chunky649

Its been a while since I flew... sad.

I checked my FB account today and found my miles expired. Did a quick search and didn't see this discussed recently.
I called up FB (USA number?) 1-800-375-8723 and quickly spoke to an agent that explained within 6 months, if I credit a flight to my FB account, I can call back to get my miles (amost 60K) reinstated. It isn't automatic, but he made a note in my account.

Seems pretty standard. Anyone know the nitty gritty rules? I.e. the agent mentioned even partner flights on Delta would work. I'm wondering if I can just get the BoA KLM credit card and spend my way instead of taking a Delta flight (I have no potential flight travel in the next 6 months that I haven't already committed to other airlines)

atflyer

....I think formally you lost them and are at their mercy.....maybe they are still lenient given the COVID period for such a reinstallment after the fact....trying to bind a client that otherwise is lost for sure..I have no clue, frankly, but you may be lucky to reinstall if you take a flight again.

hhdl

"BoA KLM Chase credit card"?

chunky649

Ops, corrected it. I just applied and got approved for the BoA KLM credit card again. I'll follow up once I make my spending limit and see if they'll reinstate my old miles or really need me to take a flight.

irishguy28

Is there a particular reason you're so resistant to actually post miles to your account from flying, as you were told to do?

Based on your profile, you obviously fly Delta a lot; so it's hardly going out of your way to expect you to set foot on a Delta plane (but send the miles to Flying Blue)

(There is no official recovery procedure for miles; if they're gone, you are completely reliant on a goodwill gesture. Down through the years we have had more reports of people being flatly refused rather than being thrown the lifeline you have. You cannot now invent your own mechanism to resurrect your miles. I would advise you to record a flight to your Flying Blue account without delay, and then chase it up again immediately)

brunos

"Crediting a flight" to reinstate miles is a generous commercial gesture.

I don't see why credit miles from a credit card would work.

chunky649

Thank you Irish guy and Brunos. I will book a fly somewhere and fly immediately!
And I should do exactly what companies/airlines tell me to do. Yes sir!
:-)

Sharing experiences about company policy (hidden or otherwise) and ways to achieve positive goals is the reason for these forums. If we just go and tell everyone to go read the company policies and follow their instructions, why bother to read/post here?!

As I wrote in my original post, the KLM phone agent was pretty quick to offer reinstatement. He seems to be reading off a script. So I don't think it is something special he is doing for just for me. In fact, all my miles were from the previous time I had the KLM credit card. I tried multiple times to book an award flight without success (you know.... COVID and revenge travel congestion after COVID) So I actually have no flying history with KLM (that I contributed any butt-in-seat miles to....all went to Delta...but again, all before COVID)

Since I couldn't find anything posted anywhere about expired point online, I posted here. I can't be the only one.... oh well. Here is my data point. At least I hope this thread help someone.

I haven't flown since start of COVID. I'll update my status. I'm only DELTA SILVER now...(permanent SILVER from being a 1M)

Fabo.sk

Since the offer to reinstate is already out of public policy, maybe you should just go ahead and be happy that there is at least something, and not try and get out of the very sensible offer extended.

What would you ask for if they offered to reinstate if you earned miles from the CC? That they extend them by transfer from a Best Western account? Or if you just said pretty please?

irishguy28

It comes up from time to time in the FAQ, but I've been around long enough to have seen several threads on the topic over the years. Here's a sample (only the first of which was posted this year)


Anyone have success getting FB to reinstate recently expired points?
Request for data points: Has Flying Blue ever reinstated your expired miles? Why?
How to reinsatate expired miles??
Expired FB miles - any hope to recover them?
Expired Miles - No help from Flying Blue after recovery from serious illness
Almost 300K miles expired
Lost 450000 miles. Can I get them back?
262500 Expired Miles - A happy ending.


I'd advise you to use your Flying Blue miles ASAP after getting them reinstated. You're one of the very few who have been given a way to resurrect them, and many others have reported losing far greater balances in the past.

However, familiarise yourself with your mileage expiry date(s) and do not rely on having this gesture extended again in future to recover expired miles - it's historically not something that Flying Blue often offers.

flyertalker00143

I know many friends and colleagues having multiple FFP. After 20 months, because they don't fly enough with AFKLM or because they didn't pay attention to the expiration date, many of them lost their miles and none of them ever succeeded in having them reinstated even with a qualifying flight, so i'm surprised an agent is pulling out a condition like this out of the blue.

