Some replies for you:
Originally Posted by
Greg66
1. FC has miles and TPs, like BAEC. higher tier members earn miles for flying at a higher rate.
Correct. You earn 50% bonus miles (actual flown) for Ag and 100% for Au.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
2. Miles can be earned by flying or a Black Amex. Or by laundering Tesco CC points. Ok so far.
Indeed.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
3. You can upgrade some Econ tickets to PE or UC, and some PEcon tickets to UC using miles, subject to award availability in the target cabin. Familiar.
In economy you have to be on a minimum of an L fare, and in PE a S fare. Note that unlike BAEC you can upgrade from economy to upper class.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
4. The black Amex gives you at £7.5k a companion voucher. But unlike the BAEC, this is used in conjunction with a ticket bought for cash (presumably from an expensive bucket). Is the "free" ticket subject to award availability?
Yes it is. All rewards come from the same bucket.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
5. By 10k the black Amex will have given you two Y -> W upgrade vouchers. So like 3 above, but without burning miles, right? And is subject to award availability.
Yes.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
6. There is no equivalent of the BAEC Household Account (household members can pool miles).
If you are FC Au then you can have a supplementary silver account (I think several) and you can spend miles from each.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
7. Does this mean children can join but only have the miles they have earned by flying to spend?
I can't recall the detail, and VS gets a lot of stick for this, but children (up to 13 ???) cannot earn miles, no matter how much their ticket cost.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
8. How good is award availability in W/J? Eg four seats, 11 months out - what are the chances? Or is there always a zero chance for four seats?
It can happen, with luck, but VS doesn't always release reward seats at 11 months, so it can take a lot of patience. Note that on LGW / MAN / GLA flights with the small 14 seat UC cabin, this never happens.
Originally Posted by
Greg66
9. Presumably award seats earn no miles or TPs.
Correct.