BA Exec Club muddled thinking
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Getting points to post automatically from alliance partner flights is not exactly a problem confined to BAEC.
The point I was making was that BAEC sets an expectation of XXX points by way of a simplistic calculator, but I believe that the reality is far more complex - I just thought that this aligned with the sentiment of the OP.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
I take the same view as you: As *A isn't my primary alliance, there is a limit to the amount of time and energy I can spend chasing and just give up after a while.
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Speaking personally, I never had a problem with BMI or LH with Star ALLIANCE.
APOLOGIES, MY KEYBOARD HAS JUST STUCK ON CAPITALS…
AS I SAID, BOOK FLIGHT WITH BMI NUMBER ON SIN FLIGHT, POST BOARDING PASS STUBS TO LH AND BOBS YOUR UNCLE – TWO ACCOUNTS CREDITED!
MARVELLOUS.
ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX A KEYBOARD, ITS NOT THE CAPS LOCK!!
APOLOGIES, MY KEYBOARD HAS JUST STUCK ON CAPITALS…
AS I SAID, BOOK FLIGHT WITH BMI NUMBER ON SIN FLIGHT, POST BOARDING PASS STUBS TO LH AND BOBS YOUR UNCLE – TWO ACCOUNTS CREDITED!
MARVELLOUS.
ANYONE KNOW HOW TO FIX A KEYBOARD, ITS NOT THE CAPS LOCK!!
Paxing All Over The World
The CAPS LOCK can become locked in the software and a simple reboot of the computer will almost certainly fix it.
Come to think of, BA Exec Club could do with a reboot too.
Come to think of, BA Exec Club could do with a reboot too.
Join Date: Jan 2004
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The latest promo e-mail to hit me again raised a few eyebrows, the e-mail came from exec club:
So I get 4 times as many BA miles as flying to Dusseldorf and back by completing a poxy on-line survey.
Surely they should be encouraging peeps to fly and not fill out on-line forms - I know about the revenue etc... but remind me what business are BA in?
Dear Mr Candoo,
We'd like to remind you about our new British Airways Executive Club partner, e-Rewards. Which is good news for you, because it means we may be welcoming you on board your next reward flight, sooner than you think.
Your opinion is worth thousands of BA Miles.
Each time you complete an e-Rewards online market research survey you will earn Opinion Points™. In fact, you could earn up to 3,600 Opinion Points per survey*. Every quarter you can then convert** your Opinion Points into BA Miles - at the rate of 500 BA Miles for every 2,000 Opinion Points.
What's more, enroll with e-Rewards now, and we'll credit your account wit h 500 BA Miles just for completing your first survey. So you can see how it could soon mount up to a great getaway.
Fly through as many surveys as you like.
Once you're enrolled, e-Rewards send you surveys which are specially selected to suit your lifestyle and interests (they ask you about those at enrollment). When you've a spare ten minutes, or slack
half-hour, don't waste it: reel off a survey and earn some BA Miles.
Enroll now for an extra 500 BA Miles on your first survey.
This is a great opportunity to boost your BA Miles balance when you're not flying.
Enroll with e-Rewards now, and when you complete your first survey you’ll receive 500 bonus BA Miles with our compliments***.
We'd like to remind you about our new British Airways Executive Club partner, e-Rewards. Which is good news for you, because it means we may be welcoming you on board your next reward flight, sooner than you think.Your opinion is worth thousands of BA Miles.
Each time you complete an e-Rewards online market research survey you will earn Opinion Points™. In fact, you could earn up to 3,600 Opinion Points per survey*. Every quarter you can then convert** your Opinion Points into BA Miles - at the rate of 500 BA Miles for every 2,000 Opinion Points.
What's more, enroll with e-Rewards now, and we'll credit your account wit h 500 BA Miles just for completing your first survey. So you can see how it could soon mount up to a great getaway. Fly through as many surveys as you like.
Once you're enrolled, e-Rewards send you surveys which are specially selected to suit your lifestyle and interests (they ask you about those at enrollment). When you've a spare ten minutes, or slack
half-hour, don't waste it: reel off a survey and earn some BA Miles.
Enroll now for an extra 500 BA Miles on your first survey.
