Timing of certs changes?
 

Crossed the 90k threshold and not received my certs yet. When does AE start sending out the new 07 ones instead of 06s. I know this was discussed last year but the date of the change is still a mystery.

Is it based on the date you crossed the line, or on when AE gets around to sending them out, usually 6 wks later?

I just received two useless 06 certs in the mail today!

Last year I yelled and screamed... letters to senior management and such. First was "... no can do.." but after more pressure from me they relented. Finally did get the certs received late December (with two month validity) replaced in May with current year (2006) replacement certs. So suggest that everyone starts their letter writing now

Me too...
 

I just received 2 SWU's for crossing 45,000 in November, and they are good til...Feb 28, 2007...booh.
Anyway, got a trip to LAS in FEB so no worries, but 2007 SWU's would have been nice!

As has been discussed here a few times the practice the last couple of years has been:

Threshold crossed in Nov: - get a cert with 3 months validity (2 months by the time you receive it)
Threshold crossed in Dec: - get a cert with 14 months validity

Thanks Tractor, but rats, if I had remembered this I might have been able to schedule my flights for December but I crossed the 90k line right at the end of Nov. If this policy stays in effect, I will bear it in mind for next year.

Today my 2 old certs arrived!

I also received two 2006 certs in the mail today for passing 60K in November. Not of any use though

I'm expecting my 75K SSWUs and my 90K SWUs any day now. No doubt they'll be 2006 certs and not 2007 certs :mad:. Why do they do this to us :confused:?

mpc1

Does date of letter count?
 

I too passed my 120K threshold around Nov 18th, yet the AC/AE letter congratulating me on my two useless 2006 SSWU's was dated Dec. 12th.

If they're going to wait almost a whole month so close to the end of life of these certs before giving me the actual benefit, it's only fair that they offer me certs I can actually use for more than the next 72 days - 15 of which do not even include the business travel I almost exclusively fly on AC.

I know I can complain and eventually get 2007 certs, but this is another pitiful example of poor treatment by AC of their most loyal and lucrative customers.

I hope AC's J-class service improves to the technical level of those new 777birds, or this 10 year SE will have little reason to stay with AE much longer in 2007.

Same here. Yestyerday's mail contained two useless SWU for treshold bonus in November.

me four
 

Four useless SWUs today. They can go in the drawer with the rest. The handful of times I got on an eligible fare the flights were J9 I0 when I bought them and never improved. There is no way I am selecting SWUs given any choice in the matter. If only I could give them away!

Happy to say that I have used all certs sent to me in 2006. I just received a pair of SSWUs that I will use in 2007 Jan/Feb for my 75K level. No surplus here. ;) on top of using a pass this year too! ;)

Today I received 2 SSWU and 2SWU for 2006. The letter was dated Dec 12th. Thanks AC/AP!

I just received two of the 2006 certificates today as well with the letter dated 12DEC. I cannot agree with your comments more! Insulting thanks. I would prefer just a letter saying thanks for flying actually.

OK we all have certs we cannot use.....I really do not think is a case of getting too many certs, afterall they were cut down in the past year (or is it 2).....rather the issue is sending out at year end, certs with a limited lifespan (my point is we do not want LESS certs as a result).

Several have suggested if we write in and complain, we will get new ones.
Frankly I would think given the compression of the benefits esp for SEs, it should work but of course with no assurances.

The main issue will be for those few who actually need the certs before the new ones arrive....although I cannot believe there are many people in that boat. And frankly this is not an issue as the new 07s should be redeemable anytime before Feb 28/08, hence now in Dec 06.

I am for one willing to give it a try. Shall we all try and ask for a revised and clear policy statement at the same time? One that states that any certs mailed out after Nov 15th be for the valid for the next year+. Regardless of whether these are paper or electronic, the same rules should apply.

Go for it 100,000 miler.


My SSWU certs arrived today expiring at end Of Feb.2007 .

I'd be happy to support this initiative 100,000miler. My suggestion would be instead of picking a fixed cutoff date for the following year that most people will continue to have issues with, AC should consider printing expiry dates on the certs to be 12 months after issue. ^

After all, AC already custom prints our names and AE numbers, so why not custom expiry dates?

I would hope that's a fair resolution most people would agree with. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part? :rolleyes:

Remember that the thresholds crossed in November are caught in the December sweep and mailed out around the 6/7th December, arriving around the 20th. So if you cross a threshold in very early in November, get your certs just before Christmas. That means you can wait almost two months for the certs to arrive, and for the Novmeber ones, there's very little time to spend them. AC's policy is that you can only use certs that you have in hand, not the ones you've earned and are waiting for. So not only are you restricted by non-transferable certs that prevent you from borrowing from others, you can't even take advantage of the certs you have earned because of the long delivery time. I'd like to see some transparent policy on this issue, but it really is just one more (albeit more secretive) to diminish the privileges of top tier flyers.

