Comp CX Gold (OW Sapphire) with Amex Plat
Aug 3, 2011, 4:09 am
#76
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
THanks for that, looks like I was in the process of looking up the BA site and seeing the seat selection criteria, and changing my post, when you posted your reply.
How do you go about telling Ba.com you have OW sapphire, I have a couple of long distance flights coming up and would be nice to pick the seats. I'm currently blue so they are looking for a payment to do it before T-24 hours.
How do you go about telling Ba.com you have OW sapphire, I have a couple of long distance flights coming up and would be nice to pick the seats. I'm currently blue so they are looking for a payment to do it before T-24 hours.
Aug 3, 2011, 4:12 am
#77
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Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
Then again, this sort of defeats the purpose as you can't re-qualify for CX this way!
Aug 3, 2011, 5:17 am
#78
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,648
So as a BA blue flying CW (no free seat selection until T-24), I can now select seats free as a CX Gold (OW Sapphire). Can I do this over the phone or do I have to change my FF number to CX, select the seats, and then change back to BAEC for my BA points and miles?
Aug 3, 2011, 5:27 am
#79
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA EXP
Posts: 1,140
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_gb
You should easily be able to do this over the phone (but you will need to connect your CX number to the booking to recognise the status and then switch back to BAEC if you want to earn BA miles/tier ponts for the trip). Until know, I've been happy leaving my AA Plat in the booking and earning the miles in that program.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the BA MMB isn't flexible enough to allow you to do this online but I have managed to achieve this on the MMB part of the Finnair website (but you need to switch back to the BA website to select the seats).
Aug 3, 2011, 5:33 am
#80
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,648
If you are a Oneworld Sapphire, you can select your seats from the time of booking:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_gb
You should easily be able to do this over the phone (but you will need to connect your CX number to the booking to recognise the status and then switch back to BAEC if you want to earn BA miles/tier ponts for the trip). Until know, I've been happy leaving my AA Plat in the booking and earning the miles in that program.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the BA MMB isn't flexible enough to allow you to do this online but I have managed to achieve this on the MMB part of the Finnair website (but you need to switch back to the BA website to select the seats).
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_gb
You should easily be able to do this over the phone (but you will need to connect your CX number to the booking to recognise the status and then switch back to BAEC if you want to earn BA miles/tier ponts for the trip). Until know, I've been happy leaving my AA Plat in the booking and earning the miles in that program.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the BA MMB isn't flexible enough to allow you to do this online but I have managed to achieve this on the MMB part of the Finnair website (but you need to switch back to the BA website to select the seats).
so I'll just phone and grab the best two CW seats (the cabin is completely empty apart from the blocked bassinet seats). Thats' £120 saved thanks to AMEX!Edit: Actually I've just realized that because they are reward flights it makes no difference whether I'm BA or CX (no TPs or miles)
so I may as well change it to CX and travel with status for a change 
.
Last edited by SteveF; Aug 3, 2011 at 5:48 am
Aug 3, 2011, 5:51 am
#81
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Tyrone,EU
Programs: Avios Hunter
Posts: 2,812
If you are a Oneworld Sapphire, you can select your seats from the time of booking:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_gb
Perhaps not surprisingly, the BA MMB isn't flexible enough to allow you to do this online but I have managed to achieve this on the MMB part of the Finnair website (but you need to switch back to the BA website to select the seats).
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...y/public/en_gb
Perhaps not surprisingly, the BA MMB isn't flexible enough to allow you to do this online but I have managed to achieve this on the MMB part of the Finnair website (but you need to switch back to the BA website to select the seats).
Last edited by tangey; Aug 3, 2011 at 6:39 am
Aug 3, 2011, 6:00 am
#82
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,648
If I understand correctly, you mean that you can change the FF number associated with a BA reservation to CX on the Finnair site? And then ba.com will allow you to select seats if you are OW sapphire?
Aug 3, 2011, 6:27 am
#83
Join Date: May 2007
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, AA EXP
Posts: 1,140
Spot on (it has definitely worked like that for me before now, even when BA Customer Services had refused outright to switch the FF number for me over the telephone "because it is an award booking", which is complete nonsense).
Aug 3, 2011, 6:58 am
#84
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 4,648
Hmm, is it nonsense though? You made the reservation with your BAEC account with points earned on that account. I can see it being OK if you then change it back, but what if you leave it as CX? And if you change it back will you lose the seat reservations?
Aug 3, 2011, 11:29 am
#85
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: London / Los Angeles
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, BA Silver
Posts: 1,631
Received my Marco Polo app today yay 
Anyone able to answer my earlier question regarding Aer Lingus flights that are BA codeshare i.e. will Aer Lingus give lounge access when using a CX gold card or will they only recognise BA silver cards?
Anyone able to answer my earlier question regarding Aer Lingus flights that are BA codeshare i.e. will Aer Lingus give lounge access when using a CX gold card or will they only recognise BA silver cards?
Aug 3, 2011, 2:22 pm
#86
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Godalming, Surrey, UK.
Programs: Nowt of note.
Posts: 1,628
FWIW, I contacted Amex by email yesterday with the "my colleague got this offer. Am I entitled?" angle and today got this response:
^
Originally Posted by Amex customer services
You are entitled to Marco Polo Gold membership, I have today posted the application form to you. Please return the form in the envelope provided, once this is received you will receive the membership within 4 weeks.
Aug 6, 2011, 3:03 am
#89
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
Does the envelope get posted to Cathay or Amex? If its Cathay, they may not double check the name with Amex.
Alternatively, I may get the form now (in case this is a limited time offer) and get her a Platinum card in her own right in a few months, bank the referral points, get the Cathay card and then cancel her Plat. Even if we don't cancel her card whilst the CX status is valid, it is still just £300 for 64,000 MR points between us plus a year of lounge access.
Aug 6, 2011, 3:38 am
#90
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: Hyatt Diamond, HH Diamond, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold, Amex Platinum
Posts: 1,219
Only the primary card holder will receive an invitation to apply. The envelope gets posted to Amex, as usual with these kind of offers.