Status-Limbo Due to Membership Year Disconnect

[jjpb3]

Sigh.

So my PPS membership winds down this month. I've flown enough *A flights, though, to be eligible for EG. I thought this would be enough to keep my lounge access and priority checkin privileges seamless as I transition to BD (a pox on KrisFlyer for their new redemption levels ).

But no. Apparently, the expiration of my PPS membership at the end of the month is needed to trigger the mail that would contain my EG card. That means a few weeks before a *G card arrives in my mailbox. I've let KrisFlyer know about the issue, but despite a promise to send me a fax, I've received no letter confirming my *G status. Those who have travelled in Europe know just how a-r lounge dragons can be about having a *G card before allowing you entry.

Any suggestions, besides keeping my chin up, or just travelling on BA for my intra-Europe travels?

[jhm]

Use a Priority Pass lounge (if you have a card) or get a BD/BA status match (although you'd be using your, I believe, one off opportunity) ?

[jjpb3]

Use a Priority Pass lounge (if you have a card) or get a BD/BA status match (although you'd be using your, I believe, one off opportunity) ?

Yes, PP will save me for lounge access (nice lounge in CPH, for example), but won't do much good for the jungle that is CPH Y checkin.

Unfortunately, I unwisely used my BD status match a while ago.

[Lobster]

You can always print off your account summary from the Internet which should show your status and be updated shortly after the end of the year.

[jjpb3]

Hooray, my limbo ended today!

Finally, my status is lounge-dragon official again, as my KrisFlyer membership pack arrived today.

So here is the summary of the process for a PPS member who downgrades to EG, based on my experience:

1. The elite miles counter reset twice: first when the counter reached 50,000 (back in late December), and then a second time (when my PPS membership lapsed). Loss of elite miles: between 2,000 and 3,000, which were accumulated between the two milestones.

2. The membership pack doesn't get sent out until PPS membership lapses. This means you get that awkward period when you can't back up your *G status with a physical card. Probably less problematic if your travels in this limbo period are on SQ, more problematic if you have the not-so-accommodating lounge dragons in Europe to contend with.

3. You'll get a phone call from KrisFlyer in Singapore after a couple of emails where you ask for a faxed letter certifying your EG status, so that you can use it with the lounge dragons. Nice touch this phone call, but I never did receive that faxed letter.

OT: Is this phone call an unpublished benefit for PPS members? In nearly all my dealings with KrisFlyer when I was a QPP with an issue that needed resolution, I was pleasantly surprised by follow-up phone calls from Singapore when I used the website interface. I don't recall ever getting this kind of attention in my EG days.

[jhm]

1. The elite miles counter reset twice: first when the counter reached 50,000 (back in late December), and then a second time (when my PPS membership lapsed). Loss of elite miles: between 2,000 and 3,000, which were accumulated between the two milestones.

In such circumstances and if someone ends up needing those miles to requalify for KF EG, I wonder if KF will take them into account ? (Similar to the situation where people have been promoted to KF ES and had their counter and membership year start date reset but have been - I understand - received assurances from KF that KF will actually take into account for KF EG whether they accumulate 50,000 miles from their original membership start date.)

[jjpb3]

Not sure about the PPS > EG transition.

The ES > EG transition is possible because of a mechanism (this I learned through some very detailed emails with KF) which works something like the description below*:

One counter keeps track of your original membership year. As an example, let's suppose this begins on Mar 07. Now suppose you reach ES before the 12-month period is over, say, Sep 07. That is, you have 25,000 elite miles on Sep 07. Your elite miles get re-set to 0, and you have until Sep 08 to achieve EG. But the thing is, this re-setting happens with a second counter.

The first counter continues ticking, and remembers the elite miles you accumulated based on your original membership year (Mar 07-Mar 08).

Suppose you now reach 25,000 elite miles between Oct 07 and Feb 08. The first counter still remembers the original membership year, so by its reckoning, you have flown 50,000 elite miles since your original membership year began. You achieve EG on Feb 08. Everything gets wiped clean, and your new membership year re-starts on Feb 08.

Suppose you're at 49,000 miles at Mar 08 (your old expiration date). The second counter knows you have earned 24,000 miles since it got tripped at Sep 07, so you now have to earn 26,000 by Sep 08 (your new expiration date). Meanwhile, the first counter defaults to the contents of the second counter, meaning both counters now show that you have a new membership year (Sep 07-Sep 08) and you have 24,000 elite miles banked.

*Note: Dates have been described as months for simpler exposition.

[jhm]

Thanks, jjpb3 for the exposition!

In other words I think, if you earn 50,000 miles from any membership year start date (either your current one or your previous one, if any), you will get KF EG.

If this general rule is indeed correct, then I suppose it should apply for the PPS > EG transition but who knows ?

[jjpb3]

If this general rule is indeed correct, then I suppose it should apply for the PPS > EG transition but who knows ?

Except that SQ doesn't give a hoot about the number of EGs. By contrast, they're intent on decimating, er, thinning the ranks of PPS members.

[CGK]

Except that SQ doesn't give a hoot about the number of EGs. By contrast, they're intent on decimating, er, thinning the ranks of PPS members.

Looks like the new QPP would be a *G status with a tiny bit extra. Thus EG would be sufficient. Am I thinking straight?

Note: I wonder what kind of god-like-treatment for the new QPP?

[jjpb3]

Am I thinking straight?

Honey, you're the last person I'd accuse of thinking straight.

The main benefit of my EG card right now is that in April, assuming he doesn't cancel his plans, I'll get to enjoy the VS CH with the famous luminary CGK, rather than pleading with him to please please please guest me into the SKL. (A second benefit is being able to bypass the Y line at checkin in LHR T3.)

[CGK]

Thanks for the reminder. Changes in PPS will mean a change in my-so-called-Life?

Anyhoo, if you happen to make booking for VS CH treatment, please book me one as well. At the moment, I am booked on:

UA1130 YVR-11:07 ORD-17:07
UA928 ORD-18:13 LHR-08:15*

Hope enough time for catching the infamous noon flight.