For those not having lounge access courtesy of
airline status there's always the option of Priority Pass membership which, at Heathrow T5, will get you into the Aspire Lounge (which I don't particularly like but is better than nothing) and the soon - to - be-opened Plaza Premium Lounge which, I'm hoping, will be an excellent option for those without access to the British Airways lounges.
Not exact matches
There are many ways to get to first class without breaking the bank, including using frequent flyer miles to purchase your flights or getting elite
status on a particular
airline to get complementary upgrades on every flight.
Meanwhile, in England,
there's Richard Branson, who has already shaken up the
status quo in industry after industry, from music to telecom to
airlines and beyond.
Members still earn elite tier
status through stays, nights, and eligible spending — no changes
there — and can convert their Hilton Honors Points into miles with participating
airline programs around the world.
There are 4 types of miles earned by flying Lufthansa and its partner
airlines: Award Miles,
Status Miles, Executive Bonus Miles, and HON Circle Miles.
(
There is an exception for flights operated by Turkish
Airlines, for which you will receive 25 % of earned award miles as
status miles in all classes.)
Alaska
Airlines Mileage Plan elite
status is more straightforward than some of its competitors, and
there is no dollar spend threshold.
Saver level space won't be
there, and elite
status won't enable complimentary upgrades with
airlines charging modest premiums for First Class on full flights.
There have been numerous reports approving
status - matching from different
airline programs.
Be sure to shop around — Most credit cards won't help you get elite
status with an
airline, but
there are some that do.
While
there are very few shortcuts to earning
airline status, several rewards credit cards make obtaining hotel
status a breeze.
There have been many negative changes to the vast majority of
airline and hotel programs over the last several years, mostly via devaluations, though other aspects of the programs such as availability and elite
status have suffered too.
There is only 1 elite
status, Mosaic, which provides different benefits from typical
airline elite programs.
But, if you're earning American
status in 2017, don't forget
there are new revenue requirements to be aware of meaning not only do you have to fly a certain amount, but spend a certain amount with the
airline, too.
There are actually separate lines for first class passengers and those with elite
status with an
airline.
This is an unofficial AAdvantage
Status level for which
there are no published criteria (we do know it's primarily based on how much is spent with the
airline) but doesn't come with too many of its own privileges — Concierge Key members don't trump Executive Platinum members for upgrades for example.
If you're a British Airways fan and would prefer to keep your flights to oneworld
airlines (for elite
status and Avios earning purposes) then be aware that
there are a number of good, competing oneworld fares out
there too....
The best part though, is
there is an elite
status tier at the alliance level which equates to your elite
status at the
airline level.
There is a difference between not finding... [Read more...] about Can You Abandon
Airline Elite
Status with Credit Cards?
There was once clear distinction between what was required to earn
status at the various US
airlines but not really any more....
As far as I'm aware
there are no credit cards that are still open for applications that can be used to generate miles towards United
Airlines status qualification.
American
Airlines and United have identical spending requirements for elite
status (is it me or is
there a pattern forming here?)
There have been murmurings that the oneworld alliance needs a new top - tier elite level to accommodate (and further recognise) the very top elites from the various member
airlines — this would see the likes of Concierge Key and Premier
status holders separated out into their own new oneworld top tier (possibly called «Diamond»).
If you're a frequent visitor to Cyprus it may be worth looking into a Priority Pass membership if you don't have the
airline status to get you in, but I'd only seriously consider it if
there's a Priority Pass lounge at your home airport too.
There are separate menus for elite
status (e.g., complimentary access to Star Alliance lounges if you have Gold
status), credit cards (e.g., the American Express Platinum Card, which works for American
Airlines and Delta), and lounge memberships (whether a United Club membership or a general purpose Priority Pass).
There have been rumours going around for some time suggesting that American
Airlines will be adding a new top - tier
status level to the AAdvantage program (I mentioned it just last week) and, as of yesterday, that's exactly what the
airline has done.
What makes me more interested is that I think
there's a chance you could use this to shortcut your way to Alaska
Airlines MVP Gold
status.
With American
Airlines Executive Platinum
status I get 8 Systemwide upgrades each year and I can use these to upgrade any cash ticket to the next class of service (as long I pay any incremental taxes and as long as
there is upgrade availability).
