Points masters: I'm booking an international flight. Do I book my preferred airline (Delta) or a partner and take the flight with a layover, or should I book a direct flight and forego points?

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I'd probably do the direct flight. Vacation (and life) is too short to be messing with layovers when you don't have to.

However consider:
Is the direct flight cheaper?
What is the approximate value of the points you would earn?
How long is the layover/how much of an inconvenience to your schedule?
Is the layover in a place you can buy an amazing local product or leave the airport to explore the city a little?
Is the direct flight on an airline you could start racking up points (even if it's at a slower rate than Delta)

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Fly Delta, no brainer!

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Whatever is available with lowest points with the acceptable time. Some layover flights may be very less points but they take thrice the time the nonstop would take

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SD1 Surprisingly, not true. Partners earn MQD for Delta based on the fare class and a multiplier against the distance. For long but cheap flights, partners tend to come out ahead. Short/expensive flights definitely favor booking through Delta

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Quantify everything else. Flying your airline can also mean comfort+ level seating, checked bags, etc. plus earning MQMs. I tend to choose UA/*A even if it has an additional leg as long as the overall time doesn’t drastically increase. But tbf, I’m usually looking at point redemptions when it comes to international travel

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Could also do a quick check to see if you think these points will be needed to push you to the next level. If not, then there is less reason to sacrifice your comfort for points

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My occasional international travel is what gets me great status (EXP) to enjoy all year long (more upgrades, early boarding, plenty of points for personal travel, etc.). So, I tend to fly with my preferred alliance when flying internationally.

OP, booking travel for international business and I was looking at the same thing. Miles accrued through partner airlines were way less for me as compared to UA (think 3x), yet the comfort of possibly getting one full Sunday at the destination is tempting.

How much longer is the travel with a layover? That’s a highly relevant question

to me, it depends if you need the points for status. if you do, then do that. if not, it depends how many points you are missing out on. anything under 25k would be a no for me, 25-50k i would have to think about how long the layover is and what it means for the rest of my day (how much later do i get in, did i want to spend some of that time in my destination, etc). 50k+ is worth it imo.

Depends... will the international flight also help you reach status and level up = yes. What’s your current status?

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