Asiana Club - Confused newbie trying to earn Diamond status

Hi all,

I'm considering joining OZ's program so that I can earn Diamond/*G status, mainly to be used for lounge access. I'm in the US, so I would be getting most of my miles from US Airways and United.

Question 1) It seems like there are a lot of changes going into effect in October. According to the chart on the web site, I only need to earn 40K miles on OZ or a partner to get Diamond. Is that correct? It seems way too easy.

Question 2) How do I determine which fare codes on US and UA count toward onboard miles on OZ? Traditionally, it seems that the rules of the airline that you are flying apply, but according to Blonde Bomber's chart, OZ looks a bit different.

Thanks!
Mike

Mike,

In respect to your questions.

Yes, it is only 40k miles and you have 24months to earn them! However those 40k miles have to be flown miles on either OZ or a *A partner. Flights on Qatar or Mexicana would not count for status only RDM

Question 2. I wouldn't worry about it. If you look at the OZ earning chart for those two airlines you can see that it's really only the award booking classes (X,I,O)that don't earn any miles. Everything else is 100%. Indeed I always fly the cheapest Y tickets on UA and have always got 100%

Glad to see that our advice from the Star Alliance forum has brought you here!

Is that correct? It seems way too easy.

Why? TK, AC, BD have similar requirements. Indeed, if you fly in C or F then LHs 100k miles are as hard or easy to get than OZs 40k.

Traditionally, it seems that the rules of the airline that you are flying apply, but according to Blonde Bomber's chart, OZ looks a bit different.

The rules of the airline you fly do not matter with any program. It is the rules of the program you credit the miles to.

Ditto to all above posters. Just check OZ's earning chart. All revenue tickets with UA & US should earn you 100% status miles. I think OZ still has 500 miles / segment minimum earning for UA flights, even though UA's own MP do not.

40k for 24 mo is right.


:D sorry for the confusion (my previous post had the wrong information)

In order for you to reach diamond status you need to fly at least 100,000 miles on OZ or other qualifying airline not 40k.

After you flew 100,000 miles, you will be diamond status for three years. After that you need to fly 40k to keep the status..


Just to make things clear...:p

I think you are talking about the old qualification requirements. Starting in Oct, only 40K in a two year period is required to earn diamond. Check out thread that discussed the changes to see for yourself.

LAX

Wow, thanks guys! I'm all over this one.

Mike :)

Indeed, if you fly in C or F then LHs 100k miles are as hard or easy to get than OZs 40k.

How do you figure? If flying C and earning 200% with M&M it will take you 50K BIS miles in a year to qualify for Senator. OZ is 40K in two years. so if flying in C it's 32K BIS miles in two years. If flying F it's 33.3K BIS miles in a year for M&M and 26.7K BIS miles in two years for OZ. Unless my math is somehow all messed up OZ is much easier no matter how you do it.

You will earn more miles if flying in C or F with M&M but you will not get *G faster.

How do you figure? If flying C and earning 200% with M&M it will take you 50K BIS miles in a year to qualify for Senator. OZ is 40K in two years. so if flying in C it's 32K BIS miles in two years. If flying F it's 33.3K BIS miles in a year for M&M and 26.7K BIS miles in two years for OZ. Unless my math is somehow all messed up OZ is much easier no matter how you do it.

You will earn more miles if flying in C or F with M&M but you will not get *G faster.

If you fly airlines with executive bonus it is 325% or 225% respectively. So 31k BIS miles for M&M vs. 27k BIS miles for OZ. If you fly a lot of short international flights on the right airlines, then the 2500 miles minimum per flight can get you to 100k M&M miles quicker than to 40k OZ miles.

I agree with you, for most people OZ is much easier than M&M. The point I wanted to make is that looking at the threshold alone is not everything. You must also include the earn rate and your flying pattern.
So for people in premium cabins, the difference between 40k on OZ and 100k on LH is smaller than the factor 2.5 suggests.

Of course as you point out there are always pluses and minuses you must look out for with any FFP related to flying certain airlines, classes, etc. One has to try to best guess what their flying will be like in the future and choose a program based on that. But I think for most people nothing is guaranteed and someone who chooses M&M to take advantage of bonuses for flying on their preferred airlines/classes could easily have their flying patterns change or perhaps just a few long-haul trips that don't fall into that pattern that might wipe out all advantages they thought they were getting. So unless you're quite sure of your future flying, if two programs are similar but one program's earning/status estimates are based on specific airlines and classes while the opposing program's earning/status estimates are based on across the board airlines and classes then I'd recommend going with the latter.

For example, if you were planning on flying exclusively in C and chose M&M rather than OZ based on the C earnings, but then your company's policy changed and you were forced to fly in Y, then you'd probably be at a huge disadvantage with M&M if aiming just for *G status. (assuming your booking class were normal earning classes with both FFPs)

I wasn't aware the M&M had a 2,500 minimum per flight in some cases. With this being the case and if a large number of your flights qualified for that then I guess M&M would be very tempting.

I have a couple of questions (thanks for the great info on this thread):

- How is award availability on OZ? Do they filter *A awards (like UA)?
- Do they still allow miles of family members to be pooled for redemption under the new rules? I am told that they did in the past.

Thanks.

Why? TK, AC, BD have similar requirements. Indeed, if you fly in C or F then LHs 100k miles are as hard or easy to get than OZs 40k.


Not actually. AC requires 35k and BD requires 38K for *G, but they only grant the status for one year. TK is sorta close, 40k for two years, however 40k has to be earned in 12 consecutive months. So not similar.



Hi all,

I'm considering joining OZ's program so that I can earn Diamond/*G status, mainly to be used for lounge access. I'm in the US, so I would be getting most of my miles from US Airways and United.

Question 1) It seems like there are a lot of changes going into effect in October. According to the chart on the web site, I only need to earn 40K miles on OZ or a partner to get Diamond. Is that correct? It seems way too easy.

Question 2) How do I determine which fare codes on US and UA count toward onboard miles on OZ? Traditionally, it seems that the rules of the airline that you are flying apply, but according to Blonde Bomber's chart, OZ looks a bit different.

Thanks!
Mike


If you earn at least 25k to attain Premier status with UA, I'm pretty sure that UA program would be better for you. By joining OZ program, you are forfeiting 1. redeemable bonus miles 2. economy plus seating 3. e-500 upgrade coupons and some more. Also, keep in mind that OZ's *A redemption rate is perhaps the worst of *A programs. After all, I really don't think UA lounges worth 20k a year. Just keep in mind that the miles that go into OZ account will be lot more valueless than the miles that go into UA account.

I have a couple of questions (thanks for the great info on this thread):

- How is award availability on OZ? Do they filter *A awards (like UA)?
- Do they still allow miles of family members to be pooled for redemption under the new rules? I am told that they did in the past.

Thanks.

No, OZ does not filter awards so availability is better than with UA. However you need a whole lot more miles and a lot more money to get an award.
And AFAIK you can still pool miles from family members.

Not actually. AC requires 35k and BD requires 38K for *G, but they only grant the status for one year. TK is sorta close, 40k for two years, however 40k has to be earned in 12 consecutive months. So not similar.

I said similar, not the same. Even the LH 100k can be similar if you fly a lot of C class within Europe. BD by the way requires 38k to get from silver to gold and not 38k to get to gold from nothing.
TK requires 40k miles in one year to qualify but only requires 37500 miles in two years to re-qualify. So once you have status it is very easy to maintain.

