FB Plat vs Gold for paid upgrades
 

Hi all!

I am currently FB Gold with around 200 XP. I am trying to think whether I should push and get the Platinum card or whether it doesn't bring too much benefit over what I have right now and it will be just a constant headache to qualify every year. In particular I was thinking about upgrading my FB Amex card from Gold to Plat and getting 60 XP + I am also scheduled to have one more flight across Atlantic in PE, which will bring 48 XP. All in all it will give me FB Platinum. I saw the previous topic about Gold vs Platinum, but I wanted to ask in particular about paid upgrades possibility with Gold and Platinum and thus whether it makes sense to get Platinum or not.

About the way I fly: based in Paris and will be spending half time in DTW starting from next year. Usually fly across Atlantic with AF (sometimes KLM) around 4 times per year in PE + some small flights within EU. I usually call FB to get a paid upgrade to business class well in advance before the flight or try to get upgrades at the checkin. These are always paid upgrades (with miles or money). My wife is also a FB member (Silver), and getting Platinum Amex would bring a bonus of getting Platinum for her (if I get Platinum myself).

The question is: how different are the possibilities for upgrades (paid) from PE to business for Platinum vs Gold FB members?

Many thanks in advance for your answers!

There are a few more benefits being Plat for sure, but I don't think it will change anything regarding paid upgrades.

Well, as far as I understood, these are just Platinum phone line + slightly more miles when spending - is that all or there is something else which might be useful for long-haul flights?

Free seat+ or other seat options. Higher priority on waiting lists and in case of irrops for rebooking. Possibility to become Plat for Life. Unofficial higher ranking for opups.

Oh, in that case there is a small benefit: if you're nice and get the right person on the Plat phone line, you can process DoD upgrades without going to the airport. That's a quality perk.

I'd say the Platinum line is extrememly valuable if you travel a lot on weird itineraries since they actually really help you out, other than that, Amex Plat for 2 is also great if your wife travels by herself (if she's always with you, than with Gold she'll probably get most of your perks such as lounges).

If you fly a lot long-haul in Economy, the free seat selection for Seat + may also be worth something.

Thank you all for your answers! I think I will get the platinum and will see how different my experience will be as compared to FB Gold.

With very high chance in the end I will reallocate to the US. The question is when. For now I know that it will not till the autumn next year. I will have an address both in France and in the US during this year. I will be flying within US - but not too much. Mostly across Atlantic.

I had this gold or plat choice end last year and decided to stay gold and keep XPs on the bank - meticulously planning I would end the year with 299 XP. Then around 7 Jan, FB decides to award me 1 XP without that I asked for it, and presto, I was plat (and my XPs back on 0). At first I was unhappy, and tried to reverse things via customer service but to no avail. It worked however out well for me - the free EC seats, and the occasional free upgrade are nice extra's. Also since I see that my reason for keeping XP's on the bank is not so pressing anymore - I will not requalify for plat this year, but do more than 180 XP and hence start 2020 with some XP in the bank after all.

I have not been that high in the new system. But in the old system, if you did not requalify for Plat and moved down to Gold, you would not rollover any miles. it was only if you maintained the same status that you could rollover extra miles. Am I wrong?

IIRC, that was indeed how the old system worked so that the new system is more generous to FB members in that respect.

NickB is right. Now being plat, end this year they will deduct 180 XP from my account and I stay gold. If I have less, it is soft landing and I end up with 0 XP to start. If I have more, the balance is moved to the next year.

Thank you NickB and artFlyer..
I must confess that I had no interest in following the discussions about going down levels when XP were introduced. And it is hard to follow on FB website which is not explicit.
Searching FT, I could not find (but search function...).
But your comment indicates that FB, who requires to go through successive hoops to reach higher levels, has some logic.

For GOLD, I look at:
https://www.airfrance.fr/FR/en/commo...lying-blue.htm

• Gain 180 XP to maintain your Gold status. After 12 months, we'll subtract the 180 XP from your total and you'll keep the rest.
• If you gain 300 XP during these 12 months, you'll move up to Platinum. In this case, we'll subtract the 300 XP from your XP counter and you'll keep the rest. You'll get to enjoy this new status for 15 months.
• If you don't gain 180 XP in these 12 months, you'll become Silver, 15 months into your Gold status.

My reading is that they don't deduct any XP in case of soft landing to silver. Am I right?
The website does not give any indication for existing Plat.
But if I am right above wouldn't the same apply? Namely they won't deduct any XP in case of soft landing?

Correct. Or to be more specific, they will deduct XPs but only up to the level you are landing to. So, if you were Gold and that you collected 140 XPs, this would not be enough to re-qualify as Gold. You would therefore become Silver and you would start the year with 40 XPs (140 minus the threshold for silver, viz. 100). If you had less than 100 XPs, you would start the year as silver (soft landing) but with zero XPs.
The same applies, mutatis mutandis, in case of downgrade from Plat to Gold. If, as a Plat, you collect more than 180 XPs in the year but less than 300 (let us say 200 XPs for the sake of argument), you would become gold and start the year with your XP total minus the gold threshold (so 200-180= 20 in my theoreitcal example). If you had less than 180 XPs., you would start the year as Gold with zero XPs.