possible if you don’t have or can’t get the miles quickly.
Also included in the chart is the Transaction Completion Time, meaning the time between initiating a mileage purchase or transfer and receipt of the miles in your account. This ranges from instantly, which means low or zero risk of losing a seat, to 7+ days.
Why is the Transaction Completion Time a factor?
Because most airlines won’t hold a seat unless the miles are in your account, and that free mileage seat may vanish during the transaction time. While this is a detail to keep in mind, it is not part of the grade, as it is a separate issue from the number of miles you can accumulate easily through credit-card purchases.
The Grades
Air Canada / Aeroplan: B+
It has one tough hurdle for buying miles direct: You have to have 50% of the miles needed for a ticket in your account— and then you can only buy the miles needed for the ticket. On the upside, Air Canada is an Amex Rewards transfer partner (500,000-point annual buying limit) and a Starwood partner (20,000-point purchase limit, but a 25% bonus when 20,000 miles are transferred).
All Nippon Airways / ANA Mileage Club: B
Does not sell miles, but has two credit-card transfer partners, Amex Rewards and Starwood, so the point purchase opportunities are good.
Asiana Airlines / Asiana Club: D-
Does not sell miles and has only one transfer partner, Starwood.
Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Lot, Lufthansa, and SWISS / Miles & More: D-
None of these airlines sell miles (all part of the same mileage program), and they only have Starwood as a partner.
Avianca / Life Miles: B-
High purchase limit (150,000 miles) and as low as 1.65¢ when on sale. Plus it has a second option for buying miles which is offered when booking an award through the “buy-down miles for more money” choice, which is another way to purchase another 150,000+ miles, for as low as 1.4¢. Learn how to work the Aviaca opportunities.
EVA Air / Infinity Mileage Lands: C-
Does not sell miles and has only one transfer partner, Citi Thank You (100,000-point annual buying limit).
Singapore Airlines / Kris Flyer: A-
To buy miles you have to have 50% of the miles needed for a ticket in your account—and then you can only buy the miles needed for the ticket. On the upside, SQ has four credit-card transfer partners, three of which sell points: Amex Rewards, Citi Thank You, Star wood, and Chase Ultimate Rewards.
THAI Airways / Royal Orchid Plus: C
Purchase limit of 30,000 miles per award. Two transfer partners, Citi Thank You and Star wood.
United Airlines / Mileage Plus: C+
High purchase limit (150,000 miles) and as low as 2.2¢ when on sale. But only one transfer partner, Chase, which does not sell points.
Star Alliance Rapid Miles Accumulation Ratings
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