OT: Which frequent flyer program to bank Aer Lingus flight

[lojo]

I've just spent the last hour and a half trawling through endless websites trying to find some information that will help me decide which Frequent Flyer programme would be the best place to bank my upcoming flight from Dublin to Orlando. I joined the Gold Circle club but it seems that it's a waste of time. I already have miles banked in Delta Skymiles, but Aer Lingus doesn't have any affiliation with them or any of the airlines in their Alliance. I'm thinking either United's MileagePlus or BA?

Anyone have any words of wisdom or experience that would assist?

Mods: sorry if this is the wrong forum to post in, but it's the one most likely to have people who may have used Aer Lingus and could have some insight.

 

[ABZDisneyFan]

Unless you fly a lot with Aer Lingus then you are correct in your view that the Gold Circle Club is not great.
I've been a member of BA's Executive Club for years mainly because I used to fly a lot on business with them.
I started collecting air miles (Now Avios) with them again a couple of years ago & when we flew with Aer Lingus to New York we banked the miles with BA, we flew business class & got a stack of miles for the trip.
I see that you are based in Ireland so not sure if the earning potential is the same as in the UK but we can convert Tesco points to Avios via the money off vouchers that they send you every few months, the conversion rate is brilliant £2.50 of vouchers get's you 600 Avios, they also run offers where you get more than 600 for each £2.50.
I guess it comes down to how much Avios you want to collect & whether or not they are of more value to you than the money off vouchers.
We also have American Express Cards which allows us to collect Avios for every pound spent on the cards.
We tend to use our Avios to upgrade BA flights, i.e from Economy to business within Europe, & World Traveller Plus to Club World or Club World to First on long haul flights.
Hope this helps & if you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me.

 

[Paddyshack]

I've just spent the last hour and a half trawling through endless websites trying to find some information that will help me decide which Frequent Flyer programme would be the best place to bank my upcoming flight from Dublin to Orlando. I joined the Gold Circle club but it seems that it's a waste of time. I already have miles banked in Delta Skymiles, but Aer Lingus doesn't have any affiliation with them or any of the airlines in their Alliance. I'm thinking either United's MileagePlus or BA?

Anyone have any words of wisdom or experience that would assist?

Mods: sorry if this is the wrong forum to post in, but it's the one most likely to have people who may have used Aer Lingus and could have some insight.

ABZ DF is right you have very limited opportunity to use Aer Lingus points outside of the GC club. When you use on-line check-in you will be given a few options in a drop down box. This definitely includes BA exec club and I think Quantas and maybe United and Cathay. I only ever use GC or BA. If you use BA depending on the booking class you may or may not get tier points and Avios but on an economy fare it is often not a very good return. The lack of integration of the gold circle club with one of the major alliances is a major frustration with EI frequent flyers.

 

[lojo]

Sorry I didn't come back sooner to thank you for your help - I've been sick and feeling mighty sorry for myself.

Have signed up with BA as there are a lot more opportunities to earn points. I'm quite disappointed with Aer Lingus really, as I want to give my loyalty to a local airline and I do enjoy flying with them, but the shortage of alliance partners is quite limiting.

Thanks again,