This is a great opportunity to boost your BA Miles balance when you're not flying.
Enroll with e-Rewards now, and when you complete your first survey you’ll receive 500 bonus BA Miles with our compliments***.
Surely they should be encouraging peeps to fly and not fill out on-line forms - I know about the revenue etc... but remind me what business are BA in?
Join Date: Sep 2004
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So I get 4 times as many BA miles as flying to Dusseldorf and back by completing a poxy on-line survey.
Yes but you have to provide your phone number - the cold callers will be keeping you very busy.
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Plus all the other information you'll be giving - where you shop, what you buy, where you go on holiday and so on. In return for giving this company all the information they like to sell on to others so they can hit you with more junk post/email/phone calls as they like, BA get a tidy commission out of it and therefore can flog a few Miles here and there
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My company is probably one of BAs top ten accounts. We have just defected to Egyptair for one of our busiest routes. Most of us (despite our gold cards) view it as payback time. Sad, but true.
Join Date: Nov 2006
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BA Exec Club Tier points on discount tickets
Thought this might be of interest to other Silver card members - received by email yesterday. Not sure if this is targeted at particular members or is universal, or indeed whether it's a permanent change.
13Alpha
13Alpha
Dear Mr 13Alpha,
You may remember that we wrote to you recently about a series of improvements we’re making to the Executive Club based on your feedback.
One of the things members mentioned was that you felt you should be rewarded for every flight you take. We think so too.
For the next three months you’ll earn Tier Points on every flight
From 18 February to 18 May 2009, for the first time ever, you’ll earn Tier Points on every flight* you take with us and our oneworld® partners. This even includes flights on discount economy tickets, for which you’ll get 25% of the Tier Points you’d earn on a fully flexible economy ticket.
And we've made it easier for you to maintain your Silver status
If you take 50 flights (or 25 return flights) in your current membership year, we'll waive the standard number of Tier Points required to renew your Silver status for another year. This includes any flights taken on discount economy tickets.**
I hope you find these new benefits worthwhile. You can expect news of more improvements very soon. In the meantime, if you have any feedback on this, or on any other changes we’ve made to your Silver membership, we'd love to hear from you. Simply visit our feedback page and let us know.
Warm regards,
James Hillier
Executive Club Manager
You may remember that we wrote to you recently about a series of improvements we’re making to the Executive Club based on your feedback.
One of the things members mentioned was that you felt you should be rewarded for every flight you take. We think so too.
For the next three months you’ll earn Tier Points on every flight
From 18 February to 18 May 2009, for the first time ever, you’ll earn Tier Points on every flight* you take with us and our oneworld® partners. This even includes flights on discount economy tickets, for which you’ll get 25% of the Tier Points you’d earn on a fully flexible economy ticket.
And we've made it easier for you to maintain your Silver status
If you take 50 flights (or 25 return flights) in your current membership year, we'll waive the standard number of Tier Points required to renew your Silver status for another year. This includes any flights taken on discount economy tickets.**
I hope you find these new benefits worthwhile. You can expect news of more improvements very soon. In the meantime, if you have any feedback on this, or on any other changes we’ve made to your Silver membership, we'd love to hear from you. Simply visit our feedback page and let us know.
Warm regards,
James Hillier
Executive Club Manager
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They have the * and ** in there. That is when they change the meaning of well understood English words like 'every' to the BA meaning which is 'very few'. A bit like how they once used 'improved' when it really meant 'significantly worsened'. What is in the small print?
Paxing All Over The World
This is the kind of useful change we will see all carriers do in the recession. They need to increase load factors - because that is what the Main Board of Directors look at. Whilst they will know the breakdown of revenue, if you are getting previously hacked off pax on board and getting their FFMs back - that is 'good'. The tier points cost them nothing and the cost of redemption is (effectively) nothing. Actual FFMs do have a cost. In my view, a sensible action for BA.
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The benefits of said cards were so reduced in the good times that I suspect much of their former 'BA wherever possible flyer' has gone to looking for best value for money instead. I'm one of them, 3 flights booked all on BA routes - only 1 with BA.
