Which FFP for me? Master Discussion

[jhm]

Do you think this work on UA?
Okay for example I don't get 100K by Dec 2007. My card is still valid until Feb 2008. If I qualify as 1K by 28 Feb 2008, my new card will still be up to Feb 2009, not Feb 2010. Am I completely wrong?

I think you're the last person who needs to think about flying X miles every 2 or 3 years to maintain status! X miles every 2 or 3 months perhaps but not years...

Whilst I know nothing about UA MP, in your example above, if you qualify as 1K by 28 Feb 2008 won't that mean you get 1K status for the remainder of 2008 and the whole of 2009 ? In other words, your card would be valid until Feb 2010 ?

To take another example, if I get 1K status in November 2008, surely that means I'm 1K for the rest of 2008 and the whole of 2009 ?

[CGK]

To take another example, if I get 1K status in November 2008, surely that means I'm 1K for the rest of 2008 and the whole of 2009 ?

I think the answer is yes.
I am thinking about my SkyTeam status.

[jhm]

Never knew BAEC operates like that.

I could be wrong but to take an example:

I'm silver.
My BAEC membership year ends 8 May 2008.
My card is valid until 30 June 2008.

If I don't get enough TP by 8 May 2008, I drop down to blue (and my TP balance gets wiped to zero) even though my card still gives me silver benefits until 30 June. Even if I get 1500 TP during June (enough for UK silver to UK gold), that won't bring me to gold as I'm starting from blue and not silver.

[KeithMEL]

I could be wrong but to take an example:

I'm silver.
My BAEC membership year ends 8 May 2008.
My card is valid until 30 June 2008.

If I don't get enough TP by 8 May 2008, I drop down to blue (and my TP balance gets wiped to zero) even though my card still gives me silver benefits until 30 June. Even if I get 1500 TP during June (enough for UK silver to UK gold), that won't bring me to gold as I'm starting from blue and not silver.

Oh.... gotcha now.

AAdvantage status (as in not just the card) does have the 2 month grace thankfully.

So does that mean that if you book a flight in that 2 month period after ** status lapses, the lapsed BA status won't show up in the manifest or your BP even though ** card is still valid? And yikes - u get the hard drop for BA status...

[jhm]

So does that mean that if you book a flight in that 2 month period after ** status lapses, the lapsed BA status won't show up in the manifest or your BP even though ** card is still valid?

Yes, I think that's right. It also means that (to take my example above) you get no tier bonus on your flight rather than the 25% silver tier bonus. Your card still being valid just means that you can access lounges and (presumably) J check-in.

[alex0683de]

Please thank alex0683de on our behalf, jhm. That was a very helpful reply. Certainly for me, in case BD is swallowed by the LH juggernaut.

And he's welcome to join SQT, just in case our discussions can repay his kindness.

Well thank you, I've just gone ahead and done just that.

I thought I would weigh in on the discussion with a few other comments.

Most FFPs work with grace periods (as does LH M&M), and these are key to the whole scheme, depending on how you go about requalifying. Certainly, if you book an FRTWSTAR2, the Exec Bonus does not matter. However, if you book a CRTWSTAR3, you definitely need the extra status miles the bonus provides in order to make it (yes, Exec Bonus miles count for status).

Of course, BA is the exception to the rule, but they've always been rather harsh on their members.

One other thing - if maintaining *G is your main objective, you can also maintain UA *G by requalifying once every three years. If you qualify for UA 1K, you get the year during which you qualify, the year after that, plus a year of 1P status (because UA has a soft landing for elites; LH does as well, by the way). If you then requalify for 1K in the two month grace period, you'll have uninterrupted UA*G status. However, this method is far difficult, because of the lower CoS bonii UA offers. Unless you're flying Y, earning 1K requires a lot more flying than earning SEN.

[KeithMEL]

Welcome to SQTalk, alex0683de!

I didn't get soft landed to UA 2P when I lost 1P - got bumped down to GM right away. Maybe because the 1P status was matched?

[CGK]

Welcome alex0683de!
Thanks for the help here!
Hope we can meet up soon.
I may use your explanation here for my NW Gold which will expire February 2008.

[alex0683de]

Welcome to SQTalk, alex0683de!

I didn't get soft landed to UA 2P when I lost 1P - got bumped down to GM right away. Maybe because the 1P status was matched?

I think the rule is that you need to credit one flight that earns you EQMs. But I'm not an expert on UA in any case.

Welcome alex0683de!
Thanks for the help here!
Hope we can meet up soon.
I may use your explanation here for my NW Gold which will expire February 2008.

No worries - anytime! As for meeting up, I (and some other Switzerland-based FTers) are organising a little get-together you're more than welcome to attend if you can: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643877

Don't forget - SIN-ZRH is a 77W route...

NorthWorst?!?!? I hope you'll manage to requalify that without actually having to fly NW...

[KeithMEL]

I think the rule is that you need to credit one flight that earns you EQMs. But I'm not an expert on UA in any case.

Most of my flights went towards building up for SEN.

Some of my SQ flights were credited to my UA account because I wanted to build up for a South Pacific/South Pacific award. As far as actual UA meta goes I think only 1 or 2 domestic UA flights went towards my UA account when I inserted the UA number in to get priority standby and I forgot to ask the GA to change my number around when I got my seat, but other than that - zip.

[CGK]

No worries - anytime! As for meeting up, I (and some other Switzerland-based FTers) are organising a little get-together you're more than welcome to attend if you can: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=643877

Don't forget - SIN-ZRH is a 77W route...

NorthWorst?!?!? I hope you'll manage to requalify that without actually having to fly NW...

I am too shy in a very large group.
And, so far my international flights were fine on NW in C, as long as I am not paying fullfares.

[SQflyergirl]

jjpb3, I'll pass on your message.

Doing a CR3 (say) every 3 years to get continuous SEN *G status and crediting my miles at other times to another FFP is certainly worth considering...

In the good old days of M&M when everything counted for the exec bonus, I went from paper cut out card to SEN in 12 days on a CRWSTAR2 - comfortably.

I can confirm Alex's info - because I did it all in the month of January 2002 (didn't know about this 3 year thing at the time, it was purely accidental) - which going by alex's info - as a new qualification, I got SEN for all of 2002, 2003 and 2004, expiry Feb 2005.

[CGK]

I didn't get soft landed to UA 2P when I lost 1P - got bumped down to GM right away. Maybe because the 1P status was matched?

Just for clarification, 'soft landing' was an exception on UA MP. It doesn't mean that everyone will get 'soft landing.'
I know for a fact that some of my friends and family did not fly enough. Thus, they dropped from 1K, or 1P, or even 2P, to just GM.

[KeithMEL]

Just for clarification, 'soft landing' was an exception on UA MP. It doesn't mean that everyone will get 'soft landing.'
I know for a fact that some of my friends and family did not fly enough. Thus, they dropped from 1K, or 1P, or even 2P, to just GM.

Ahh, thanks for clarifying.

[jjpb3]

Welcome to SQTalk, alex0683de. Thanks for helping out.