AA Platinum - please explain

[aus_flyer]

I have bookings with Qantas which will earn me around 2000 status credits over the next couple of months. My anniversary is after this.

Am I better earning the points with Qantas or AA?

Obviously I would qualify for Platinum with Qantas - and no doubt AA?

I know pretty much everything about the benefits of QF platinum, but know nothing about AA.

My main objectives with points are business class international and domestic travel (either fully purchased with points or used to upgrade). The ability to access Qantas lounges at any time is also a plus.

No doubt I can't use points to upgrade Qantas flights if I am with AA, so how do points compare for award bookings?

Cheers.

 

[NM]

AA Platinum is the OneWorld equivalent of QF Gold status (OneWorld Sapphire). So it only gets you into business class lounges, not first class lounges etc. And AA Plat members do not get access to AA lounges when on AA domestic flights unless on a direct connection to/from an international flight.

AA Platinum will help in getting upgrades on AA domestic and international flights, but will not help in getting upgrades on QF flights. So if you are looking for upgrades on flights like SYD-LAX, then you will need QF status and points. Even using the AA codeshare flight number you cannot upgrade SYD-LAX with AA miles.

Travel equating to 2000 QF Status Credits will most likely not be enough to reach AA Exec Platinum, which is the equiv of QF Platinum.

AA Platinum earns 100% bonus miles, similar to QF Platinum. So the points earn rate is similar, and the burn rate is superior on AA - meaning you get more award travel for the same miles/points with AA than with Qantas.

 

[Alan in CBR]

My basic principle with FF programmes boils down to two guidelines:
1. Go with the one which will give you highest status
2. If 1. yields two or more programmes and one is the "home" programme, go with that one.

In other words, if your travel could get you top tier with either AA or QF, go with QF (assuming you are based in Australia of course!).

Main reasons are:
- more likely to get favours from the home airline (e.g. QF Plats are higher in the upgrade list on QF than other OW Emeralds)
- ability to upgrade with points (SYD-LAX, SYD-LHR etc.)
- points and status are still useful if AA goes broke or if OW alliance collapses, etc.
- access to extra fare buckets for redemptions on QF.

QF redemptions tend to cost more points than AA redemptions, but I still feel that this is offset by the other considerations above.

Having said that, I use AAdvantage virtually exclusively now. But that's because my travel pattern generally would only get me Silver with QF ( OW Ruby), but Platinum with AA (OW Sapphire). (This year I may have made QF Gold (OW Sapphire), but then again I may also make AA Executive Platinum (OW Emerald).)

So I guess what I am saying is that if I could get 2000 SCs from my flying, I would choose QF.

 

[QF WP]

What they both said.

I have used AA Platinum for my wife who was going to lose her QF Partner Gold, which got her individual lounge access (after going back to QF Silver) and is now very handy for our holiday plans in USA/Jamaica/Canada (for upgrades on AA flights).

I agree with Alan in CBR- as the majority of my flights are on QF (and now domestic), the home country FF program still wins. I'd probably be AA ExPlat, but I really love upgrading Y to J on long haul flights, particularly International - something I wouldn't be able to do on QF flight using an AA program (unless I secured U award seats using full points). If AA flew to Australia, then that'd be a whole new ballgame to review the better program.