American Express Membership Rewards - Free one year Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver level for Plat

A snail mailer I just got, apologies if it is posted already, my search didn't find it.

Activate your one-year Flying Club Silver membership before March 31, 2008.

Visit http://virginatlantic.com/shineon

Does not appear to be targeted, and while it says it is for Plat, they never asked for proof -- no card number required. It appears the only thing you get of any value right away are 4 free upgrades on the Heathrow or Gatwick express. You don't even get a real card until you fly Virgin Atlantic once. Still -- it's free, so why not?

Wonder if Cent gets the next level up?

A snail mailer I just got, apologies if it is posted already, my search didn't find it.

Activate your one-year Flying Club Silver membership before March 31, 2008.

Visit http://virginatlantic.com/shineon

Does not appear to be targeted, and while it says it is for Plat, they never asked for proof -- no card number required. It appears the only thing you get of any value right away are 4 free upgrades on the Heathrow or Gatwick express. You don't even get a real card until you fly Virgin Atlantic once. Still -- it's free, so why not?

Wonder if Cent gets the next level up?

Yes, Cent gets Gold. But we get a card and fancy baggage tags too.

It does say "Silver status is subject to validation by Platinum Card" - perhaps they send an address file over to Amex. However, you do automatically go in at Silver level pending validation. As mentioned above, though, there seems to be little benefit apart from the 2 Heathrow Express and 2 Gatwick Express upgrade vouchers apart from the ability to check-in at the PE desk if flying VS Y (which I am VERY unlikely to do!).

Yes, Cent gets Gold. But we get a card and fancy baggage tags too.

Is there also a possibility to register online as Centurion Card member ?

Is there also a possibility to register online as Centurion Card member ?

Not that I know of, it is not part of americanexpress.com/centurion. Just call your travel rep and they will take care of it.

25% mileage bonus too

Thanks. I registered. I know I happen to have a trip planned for next year that this woill be nice for. Don't know how much difference it makes, but no point not having the higher status if it's available.

ANY status is always good ^ i got an upgrade at Sheraton Park Tower in London last summer that is pretty rare for Plats to get, and i was only Gold. (base room via award > butler room)

Rats. I got the following when I clicked on the link:

"SORRY, WE DON'T SEEM TO HAVE THAT PAGE
The page you are looking for may have been removed, renamed or is temporarily unavailable.

Please return to the Virgin Atlantic home page."

Mike

Cool, we'll have to check the mail when we get back to the states. We were thinking of flying Virgin to London then transfer over to Vienna for our trip in May.

Rats. I got the following when I clicked on the link:

"SORRY, WE DON'T SEEM TO HAVE THAT PAGE
The page you are looking for may have been removed, renamed or is temporarily unavailable.

Please return to the Virgin Atlantic home page."

Mike

Yes, I just tried it here at work and the same thing happened! I have the actual promotion card at home so will take a look tonight, maybe I misspelled something. It definitely worked for me last night from home.

I sure hope it wasn't a side effect of posting here on FT -- but this isn't a forum that the airline would normally look at (although probably Amex does!).

I sure hope it wasn't a side effect of posting here on FT -- but this isn't a forum that the airline would normally look at (although probably Amex does!).

It worked earlier today then it disappeared. I think they probably had a run on applications and decided to withdraw the offer. :(

As for the airline not knowing about this forum, if someone clicks on a link in a forum then the owner of the target website will see the URL of this forum and they get a link back to this thread where they will be able to read your post. :eek:

It worked earlier today then it disappeared. I think they probably had a run on applications and decided to withdraw the offer. :(

As for the airline not knowing about this forum, if someone clicks on a link in a forum then the owner of the target website will see the URL of this forum and they get a link back to this thread where they will be able to read your post. :eek:

Good point, maybe we should point to deal links through an anonymizer! Does tinyurl do that for you?

http://anonym.to/ is one i know of

if it said for amex plat, and youre interested, i would just call VS and ask about it.. if they dont know, then call amex plat customer service.

maybe theyre just fixing the link so non amex plat cant do it and clog it up.

Good point, maybe we should point to deal links through an anonymizer! Does tinyurl do that for you?

You could just post it as virginatlantic.com/shineon and get people to copy/paste it - that will stop the HTTP_REFERRER pointing back to here.

Well, that was the URL and even more curiously, I just tried it from home and IT WORKED! Maybe it was just a temporary bug? If at first you don't succeed....

The actual page it lead to was

www.virginatlantic.com/corporate/micropage.view.do?id=3390

amd for me, even leaving out the "http://", FT insists on making it into a clickable URL.

