Originally Posted by
peasprout
Maybe I didn't express myself well. My question is this:
If I am not a member of a program, is there a way I can join, say, the Star Alliance and receive credit for my recent flights (all within the past 60 days)?
If not, are there any programs that are (or may soon) offer a promotion of any sort allowing one to retroactively add travel done in the past 60 days or so?
Pretty much every program allows retroactive credit. This is deliberate. They want to promote their programs in flight via announcements and ads in in-flight magazines. They encourage passengers to sign up for these programs by telling them they can get credit for the flight they're on. That, of course, would have to be retroactive (unless one signs up online during the flight itself, if it offers Internet connectivity). They allow a reasonable time after completion of a trip to do this.
What a given airline considers a "reasonable time" may vary, of course. The ones I've looked at all offer 90 days or more, but there may be some 30-day limits out there.
Once you register for a program, you typically have more time than that (say, a year) to pursue flights that don't post. This isn't the usual situation, but it happens often enough for a variety of reasons. You have to keep on top of things to avoid missing out on credit.