I said similar, not the same. Even the LH 100k can be similar if you fly a lot of C class within Europe. BD by the way requires 38k to get from silver to gold and not 38k to get to gold from nothing.
TK requires 40k miles in one year to qualify but only requires 37500 miles in two years to re-qualify. So once you have status it is very easy to maintain.

I think the point N227UA was making and that I was trying to make earlier is that the difference between 1 year and 2 years can be extremely different for many. BD is 1 year qualifying for 1 year *G. AC I'm guessing is also 1 year qualifying for 1 year *G. LH is 1 year qualifying for 2 years *G. OZ is 2 years qualifying for 2+years *G (possibly up to almost 4 years). The mileages are not that much different but the time frames (qualifying times and/or *G validity times) are completely different so for people whom the time frame is important they are not at all similar. If you don't consider the time frames, then yes they are similar.

I said similar, not the same. Even the LH 100k can be similar if you fly a lot of C class within Europe. BD by the way requires 38k to get from silver to gold and not 38k to get to gold from nothing.
TK requires 40k miles in one year to qualify but only requires 37500 miles in two years to re-qualify. So once you have status it is very easy to maintain.



I mean BD and AC are not even anywhere similar to OZ. How could 35k or 38k+a for one year of *G could be similar to 40k for two years of *G? Now I see TK is even easier than OZ as far as concerning requalification though.

Just checking if anyone has gotten hold of the new edition of the Member's Guide where the new qualification rules will take effect from Oct 1 2008?

I got the new guide last week when I flew OZ. It's just a sort of temporary replacement though I think as it lists both the old and new programs in it. I imagine those printed after Oct. 1 will delete the references to the old program. Is there anything you want to know about the contents of the new guide?

Thanks A_Lee.

I was trying to find out what they mean by "reference date"? E.g. If I join the club on 1 Nov, is the reference date set as 1 Nov or still 1 Oct, when computing the 24 months for earning the elite status. If you have the answer, would appreciate if you could share with me. Thks!

The new guide does not define 'Reference Day' but the new rules pdf file that they first made available on their website back when the new program was announced does. On page 6 of the pdf file it defines 'Reference Day' as Oct. 1, 2008 for members who signed on prior to Oct. 1, 2008. For members who sign on after Oct. 1, 2008 it is the 'Membership start date'.

Has anyone achieved Diamond status under the new rules yet and can confirm that they get 4 years of status out of it?

The new rules only went into effect this past Wednesday so I doubt that anyone's flown 40K miles in only 4 days. I just signed up and I will have already flown 25K by the end of next week and probably up to about 45K total by the end of this month so should hit Diamond by then. If nobody else answers your question before that I'll let you know then.

The new rules only went into effect this past Wednesday so I doubt that anyone's flown 40K miles in only 4 days. I just signed up and I will have already flown 25K by the end of next week and probably up to about 45K total by the end of this month so should hit Diamond by then. If nobody else answers your question before that I'll let you know then.Cheers.

That sounds like Asiana Gold. The principles should apply in the same way (ie a 4 year Gold status should be issued).

That sounds like Asiana Gold. The principles should apply in the same way (ie a 4 year Gold status should be issued).

The new qualification scheme states that you need 20k miles in 2 years for Asiana Gold (*S), 40k for Diamond (*G, slightly reduced perks from the previous Diamond) and 100k for Diamond Plus from Oct. 1 if you're already a member. The status lasts for 2 years as well.

That 40k miles for Asiana Gold is from the old scheme. It also had no required timeframe in which to earn the "initial" status (i.e. you could earn that 40k miles in 20 years by flying 2k miles a year and Asiana will still make you a Gold :D) and the status last 3 years, during which you could requalify (25k for Gold). If you fail to requalify, then (I guess) you still had the option to shoot for Diamond by gathering 100k lifetime miles. For example, you fly 40k miles to become Gold, and get only 20k in 3 years and fail to requalify to drop to a general member (Silver). Then 40k more will get you to 100k needed for Diamond for another 3 years. (If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me.) And you could make lifetime Platinum with 1 mil. lifetime miles. Platinum status seems not to have changed with the new program.

One factor that's been confusing folks is that old qualification standard is also good for another 2 years, i.e. until Sep. 2010. You get to apply whatever is better for you. This is due to a Korean consumer protection law that requires airline mileage programs to keep the old standard (for elite qualification, mileage redemption, etc.) available for 2 years when a new standard (usually more restrictive) is offered, so that consumers can choose whatever is better for them in the interim 2 years.

I think what ntddevsys was referring to is that under the new rules you get two years of status for the next two-year qualifying period, but as soon as you earn that status they will apply the status earned for the remainder of the current qualifying period. So for those who's qualifying period is October 1, 2008 till September 30, 2010, if they earn a status very early the status will be good for close to 4 years.

For example, I already flew over 20K in October so I'm already Gold under the new rules, once my miles post. My Gold status will not expire until September 30, 2012, so I'm getting 3 years, 11 months, and 24 days of Gold status.

By the end of this month I expect to have flown over 40K. At that point I'll be Diamond. So my Diamond status should not expire until September 30, 2012, and I'll get 3 years, 11 months as Diamond.

So you never get a full 4 years of status but if you fly a lot at the beginning of the qualifying period you can get pretty close to it. If you don't qualify until the very end of the qualifying period, then you'll only get about 2 years of status. Theoretically that's the way it should work according to what OZ has said.

Has anyone achieved Diamond status under the new rules yet
I would have thought it was obvious I was referring to the new qualification system and not the old one.

I look forward to hearing the answer when your miles post/card arrives A_Lee

I think what ntddevsys was referring to is that under the new rules you get two years of status for the next two-year qualifying period, but as soon as you earn that status they will apply the status earned for the remainder of the current qualifying period. So for those who's qualifying period is October 1, 2008 till September 30, 2010, if they earn a status very early the status will be good for close to 4 years.


I would have thought it was obvious I was referring to the new qualification system and not the old one.

Teaches you to be extra careful and look through the whole thread, especially the top once again when you're posting along with a glass of wine. :D

Looks like A_Lee nailed it.

Has anyone here earnt Diamond status under the new scheme yet?

Has anyone here earnt Diamond status under the new scheme yet?

Yes, I have.

Yes, I have.

Cool, congrats! So it is 40K miles on OZ/*A partners to earn the Platinum status, right?

Cool, congrats! So it is 40K miles on OZ/*A partners to earn the Platinum status, right?

Platinum is 1,000,000 miles, Diamond is 40k.

I received my Diamond Membership Kit today.

It came in a cardboard box and contained:

- A current membership guide
- A leather Asiana Airlines embossed passport cover
- Luggage Tags
- A Diamond Card valid to 11/2010 (!)
- A 50% mileage reduction voucher for upgrades on OZ metal.
- A letter saying that I have been elevated to Diamond based on the old rules

The pack looks great, however it is strange in some respects. First, I have not been elevated based on the old rules (I don't have 100k miles).
Second, why is the card valid to 2010? I call Asiana here in Sydney and they told me that this was correct and I would now need to fly another 40k to be Diamond from 11/2010 to 11/2012.

My new Reference Day is now 1st November 2008 and I have now 24 months to re-qualify. If I get to Diamond Plus status, then I will get a new Reference Day and a new 24 months will start.
I pointed out that this is not covered by the rules and they are now checking...... :rolleyes:

Update: A day later Asiana called me back and said that they have made a mistake and headoffice has also made a mistake. I was not upgraded under the old rules and what they told me about the dates was wrong. I will be getting a new card soon.