I also recieved two SWUs today.

I completely support your effort. PM me if you need contact details

instant Elite status / certs
 

I seem to recall reading somewhere on this board that instant Elite status would be applied anytime (i.e. even after October 31). I just crossed the 35k threshold (first time) and am wondering if I am now considered to be Elite by Aeroplan and AC. (I managed to get rows 14 and 12 on 2 most recent flights so I would believe that some computer system has me with status. I was not a Prestige member this year.)

If it's true that I'm now considered to be Elite, can I also expect to receive certs for having already crossed the 15k and 30k thresholds this year? With the thresholds increasing next year it would sure be nice to have the extra certs on hand.

thanks
RP

I doubt that you will really get instant Elite status and all the benefits associted with it, including the 15 and 30K certs. As far as I know, October 31 is a hard and fast rule.

However, I do know that last year when I qualified for Prestige, I was able to make seat selections in the Elite section of the plane before I was officially given my Prestige Status on March 1/06. Maybe that is what is happening to you?

If you are formally recognized as having gotten elite because of activity by Oct. 31, you will get all the E benefits including the 15k and 20k threshold certs.

If you made 35k after Oct 31 you will be recognized as E on boarding passes for flights you book (or for flights you've called in to have your AP# re-entered to show new status), and you will be E for purposes of priority boarding and standby and things like that.

But you don't get to select a 2006 package, you won't get certs, and you won't get the card.

A printout of your AP balance and a boarding pass with *E on it should usually get you into MLL, but don't expect to get Star Gold recognition from other Alliance members.

This is from the collective experience of FTers. You won't find a formal policy written anywhere.

Yup - just got my SSWU's in today's mail - 2006 as supected but no surprise since the same thing happened last year. I have no long-haul flights scheduled for Jan/Feb but do have one scheduled to Asia in March so I'll be SOL. :td:

After the changes in the 2007 program I would have thought everyone would have realized that FF perks are designed to benefit the airline, not you.

The idea is that you will book a flight you don't already have booked in order to take advantage of the certs, or at the very worst if you had pondered booking a flight for Jan/Feb, you would have put it on AC metal in anticipation of using a cert. These are things that benefit the airline. And if the airline is really lucky your upgrade won't clear!

The certs are only as "useless" as far as you simply don't feel like using them.

If there is something preventing you from booking a weekend in London in February, say, to try to use a few certs, that's your problem, not AC's, who are committing no worse crime than sending the 2006 program certs as it promised it would.

If you don't like to play the game, don't play the game. If you do like to the play the game, then use the rules to your advantage. Keep your AP# off your November flights and send in the boarding passes in December. Then you'll pass the threshold in the December sweep and get the new certs.

Not very encouraging...
 

After recieving 2 SWU and 2 SSWU earlier this week (letter dated Dec 12th) I e-mailed the SE Desk (twice) with a copy to MB. Unfortunatly the response is "canned" and predictable. The certs are part of the 2006 program and can not be changed. I have today, specifically sent an e-mail directly to MB in the hopes of a more acceptable outcome. I won't bother reiterating my position as we are all in the same boat. After the reductions on SE benifits (i.e. IKK in Int J) this is akin to the proverbial "Last Straw". I just can't beleive they care so little about our business.

For what it is worth, I will post the reply from MB (or his office) if and when I get one.

On a related note, I welcome suggestions for an alternative to AC. I am based in YYZ with virtually no domestic travel, about 40% to the US (LAX, SJC, LAS, etc) and the rest international. Who would you pick???

.........and for what it's worth you are guaranteed not to get a reply from MB but from one of his office assistants who will send you a very polite reply (probably via E-mail which surprised me in my case) and in which she will probably tell you that you're the first to express such concerns :rolleyes:

I have written and got back the usual response.....I suggest you and everyone else also write in, esp SEs, perhaps volume will make an impact, otherwise we will all hang seperately.....better to hang together on this.

100,000miler

FYI the feedback I got last week from MB's office is that AC has had no complaints from SE's in this matter.

LIARS, many complained last year as well.....at least they now have my input from this week.... Come on everyone speak up or else...

I have already done so - politely - but in a two page letter. They definitely want you to think that you are alone in this concern and their 2007 SE program is very forward looking. Anyway I've pretty much given up on these guys and have written UA asking if they'll give me Premier Exec.

Jim007,

Have a look at this thread.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=631544


UA deposits their 6 SWU (similiar value as AC SSWU) in 1k account on 1st.January.
Which are valid still 31 Jan.the following.;Thus these 6 SWU have a self live of 13 months.
UA for the last two years to give recognition for 1k (=AC SE) loyalty has Extended one of these SWU for additional 365 days.Should the 1K did not use it.
Below are the links read for yourself.

Extentions for 2006 1 Cert:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=635108

Extension for 2005 1 Cert:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508458