For
airlines,
there are two kinds of «miles,» ones you can spend, and ones that help you earn frequent flyer
status.
There are three ways to reach MVP Gold 75K
status: through miles on Alaska, through miles on Alaska + partner
airlines, and segments.
As a result,
there are a lot of flyers out
there who want to maintain their
status with a particular
airline, but sometimes their flying for the year doesn't quite meet the
airline's requirements.
There's an easy opportunity to grab Star Alliance Gold
status, if you currently hold elite
status with a competing
airline.
«
There will likely be no significant changes to your flying experience for as many as 18 months or more... Until the transaction is officially approved — typically a process that can take upwards of six months — both airlines will continue to operate independently and there will be no changes to our flight schedules, the Virgin America product and guest experience, Elevate Status levels or your ability to earn and redeem points... there will be no disruption to your earnings or redempt
There will likely be no significant changes to your flying experience for as many as 18 months or more... Until the transaction is officially approved — typically a process that can take upwards of six months — both
airlines will continue to operate independently and
there will be no changes to our flight schedules, the Virgin America product and guest experience, Elevate Status levels or your ability to earn and redeem points... there will be no disruption to your earnings or redempt
there will be no changes to our flight schedules, the Virgin America product and guest experience, Elevate
Status levels or your ability to earn and redeem points...
there will be no disruption to your earnings or redempt
there will be no disruption to your earnings or redemptions.
[+]
There is a sign - up bonus of 80,000 points [+] You only have to spend $ 3000 within the first three months to earn the rewards [+] Add another authorized user to get an extra 7500 points if your user makes purchases [+] Get five points per dollar with Marriott properties [+] Get two points per dollar when you spend money with certain
airlines [+] Earn two points per dollar spent in restaurants and at car rental agencies [+] Earn one point per dollar with most other purchases [+] Get a free night's stay every anniversary at one of the category 1 - 5 locations [+] They do not add foreign transaction fees onto your account [+] They have over 4300 hotels in 81 different countries / territories [+] You may use your card and your point overseas in their hotels [+] You may sign up for Silver Elite
status [+] They allow you to transfer your points to participating
airlines
Elite Levels:
There are three levels of elite
status with Alaska
Airlines Mileage Plan: MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K.
UPDATE 2: As of now,
there is no plan for for an automatic
status match from Alaska's Mileage Plan to Virgin America's Elevate, an Alaska
Airlines representative told me.
Even though you don't earn elite miles on award tickets and I value my
airline elite
status greatly,
there's something extremely satisfying about booking an expensive domestic flight and only paying $ 2.50 in fees, which is what most carriers charge per segment on domestic US flights (plus any ticketing fees).
This leads many award travel enthusiasts to pay for a significant portion of their flights out of pocket, but it's worth mentioning that
there are ways to enjoy elite - like perks without holding
airline status.
The American Express Platinum card has some of the best perks out
there: cardholders enjoy the best domestic lounge access (Delta SkyClubs, Centurion Lounges, and Priority Pass), a $ 200 annual
airline fee credit as well as up to $ 200 in Uber credits, and mid-tier elite
status at SPG, Marriott, and Hilton.
There's a caveat that you pass up on the complimentary upgrades United and Continental give to elites on their own flights, but otherwise, this is a great way to get the benefits of gold
status on Star Alliance
airlines sooner.
There are actually some reasonable reasons to do that but usually it is to earn «elite»
status on
airlines, which, for folks with «a crew» is almost never worth doing (if it's ever worth doing at all)
There are three methods in your quest for American
Airlines elite
status:
Before you go out and get that next and greatest credit card, or aspire to be that top - tier
status on your favorite
airline, you need to understand what types of rewards currency
there are.
While it's difficult to get elite
status with an
airline unless you are a very frequent traveler,
there are some credit cards that offer elite qualifying points as a sign - on bonus, such as the Platinum Delta SkyMiles ($ 195 annual fee) and Delta Reserve ($ 450 annual fee) American Express cards.
Those last two words are key, because
there are of course many travelers who earn far more than 1 million frequent flyer miles and points per year, although a good portion of them are from flying and from their frequent flyer elite
status, sometimes with more than one
airline.