Which programs to credit for this RTW itin?

[albatross710]

Starting my legwork on this already booked and paid 2023 RTW itinerary purchased from LH.

I am currently QFF Gold and the first two legs make sense to go to QFF as that will requal me for the following membership year.

My goal would be to achieve Star Alliance Gold status with miles credit that Mrs Albatross & I can use for future travel in Aust or Asia.

						Program QFF		Program B		Program C
Origin	Dest	Ticketed By	Airline	Class	Miles	SC	Miles/Points	SC	Miles/Points	SC	Miles/Points
BNE	SYD	LH	QF	D	467	40	1,400
SYD	ICN	LH	QF	D	5,164	120	7,800
ICN	FRA	LH	LH	D	5,322
FRA	MAN	LH	LH	D	519
MLA	FRA	LH	LH	D	1,023
FRA	JFK	LH	LH	D	3,856
EWR	SFO	LH	UA	D	2,565
SFO	BNE	LH	UA	D	7,063

Any tips on which airline programs I should investigate?

Are there any obvious programs that I should be crediting with this itin?

Agean is a possibility as we could use them for some intra-EU flights

Any easy tools for comparing programs?

Thank you in advance.

 

[SYD]

Probably not LH!

Lufthansa Miles&More Unveils Substantial Program Changes, Valid Effective January 1, 2024

New Lufthansa Miles&More changes - red and weep!

loyaltylobby.com

Here‘s @Mattg ’s recent article relating to earning A*G (that doesn’t necessarily follow would be the best for redeeming points)

The Best Frequent Flyer Programs for Earning Star Alliance Gold Status

This guide explains why Aegean Miles+Bonus and Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles are the best loyalty programs to earn Star Alliance Gold status.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Broader thoughts on *A for Oz travellers

The Ultimate Guide to the Star Alliance

This guide explores the Star Alliance and its 26 member airlines. Star Alliance is the largest of the three formal global airline alliances.

www.pointhacks.com.au

First pass Aegean for status? But status with SQ or UA gets VA perks.

SQ for points? (can also SQ->VA). SQ A*G gets you into domestic UA lounges whereas UA Gold doesn’t.

 

[SYD]

Star Alliance Benefits and Best Star Alliance Members

Star Alliance is a collective of partner airlines, including United, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Find out everything you need to know about this dynamic airline confederation.

www.valuepenguin.com

Oh, AC (Aeroplan) is getting positive reviews here also. I think most had written it off as junk (like NZ) but has been enhanced for the better. Including being able to book EK without sacrificing your first born in carrier charges.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I'd put them into SAS EuroBonus, given the earn rate and Gold threshold, but you can assess against these:

Where to Credit | Where to Credit Lufthansa Flights in D Booking Class

Find the best frequent flyer program for Lufthansa flights in booking class D!

www.wheretocredit.com

Which loyalty program will get you Star Alliance status fastest? - The Points Guy

If your goal is to book desirable flights, Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance could be right up your alley. Here's a round-up of airline loyalty programs and pros and cons

thepointsguy.com

Aegean is actually a touch harder than some other programs to earn Star Gold initially unless you're going to fly a few sectors on Aegean, but then easy to retain.

Asiana is the easiest to reach Star Gold on paper BUT in this case the earn rate of Lufthansa D class isn't great.

Turkish could be an option too, but the T&Cs on the Lufthansa page don't clarify if the United flights will earn points when ticketed by LH. I'd assume they should as a Star Alliance partner, but I've heard Turkish can be really difficult to work with.

With SAS you'd be at 40,000 of the 45,000 required... if you can swing 5,000 more by the end of your qualifying year (starts from day you sign up), that might be a good option.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Star Alliance Benefits and Best Star Alliance Members

Star Alliance is a collective of partner airlines, including United, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Find out everything you need to know about this dynamic airline confederation.

www.valuepenguin.com

Oh, AC (Aeroplan) is getting positive reviews here also. I think most had written it off as junk (like NZ) but has been enhanced for the better. Including being able to book EK without sacrificing your first born in carrier charges.

+1 to this.

Key thing to think about with AC (as with a few others, mostly US-based), is that their program is on the calendar year, so depending on when you ideally want to start the clock of your membership year, that might not align. AC's earn rate is also middle of the pack for Lufthansa D.

But agree that it's a relatively easier program to redeem miles than most, and decent value.

 

[SYD]

Aegean is actually a touch harder than some other programs to earn Star Gold initially unless you're going to fly a few sectors on Aegean, but then easy to retain.

@albatross710 mentioned in the OP about possibly flying A3 intra Europe (I assume during the RTW on seperate tix). So xx_-ATH-YYY (ret) etc ticks off the four sectors and lowers the A*G bar considerably (and half for following years to retain).

 

[albatross710]

@albatross710 mentioned in the OP about possibly flying A3 intra Europe (I assume during the RTW on seperate tix). So xx_-ATH-YYY (ret) etc ticks off the four sectors and lowers the A*G bar considerably (and half for following years to retain).

Yep, that's why I was thinking taking A3 on some internal legs would reduce this barrier. A3 website earning calculator wasn't immediately helpful on working out the threshold. Will try harder if I know I'm on the right track.

I'd put them into SAS EuroBonus, given the earn rate and Gold threshold, but you can assess against these:

Where to Credit | Where to Credit Lufthansa Flights in D Booking Class

Find the best frequent flyer program for Lufthansa flights in booking class D!

www.wheretocredit.com

This article looks like a direct hit for what I need. Thank you.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Starting my legwork on this already booked and paid 2023 RTW itinerary purchased from LH.

All native airline flight numbers? No code shares.
Ticketed by not much effect. Unless some revenue based ffp

Where to Credit | Where to Credit Lufthansa Flights in D Booking Class

Find the best frequent flyer program for Lufthansa flights in booking class D!

www.wheretocredit.com

 

[albatross710]

All native airline flight numbers? No code shares.

good clarifying question. All legs are the native flight numbers of the operating carriers.