A snail mailer I just got, apologies if it is posted already, my search didn't find it.

Activate your one-year Flying Club Silver membership before March 31, 2008.

Visit http://virginatlantic.com/shineon

Does not appear to be targeted, and while it says it is for Plat, they never asked for proof -- no card number required. It appears the only thing you get of any value right away are 4 free upgrades on the Heathrow or Gatwick express. You don't even get a real card until you fly Virgin Atlantic once. Still -- it's free, so why not?

Wonder if Cent gets the next level up?

I had this card for a number of years. More or less worthless

Well, that was the URL and even more curiously, I just tried it from home and IT WORKED!

Do you have a login and password for the Virgin website? Perhaps you are logged in at home and that's why it worked?

Do you have a login and password for the Virgin website? Perhaps you are logged in at home and that's why it worked?

Nope, that's not it, and I just tried it from work where I have never logged in to VA and it worked from here, so it looks like this is back -- although as a poster above pointed out, it may not be worth much.

Be interesting to see what happens to me. Just upgraded me to Silver but I don't have Plat by Centurion (UK) who do not have gold.

www.virginatlantic.com/corporate/micropage.view.do?id=3390

amd for me, even leaving out the "http://", FT insists on making it into a clickable URL.

There is a checkbox at the bottom of the post where you can tell it to not automatically parse links in text. That'll stop it from becoming a clickable URL in the post as shown in the quote section.

I got my postcard today, but I have no idea if I'm going to bother using it or not. I figure no real reason not to, but it still seems a PITA to do if I'm really never going to benefit from it. I'd credit the miles to my CO account most likely, so I just don't see value in this one for me.

Yes, Cent gets Gold. But we get a card and fancy baggage tags too.
Only US Cents get VS Au.

I just did this for me and my parents [we are lowly reds at the moment, but have some flights coming up soon which would have got us to silver anyway, but the 25% bonus is nice].

Interesting thing: our Flying Club numbers changed - all three of them!!! Has this happened to anyone else?

Interesting thing: our Flying Club numbers changed - all three of them!!! Has this happened to anyone else?

Happens every time your status changes with VS.

Your account number changes as you change tier - bit don't panic, your 'Red number' remains intimately linked to your new 'Silver number' so any miles earned on flights that have your red number will still show up on your account.

Thanks - that puts me at ease!

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I can't work out from anything on VS.com, or on the VS forum, what the requirements are for promotion from Silver to Gold.

It is clear that Red - Silver is 15 TPs, and Red - Gold is 40 TPs, in a rolling 13 month period. But what if you are comp'd to Silver through this offer, do you still need 40 TPs to get to Gold, or is it just 25?

And along a similar line: I don't fly VS a whole lot so what if I just retain Silver (10 TPs in the first year), in the next 13 month period how many TPs are required for promotion to Gold?

Thanks, and Season's Greetings.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I can't work out from anything on VS.com, or on the VS forum, what the requirements are for promotion from Silver to Gold.

I stand to be corrected on this, as I have never been comped with VS, but my understanding is that tier points are only earned by flying. Therefore, unless you are re-comped, you will need 10 points in the rolling 13 month membership year (to the end of the month you attain silver and 12 complete months) to retain Silver next year.

However, as your current TP total - if you have just taken the comp without flying - is zero, you will need another 40 points to attain gold.

To get the definitive answer, log into your account on the Virgin Atlantic website and there is an option 'your tier points'. It tells you there how many TP's you need to retain your current level and the amount you need to move up to the next level.

It is all explained on this page on the VS website. (http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/frequentflyer/whatsinforyou/tierpoints/index.jsp)


Nick

Hey! I happen to be flying tomorrow on Virgin (getting miles on CO;)) does this mean I can register and now get in their lounge?
I don't have their card though?

Hey! I happen to be flying tomorrow on Virgin (getting miles on CO;)) does this mean I can register and now get in their lounge?
I don't have their card though?
Nope.. Silver doesn't come with lounge access. That's a Gold only perk.

You can check in using premium checkin desk though.

There doesn't seem to be much point to Silver really, no real perks to speak of.

Got me a silver membership card in the mail today..

Strangely enough I do have use for this benefit -- that is, it will come in useful for checking in for my VS coach flights departing London for the US, with VS flights credited to my DL account and where I use my BD Gold status to use the VS club lounge at Heathrow. Prior to this it would be a wait in the regular check-in line, not anymore. :)

Also got my membership card. I can confirm that some of my friends who do not have an amex plat were able to sign up.

