Saw this thread and had to chime in because the whole ecosystem is shifting fast. Honestly feels like the programs that will keep the most value are the ones losing their 1:1 credit card transfers. Fewer transferable points flowing in means fewer people chasing the same awards. Availability never magically increases, so reducing the crowd is about the only way seats get easier to snag.
Programs that keep their best premium cabins for their own members still stand out too. KrisFlyer for SQ metal, Asia Miles for Cathay, Infinity MileageLands for EVA, Korean, Flying Blue in some cases… they’ve all kept at least a slice of exclusivity that outsiders can’t touch.
Also anything that isn’t on seats.aero and still offers partner access the big programs don’t see. If everyone has to hunt manually instead of living off alerts, suddenly the unicorn seats are a lot more reachable.
And then there are the weird little sweet spots no one talks about because they don’t involve North America. Stuff like Delta’s 40k J redemptions around Asia. Lots of gems if you’re willing to wander outside the usual routes.
My personal go to’s:
• Alaska Mileage Plan: Even after losing LATAM and SQ, still insanely solid for US based travelers who actually fly. Starlux, Condor, oneworld partners… still tons of value.
• Aeroplan: Partner issues aside, their flexibility and distance based awards still price pretty reasonably for J almost everywhere.
• Virgin Atlantic: The VS metal pricing is excellent now after their revamp, and flying Upper Class is just fun.
Curious what others are hanging onto as everything keeps shifting.
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