It seems even OZ is still confused about their own rules.

Currently Silver, signed up a while ago, need roughly 20.000 more miles to make Gold under the old rules:

1) How many miles to Diamond after I make Gold? 40.000 in 2 years?

2) What if I fly more than 100.000 miles in the 2 years?


Thanks!

If you qualify between 2008 and 2010, you can qualify under either the old or new rules, whichever is more favorable to you.

Currently Silver, signed up a while ago, need roughly 20.000 more miles to make Gold under the old rules:

1) How many miles to Diamond after I make Gold? 40.000 in 2 years?

2) What if I fly more than 100.000 miles in the 2 years?


Thanks!

1. We can't answer this because it depends on the amount of miles you had on 1st October. You will become Gold after 40k lifetime miles (old rules). You will then become Diamond after 40k miles from 1st October 08 to 30th September 10.
Example: If you had 20k lifetime miles on 1st October then you will become Gold after flying another 20k and Diamond after 40k in total (an additional 20k after Gold).

2. If you fly more than 100k miles you will be Diamond Plus.

1. We can't answer this because it depends on the amount of miles you had on 1st October. You will become Gold after 40k lifetime miles (old rules). You will then become Diamond after 40k miles from 1st October 08 to 30th September 10.
Example: If you had 20k lifetime miles on 1st October then you will become Gold after flying another 20k and Diamond after 40k in total (an additional 20k after Gold).

2. If you fly more than 100k miles you will be Diamond Plus.

I was under the impression that to make Diamond I would need 20.000 + 40.000 .. :confused:

I was under the impression that to make Diamond I would need 20.000 + 40.000 .. :confused:

Where did you get this impression from? I am Diamond and I do not have 60k lifetime miles yet. Never mind 60k miles after 1st October.

Where did you get this impression from? I am Diamond and I do not have 60k lifetime miles yet. Never mind 60k miles after 1st October.

So what about Diamond Plus?

So what about Diamond Plus?

60k miles after you have reached Diamond under the new rules, so 100k in total since reference day.

60k miles after you have reached Diamond under the new rules, so 100k in total since reference day.

OK!

Thanks for the clarification :)

Can anyone here confirm that the 20k for gold (*A Silver) can be flown on other *A airlines?

There was a recent question on the Star Alliance forums (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=862328&page=2).

Can anyone here confirm that the 20k for gold (*A Silver) can be flown on other *A airlines?

There was a recent question on the Star Alliance forums (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=862328&page=2).

I can't confirm based on experience, but I believe you are correct in that miles are based on *A flights while segments are based on OZ flights.

LAX

Can anyone here confirm that the 20k for gold (*A Silver) can be flown on other *A airlines?

There was a recent question on the Star Alliance forums (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=862328&page=2).

This is not oneworld. So you can fly on any *A carrier to get status. This is true for all *A FFP except for some uber Status on some airlines and SQ.

60k miles after you have reached Diamond under the new rules, so 100k in total since reference day.

That's correct, and don't forget if you are a diamond plus member it will soft land you to diamond if you didn't qualify the following 2 years. In essence as a diamond plus member, OZ gives you *G for 4 yrs. ^

Is their a minimum mileage when flying United crediting to OZ?

That's correct, and don't forget if you are a diamond plus member it will soft land you to diamond if you didn't qualify the following 2 years. In essence as a diamond plus member, OZ gives you *G for 4 yrs. ^

Is the soft landing confirmed? If yes, then they will give you up to 8 years of *G.
Lets say you got 100k miles by 10th October 2008. Then you will be Diamond Plus until 30th September 2012 (2 years of Advanced Bonus Promotion Terms and then 24months of Requalification time). After which you will become Diamond until 30th September 2016.

Is their a minimum mileage when flying United crediting to OZ?

Official Information here:

http://au.flyasiana.com/Global/AU/en/homepage?fid=CLUB14300

But I hope some of those numbers are typos.....(LH cusiness, AC C, D class etc)

Can anyone here confirm that the 20k for gold (*A Silver) can be flown on other *A airlines?

There was a recent question on the Star Alliance forums (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=862328&page=2).

Asiana and Star Alliance for miles, just Asiana for segments.

(deleted. sorry folks...)

I think what ntddevsys was referring to is that under the new rules you get two years of status for the next two-year qualifying period, but as soon as you earn that status they will apply the status earned for the remainder of the current qualifying period. So for those who's qualifying period is October 1, 2008 till September 30, 2010, if they earn a status very early the status will be good for close to 4 years.

For example, I already flew over 20K in October so I'm already Gold under the new rules, once my miles post. My Gold status will not expire until September 30, 2012, so I'm getting 3 years, 11 months, and 24 days of Gold status.

By the end of this month I expect to have flown over 40K. At that point I'll be Diamond. So my Diamond status should not expire until September 30, 2012, and I'll get 3 years, 11 months as Diamond.

So you never get a full 4 years of status but if you fly a lot at the beginning of the qualifying period you can get pretty close to it. If you don't qualify until the very end of the qualifying period, then you'll only get about 2 years of status. Theoretically that's the way it should work according to what OZ has said.
What if you've already hit the 40k early on during your 24 month qualification period (and thus attained Gold for the remainder of the qual period + 2 years), and if your purpose is just to retain Diamond/*G (I have no interest in Diamond Plus), then any miles you earn before the end of your first qual period (< September 30, 2010) will NOT go toward renewal of status until 2014. So is it right that you may have a dead period until your new qual period comes up again (ie, October 1, 2010) where you need to accrue to another *A FFP?

Put another way: Only miles earned between Oct 2010 and Sept 2012 will go toward renewing Diamond status until 2014 in your situation, and none beforehand since they will go toward Diamond Plus (w/ an expiration of 2012).

Of course, this is only if your goal is to get Diamond/*G status.

Put another way: Only miles earned between Oct 2010 and Sept 2012 will go toward renewing Diamond status until 2014 in your situation, and none beforehand since they will go toward Diamond Plus (w/ an expiration of 2012).

That is correct, according to how the rules are written. Once you reach your desired level, all further miles credited won't help you any with qualifying during the next period. I believe this is how all airline FFPs work, as far as I'm aware of. The only thing different about OZ's program is that they grant you status when achieved but the expiration is based on fixed periods rather than the date you achieve your status, thus the extra time your status is good for.

Once you reach the status you desire, and if you don't need the miles in your OZ account, put them into a different FFP if they're of better use to you there. That's exactly what I'm planning to do once I hit Diamond+.

To take it one step further, if you travel a lot and don't mind losing your status for a short period of time, you can only worry about putting your miles into OZ's program for one period every four years. For example, I'm after Diamond+ and I won't mind losing my Diamond+ status for a couple of months. So once I hit Diamond+ in the coming weeks, it will be good until October, 2012. So I will enjoy that status for 3 years and 10 months. Then starting in October 2012 I'll start again banking my miles with OZ until I hit Diamond+ again.

So for me at least, OZ is the best program around for seeking status. Their earn/burn ratio stinks but if it's status you're after, I think it's great.

Is the soft landing confirmed? If yes, then they will give you up to 8 years of *G.
Lets say you got 100k miles by 10th October 2008. Then you will be Diamond Plus until 30th September 2012 (2 years of Advanced Bonus Promotion Terms and then 24months of Requalification time). After which you will become Diamond until 30th September 2016.