Not that useful, but better than nothing.

Maybe I'm the last person who appreciates it, but as a silver I can choose to get paper statements in the mail.

I received cards for myself, my brother, my parents, my wife, and my father-in-law. None of us are AmEx Platinum holders, although I personally hold two AmEx cards [SPG in the US, and VS in the UK].

This was a great find, especially as my father-in-law was able to get silver and his 25% bonus on a UC ticket from NBO-LHR and back.

...two AmEx cards [SPG in the US, and VS in the UK].

No doubt you already know this, but others may not realize that the UK Virgin Atlantic affinity card is not an American Express product. It is issued by Bank of America (MBNA) and merely uses the Amex network for transaction processing.

... silver I can choose to get paper statements in the mail.

I believe VS has just announced the elimination of all paper statements. Long overdue ^ .

No doubt you already know this, but others may not realize that the UK Virgin Atlantic affinity card is not an American Express product. It is issued by Bank of America (MBNA) and merely uses the Amex network for transaction processing.
I actually had no idea.

Big up!

I got an op-up being VS silver, thanks to having (not) amex plat :) Me, my wife and my son.. on the lowest economy ticket to PE on our flight to Tokyo ^

I got an op-up being VS silver, thanks to having (not) amex plat :) Me, my wife and my son.. on the lowest economy ticket to PE on our flight to Tokyo ^

Really? Is this the time when you had to take the flight the next day due to fog in ES, and even though VS upgraded you from N class to PE you still expected wanted more?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=771856

:td:

Really? Is this the time when you had to take the flight the next day due to fog in ES, and even though VS upgraded you from N class to PE you still expected wanted more?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=771856

:td:

Haha, now you dont get it right? Look back at my final post and then you can post, if you disagree, then i cant help it, but it turned that i was right, and i didnt care about the upgrade really since i was quite ill during the whole flight and i could perfectly take a seat in Y, being treated as an animal and my family, waiting for many hours at a line with many customers who where complaining that they even wanted to do a riot, so imagine me and my family how we were, especially i that had high fever and being stuck at the nicest airport in the world, heathrow.

:td: for u.

Look back at my final post and then you can post, if you disagree, then i cant help it, but it turned that i was right, and i didnt care about the upgrade really since i was quite ill during the whole flight and i could perfectly take a seat in Y, being treated as an animal and my family, waiting for many hours at a line with many customers who where complaining that they even wanted to do a riot, so imagine me and my family how we were, especially i that had high fever and being stuck at the nicest airport in the world, heathrow.

:td: for u.

That is one hell of a run-on sentence. Nine commas. Well done.

That is one hell of a run-on sentence. Nine commas. Well done.

Thx, i like compliments:) sorry but english is not my native language..
Can u please count how many words i wrote also?:rolleyes:
btw, ur good to count, i congratulate u! :)

Para hacer vida más fácil me fijaré en español, pues no es puede lengua materna perdonar por favor ninguna errores.

Estoy apesadumbrado de decir le que, solamente su tarjeta de plata le consiguiera ningún donde, está justa un hecho de la vida VS el cual pasó por encima y más allá y sucedieron tener asientos abiertos en el PE, pero no en economía.

A propósito, cualquier persona puede ahora conseguir la plata, él es sin valor, oro es el único nivel en el cual cuenta para cualquier cosa VS.

Haha, now you dont get it right? Look back at my final post and then you can post, if you disagree, then i cant help it, but it turned that i was right <snip>
:td: for u.

OK, maybe I shouldn't be poking my nose in here, but I am, so here we go:

As for being "right," nowhere in the letter did I see any admittance of wrongdoing, I saw apologies for your bad experience, but that was about it. Just because VS handled a sticky situation with grace (and a fair amount of charity) does not mean that they actually caused the problem.
In fact, at the end of the letter they come right out and said that it was not their fault, as it was not their late flight that caused all of your problems to begin with. Thus, the fact that they offered to help you at all should be something for which you are grateful, not smug.
Here's the part that really grates my cheese: You originally posted, "Question: Should they have provided me and my family accomodation or taxi transport(Value: 90 pounds!!)?" Correct me if I am wrong (and BTW, DON'T as that was purely a rhetorical statement) but you were asking for peoples' opinions. It is childish, to say the least, for you to flame anyone who, by your own request, offered an opinion that you do not happen to agree with.

