Originally Posted by
Jase76
..However, I'm a contractor, so every day off work is a day without £££. A a bit of pain like this means GGL for 18 months for all my leisure travel, of which I have a bit planned.
It's difficult to phrase the question without it sounding like an attempt to needle you - which is not the intention! But what are the joys of GGL above vanilla Gold that make it worth the effort + time and cash?
My take has always been that travel beyond Gold requalification is better channelled into status with another alliance, giving me a wider spread of comfort across global networks. Perhaps I'm missing something, and should have aimed higher within BAEC, but i thought GGL offers some upgrade paths with BA I never really understood, and lounge privileges at LHR.
On the other hand Turkish elite+ (quite easy to get) earns me two relatively straightforward, long-haul upgrades through Istanbul at no cost (except for the uplift in APD if travelling from UK), and STAR Gold privileges cross the alliance network.
But back to the Sri Lankan trip. I've done it a number times, but I've never been through any sort of credit card inquisition. I was prepared for it on my first trip because I'd got a replacement card between buying the ticket and the date of travel: but the letter confirming this, which I'd wheedled out of MBNA, wasn't needed. Perhaps I was lucky...