I think that should be 6 years of *G, not 8. If you reached Diamond+ in October 2008, your Diamond+ status will be good until September 2012. If you don't fly any more with OZ after that, you'll get a soft landing to Diamond, but I'm of the opinion that your Diamond status will only be good until September 2014, not 2016. Of course I could be wrong.

Edited:
I just looked over the rules again and can't see anything about a soft landing. I saw something about being downgraded under the old rules, but didn't bother to figure out what they meant because it doesn't apply to the new rules.

Regarding the new rules, they specifically say that after your status runs out that your new status will be based on what you've earned during the previous qualification period. So I interpret that to mean there's no soft landing at all. I think their status is very generous as it is so wouldn't expect them to offer a soft landing on top of it.

I received my Diamond Membership Kit today.

It came in a cardboard box and contained:

- A current membership guide
- A leather Asiana Airlines embossed passport cover
- Luggage Tags
- A Diamond Card valid to 11/2010 (!)
- A 50% mileage reduction voucher for upgrades on OZ metal.
- A letter saying that I have been elevated to Diamond based on the old rules

The pack looks great, however it is strange in some respects. First, I have not been elevated based on the old rules (I don't have 100k miles).
Second, why is the card valid to 2010? I call Asiana here in Sydney and they told me that this was correct and I would now need to fly another 40k to be Diamond from 11/2010 to 11/2012.

My new Reference Day is now 1st November 2008 and I have now 24 months to re-qualify. If I get to Diamond Plus status, then I will get a new Reference Day and a new 24 months will start.
I pointed out that this is not covered by the rules and they are now checking...... :rolleyes:

I've been on travel for a long time and just returned and found my Gold pack waiting for me. I've already qualified for Diamond, but the Diamond pack didn't arrive yet.

In the Gold pack was:
Gold card
One luggage tag
Two business class lounge certificates valid for two years
One 5000 mile discount coupon for award travel valid for one year

The strange thing is that I should have qualified in October for Gold but some of my flights never posted so now I'm chasing them down, but instead my later flights in November pushed me over. So I thought my status should be good until September 30, 2012. But my card says "valid thru 11/2012". So they gave me a full four years, plus some days. I'm not sure if they're just giving a two-month grace period beyond the September 30, 2012, or if they're giving a me four years based on my qualification date for Gold. I'll have to see when my Diamond pack arrives what's the expiration date of it. I did ask at the counter and was told my Diamond status is good till 2012, but forgot to ask which month as I was more interested in verifying that I qualified under the new rules and not the old rules as happened with you.

BTW, the business class lounge certificates are of no value to me being I already have *G with another FFP and I've been flying exclusively in business class on OZ. I will try though on my next OZ flight to see if I can use them to upgrade from the business class lounge to the first class lounge. Don't know if it'll work or not but will give it a try. Anyone else tried this?

Update: A day later Asiana called me back and said that they have made a mistake and headoffice has also made a mistake. I was not upgraded under the old rules and what they told me about the dates was wrong. I will be getting a new card soon.

It seems even OZ is still confused about their own rules.

Did you get your new card yet? What date is on it?

I am a bit confused about reference dates.

Lets say I join Jan 1, 2009. I earn 20K miles on Feb 1, 2009 - that becomes my new reference date, correct? And I have two years to make 20K more miles to become Gold.

On June 1, 2009, I hit 40K. I become Diamond. My reference day becomes June 1 and I have two years to earn 40K miles to keep Diamond.

Now, to get to Diamond +, do I have to get an additional 60K by June 1, 2011 or by Jan 1, 2011?

Thanks!

Close, but not quite right. I joined on 1 Dec 2008.

According to this link (http://chkin.flyasiana.com/English/Fly2007/MyAsiana/MyPage/FAbcGradeRule001.jsp), my Activity Qualification Period is 2008-12-01 to 2010-12-31. I have already earnt 20k (and Gold), and my Activity Qualification Period hasn't changed. You have 24 months to earn for the next qualification period (and the remainder of the current qualification period).

I am a bit confused about reference dates.

Lets say I join Jan 1, 2009. I earn 20K miles on Feb 1, 2009 - that becomes my new reference date, correct? And I have two years to make 20K more miles to become Gold.

On June 1, 2009, I hit 40K. I become Diamond. My reference day becomes June 1 and I have two years to earn 40K miles to keep Diamond.

Now, to get to Diamond +, do I have to get an additional 60K by June 1, 2011 or by Jan 1, 2011?

Thanks!

Sorry if I confused you, due to me trying to figure out why my card expiration date didn't match exactly to the rules Asiana published. Many FFP's give a month or so grace period and evidently Asiana is doing just that, as I mentioned in the new thread I started.

Once your reference date is set it never changes no matter how many miles you earn, until the end of the qualifying period. So if you join on Jan. 1, 2009 it will technically be from that date till Dec. 31, 2010. Once you hit Gold it will still remain at Dec. 31, 2010. Hitting Diamond and still no change. Once Jan 1, 2011 comes, your reference period will reset to Jan 1, 2011 till Dec 31, 2012.

Technically this is what should happen, but evidently Asiana is padding the reference period with one additional month, I presume as a grace period to allow people who almost qualify to not quite to do so in that extra month. We won't have any real-world examples of what happens at the end of these qualifying periods until late 2010 though. So even though when I log into My Asiana on their website and it shows I have a 25 month qualifying period, it's not 100% guaranteed to be accurate until someone tests it out.

Close, but not quite right. I joined on 1 Dec 2008.

According to this link (http://chkin.flyasiana.com/English/Fly2007/MyAsiana/MyPage/FAbcGradeRule001.jsp), my Activity Qualification Period is 2008-12-01 to 2010-12-31. I have already earnt 20k (and Gold), and my Activity Qualification Period hasn't changed. You have 24 months to earn for the next qualification period (and the remainder of the current qualification period).

Your reference date is not the default Oct. 1, 2008, but still you get a 25 month qualifying period as I did. (your qualifying period is 2008-12-01 to 2010-12-31, not 2008-12-01 to 2010-11-30) So it looks like everyone is getting 25 months, not 24 months.

Did you get your physical Gold card yet? What is the expiration date on it? Based on what I got, I'm assuming your expiration date is "valid thru 1/2013"?

Once your reference date is set it never changes no matter how many miles you earn, until the end of the qualifying period. So if you join on Jan. 1, 2009 it will technically be from that date till Dec. 31, 2010. Once you hit Gold it will still remain at Dec. 31, 2010. Hitting Diamond and still no change. Once Jan 1, 2011 comes, your reference period will reset to Jan 1, 2011 till Dec 31, 2012.


So, if I join Jan 1, 2009 my qualification period is from Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010, no matter what. But if I make Diamond on June 1, 2009, I am Diamond from June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2011, right?

Meaning, I have from Dec 31, 2010 to May 31, 2011 to fly 40K miles and make Diamond again?

So, if I join Jan 1, 2009 my qualification period is from Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010, no matter what. But if I make Diamond on June 1, 2009, I am Diamond from June 1, 2009 - May 31, 2011, right?

Meaning, I have from Dec 31, 2010 to May 31, 2011 to fly 40K miles and make Diamond again?

No.

If you join on Jan 1, 2009, technically you qualification period is Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010. (If you get the extra one month grace period your qualification period will be from Jan 1, 2009 to Jan 31, 2011).

