‘Welcome to US Airways – the new American and a proud member of the Star Alliance network’

‘Welcome to US Airways – the new American and a proud member of the Star Alliance network’

We are in ‘limbo-land’. Until March, when US Airways officially exits in the Star Alliance, this is the interesting greeting one gets to hear (or at least I got to hear) on US Airways flights, now a part of American Airlines. The merger has happened, but the transition of US Airways from Star Alliance to OneWorld is yet to complete (expected in March). So, till then, we have some wonderful opportunities as far as miles are concerned. It is a unique opportunity to maximize some miles:

• Miles earned using a US Airways Dividend Miles number will get merged with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, so every mile you earn using your US Airways program is really an American Airlines mile
• US Airways flights are counting towards American Airlines Elite qualification
• You can earn American Airlines miles on any Star Alliance member airlines! All you have to do is use your US Airways Dividend Miles # and the miles earned will become American Airlines miles. So, fly Lufthansa or Singapore Airlines, earn American miles!
• American Airlines and US Airways both are offering 1.5 times the miles if you fly the metal of one airline and use the others mileage program to earn miles
• If you do not have both credit cards, now is the time to get them. The miles will all add up! I had a US Airways card from before. I got an American Airlines card at the end of last year

Here are some links to the latest credit card offers:

The US Airways Premier World MasterCard® – current offer: 30,000 miles after first purchase. 10,000 additional miles when you transfer a balance within 90 days (use this with extreme caution). Annual Companion certificate. One US Airways Club pass for free every year. (Disclosure: This is an affiliate link. Unroadwarrior will get a referral bonus if you get approved via this link)

American Airlines AAdvantage card – (Via The Points Guy) 100,000 mile offer. See the Points Guy post for more details. Note: This card has a $450 annual fee! (This is not an affiliate link of UnRoadWarrior. See The Points Guy post for his disclaimers).

Opportunities to double up on miles comes rarely. With all the consolidation that has already happened in the US market, this may be the last merger of two major US based airlines we see in our generation. Maximize the benefits in the limited time we have left by using these opportunities to cross-earn miles and get both the credit cards.

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Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program.