FF status has little meaning now, Biz seats can be had at such large discounts and the limited miles for upgrades availability doesnt appear to save you much (or any) money either.
FF status has little meaning now, Biz seats can be had at such large discounts and the limited miles for upgrades availability doesnt appear to save you much (or any) money either.
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I would question the benefits of the BA Gold, they have definitely tightened up in the last few years. I have had Gold for 10 years now, and it used to lead to frequent upgrades, csd's introducing themselves, better seating generally even when flying on a cheap economy ticket.
Now, they have raised the thresholds to retain it, reduced the benefits (in my opinion), especially with the upgrades, and whats all of the tax on the "free" flights. Surely tax should be a percentage of the price the ticket is sold for.
I have now been using Air France and Virgin more, and have gold on both, I find Virgin to be absolutely wonderful, friendly helpful. I think Air France is a waste of space, and wont be bothering using them unless I absolutely have to.
Now, they have raised the thresholds to retain it, reduced the benefits (in my opinion), especially with the upgrades, and whats all of the tax on the "free" flights. Surely tax should be a percentage of the price the ticket is sold for.
I have now been using Air France and Virgin more, and have gold on both, I find Virgin to be absolutely wonderful, friendly helpful. I think Air France is a waste of space, and wont be bothering using them unless I absolutely have to.
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I too have had a Gold card for, gosh, some 15 years (save for one when my first child was born and I dropped to silver). When I used to fly in UK or Europe there was some benefit when things went wrong, as they sometimes did. Now as BA no longer provide a service from where I live there is no real need to use them, and that then opens up my long haul options.
I guess I still like their premium offer, and I still use them out of choice. But their FF scheme which used to influence me no longer does, so when they let me down, as inevitably they will, I'll be off to try the competition. I'm afraid the Executive Club has had its day, and unless their service standards on the ground inprove dramatically, I, and no doubt, many others, will be happy to go elsewhere.
I guess I still like their premium offer, and I still use them out of choice. But their FF scheme which used to influence me no longer does, so when they let me down, as inevitably they will, I'll be off to try the competition. I'm afraid the Executive Club has had its day, and unless their service standards on the ground inprove dramatically, I, and no doubt, many others, will be happy to go elsewhere.
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Knowing BA as I do I also immediately dived straight for the small print on the letter so here it is:
So seems reasonable enough, assuming it's not just a one-off and/or for a limited subset of members.
But I agree that BA still have a lot of rebuilding to do to make the Exec Club a worthwhile benefit again. The letter also asked for any other feedback or ideas to improve silver tier membership, so I made full use of the opportunity
13Alpha
*If you select the "Lowest price" ticket type when making a booking for travel between 18 February and
18 May 2009, you will qualify for 25% of the Tier Points awarded on a Flexible ticket type. Tier Points are not available on Redemption flight bookings or on transatlantic flights operated by American Airlines. Full terms and conditions apply.
**50 sectors must be booked and flown in your membership year on services operated by British Airways and its franchises, BA Cityflyer, or oneworld Alliance members. Redemption bookings and any flights booked on agency and industry discounted fares are excluded. Full terms and conditions apply.
18 May 2009, you will qualify for 25% of the Tier Points awarded on a Flexible ticket type. Tier Points are not available on Redemption flight bookings or on transatlantic flights operated by American Airlines. Full terms and conditions apply.
**50 sectors must be booked and flown in your membership year on services operated by British Airways and its franchises, BA Cityflyer, or oneworld Alliance members. Redemption bookings and any flights booked on agency and industry discounted fares are excluded. Full terms and conditions apply.
But I agree that BA still have a lot of rebuilding to do to make the Exec Club a worthwhile benefit again. The letter also asked for any other feedback or ideas to improve silver tier membership, so I made full use of the opportunity
13Alpha
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Like most who have posted on this thread, I am a regular traveller for both business and leisure. Until very recently, the vast majority of my flights were with BA and the majority of those in 'Club', both long and short haul.
It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the BA Club product is being continuously devalued. Notwithstanding the improved flat beds in 'Ikea Class' there is little to it. And that 'new' IFE system seems to go u/s with increasing regularity.