If you make Diamond on June 1, 2009, technically you'll be Diamond until Dec 31, 2012. You get the status from the date you earn it up until the end of your qualifying period and then for two additional years after that. With the extra two month grace period, your actual status will likely extend till Feb. 28, 2013.

After you reach Diamond, no additional miles during the current qualification period will be of any value whatsoever for renewing your Diamond status. Your next qualification period will be Jan 1, 2011 till Dec 31, 2012. Any miles you earn during that period will go towards status when your Diamond expires. So if you fly 40K or more from Jan 1, 2011 till Dec 31, 2012, you'll renew Diamond status when it expires and it will be good until Dec 31, 2014 (or Feb 28, 2015 with the two month grace period).

Alternately, you can let your Diamond status expire on Dec 31, 2012 (or Feb 28, 2013 counting grace period), and then start again earning miles from Jan 1, 2013. Once you hit 40K you'll again get Diamond status for 4 years minus the time it takes you to earn the 40K + 2 month grace period. So for example if you did that and earned 40K from Jan 1, 2013 till June 1, 2013, you'll earn Diamond until Dec 31, 2016, but you'll be without status for three months from March 1, 2013 till June 1, 2013.

Ok, all these dates and the differences between the technical periods and the periods including the grace periods is probably making you and everyone else confused, but I don't know how to better express it.

A_Lee - thank you so much! I am sorry if these questions seemed insanely easy, but I read the site numerous times and still couldn't figure it out. Thank you for taking the time to explain it very clearly.

Maybe this will be easier to understand as an example. This example does not take into account the grace periods. Add two months to the status period to include the grace period

Example A:
1) Jan 1, 2009 join Asiana club
Status: Silver
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010

2) Jan 1, 2009 - Jan 31, 2009 fly 20K miles
Status: Gold valid Jan 31, 2009 till Dec 31, 2012
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)

3) Feb 1, 2009 - May 31, 2009 fly 20K miles
Status: Diamond valid May 31, 2009 till Dec 31, 2012
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)

4) June 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 fly up to 59,999 miles
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)
These miles are "wasted" and don't count for any status in the current period or any future period

5) Jan 1, 2011 New qualifying period begins
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: None
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012

6) Jan 1, 2011 - Jan 31, 2011 fly 20K miles
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: Gold will be valid Jan 1, 2013 till Dec 31, 2014
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 (no change)

7) Feb 1, 2011 - May 31, 2011 fly 20K miles
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: Diamond will be valid Jan 1, 2013 till Dec 31, 2014
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 (no change)

8) June 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 fly up to 59,999 miles
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: Diamond will be valid Jan 1, 2013 till Dec 31, 2014 (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
These miles are "wasted" and don't count for any status in the current period or any future period

9) Jan 1, 2013 New qualifying period begins, new status begins
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2014
Future Status: None
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014

Example B:
1) Jan 1, 2009 join Asiana club
Status: Silver
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010

2) Jan 1, 2009 - Jan 31, 2009 fly 20K miles
Status: Gold valid Jan 31, 2009 till Dec 31, 2012
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)

3) Feb 1, 2009 - May 31, 2009 fly 20K miles
Status: Diamond valid May 31, 2009 till Dec 31, 2012
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)

4) June 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 fly up to 59,999 miles
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2009 - Dec 31, 2010 (no change)
These miles are "wasted" and don't count for any status in the current period or any future period

5) Jan 1, 2011 New qualifying period begins
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: None
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012

6) Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 don't fly any (or less than 20K)
Status: Diamond valid till Dec 31, 2012 (no change)
Future Status: None (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012 (no change)

7) Jan 1, 2013 New qualifying period begins, new status begins
Status: Silver
Future Status: None
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014

8) Jan 1, 2013 - Jan 31, 2013 fly 20K miles
Status: Gold valid Jan 31, 2013 till Dec 31, 2016
Future Status: None (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014 (no change)

9) Feb 1, 2013 - May 31, 2013 fly 20K miles
Status: Diamond valid May 31, 2013 till Dec 31, 2016
Future Status: None (no change)
Qualifying period: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014 (no change)

So as you can see, in example A you need to fly 40K during every two-year qualification period to continuously maintain your Diamond status. In example B you only need to fly 40K during every other two-year qualification period for Diamond status, but you will technically lose your Diamond status for 5 months (only 3 months counting the grace period).

While I will get along with the 40K mileage requirement pretty well also, qualifying on segments (with Star-flights) would even be easier for me.

So based on this and the information posted in this thread, has it been confirmed that the segments are only of any qualification-value if they are on Asiana themselves and that the segments on Star flights are irrelevant in this regard?

Greetings - Dirk

Yes. Segments only count on Asiana Airlines. Total Mileage information (http://chkin.flyasiana.com/English/Fly2007/MyAsiana/MyPage/FAbcMyPage002.jsp) in Mileage Overview says 0 segments (flights), even though I have flown 4 segments on SQ.

Too bad...but thanks for the clarification. So I guess I'll have to wait to June instead of March to make diamond...

Greetings - Dirk

Your reference date is not the default Oct. 1, 2008, but still you get a 25 month qualifying period as I did. (your qualifying period is 2008-12-01 to 2010-12-31, not 2008-12-01 to 2010-11-30) So it looks like everyone is getting 25 months, not 24 months.

Did you get your physical Gold card yet? What is the expiration date on it? Based on what I got, I'm assuming your expiration date is "valid thru 1/2013"?

Just received my Gold Card from Asiana in Korea. Qualified on the 24/12/08, and it was shipped from Asiana on 31/12/08. Card says expiration date is "valid thru 1/2013".

Also got:

One 5,000 mile discount coupon, expiry 2009.12.26
Two Lounge access coupons, expiry 2010.12.26

[...]

Also got:

One 5,000 mile discount coupon, expiry 2009.12.26
Two Lounge access coupons, expiry 2010.12.26

Asiana only?

hello all,

I have a question with regards to my moms mileage account.

She reached her diamond level last February 2008(she has been flying out since 1996 and only reached diamond last Feb 2008). This year she has almost reached her requalification(40,000 miles) for diamond. She has traveeld 3 times to the US this year, around 30,189 miles right now, shy of about 10,000 miles to requalify. Her status says valid till 3/2011. My question is, till March 2011 my guess is that she would be travelling 7 times again(roughly around 77,630 miles from MNL-LAS-MNL(11,090 miles r/t).
Since her expiration for Diamond is 3/2011 and she would be reaching another 77,330 miles before March 2011, would that put her in Diamond Plus by 2011? I am confused if she would start from the requalifying date of 10/08 or 2/08.

If not, do you think I should put her miles after her requalification of 40T in a different FFP program? Anyhow she would be requalifying already and her status would be good till 3/2014...so the lounge access and the baggage would be okay. Im just thinking if she can reach diamond plus by 2011, or just recredit the miles to another FFP account after her requalification next month(as the miles after 40,000 would be wasted)..

Hope anyone can shed light on this matter. Thanks.

Asiana only?

Yes. Asiana only.

I am confused if she would start from the requalifying date of 10/08 or 2/08.


Why confused? The rules are so simple. :rolleyes: Not. :rolleyes:

The answer to the question about the requalifying date is: both are correct.

Your mother can get status under the old or under the new rules. To qualify under the old rules, she will have until March 2011 (strangely it is not January 2011). Under the new rules however, only the flights between 2008-10-01 and 2010-09-30 will count towards requalification.

