keitherson

https://www.latam.com/en_us/latam-pa...am-pass-cards/

I don't know if I agree.

(1) not everyone has a smartphone, like grandma
(2) many lounges/airlines still prefer to see physical cards
(3) digital cards are easily photoshopped
(4) feels like a cheap cost-cutting measure

Eastbay1K

Given the reliability of domestic mail services in much of Mundo LATAM, it is probably not a bad idea. But unless the rest of the alliance is on board with accepting these, there will be plenty of lounge (and perhaps even check-in and gate) agents being told to go to el infierno.

Carolinas

To be honest, I don't see any problem with that either. These days all tickets are issues electronically (regardless whether you have a paper printed one). Your status is already in the database, and it's visible to partner airlines too. Unless there is some really bad crew up in the system, you'll be fine. I've been extensively traveling during past few months around the world, and I've never been asked about the physical card.

andreadbc

accurate status access by partner airlines isn't as up to date as we'd wish

Carolinas

This is true. However, it should be put into perspective:

- it takes about 14 days for physical card to arrive (although in practice it might take much longer than that as we can see on this very forum)

- propagation of newly acquired LATAM status within Oneworld partners takes ~20 days (sorry, can't get the proper reference, but I can confirm this number in my case - my Black status was recognized by a OW airlines within 3 three weeks after I got it with LATAM).

Therefore, practically we come to a difference of about one week (in ideal case) between physical card arrival and electronic recognition world wide. I would say this is pretty good. Taking into account that some people wait for their card to arrive for weeks, I would say fully switching to electronic cards isn't a real issue. Just my personal opinion Mileage may vary, of course.

12cheungtk1

Slight Off-Topic: The iPhone app allows for a wallet card to be downloaded to apple wallet. However I don't see any use for that function as it doesn't pop up when you need it

andreadbc

Someone I know is Black since last March and AA never updated the status on their system, it keeps insisting he is OW Ruby. He always shows the physical card but before receiving it he missed out on lounge access once because the app wasn't loading...

godsquare

It is even worse for me. My LATAM status has never been updated to AA. The digital card won't work either. Even when I show the Admiral Club agents the digital card, they still insist that their system does not recognize me as a OW sapphire.

Carolinas

Now, here is the most recent experience with the digital card:

- LATAM lounges (SCL, GRU, MIA): no problems at all

- American Airlines Admirals Club in:

GIG - for some reason the boarding pass didn't contain my Emerald status and they asked for my card. I showed them the digital card from smartphone - worked like a charm, no more questions were asked

DFW - no problems

JFK - no problems. Then I specifically asked the agent about the fact that LATAM is switching to digital and how this will affect lounge access. She said they are aware of that and LATAM digital cards are recognized by them.

godsquare

When you make a booking on AA.com, can you select main cabin extra seats for free when you enter your LATAM pass account number?

Per my understanding, when you give your digital card to Admiral Club agent, the agent will check the validity of the LATAM pass account with AA system. Therefore, if AA system does not recognize LATAM status (like what is happening to me), then they will not allow you to enter the lounge even if you show them the digital card. On the other hand, the physical card has your membership status stored inside the card, therefore, even if AA system does not recognize your LATAM status, the agent can still verify your status by swiping the card and let you in.

I would be more than happy if I am proven wrong here.

Carolinas

I don't by tickets on AA.com, therefore I cannot comment on that question. But I purchased tickets on sites of other OW airlines this year and my status was always recognized indeed (I could do seat selection available for Emeralds, etc..) . The only situation I ran into with the digital car was in GIG, where I was asked to show the card. After I showed it to them, they just wrote down the number and I am not even sure they checked it (I could be mistaken, though).

In all other cases, traveling in Europe, Asia, USA, and South America I never had problem neither with recognition of my status nor with lounge access. I could only suggest you to contact AA & LATAM and try to sort out your situation..

miamiflyer8

Until all airline employees do not demand plastic, I will be against digital elite cards.

Seems cheap on LA's part to cut them.

godsquare

I have been trying for more than six months now

Eli Barnett

AA does not accept the digital card on lounges and AA systems does not recognize LATAM emerald status (although BA and Iberia do recognize it correctly). Anyone else experiencing these issues? Any workaround

krzysz

I am just LanPass Gold/OW Ruby and it seems that AA does not recognize my status in their reservations because when I called AA help desk, they didn't see the Ruby status. It can be a useful thing to be recognized on AA because it allows preferred seat selection free of charge 24 hours before a flight. Finnair and BA recognize the status without a problem.

Funnily enough, about two years ago when I (to my knowledge) didn't have any status on Lan, I got the "Ruby" status on TAM and AirBerlin boarding passes, which once allowed me to use fast track at Berlin Tegel. After all, who knows, maybe I was then a Ruby in fact, but Lanpass forgot to list me as such on the website.