Reason NOT to transfer from MilesandMore to Diamond Club
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 625
Reason NOT to transfer from MilesandMore to Diamond Club
Hello, my father is a MM Senator. He flies a lot on UA and LH in C.
I was researching and it seems that everything is better in regards to Diamond Club.
Taxes are lower, millage needed for redemptions are lower...etc.
Any reason NOT to move over? (apart from the fact that you have to regain status, but that would be relatively quick).
Main awards we use are EU-US in C. So it's 90,000 miles on LH and 75,000 on BMI (plus LH taxes are absurd).
Thanks!
Ps. How are their elite callcenters?
I was researching and it seems that everything is better in regards to Diamond Club.
Taxes are lower, millage needed for redemptions are lower...etc.
Any reason NOT to move over? (apart from the fact that you have to regain status, but that would be relatively quick).
Main awards we use are EU-US in C. So it's 90,000 miles on LH and 75,000 on BMI (plus LH taxes are absurd).
Thanks!
Ps. How are their elite callcenters?
#6
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: MEL
Programs: QF, VA, VN, BA, SQ, KC - all reds and blues.
Posts: 3,205
#7
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA Silver, UA Gold
Posts: 682
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: VCE
Posts: 14,165
Remember on LH if you have two people flying on rewards, you can get the companion award as a Senator- meaning that the second person is "half price", so it is 135,000 miles for two to fly in C. If he is really flying a lot, he may want to look at consolidating it all onto only LH flights instead of some UA ones, in which case he may be able to get to HON (don't know but it is a possibility).
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 625
well thanks for the info.
As for award bookings, I would have to do them all by phone (as I won't be flying BMI). Checking the availab on the ANA tool and then calling in and giving them the flights for award ticketing, how hard of a task can I expect it to be?
Thanks again!
As for award bookings, I would have to do them all by phone (as I won't be flying BMI). Checking the availab on the ANA tool and then calling in and giving them the flights for award ticketing, how hard of a task can I expect it to be?
Thanks again!
#10
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: London, England
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 3,770
Have a look through this thread, it can be super frustrating:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/bmi-d...ns-thread.html
OTOH, this thread shows it is possible:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/bmi-d...es-2010-a.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/bmi-d...ns-thread.html
OTOH, this thread shows it is possible:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/bmi-d...es-2010-a.html
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,865
Ignore the call centre jibes. If it shows on ANA you WILL get it booked eventually.
Here are the key things to think about:
POSITIVE v M&M:
Lower redemption rates for most awards
Substantially cheaper intra-Europe awards
One way awards available for 50% of a return (M&M charges 70%)
No penalty for booking different classes (M&M charges F both ways if you book F out, Y back)
Substantially lower status thresholds
NEGATIVE v M&M:
Earning rate can be lower on intra-European flights (and worth checking the rate on other regular routes you fly)
M&M status lasts for at least 2 years (DC is 1 year)
You cannot use your miles to pay the taxes (LH allow this on intra-Europe redemptions for 15k miles)
And, for status reasons, BD Silver card holders only get lounge access when flying BD. This is the same rule for all *A programmes, of course, but if you fly LH a lot then M&M Silver will obviously be more useful.
Here are the key things to think about:
POSITIVE v M&M:
Lower redemption rates for most awards
Substantially cheaper intra-Europe awards
One way awards available for 50% of a return (M&M charges 70%)
No penalty for booking different classes (M&M charges F both ways if you book F out, Y back)
Substantially lower status thresholds
NEGATIVE v M&M:
Earning rate can be lower on intra-European flights (and worth checking the rate on other regular routes you fly)
M&M status lasts for at least 2 years (DC is 1 year)
You cannot use your miles to pay the taxes (LH allow this on intra-Europe redemptions for 15k miles)
And, for status reasons, BD Silver card holders only get lounge access when flying BD. This is the same rule for all *A programmes, of course, but if you fly LH a lot then M&M Silver will obviously be more useful.
#12
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Manchester, England
Programs: Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, BMI Gold (RIP)
Posts: 8,002
Well why should they ignore them when the OP specifically asked about them? Nobody has said anything that isn't true, but you can, not necessarily will get them booked. I've certainly missed out on rewards due to the ICC messing me about to the point where availability was gone. Others have too.
#13
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: MEL
Programs: QF, VA, VN, BA, SQ, KC - all reds and blues.
Posts: 3,205
Well why should they ignore them when the OP specifically asked about them? Nobody has said anything that isn't true, but you can, not necessarily will get them booked. I've certainly missed out on rewards due to the ICC messing me about to the point where availability was gone. Others have too.
#14
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,505
My one and only experience of redeeming BMI miles was not as traumatic as I had feared and I started crediting miles mainly from non-flying activities to DC to take advantage of one-way awards. But my main FFP is still M&M because I believe in holding a status with the airline you fly regularly and because of soft perks such as op-ups and wait-listing for awards.
#15
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Singapore, Warsaw, Surfers Paradise
Programs: KrisFlyer Gold>>>Silver>>>Blue, Finnair Silver, Royal Caribbean Diamond
Posts: 5,131
BD's program gives you a 25% mileage bonus not only for flying BMI, but also any *A carrier. That is something you won't get with M&M.
On top of that your miles go a hell of a lot further with BMI as you can book rewards using miles+cash. Return Europe-Asia-Europe BC award on a *A carrier is 120k miles, which is pretty much standard practice, but you can opt to use 1/2 the miles and pay 271 GBP. So, 120k miles can get you a round-trip BC ticket... or it can get you two return BC tickets for just 542 GBP more.
On top of that your miles go a hell of a lot further with BMI as you can book rewards using miles+cash. Return Europe-Asia-Europe BC award on a *A carrier is 120k miles, which is pretty much standard practice, but you can opt to use 1/2 the miles and pay 271 GBP. So, 120k miles can get you a round-trip BC ticket... or it can get you two return BC tickets for just 542 GBP more.