I received my new gold membership guide today, as others have, and they've made a few (genuine) improvements:
(I'm not going to list ALL the benefits, just those that have changed!)
Monthly bonus increased to 35% for all BMI flights; remains at 25% for all other airlines
Once you reach 55k membership miles, you can apply for a Silver companion card at a cost of 16,000 destination miles - not limited by address
Any membership miles earned over 55k will be converted to destinations miles (it's 38k to renew gold)
If you earn gold 10 years in a row, you're automatically "lifetime gold"
Free upgrades at any Grange hotel
+ they're still pushing the "wow - gold events" and "wow - gold special offers" from time to time, which nobody ever seems to have heard of...[ii]
So - all in all a mixed bag.
[y] on the lifetime gold (especially since it's Star Alliance), increased bonuses and additional miles front.
However, they've reconfirmed that there will be NO ability to upgrade to business using either vouchers, or the existing "gold card reward flight upgrade" process on any long haul flight. Not sure of the value of the additional silver card, either - as benefits have been stripped.
What also remains to be seen is what happens to those of us (myself included) that have over the 55k threshold in their membership miles "bank" already this year - will they be converted to destinations miles, or is it only those earned from now on...?
[:?]
(I'm not going to list ALL the benefits, just those that have changed!)
Monthly bonus increased to 35% for all BMI flights; remains at 25% for all other airlines
Once you reach 55k membership miles, you can apply for a Silver companion card at a cost of 16,000 destination miles - not limited by address
Any membership miles earned over 55k will be converted to destinations miles (it's 38k to renew gold)
If you earn gold 10 years in a row, you're automatically "lifetime gold"
Free upgrades at any Grange hotel
+ they're still pushing the "wow - gold events" and "wow - gold special offers" from time to time, which nobody ever seems to have heard of...[ii]
So - all in all a mixed bag.
[y] on the lifetime gold (especially since it's Star Alliance), increased bonuses and additional miles front.
However, they've reconfirmed that there will be NO ability to upgrade to business using either vouchers, or the existing "gold card reward flight upgrade" process on any long haul flight. Not sure of the value of the additional silver card, either - as benefits have been stripped.
What also remains to be seen is what happens to those of us (myself included) that have over the 55k threshold in their membership miles "bank" already this year - will they be converted to destinations miles, or is it only those earned from now on...?
[:?]