Just imagine how many thousands people ever lost miles. The rules are the same for everyone. I think that if they start doing things like that, what kind of bad publicity it would be.

hhdl

Tbh, I would consider it possible that the rep is misapplying some policy, e.g. thinking that the miles will expire before that deadline (vs. have expired). Have you had anything in writing from Flying Blue about this resurrection? If you haven't, I'd be prepared for, whether taking a flight or not, the miles to not be reinstated.

Xandrios

Except what you have been offered is not company policy. Getting expired miles reinstated usually is impossible. Therefore the fact that they offered this to you is already very generous, and I would not deviate from what was offered (e.g. by crediting credit card points rather than flying) as the chances of getting those points back, in my opinion, go down to zero that way.

The 60K miles equals a value of about 600 euros. In the end its up to you to pick how much you want to risk losing them (again..)

chunky649

That is possible, but I called the 1-800 phone number on the KLM website and told the phone agent my situation. He put me on hold for a few minutes to study my account, then he came back on and read me what he was going to do. I believe he was an externally hired phone agent from the Philippines and simply following some manual since it sounded like he was reading his response to me. When I asked him if this is automatic (i.e. my miles will automatically come back after I complete a qualified flight), he said no, and that I would have to call back to get my old miles reinstated. He said he will make a note on my files so when I call back, they will know the agreement we made. My best guess is that this is post-COVID good-will gesture hidden policy.

I want to give thanks to Irishman28 for providing the old threads on this topic. I'm embarrassed to say I only searched via google and should've searched on this forum group instead... I read every one of the threads he linked and was encouraged to see at least 3 or 4 datapoints where people were able to get their miles back....but most of those datapoints seem to have been from the 2010 time frame. there were a couple of reports where FB basically told the requester - too bad!

I know I should've known better...but you know...life changes....stuff happens. Looking at the next 6 months, I'm not sure I can get a flight in. Perhaps I can lean on the KLM experts here... I have a trip to Lisbon (LIS) late November. It is a straight forward YYZ (Toronto) - LIS return flight on a small airline not affiliated with skyteams. That ticket wasn't cheap and definitely not refundable or changable. a KLM/skyteam ticket would be significantly more expensive (double!) and not as convenient and more than the value of the 60K miles I lost. Its not ideal, but I might be able to waste a day and do an old fashion mileage run - $215 all in LIS-AMS-LIS. Fare code below. I'm not sure if I would get any miles from these flights? I'm fuzzy on all the new changes since COVID, but vaguely remember many airlines not giving miles for the lost fare class anymore.... On the flights I looked at:

RL5UB5LG

GL5UG5LG

atflyer

Being based in DTW isn't it much easier for you to do a cheapish mileage run with Delta soon and post the miles on FB? Should be much easier as doing a mileage run during your stay in Lisbon....as for KL and AF, all fare classes give miles and XP.

irishguy28

Not to play devil's advocate, but you are now entirely reliant on both of the following:
a) that he actually did make such a note on your account, and
b) that the agent you speak to after a flight has posted to your FB account actually feels "bound" by such a note.

I would also think that the longer you leave this, the lower the chances become that it will work out as "promised".

You only have a verbal agreement; I am not for one instant doubting that you have reported the agent's comments faithfully, but as you have seen many of us feel sceptical about the promise, and I suspect any agent you speak to again will also feel similarly sceptical, or not bound by whatever verbal promise a previous customer service agent may have made.

I would not concur. Flying Blue completely suspended the normal expiration policy for almost 3 full years. And we have had posts already this year from people who clearly found themselves in the same boat, and who apparently were not offered any path to resurrect their miles.

ANY flight on KLM (or Air France) will earn miles in Flying Blue.

However, I really think you would be foolish to wait so long if you are going to attempt to rescue your miles.

You only need to take a single flight on Delta - or given that it seems you may be in Canada rather than the US, on Westjet (making sure that it is actually in a Flying Blue mileage earning class; carefully check the Westjet partner earning page and make sure the flight you book is in one of the fare classes listed in the earning table).