How Important is Membership Card?
 

I have searched but not been able to find a thread on this:

how important is it to actually have your FF card with you when flying? Some of the OnePass rules say "present your card for' 'x or 'y'..." But, if I have a BP with my elite status on it, or I tell the service rep my FF #, what is the difference?

is there some specific reason I need to carry it?

Bragging rights, of course! :D

I've never had to show anyone my OnePass card.

If your BP shows Elite Access, you're fine. But that's not true at all times, like when you're using an award ticket from a non-Elite account, flying most partners (except NW), etc.

I don't think I've ever had to use my card for a Continental flight, except internationally where giving it to the PClub is usually quicker than them looking for your status on a boarding pass. I have however needed it to get into Partner lounges in Europe (i.e. KLM) when flying other ST metal because status doesn't always print.

The one other place I've found having the card can be handy is when you fly non ST carriers and encounter irregular ops. Sometimes (not always) having the card and very nicely pointing out that you fly a lot can get you treated ever so slightly nicer. That being said, be a jerk about it or the other part of "sometimes" they just think you're a jerk anyway so ymmv.

Finally, at airports with generic Elite lines at security, sometimes flashing the CO card can get you through, even when you're on another carrier.

I've been Elite for 10 years, Plat for 6 of those, and the only place I've had to show my card even though my boarding pass, PNR and JA show the correct name/status, is BOG at check-in. Counter agents have requested to see my card at least two distinct times that I can recall; I find this a bit discriminating/harassing and question their motive for their request but have never made a formal complaint.

It helps to have the card with you when traveling on partners, as they may not be able to see your status on boarding passes or be able to look up your status in their systems. It is especially helpful to have the card when traveling internationally. It is also nice to have the card to swipe at the CO kiosks, but a P Club card or credit card works just as well.

Come to think of it, the only time I have ever used my card was on a KL flight AMS-DXB when I was flying in Y but boarded with WBC/Elites. A quick flash of the card, and I was on.

Actually I carry all the airline FF cards I have (even though I'm only elite on CO) when I fly. Once in Irregular Ops I was able, while in line for customer service, call up the other airlines and get all sorts of information because I had their phone numbers handy on the cards so by the time I got to the agent I was able to tell the agent exactly what flights were available on what airlines and what I wanted to do. This was before the age of PDAs and smallish computers, so maybe I don't need to carry the cards anymore, or I could just have an address book with the phone numbers. But I do think if you don't carry the cards, you want to have these numbers handy in irregular ops so that you don't ever rely on the agent to tell you want is available.

I've never had to show my elite card and the only time I use it is for checking in at the kiosks or to change my seat assignment there (although I could always just use a cc). The only other reason I carry it, is for the Plat Elite phone number on the back of the card.

Fortunately the new number starting this year will be a static number that will not change every year, so this need should decrease ^