Bottom line: You asked for it, you got it, move on and accept it. I have on numerous occasions asked for help/opinions/etc... here at FT and WITHOUT EXCEPTION received it every single time. Sometimes I have not liked the answers I have received, but said answers were simply the way things were, and not the fault of the answerer. Are you familiar with the expression, "Don't shoot the messenger."???

/end rant

I totally agree with you chardo, but hey, if you are going to give some serious opinions and not tell how much commas i use in a sentence then put first in my situation and then ofcourse you can live a neg. opinion, i dont really care... just wanted to share my experience! Why, in the first place, did Iberia (tickets was booked all thru VS) put me on a flight where they knew that i couldnt make it to my connecting flight and then pay hotel/taxi expenses??? Isnt Iberia responsible with all this mess, hell, i better stay at my house in Madrid rather than staying in long lines, etc. and take the next flight the other day!

Sorry, but VS handled it very poorly with just 2 desks for changing tickets for 60 ppl+, which resulted in putting me on standby for next days flight after standing in line for about 5-6 hours... Ahh, and the upgrade, thats not so important for me(well abit :p) but rather coming ontime at my destination... I lost 260 Euro on my booking at the IC ana for first night, lost for 1 night, 2 rooms at the Holiday Inn using points, and 90 Euro on taxi expenses, +a medic visit in London, sorry but everything has its limit... I would be more than happy if Iberia would have co-operated abit and just change the ticket until the next day, but no, they didnt want to touch my ticket...

Sim-
To be clear...
I TOTALLY sympathize with you and the horrid ordeal.
Maybe I am just being thick and missing something, but it appears from what you have detailed that the following statements are true:

1. Your inbound flight was late.
2. This late inbound flight was the root of all of these problems since it caused you to miss your connection, hotel reservation, incur taxi fares, etc...
3. The late inbound flight was on Iberia.
4. The Iberia flight was late due to fog.
5. When asked to help you out of your situation, Iberia essentially told you to "go pound sand."
6. After receiving no love from Iberia, you appealed to VS.
7. The VS desk was swamped, but you stuck it out and waited (an appallingly long time) to speak with them.
8. Although your specific issue was not VS's responsibility (see also: fog and Iberia), they offered you help in the form of standby for next available flight (which was unfortunately the next day)
9. VS was swamped and you had to wait a long time for this offer, at least (of minimal consequence I admit) you scored an upgrade to E+.

Now, if I have a proper handle on this, and the above statements are all true. I fail to see what VS did that caused you to feel so wronged. Due to the following:
1. Fog is nobody's fault, this fact can NOT be ignored.
2. VS, although it required a ridiculous wait to do so, offered you the best relief available. They did not cause the fog, nor did they get you to your first stopover late.

Therefore, if you're going to be mad at anyone I feel the pecking order should be as follows:

1. God - he/she allowed for the fog.
2. Iberia - they got you to your stopover late

Now, if I have misrepresented the facts, please tell me so.

Again, sorry for your crappy experience.

And as for the statement about your comma usage:

I think it may be possible that this was not as much of a personal attack as you perceived it to be. I took it as a simple attempt at levity. Take it from a grand master of the run-on sentence, 9 commas is pretty serious!!!

Hasn't this Iberia thing been done to death, first in another thread and now by the hijacking of this thread?

The Iberia traveller's concern has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic title. It's also clear that he/she does not take the serious and helpful responses into account.

Please, moderators, step in!

I would like to apologize if i misunderstood with the comma usage. I was just soo pissed over Iberia, thats all, i wrote an email to VS since i booked all my tickets thru VS, so i complained to them, and i know that anything weather related has no reason for me to be pissed over at VS or IB, but IB was very unprofesional in that situation... But could IB handle the rebooking onto another flight for example so that i could have arrived at Tokyo in that same day where i was scheduled to land or IB wasnt allowed to touch at all my ticket?

Roger is absolutely correct... sorry I bought-in to the hijacking. I guess I should have revisited this idea:

OK, maybe I shouldn't be poking my nose in here,


I'm out...

chardo, please believe me. I was NOT referring to you. You were among the helpful posters. :)

Sorry if my remark was insulting - it was intended for one direction only.

Thanks Roger...
I took no offense whatsoever... so please don't sweat it, and you were not insulting.

Thanks for the kind words!

cheers

Bump. In case any Plat's interested in joining before 3/31/2008.

Thanks for the thread bump, I would have missed this. Just upgraded to Silver. Will go to Gold once I get Centurion in August.

Anyone have this year's code?

Anyone have this year's code?

I'd be interested to know if Virgin are doing the free upgrade to silver this year too. Any one?