But it's the degrading of the Exec Club that cheeses me off the most. Gone are benefits to make you feel special - increasingly these are replaced by marketing spin that seems to offer negligible benefit to me as a passenger (sorry, customer).
Latest exclusive offer is a typical example. As a 'very special' member of the 'Gold Club' a recent letter explained that the days of frustration over not being able to purchase a BA Miles seat were gone. A new benefit, apparently introduced in response to customer feedback would solve the problem. All I have to do is pick up the 'phone and speak to the Exec Club which will solve the problem for me. And for just twice the normal number of BA Miles required, a seat will be found for me, providing the flight is not full.
Oh joy, I thought, what a wonderful benefit that is!
Interesting response by BA to what was probably feedback that obtaining seats using BA Miles is becoming difficult, if not impossible, on many routes unless many months in advance.
Apparently, if you hand over lots of money you can actually buy a seat too, but , if you are a valued Gold Card holder, don't hold your breath for an upgrade.
Compare and contrast this approach with that of Virgin Atlantic, for example. Strangely enough, that's where an increasing portion of my annual travel budget is going!
It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that the BA Club product is being continuously devalued. Notwithstanding the improved flat beds in 'Ikea Class' there is little to it. And that 'new' IFE system seems to go u/s with increasing regularity.
But it's the degrading of the Exec Club that cheeses me off the most. Gone are benefits to make you feel special - increasingly these are replaced by marketing spin that seems to offer negligible benefit to me as a passenger (sorry, customer).
Latest exclusive offer is a typical example. As a 'very special' member of the 'Gold Club' a recent letter explained that the days of frustration over not being able to purchase a BA Miles seat were gone. A new benefit, apparently introduced in response to customer feedback would solve the problem. All I have to do is pick up the 'phone and speak to the Exec Club which will solve the problem for me. And for just twice the normal number of BA Miles required, a seat will be found for me, providing the flight is not full.
Oh joy, I thought, what a wonderful benefit that is!
Interesting response by BA to what was probably feedback that obtaining seats using BA Miles is becoming difficult, if not impossible, on many routes unless many months in advance.
Apparently, if you hand over lots of money you can actually buy a seat too, but , if you are a valued Gold Card holder, don't hold your breath for an upgrade.
Compare and contrast this approach with that of Virgin Atlantic, for example. Strangely enough, that's where an increasing portion of my annual travel budget is going!
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Its not just BA
I am a Gold card member with BA and EY and have been for a number of years with BA and earned Gold within 6 months of joining the Etihad Guest scheme.
The EY privileges were very good when it started with free Limo pickup in AUH and key destinations irrespective of class of travel which was a real benefit.
However now the not so good side. EY have just removed access to the First class lounge for Gold members and also the free Limo service unless travelling in First or Business when you get it anyway.
As for upgrades i do so much better with BA and have not had a single upgrade from EY in over 100 flights which is not impressive. i am even refused the aisle seats when I request them and they are empty (Am a fit and able individual so no issues there)
Bottom line is that I fly EY because I live in AUH and options are limited but I fly BA because i choose too.
The EY privileges were very good when it started with free Limo pickup in AUH and key destinations irrespective of class of travel which was a real benefit.
However now the not so good side. EY have just removed access to the First class lounge for Gold members and also the free Limo service unless travelling in First or Business when you get it anyway.
As for upgrades i do so much better with BA and have not had a single upgrade from EY in over 100 flights which is not impressive. i am even refused the aisle seats when I request them and they are empty (Am a fit and able individual so no issues there)
Bottom line is that I fly EY because I live in AUH and options are limited but I fly BA because i choose too.
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For me, one of the most significant changes BA made to EC membership occured when members were no longer able to select seats (when booking or when checking in online) ahead of other travellers. In particular, this made it much more difficult for me to secure my favourite upper deck seats on 747 flights.
On the other hand, the recent promotion which allowed me to purchase Club World tickets to North American destinations for 50,000 Miles each (plus taxes, fees and charges, of course) was a valuable, albeit temporary, benefit.
On the other hand, the recent promotion which allowed me to purchase Club World tickets to North American destinations for 50,000 Miles each (plus taxes, fees and charges, of course) was a valuable, albeit temporary, benefit.