The problem your mother will have is that under the old rules she will not be able to qualify for Diamond Plus as there was no such status under the old regime.
So either she will fly a bit more often or she needs to book a fare which gets more miles. MNL-LAS is more than 7000 miles each way. So a full earning fare should give her something like 15000 miles r/t and not 11k.

This year she has almost reached her requalification(40,000 miles) for diamond. She has traveeld 3 times to the US this year, around 30,189 miles right now, shy of about 10,000 miles to requalify.

Do you really mean this year (2009)? If you meant last year then if she wants Diamond+ (must be under the new rules), only miles flown on or after Oct. 1, 2008 will count. Any miles flown prior to that don't count towards Diamond+. And as DownUnderFlyer posted, the qualification period for that is Oct 1, 2008 till Sep. 30, 2010. (Actually my account shows an extra month grace period, so until Oct 31, 2010).

MNL-LAS is more than 7000 miles each way. So a full earning fare should give her something like 15000 miles r/t and not 11k.

I imagine she's flying in V class which only gets 70% miles.

Asiana only?

Not just Asiana lounge only, but also only when flying on an Asiana flight and the lounge is their business lounge. However, if you happen to be already flying on OZ business class and so have access to the business lounge based on your board pass, some smooth talking may get you into the OZ F lounge with one of these coupons. Either that or it was my good looks (ha) that got me in.

..... some smooth talking may get you into the OZ F lounge with one of these coupons. Either that or it was my good looks (ha) that got me in.

:rolleyes: ;) ;) :D ^ Well done!

Do you really mean this year (2009)? If you meant last year then if she wants Diamond+ (must be under the new rules), only miles flown on or after Oct. 1, 2008 will count. Any miles flown prior to that don't count towards Diamond+. And as DownUnderFlyer posted, the qualification period for that is Oct 1, 2008 till Sep. 30, 2010. (Actually my account shows an extra month grace period, so until Oct 31, 2010).



I imagine she's flying in V class which only gets 70% miles.

thanks for the response A_Lee

she has flown around 30,000 miles from the time she reached diamond last 2/08. (from 2/08-till present(Jan '09) she has already flown 30,000 miles or around 3 roundtrips). another trip of hers and she would have requalified for diamond under the old rules.

Her fare is V class thats why she only gets 70%mileage..

So do you think after her requalification(next trip), I should recredit all her miles to another FFP account already as the miles after 40,000 wont count anymore(as it would be wasted). I reviewed her miles under the new rule and she only has 11,090 miles flown from 10-08 to present. So I dont think she can get to diamond plus in 2 years time...

In deciding to continue to bank her miles with OZ or another program you need to ask yourself what value would she get in a different program as opposed to OZ? If she already has *G, there's no need to get another *G with a different program. Will another program give her a better earn/burn ratio for her miles and is it significant enough to warrant adding another *A program or not? If she won't fly enough to earn Diamond+ then there's no clear benefit in continuing to bank her miles with OZ but if there's also no clear benefit in banking with a different program then she's probably best to just continue with OZ.

One more point to consider is that under the new rules status will be expire every two years at the end of each qualification/status period. For old members, their qualification start date under the new rules is Oct. 1, 2008, Oct. 1, 2010, etc. So for your mother the first period is Oct. 1, 2008 til Sep. 30 2010 and whatever status is earned during that period is good until Sep 30. 2012. But her Diamond status under the old rules expires in March 2011. So from March 2011 till Sept 2012 she won't have status unless she earns it in one of two ways, under the new rules - either now during her current qualifying period (fly a total of 40K miles), or early in her next qualifying period (Oct. 2010 till March 2011). If she can fly enough to make it under the second case then you can consider what to do with her miles from now till Sep. 30, 2010. If not, and if not losing her status is important to her, then bank at least 40K miles starting from Oct. 1 2008 so that her status will be continuous.

My quick personal recommendation, without knowing lots of details of your specific case - your mother travels roughly 35K per year based on what you've said. That's not much as far as frequent flyers are concerned. It's not a lot of miles to really worry about. If she can increase her flying up to 50K per year then she can get Diamond+ or possibly some real benefit in a different FFP.

:rolleyes: ;) ;) :D ^ Well done!

Tried it again today but when flying SQ and it didn't work. Perhaps I'm slipping or the lounge dragons just weren't in a good mood today.

thanks for the response A_Lee

actually what I am concerned about is getting her a free ticket. with Asiana she needs around 85,000 miles for a free ticket to the US from Manila(r/t), compared to UA of 65,000 miles for a free ticket to the US from Manila(r/t)..actually we have been members of UA before, but because they dont service Manila anymore(they serve HK-LAX-LAS so we have to get a different carrier out of Manila for our connecting flight to the US), most times we take Asiana now(with the exception if the fares are really way expensive, then I choose whose cheaper then). Like for now, my ticket for economy under Kilo class for Asiana is 1600USD to Vegas(next week), kind of steep since when I based the fares out of US, they are only in the 900-1000 range, but out of Manila, it is quite different..

So correct me if I am wrong, since her being diamond last 2/08, she already banked 30T miles, starting from March '08 to present...by April 09 she would be reaching 40T miles(requalified already). Her diamond status expires 3/2011...Am I correct that they would be holding her diamond status till March of 2014 for Asiana as she already requalified under the old rules? That is what I planned for her, as I might be crediting her miles with UA after the 40T requalification, as she can get into the lounge after 2011 even with flying UA and have the extra baggage as well...

Thanks so much for the response.

In deciding to continue to bank her miles with OZ or another program you need to ask yourself what value would she get in a different program as opposed to OZ? If she already has *G, there's no need to get another *G with a different program. Will another program give her a better earn/burn ratio for her miles and is it significant enough to warrant adding another *A program or not? If she won't fly enough to earn Diamond+ then there's no clear benefit in continuing to bank her miles with OZ but if there's also no clear benefit in banking with a different program then she's probably best to just continue with OZ.

One more point to consider is that under the new rules status will be expire every two years at the end of each qualification/status period. For old members, their qualification start date under the new rules is Oct. 1, 2008, Oct. 1, 2010, etc. So for your mother the first period is Oct. 1, 2008 til Sep. 30 2010 and whatever status is earned during that period is good until Sep 30. 2012. But her Diamond status under the old rules expires in March 2011. So from March 2011 till Sept 2012 she won't have status unless she earns it in one of two ways, under the new rules - either now during her current qualifying period (fly a total of 40K miles), or early in her next qualifying period (Oct. 2010 till March 2011). If she can fly enough to make it under the second case then you can consider what to do with her miles from now till Sep. 30, 2010. If not, and if not losing her status is important to her, then bank at least 40K miles starting from Oct. 1 2008 so that her status will be continuous.

My quick personal recommendation, without knowing lots of details of your specific case - your mother travels roughly 35K per year based on what you've said. That's not much as far as frequent flyers are concerned. It's not a lot of miles to really worry about. If she can increase her flying up to 50K per year then she can get Diamond+ or possibly some real benefit in a different FFP.

I haven't really studied the old rules so cannot answer your question about requalification under the old rules.

Remember that as a Diamond member she'll get a 10% bonus when flying OZ flights. So if you're comparing 85K miles for an award using OZ miles vs. 65K for UA, by adding on the 10% bonus it becomes 77K for OZ, not 85K. That's assuming she continuously keeps her Diamond status and doesn't let it lapse.

