FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - airBaltic introduces it's own frequent flyer program
Old Feb 27, 2010 | 10:40 pm
  #211  
vilntrav
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As this thread is about Air Baltic Frequent flyer program, I will give my opinion on the Nordea Baltic Miles Mastercard I just got.
At 5 litas spent for 1 mile it is not a bargain...often it is possible to get better redeem with American Express, and probably Scandinavian co-branded cards are better (but I am a resident of Lithuania so only alternative to Baltic Mastercard is American Express card I already have).
It is possible the spending of miles to get tickets is duplicated from Scandinavian : for example 30000 miles for VNO-CDG-VNO, just what Scandinavian asked me for the same trip, except I'll enjoy a stop at Copenhagen airport whetheras with Air Baltic flight is direct.
See here :
http://balticmiles.airbaltic.com/en/spend_miles.html
This means 150000 litas spent with Mastercard, or about 40000 euros. So maybe for a high spender one ticket every two or three years, and there are not so many high spenders here (card is for Baltic states residents only). And this ticket costs normally around 170 Euros (less if bought well in advance).
In the end the "value" of this card is thus about 75 euros per year. For most, not worth changing bank if they are not already Nordea clients, to my opinion.

And this is the theorical value of the card :

the card is in litas, how to spend 150000 litas with credit card in Lithuania ? Can people buy car with credit card here ?
If I spend 3000 Euros in a hotel in Paris and charge it on the card there will be the Mastercard exchange commission. So in the end getting flight tickets with this card will probably reveal itself more costly than buying tickets.

To this Air Baltic answers on Facebook is in two points right now :

1) this card is intended to buy grocery or fill car tank and get little miles which later will give access to services other than flying.
2) when buying a AirBaltic ticket with the card number of miles gained is doubled (this should be checked, maybe).

What do Scandinavian co-branded cardholders think of this not-so satisfying program ?

Last edited by vilntrav; Feb 27, 2010 at 10:55 pm
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