[Isabel]

Following the first lockdown in March (here in the UK), most travel companies adapted. For frequent travellers like me there was some relief for example through membership statuses and validity of points and vouchers being extended by 6 months (in the case of BA).

However here we are 10 months later, and still no sign of travel resuming back to normal. At this rate, I will loose many airline and hotel statuses (with the exception of lifetime ones of course). I don’t fancy a year having to earn back the status and privileges.

Have any of you come across, or been offered, further relief from travel companies regarding status maintenance and/or further extension to vouchers and points due to expire?

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alainboy56, K1ngston

[K1ngston]

[postquote quote=1042997][/postquote]

Its a great question Isabel and one I am sure we will find out more about in the coming months, my thoughts are that most legitimate customer driven organisations will extend for another 6 months perhaps but we will wait and see and no doubt this forum will be abuzz with all the latest and greatest!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Isabel

[HJ]

Hi Isabel,

It sure is a good questions and I know for sure a lot of business travellers are “thinking ” of this.
Most of the time I use KLM and its partners ( Air France etc ), and they announced that they will extend the period with 12 months.

Probably most of the large airlines and/or groups will do that.

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Isabel

[Stevescoots]

Finnair extends any expiring vouchers. i received this yesterday. i have a whopping 50 Euro voucher for a busted IFE….

The validity period for Finnair gift vouchers that expire between 31 December 2020 and 1
September 2021 has been extended. You can now use them until 30 September 2021.

Best regards,
Finnair Customer Service

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Isabel

[Swissdiver]

I guess many of us have this question in mind. But while most of us love travelling, the incentivisation plays little role these days! Hope fully 2021 will be better.

I find the hotels to be more reactive, most of the chain having already announced an extension of the points’ validity and the status. The airlines are less transparent. I have personally no visibility on either of the programs I am in other than hints here and there. Wait and see, I guess…

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Isabel

[ASK1945]

I guess that – like other Priority Pass membership holders – they extended the validity of my current subscription from October 19th 2020 to January 19th 2021. On Sunday I received a renewal reminder, with an offer to give 15 months for the price of 12, if I renew.

It is just 12 months since I was able to use my Pass and it will be at least another three months until I will be able to do so again. I wrote to them and asked them to continue my current subscription until at least October 19th 2021. I received a reply within 24 hours: “We have cancelled your Priority Pass membership as requested. Your membership will expire on 19-Jan-2021. You are still able to access over 1300 airport experiences until then”.

A further email invited me to renew in the future. It did not address the issue. I have been a member for “donkeys years”. Loyalty doesn’t count with Priority Pass.

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=1053134]I have been a member for “donkeys years”. Loyalty doesn’t count with Priority Pass.[/quote]

Hi ASK1945 – out of interest, how much do you pay for PP on an annual basis. When I last checked unlimited entry was £339 + £20 per guest visit. Is this still the case?

[ASK1945]

Martyn

When I retired about 5 years ago, I reduced down from unlimited entry subscription level to the basic level. I think I paid £69 in October 2019, which didn’t include any entry fees.

I was only able to use PP once early in the current subscription year, so this cost me 2 x £20. Then, just before lockdown we travelled once Business Class to South America – so used the airline lounges. Subsequently, like so many on this forum, we have had four sets of flights cancelled – a mix of PE and WT. The one visit, therefore, worked out as £109.

We have PE booked for the middle of April, and Business booked (long haul) for July. Who knows whether these also may be cancelled? I purposely posted this in this thread relating to “Covid-goodwill for frequent travellers”

[MartynSinclair]

[quote quote=1053314]I was only able to use PP once early in the current subscription year, so this cost me 2 x £20. Then, just before lockdown we travelled once Business Class to South America – so used the airline lounges. Subsequently, like so many on this forum, we have had four sets of flights cancelled – a mix of PE and WT. The one visit, therefore, worked out as £109.[/quote]

Thanks ASK1945 – I was interested to compare the cost of PP verses the overall Amex Plat as 2 x PP are included as part of the annual Amex fee (along with travel insurance for 5 and other benefits). Are there other charge cards available where you can get goodwill of a gratis PP card?

Apologies for a small amount of thread drift…

[ASK1945]

[quote quote=1053572]Are there other charge cards available where you can get goodwill of a gratis PP card?[/quote]

I just did an internet search, Martyn: several hotel Amex cards do the same as the Amex platinum, but all seem to be USA based and show different other rewards. Maybe somerone on this Forum has better information.

[K1ngston]

[postquote quote=1053643][/postquote]

ASK1945 there are a number of local cards here in Asia that offer PP as part of the package CitiBank Prestige is one of the more recognised and there are many high value card deals offered by the banks themselves…

Like many I had with AMEX platinum in years gone by but now I tend to use less expensive alternatives

1 user thanked author for this post.

ASK1945

[SwissExPat]

Last Month, my Miles and More sent me an email indicating tha 80k of my points would expire at the end of 2020 and nothing about waiving the expiry so I now have to spend them or loose them.

Thanks a bunch Lufthansa/Swiss !!

[Isabel]

that’s a tough program to be in anyway (hard enough to earn meaninguful status). I’ve also had no break or concession offered to me from them.

[Maaki]

LH extended their old scheme for Senators until end of 2021. So, hopefully it will be possible to fly “enough” (usually I have by far enough trips a year and therefore I received the SEN status the last 19 years) to pass the SEN qualification again. Simply because some of the benefits make travelliung really convinient.
However, if there is “no” business travelling next year (and I assume it will re-start after the summer holidays end of August or even later), the status will be gone, but not needed as well.
Personally I think (…hope), that the No. of business trips will decrease anyway. Meanwhile most business people have good experience with online meetings. If they are performed in a professional way it is a better solution than flying 1,5 hrs., talking to people 2-3 hrs. and flying back 1,5 hrs.
Considering, that these 1,5 hr trips are 4 hr travels in real (x2), because you need to be at the airport 30 Min ahead (in normal times and thats sporty as well), travel to/from the aiport etc., it doesn´t make too much sense for the usual meetings. Would be different, if it would be a meeting with new customers, people you have never seen before etc. but for the usual meetings a Teams, WebEx, Skype etc. will do.

[Swissdiver]

[postquote quote=1062331][/postquote]

On https://www.miles-and-more.com/ch/en/general-information/help-and-contact.html:

Renewal of your frequent flyer level
The goodwill measures apply to all frequent flyers whose status would normally expire in February 2021.

If your status is valid until 2/2021 and you do not achieve the usual renewal, we will extend your frequent flyer level, as a gesture of our goodwill, by one year to 2/2022.

If you already requalified in 2019 or you achieve the renewal of your status by the end of 2020 by means of the normal criteria, you will naturally be given a renewal of two years until 2/2023.

You will automatically receive this renewal at the beginning of 2021 as a gesture of our goodwill, before your current card expires. The validity displayed in the Miles & More app and on miles-and-more.com will then change as well.

We hope that you understand that eVouchers cannot be issued for goodwill extensions made to Senators and HON Circle Members.

[Author]

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