Then there's the availability issue. I don't know have any first hand experience in either but have heard lots of complaints about UA MP members not being able to get the awards they want. Being UA no longer flies to Manila, as you pointed out, OZ is probably the most logical *A carrier to take, so most likely she'll have a much better chance of getting the award flights she wants as an OZ member rather than as a UA member.

Mileage expiration shouldn't be an issue for her with OZ's 5/7 year expiration and UA's no expiration with continued activity.

If she ever flies domestic in the US then OZ's *G card is more valuable than UA's *G because UA's *G card won't get you lounge access if not flying on an international itinerary.

What about earning miles by other means, such as a credit card? She's based in LAS I presume. OZ has a card that you can earn 2 miles per dollar charged to the card. Not sure about UA but most US based cards I think are only 1 mile per dollar. If she uses a credit card whenever possible and is able to charge a few hundred dollars a month that could add up to a sizeable difference over a two year period for the OZ card. Enough perhaps to make the mileage requirements almost equal. Of course that's assuming she can get and will use such a credit card.

Those are just some thoughts that come to mind off-hand. I don't really have any current experience with UA's MP so maybe someone else here will or if not maybe ask some questions on the UA forum for some advice.

The new rules are way easier to understand and also to achieve higher status, the standard is lower than most of the *A's mileage program.

thanks for the response A_Lee

anyhow I have not yet studied my moms case but I would do so in a few days.

I have a question though to the new lounge access given to new Gold members. as my status went back to Gold today since I havent flown out before(I took Asiana last night on board K class which has 100 percent mileage). I just want to know if Asiana would mail the lounge access coupons to my home address or is it automatically in the system that I can use those coupons when the Gold member shows his card. Do I need to request for those coupons to show for the lounge access then?

Also I am confused a bit with regards to my mileage. This are my details.

under the new rules old rules
starting from requalification date 10-1-08 (updated)

(MNL-LAX) 7,592 miles 92,000(upgraded back to gold)
+232 miles(LAX-LAS) 7,824 miles 92,232
+2000 miles(Canada trip) 9,824 94,232
(LAS-MNL)+7,824= 17,648 102,056 (diamond)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
does this mean when I reach 40,000 on my old rules, this would lead to requalification?

Hypothetically speaking
from: 17,648 miles
MNL-LAS-MNL+15648 = 33,296 117,704
MNL-LAS 7,592 = 40,888 (requalified?) 125,296

does that mean if I reach 40,000 miles in new rules, I dont need anymore to requalify on the old rules? Thaks for the answers...this is the part wherein I am confused..

I haven't really studied the old rules so cannot answer your question about requalification under the old rules.

Remember that as a Diamond member she'll get a 10% bonus when flying OZ flights. So if you're comparing 85K miles for an award using OZ miles vs. 65K for UA, by adding on the 10% bonus it becomes 77K for OZ, not 85K. That's assuming she continuously keeps her Diamond status and doesn't let it lapse.

Then there's the availability issue. I don't know have any first hand experience in either but have heard lots of complaints about UA MP members not being able to get the awards they want. Being UA no longer flies to Manila, as you pointed out, OZ is probably the most logical *A carrier to take, so most likely she'll have a much better chance of getting the award flights she wants as an OZ member rather than as a UA member.

Mileage expiration shouldn't be an issue for her with OZ's 5/7 year expiration and UA's no expiration with continued activity.

If she ever flies domestic in the US then OZ's *G card is more valuable than UA's *G because UA's *G card won't get you lounge access if not flying on an international itinerary.

What about earning miles by other means, such as a credit card? She's based in LAS I presume. OZ has a card that you can earn 2 miles per dollar charged to the card. Not sure about UA but most US based cards I think are only 1 mile per dollar. If she uses a credit card whenever possible and is able to charge a few hundred dollars a month that could add up to a sizeable difference over a two year period for the OZ card. Enough perhaps to make the mileage requirements almost equal. Of course that's assuming she can get and will use such a credit card.

Those are just some thoughts that come to mind off-hand. I don't really have any current experience with UA's MP so maybe someone else here will or if not maybe ask some questions on the UA forum for some advice.

I got my two lounge coupons via mail in my gold pack. You must present the actual coupon for lounge access. If you lose them, there's no replacement, so they are not stored electronically. In your case, I presume you soft landed to Gold from Diamond under the old rules? Whether you get the lounge coupons along with your gold card is anyone's guess. If you don't get them though, you may have a second chance to get them once you reach 20K under the new rules which would normally be the qualifying level for gold. If they don't give you the lounge coupons at either of those two points, you should ask about it, being it would be like they were giving you an inferior status because you were already a member as opposed to a new member qualifying for gold. Worth a try I'd say.

Once you hit 40K within the current qualifying period you should be diamond until November, 2012. So in your example when you hit 40,888 miles on your MNL-LAS trip you will be qualified for diamond under the new rules and don't need to concern yourself any more with the old rules. Basically during the transition period they'll award you status either under the old or the new rules, whichever is best for you.

Not just Asiana lounge only, but also only when flying on an Asiana flight and the lounge is their business lounge. However, if you happen to be already flying on OZ business class and so have access to the business lounge based on your board pass, some smooth talking may get you into the OZ F lounge with one of these coupons. Either that or it was my good looks (ha) that got me in.

Then I shouldn't have any problems ;)

thanks for the response A_Lee!

I called Asiana Club just now and they told me that the coupons are stored already in the card. The problem sometimes with Asiana club(no offense) is that they are hard of speaking in English, that I have to repeat my queries several times. Thank you for the clarification that you need the actual coupons as I would be asking them for the actual coupons.

Actually I was Gold before, soft landed to Silver because of a problem before with Asiana that they had a 2 month strike in 2005 I think(I should have been diamond now but they didnt have a flight then)..I went back to Gold again just now and verified it with them. When I go back to Manila, I would be upgraded to diamond from the 100,000 rule from the old book.



I got my two lounge coupons via mail in my gold pack. You must present the actual coupon for lounge access. If you lose them, there's no replacement, so they are not stored electronically. In your case, I presume you soft landed to Gold from Diamond under the old rules? Whether you get the lounge coupons along with your gold card is anyone's guess. If you don't get them though, you may have a second chance to get them once you reach 20K under the new rules which would normally be the qualifying level for gold. If they don't give you the lounge coupons at either of those two points, you should ask about it, being it would be like they were giving you an inferior status because you were already a member as opposed to a new member qualifying for gold. Worth a try I'd say.

Once you hit 40K within the current qualifying period you should be diamond until November, 2012. So in your example when you hit 40,888 miles on your MNL-LAS trip you will be qualified for diamond under the new rules and don't need to concern yourself any more with the old rules. Basically during the transition period they'll award you status either under the old or the new rules, whichever is best for you.

Star silver or Asiana Silver? Because if they put you in Asiana Silver, they didn't soft-land you, they put you in the base tier.

Star silver or Asiana Silver? Because if they put you in Asiana Silver, they didn't soft-land you, they put you in the base tier.

star silver

I requested Asiana club to send me my new gold card almost 2 weeks ago..how long would they send out new status to your home address then?

Probably about a month. It took them that long to send out a replacement card too. But if you're in ICN anytime soon they can print you a card on the spot.

I requested Asiana club to send me my new gold card almost 2 weeks ago..how long would they send out new status to your home address then?

Never recieved any cards, even after sending mails to Asiana Club published email-adresses (but got answers, promising to send it).

Picked cards up in ICN and HKG city office, but never recieved welcome gifts, luggage tags or anything. A bit disappointing...

