Hafnia

fifty_two

flying blue credit cards , if available in your country or if you can apply for one in france , switzerland or the netherlands (there are other places but i dont remember everything)

if not possible , call them and ask

if nothing works , then try a status run, mean that you fly as cheap as possible just for your status , you take a flight and the return trip will be done with same plane or during same day

Concerto

Hafnia

Concerto

Oh I see, I thought you were in CPH, which would have entailed a quick CPH-AMS-CPH (although a point-to-point route like that might be quite dear, I've never tried that route). MEA is probably the way to go, if you can get it in within one day. It will save you from depending on call center promises that might never materialize in the end. Totally understand, though, about wanting to avoid doing an MR.

nldogbert

Or if you're not a such a big AF/KLM flyer, just carry the XP's over to next year to make your requalification of Gold easier.....

atflyer

Indeed, I am in the same position as OP, but I opt for carrying over the XPs. I have a flying pattern that requires often a bit of work to make Gold every year - qualified in the old system for years on segments, but deliberately had to take some indirect flights for instance to reach 30 qualifying flights. With XPs on the bank, I can stand that odd year that I fly less as 180 XP and still keep Gold. For me it is about the priority lane and lounge access - the only additional benefit of Plat would be free EC seats where now I pay 50% (typically 6-10 Euro for a short haul). And maybe the plat line. For 2019 only since it is very unlikely I will make 300 XP next year. Essentially I prefer to be for sure long-term Gold as having one year Plat. But this all depensd on one's preferences and situation, obviously.

Hafnia

PeteM01

You are correct about the soft-landing from Plat to Gold but you will lose any XP gained over the year if you drop a level. The correct strategy is an individual choice, based on flying plans over a 1-2 year period. The benefits of Plat vs Gold are very minor, so this probably shouldn't be a consideration unless the tiny number of extra miles and free seat options are important to you.

atflyer

To be precise - if you are Plat end 2018, you essentially are deducted 300 XP and start 2019 with 0 XP. End 2019 (assuming you do not requalify for plat) they deduct 180 from what you earned in 2019 for the soft landing to Gold - giving you 0 XP to start in 2020 (they do not go negative is the consensus), or if you gained more than 180 XP in 2019 the remainder. In my strategy, I start 2019 with 119 XP, say that I fly 170 XP in 2019, they deduct 180 end 2019, I start 2020 with 109 XP and will easily requalify for Gold.

PeteM01

My bold. Are we sure that you keep any XP over 180 when you soft-land from Plat to Gold? I have seen opinion going both ways over this.

atflyer

FB site is pretty clear about this: 'Let’s say you are Platinum. You need to gain 300 XP by the end of your personal qualification period to remain Platinum. If you only get up to 240 XP by the end of your qualification period, your XP counter is offset by 180 XP and your status changes to Gold. You have 60 surplus XP to begin your new qualification period, a nice head start on staying Gold or levelling back up to Platinum.'
https://www.flyingblue.nl/en/programme

Dougy Giro

There isn't a cat in hells chance they will award you an extra XP and upgrade you. I made a complaint to them about bad advice from a KLM Agent effectively costing me 180 XP at the April cutover, and after about 4 months eventually gave up.

Hafnia

AlicorporateUK

In terms of upgrades, the appreciation from AF/KL will still be on the lower side hence I would set my expectation bar accordingly if I were you (just to avoid disappointment) On the whole, I never noticed any significant difference since I've been Platinum, apart from the great service through the Platinum line, especially during disruptions.

G