G-BOAC

I think it's even worse...I am unlikely to hit 6K TPs but I know a man who is and it sounds like you and c-w-s might be affected. This guy asked GGL about his extra joker and they said it was valid from earning until the end of the GGL year. So again with my above date example, if you hit 6K on 15th September you'd only have a month to burn that extra joker.

At best agents are giving out random answers and misinformation...at worst, it really is this confusing!

corporate-wage-slave

Well I wouldn't wish to disagree with anyone here, let alone G-BOAC, but I am under the impression that 2 x Jokers are now membership year aligned, but GUF2 and the 3rd Joker are valid for 12 months from the date of earning, plus extendable by six month, plus travellable 12 month after booking (at your own risk from a change point of view).



My understanding is that the new ones go into next year. For extensions you do need to ask for them (or they will volunteer do it if you call them about almost anything else). At the moment I have somehow managed to acquire 8 Jokers and 7 GUF2, either in planned travel or in the bank. I tried to use a Joker recently but GGL said "no need, there's availability anyway". Oh well.

Land-of-Miles

What do you get from BAEC to confirm your third joker? is there an email and does this give an expiry date? I will hit 6K TP's next month some 3 months into my GGL year and would obviously prefr 12 months validity to 9 months.

corporate-wage-slave

I think it's rare to get mis-information on GGL, but the system did change just over a year ago, so there were legacy Jokers in the system, also did the 6k person make it clear it was for the third joker and not for the soon to expire first joker? But I am quite confident that the 3rd Joker is valid for 12 month + 6 months, other wise I would not have my current haul - this year I got to 6K quickly, but 2 years ago I got to 6K slowly, hence my current stash of 8 Jokers.

G-BOAC

Disagree away, I am just relying what I and 2 others have been told by GGL themselves...so it's probably wrong GUF2s have always been valid for a year from issue to book (but not necessarily start) travel and extendible for 6 moths (at EC's discretion but I have never been refused). Your post is the first I've heard of jokers being extendible (but similar to a GUF, travel doesn't have to begin within their validity, just be booked).

I would love 100% clear answers to all of these things!

PS apologies for typos. In a moving car, on mobile, on mere GPRS coverage. That's a blast from the past.

corporate-wage-slave

Nothing. You should have received a letter from Mr. Hillier stating you will get the third joker, then BAEC tells you your tier points. They are not e-vouchers, so that's why they are not online, but you can ring up obviously. It would be for 12 months validity, extendable, bookable for flights one year hence, so you do in theory have 29 months to deploy the third joker.

Irubi

I asked the GGL line the same question about the jokers a couple of months ago and was told very clearly that the 2 initial jokers (I am lucky enough NOT to reach 3 joker land - sorry guys, don't envy you that at all) are aligned to the GGL year and NOT the BAEC membership year.

Tobias-UK

But that's where it becomes confusing, the GGL year is now the same as the BAEC Membership Year ... or is it? I'm even doubting that now

corporate-wage-slave

It is aligned now, it didn't use to be, but the change was more than a few months ago. I don't know if this confusion is due to becoming GGL for the first time maybe (or legacy Jokers), but if you are a new GGL member you are sent a card which expires not 12 months hence but at the time your underlying BAEC Gold status year ends, so it forces an alignment in due course.

Tobias-UK

I've been GGL for a good few years, my GGL year was different to my BAEC Membership Year, on my BAEC renewal this time (post November 2011) the new Membership Pack stated "I am delighted to welcome you to another year of Gold Gust List status ...". The enclosed GGL card Valid Until date being that of my usual BAEC Membership Year (a few months more than my previous GGL date). When the new year's CCR Card arrived, that too had a new Valid Until date, again aligned with my established BAEC Membership Year.

When my first GGL card arrived in November, that too had aligned my GGL year to my BAEC Membership Year ... although I still had the old CCR card.

All (unnecessarily) very confusing

I wonder if our charming and helpful Nicci might shed a little light in to this little matter?

corporate-wage-slave

Indeed my GGL used to be 2 months adrift and CCR 3 months of BAEC (plus or minus a month in different years). Now all three are the same.

mumblemumble

Does anyone have a confident view on when the 3K tier points for GGL extension are counted? From the time you earn GGL, or from the start of the membership year?

If it's the former, I'll have soon requalified and I'm tempted to put BA on hold for a while and chase LH HON.

G-BOAC

There is maybe a terminology issue here. Your "GGL Year" as in renewing GGL/earning 3K is aligned to your EC membership year. So 8th of whatever. The CCR cards are now also aligned to that year, so if your EC year ends 8th September 2013 and you hit 5K points on 15th July 2013 you will be issued (if it's your first time) a CCR card valid until the end of October 2014, the same as your new GGL card should be once you get it after 8th September 2013 and the reset. All that is aligned.

What there ALSO is, is the 'GGL anniversary'. The annual date of the first time you joined GGL, by whatever method (3K x2 or 5K). The jokers are tied to this.

If anyone doesn't believe me, please do check with GGL yourselves! In my case for example I have a few emails this year from them confirming my jokers run through a point in July each year (but my EC/GGL year is 8th September). This year I cancelled and then re-burned my final joker just before the July date and GGL confirmed I then had 2 more after my expected date passed. The same was confirmed to someone I know who joined a couple of months ago.

It is confusing, but I am pretty sure it has not changed in the past couple of months - if it has, they've not communicated it.

mumblemumble

OK, I think I get this, which ties in with what the GGL line told me:

1. All GGLs get (minimum) 2 jokers per year of membership.
2. The jokers are issued on the 'GGL anniversary' (not clear to me if unused ones are wiped out at that point).
3. As long as you're GGL, you will get 2 jokers on your 'GGL anniversary', regardless of the number of tier points you've earned up to that point in your membership year.
4. A third joker gets issued at 6K in the membership year.

A side effect is that, having earned well over 6K half-way into my membership year, I don't have much to gain by flying BA for the next 6 months. LH, I'm all yours, baby!