I spoke with Asiana club just a while ago and am clarifying the 2 business lounge coupons that they offer for gold card members. They told me that its already in my card, and that I would just inform the agent upon check in if I want to use the lounge access then(no more gift certificates). But surprisingly, Gold card members can only use the US Lounge(huh???) operated by Asiana airlines, as I spoke with Sarah from Asiana club and she told me that Gold members are not allowed to use the business lounge in Incheon(their home city), only in the US...in the website it didnt say it is exclusively for use for lounges "operated in the US"....it says there 2 business club lounges operated by Asiana airlines(whereever Asiana has a lounge)...am I correct on this?

I spoke with Asiana club just a while ago and am clarifying the 2 business lounge coupons that they offer for gold card members. They told me that its already in my card, and that I would just inform the agent upon check in if I want to use the lounge access then(no more gift certificates). But surprisingly, Gold card members can only use the US Lounge(huh???) operated by Asiana airlines, as I spoke with Sarah from Asiana club and she told me that Gold members are not allowed to use the business lounge in Incheon(their home city), only in the US...in the website it didnt say it is exclusively for use for lounges "operated in the US"....it says there 2 business club lounges operated by Asiana airlines(whereever Asiana has a lounge)...am I correct on this?

That's very strange. When I tried to use one to get into the F lounge at ICN (I already was flying C and had access to the C lounge) I was told that I could use it only for the C lounge and she motioned to the lounge next door, and only if I was flying on OZ. I wasn't flying OZ that day and being I already had access to that lounge based on my C boarding pass I put my coupon away and went into the C lounge. So the OZ lounge dragons definitely thought it was usable at the C lounge at ICN.

The only thing I can think of as to why OZ is telling you that you can't use the coupon in ICN is because I assume you're just in transit at ICN and maybe for some strange reason they have to process your lounge access at the check-in counter and not at the lounge (being you don't have the coupon but rather it's stored in your card). If that's the case and if you are able to exit through immigration at ICN, just do that and then go to the check-in counter and explain that you'd like to use the lounge. There's also an Asiana Club counter landside at ICN which might be of some help in your case. If you can't exit immigration, then I'd check with the OZ transfer counter which is located on the 4th floor, just as you go up the escalators nearby the OZ lounges.

I qualified for Gold several months ago soon after the new rules went into effect and at that time they gave me the physical coupons. I guess they must have changed it since then and now just store them electronically on your card.

I called again Asiana Club and they retracted what they said earlier..its the US lounge that you cant use, but the one in Incheon I can use. Actually I would be diamond already when I go back on my next trip so I want to dispose of the 2 coupons because it would be useless for me to use it when I become diamond already when I reach my final destination...so its really perfect for me to use it in LAX and ICN. I will be flying LAS(UA)-LAX(OZ)-ICN(OZ)-MNL. I think I have to bring really a hardcopy of their new rules, if they dont permit me to access the lounge in Incheon and LAX...In LAX, I know they have a lounge but strange, they wont allow me to use it there, considering that I would be checking in at LAX for my flight to Manila.


That's very strange. When I tried to use one to get into the F lounge at ICN (I already was flying C and had access to the C lounge) I was told that I could use it only for the C lounge and she motioned to the lounge next door, and only if I was flying on OZ. I wasn't flying OZ that day and being I already had access to that lounge based on my C boarding pass I put my coupon away and went into the C lounge. So the OZ lounge dragons definitely thought it was usable at the C lounge at ICN.

The only thing I can think of as to why OZ is telling you that you can't use the coupon in ICN is because I assume you're just in transit at ICN and maybe for some strange reason they have to process your lounge access at the check-in counter and not at the lounge (being you don't have the coupon but rather it's stored in your card). If that's the case and if you are able to exit through immigration at ICN, just do that and then go to the check-in counter and explain that you'd like to use the lounge. There's also an Asiana Club counter landside at ICN which might be of some help in your case. If you can't exit immigration, then I'd check with the OZ transfer counter which is located on the 4th floor, just as you go up the escalators nearby the OZ lounges.

I qualified for Gold several months ago soon after the new rules went into effect and at that time they gave me the physical coupons. I guess they must have changed it since then and now just store them electronically on your card.

The coupons are only good for OZ business class lounges, ie. lounges owned and operated by OZ. Not OZ contract lounges or any *G lounge operated by another carrier. Correct me if I'm wrong but the lounge at LAX is not owned by OZ, so that's why you're not entitled to use it with your lounge coupon.

Basically they're giving you something that costs them nothing. It doesn't cost them anything to let you into their ICN lounge but it does cost them to let you into a lounge they do not own.

I wonder does anyone have a list of OZ owned and operated lounges, either C and/or F lounges?

Edited to add:
Just looked at the OZ site and found their list of lounges they use. The only ones that appear to be OZ owned are in Korea and as follows:
C/F international lounges at ICN
Asiana domestic at GMP, PUS, CJU, KWJ, and TAE (these may double as international lounges being I believe some and maybe all are located landside).

Edited to add:
Just looked at the OZ site and found their list of lounges they use. The only ones that appear to be OZ owned are in Korea and as follows:
C/F international lounges at ICN
Asiana domestic at GMP, PUS, CJU, KWJ, and TAE (these may double as international lounges being I believe some and maybe all are located landside).

Correct, OZ doesn't operate any lounges outside Korea AFAIK. But the vouchers still help when you are in transit.

So did they phase out the lounge coupons in favour of electronically storing them on the membership card?

Just got Asiana to re-send me my Gold card that I never received and she stated that there is no physical 5000 mile discount coupon or lounge coupons.



That's very strange. When I tried to use one to get into the F lounge at ICN (I already was flying C and had access to the C lounge) I was told that I could use it only for the C lounge and she motioned to the lounge next door, and only if I was flying on OZ. I wasn't flying OZ that day and being I already had access to that lounge based on my C boarding pass I put my coupon away and went into the C lounge. So the OZ lounge dragons definitely thought it was usable at the C lounge at ICN.

The only thing I can think of as to why OZ is telling you that you can't use the coupon in ICN is because I assume you're just in transit at ICN and maybe for some strange reason they have to process your lounge access at the check-in counter and not at the lounge (being you don't have the coupon but rather it's stored in your card). If that's the case and if you are able to exit through immigration at ICN, just do that and then go to the check-in counter and explain that you'd like to use the lounge. There's also an Asiana Club counter landside at ICN which might be of some help in your case. If you can't exit immigration, then I'd check with the OZ transfer counter which is located on the 4th floor, just as you go up the escalators nearby the OZ lounges.

I qualified for Gold several months ago soon after the new rules went into effect and at that time they gave me the physical coupons. I guess they must have changed it since then and now just store them electronically on your card.

Yes, all the coupons are stored electronically now. A few months ago when I got my Diamond Plus card I also did not get the physical coupons but the girl at the Asiana Club counter at ICN told me not to worry that they're stored in the computer and they can call them up whenever I want to redeem one of the coupons.

Does it apply for Gold card as well? I just received my Gold card with the coupons.

My understanding is that all the coupons are stored electronically and there is no need for the physical coupons. They may or may not send you the physical coupons. I got physical coupons I think for both Gold and Diamond but not Diamond Plus. Maybe they didn't want to bother printing the ones for Diamond Plus being there's not that many reaching that level. I've not yet tried to use any of my coupons so can't relay any actual experience in redeeming them electronically.