Originally Posted by
shibuya
Just posted this in the Eva thread but realised this is probably a much better place. Sorry, I'm new!
I have E+ status with Turkish = SA Gold, but I'm moving to Taiwan in a few weeks so I want to switch to Eva. I know status matching within an alliance isn't going to happen and I'll have to earn up again but my question is this: SA Gold gives me lounge access travelling on Eva normally but does that still apply when I whip out my TK card if have a non-status Eva number printed on my boarding pass?
I know I could probably solve this by claiming all flights after the fact but I'm hoping it isn't necessary because I forget to do it most of the time.
Generally for lounge access you'll have no problem at all doing it that way. What may be more hit or miss is extra luggage allowance if you need it and priority boarding.
Having said that, make sure you've really read well into Eva's mileage program before jumping ship. It's not always best to use the home town mileage program just because you'll be living there. Eva's is a good case here, it's a pretty bad program all around. Is your goal in a program just *G or something more? I can't see BR being a wise choice unless your company is flying you consistently in BR C and no other *A carriers. If you want something in the region for some reason then NH, OZ, and SQ are all miles better than BR's program, but NH requires half the annual mileage on their metal.