Originally Posted by
Bertie Beetle
Thanks for all that info. I’m in the same boat but a few months behind you. Got Gold status confirmed through Air Canada on 27 June. So should get the points on 1 August?
Based on our experience, yes, that's when I'd expect to receive the points.
Originally Posted by
Bertie Beetle
Do you think it’s worth paying the HSBC annual fee for year 2 to keep gold status? I’ve got my doubts.
Unless you're literally not going to fly *A, I'd say yes it's worth keeping for year 2. A$450 for around 20 months of Star Gold status seems like a good deal to me. Beyond that... eh, all bets are off. I agree that having to spend $60K for Gold is very steep, especially when you consider that the point earning rate halves after $30,000 (the spend still counts, you just get half as many points). If you could qualify on a mix of spend and miles flown, the card would be a winner, but this set up is very inflexible indeed and seems like pretty poor value.
On the other hand, at least you're earning useful and flexible *A miles (eg you could tip them into SQ or one of the other programs if you preferred.