2014 Skywards Card & "gift"
Mar 21, 2014, 6:15 am
#32
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: BNE/TRG(NZ)
Programs: EK Gold, QF
Posts: 31
Traveling in Asia, Powerbanks are normal part of most peoples day to day life to have power all day, or days on end for your mobile, Iphone or another brand.
Apr 27, 2014, 2:36 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Cairo
Programs: EK Skywards Gold, TK Elite Plus, QR Platinum, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 290
I think that once you receive the card there is a kind of certificate enclosed directing you to the High Street webpage where you can select your gift.
May 20, 2014, 12:45 am
#36
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: LPB
Programs: Skywards Gold, Miles & More, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 410
I was able to choose, and got the headphones instead. They're not amazing, but the cable is pretty long, which is useful for the gym.
May 20, 2014, 1:19 am
#37
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,399
The wallet is indeed very unimpressive. Poor quality stuff and well below the standard Emirates should be setting. Doubt you would need to pay more than around $3 for it in a Bangkok street market.
May 20, 2014, 3:28 am
#38
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dubai, UAE
Programs: Skywards Plat, Etihad Gold, Aerosvit Gold, Virgin Silver, AA lifetime Gold, Sirius Gold
Posts: 1,229
My wife tossed her one in the garbage but I retrieved it thinking it deserved better than that and even thought I might use it one day. Perhaps I just have poor taste ...
May 20, 2014, 3:35 am
#39
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: LPB
Programs: Skywards Gold, Miles & More, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 410
May 20, 2014, 4:57 am
#40
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Europe & Middle East
Programs: BA GGL (LTG), Marriott LT Titanium, EK Plat, Amex Cent
Posts: 899
I got a cheap-ish watch this year as a plat gift, which I gave to my driver. It was the best of a poor bunch of presents. Previous year as a Gold I got the headphones which remain in the packet as I am loving my Bose IE2 headphones.
I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but I do believe that these presents may be counter-productive to EK. I mean, as a plat, statistically speaking I probably have a pretty decent job and a $50- $100 bit of kit is going to be of limited value.
Now i know that EK can hardly be expected to dish out Tag's, Rolex's or similar, and the fact that they are trying to recognise and reward our loyalty is very much appreciated, but perhaps a slight re-think is in order.
Looking at some other schemes I have experience of, BA offer Gold Upgrade for Two vouchers (which are a nightmare to use, but thats a different story - if we could use them the concept is fantastic) and in the past SPG have given me 1000 bonus Starpoints as a thank you for re-qualification and also a $25 in-hotel gift voucher - quite modest but welcome nonetheless as Mrs Nimi used it towards a spa treatment. I would hazard a guess that for many of us something similar would be more useful, less wasteful on the environment and possibly less costly for EK.
Just my thoughts - would be interested to know others views
I do not mean to sound ungrateful, but I do believe that these presents may be counter-productive to EK. I mean, as a plat, statistically speaking I probably have a pretty decent job and a $50- $100 bit of kit is going to be of limited value.
Now i know that EK can hardly be expected to dish out Tag's, Rolex's or similar, and the fact that they are trying to recognise and reward our loyalty is very much appreciated, but perhaps a slight re-think is in order.
Looking at some other schemes I have experience of, BA offer Gold Upgrade for Two vouchers (which are a nightmare to use, but thats a different story - if we could use them the concept is fantastic) and in the past SPG have given me 1000 bonus Starpoints as a thank you for re-qualification and also a $25 in-hotel gift voucher - quite modest but welcome nonetheless as Mrs Nimi used it towards a spa treatment. I would hazard a guess that for many of us something similar would be more useful, less wasteful on the environment and possibly less costly for EK.
Just my thoughts - would be interested to know others views
May 21, 2014, 1:39 am
#41
Join Date: May 2010
Location: BOM
Programs: EK Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,883
May 21, 2014, 1:50 am
#42
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 6,831
I quite agree with that. My preference would be for EK to get something custom made, that's related to flying or EKs fleet, that you really can't pick of the streets of Bangkok or Shenzhen, and hopefully doesn't look that cheap that it gets thrown in the dustbin or inside a drawer, - basically doesn't have to be expensive, but exclusive, and hard to get unless you achieve status with EK
May 21, 2014, 3:06 am
#43
Join Date: May 2010
Location: BOM
Programs: EK Plat, HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,883
Perhaps there indeed are too many Plats but the qualification threshold is fairly steep IMO. JFK is can be very Platinum heavy but on my last trip to BOS, I was the only Plat on the DXB-BOS and the BOS-DXB legs....
May 21, 2014, 4:01 am
#44
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Europe & Middle East
Programs: BA GGL (LTG), Marriott LT Titanium, EK Plat, Amex Cent
Posts: 899
150,000 Skywards miles is, by my reckoning, about 10 return long haul J flights. Key difference is that EK allow you to get this in 1 year - BA insist on 2 years, although I would argue that the BA GGL is superior to EK Plat. Anyway, I think they have the threshold about right for the fairly modest incremental benefits offered. If there are too many plats, one could argue that EK is just too popular as an airline - not surprising given the quality of the product compared to many of its competitors.
Anyway, if there are more plats than they had anticipated, then moving towards a points / upgrade voucher reward instead of cheap jewelry items may ab in EK's interest as well as our interest
May 21, 2014, 5:00 am
#45
Join Date: May 2010
Location: UK
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 1,144
