m3red

Very difficult to get d or z on Cpt or jnb

skywardhunter

Actually been pretty lucky with Y-J upgrades to and from CPT and JNB this year. Managed 3 so far

KudosNI

Has anyone managed to redeem their companion ticket?

Do you have to call the call centre, or are there any options for doing so online? Also any way of checking what availability on a route?

Am due to use mine shortly, just not sure of destination. UK to Dubai seems a bit of a waste, so thinking of going further - Singapore or Sydney perhaps. Was hoping to be able to upgrade to F, not sure if possible

Callumxx5

Hello,

This is is my first post and is specifically aimed at people who know what this UK credit card is or uses it..

I recently got one and aim to use it for my general spending and pay off in full at end of month. I'm interested in trying to build up for the 15k spend within a year to get a free companion flight. I understand these are so confusing and lots of rules and regs regarding booking.

Does anyone have any secrets behind ways to build up miles quicker with a higher spend? (Loopholes)
An idea I had was to deposit into a shares account and then withdraw back a few days or weeks later, does anyone know if this will count and build miles?

How long before does this companion flight have to be booked? I'd like to book a business flight but it says companion tickets can only be purchased on flex, but then flex tickets can't be bought with miles??

Skwards scheme is so confusing!
any help appreciated,

thanks.

skywardhunter

Quick search shows this old thread: EK MBNA credit cards

No specific experience with that card or UK cards but in South Africa you only earn miles on actual purchases, no inter-account transfers, cash withdrawals or online payments.

Regarding booking the flight:

- Flex is a fare type, you can get Flex in Economy, Business and First, it simply means the ticket is refundable (for a fee) and changeable (for a fee).
- Skywards miles can be redeemed for Flex tickets in all classes and in fact these are the most commonly available (but also more expensive than Saver tickets).
- To work our how many miles you might need on a given itinerary you can check Emirates' own calculator: https://www.emirates.com/account/za/...alculator.aspx
- For a companion ticket I think you need to use miles to buy 1 ticket, then you get the 2nd free, BUT need to pay taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges (YQ) for both passengers, which for EK unfortunately is usually a significant portion of the total ticket cost.

DYKWIA

Actually, you have to *buy* a Flex ticket in Economy or Business to be able to use the companion voucher. And there has to be Saver Reward availability for the companion.

subject2load

I have been using the 'elite' version of these MBNA/Emirates branded cards (you are issued with a Visa card as well as Amex, to cover those situations where Amex may not be accepted) for a few years now.

There are some benefits to be had from the cards ; however the 'free' companion ticket is, IMO, definitely not one of them. I quickly concluded that the (many !) T & C's were simply too onerous, and that any perceived gain was outweighed by the necessary criteria - the fact that you would still be required to shell out a significant amount (as already referenced by skywardhunter) for the quaintly-termed carrier-imposed surcharges being chief amongst them.

For all I know, other cardholders may possibly have made good use of this companion ticket facility ......although I cannot recall any such cases being reported here. My own view is that this is as good an example as any of the maxim that there is no free lunch.

Callumxx5

Seems a nightmare. I was going to save up and then use the 'free' flight for honeymoon next year to Maldives. Defo not going to be worth it then by the looks. Package holiday it is! Best to just truck and upgrade at check in with miles?

DYKWIA

It's great if you put a lot of money through it. I pay all my own work expenses, and then claim back - so I get around 10k points per month. Over a year, I'll get enough for a decent J/F return.

Note that there's a 25k bonus running until 30th June, as long as you spend £2000 in the first 3 months.

modularmayhem

have to agree with the sentiment that the companion voucher is virtually useless. I have had the card for 3 years and have earned the voucher each year but never used it as when i went to book a trip it always worked out cheaper to book 2 business savers than to book a business flex and pay the taxes on the reward flight

DYKWIA

The other benefit is a £150 discount of Business Class, which effectively pays for the card.

However... I've not been able to use it, as it only seems to allow 1 person on the booking.

Callumxx5

Would deposits into stockbrokers count for miles?

skywardhunter

Not if it's an online transfer or payment via your online banking. Any kind of card PAYMENT where the payment is processed by a card machine or third party online gateway would probably be considered.

DYKWIA

You can link your card to Supercard/Curve. Cash withdrawals come through as payments as far as the MBNA cards are concerned.

However, you can only link the Visa, not the AMEX.

subject2load

This seems doubtful judging by one of the clauses within the (considerable !) small print on the relevant site, detailing which purchases attract miles :
"Card purchases exclude cash advances, money transfers and balance transfers".