intuition

IMHO, the simple answer is that the same-year-ladder-climber is an anomaly. It is the fringe case AY loyalty didn't plan for or didn't think will happen enough to cause any damage. So in order to not overcomplicate the rules, they allow it.

EuroFlash

Oh .... so that means I'm getting 2x gift gold in 2 months time as my planning is I'll turn Plat in January 2019 and my tracking period renews in February 2019.
What am I supposed to do with those? I know no one who regularly travels Finnair except for my boyfriend. Lol.

intuition

No stress. the one you get in feb 2019 lasts for 12 month, so you can wait and use it when/if the need arises.

EuroFlash

So I could let's say use it in February 2020, and will the validity from there be 12 months? So I can technically use it for myself ?

intuition

You will be able to use it until the last day of your platinum period, not beyond that. So that alone makes it impossible to use on yourself.

EuroFlash

r2d2

The gift gold is 12 months + days to the end of the month. However you will be at least Gold for the next 12 months after your last day of Plat. Finnair Plus has soft landing, i.e. if you don't requalify for Plat you will fall to Gold even if you wouldn't have flown at all. The same thing for Golds, we will soft land to Silver.

intuition

This will be clearer to you once you reach plat, as you will see the expiry date of the gold card gift in your account.

There are two validities to understand:

The right to gift a gold card will run from the day you first turn plat until last day of your membership year. For the next membership year, when you are still platinum, the right to gift a gold card will run from the first day of your new membership year until the last day of the membership year.

The gifted gold card will make the recipient gold from the day the gift is recieved until end of the month that is 12 month minus 1 day after the gift is recieved. Ie cards given on day 1 of a month is valid for exactly 12 months, cards given on day 2 of a month are valid for 12 month and 29 days.

Talonmies

I need some good ideas and fresh thinking:

I’m changing job and I don’t expect to fly that much in the future: possibly 5-10 business return flights and 1-2 leisure return flights / year.

Currently I have ~80.000 tier points and 200.000+ award points: i.e. I’m able to maintain my Plat status by changing all my points to tier points.

By keeping the Plat I will have the benefits:

- lounge access

- upgrade vouchers

- Gold card to my wife

- what else?


Alternative would downgrade me to Gold, but keep 200.000 points for other use:

- what is this other use? I have found it very difficult even as a Plat member to get some reasonable flight tickets, and the taxes makes 50-70% of the cheap tickets cost

- My life-time points are still <2.000.000; i.e. limited chance for a life-time status

I’m keen to hear interesting thinking of pros and cons of remaining the Plat status – for one more final year.

FlyeBye

Your 200,000 points are worth 4 longhaul upgrades for example. Pretty much what you regain when renewing Platinum incl. the 4 SH vouchers that your wife will get with her Gold card, so all perks and extras that come with the Platinum status are pretty much free.

Then there is the Platinum wing, which might be available only for Platinum members once it finally opens and the renovation of the business class lounge is finished whenever that might be. This would be reason enough for me to exchange the 200,000 to renew.

Jainzar

LH flights are bad value in Y if you do not need the flexibility because of the YR that is charged. SH flights to Nordics/Europe tend to be a much better deal. My last ticket was 16k points plus around 50€ instead of over 250€ for a light ticket. And yes, an award was not available, but the waitlisted request cleared in a few hours.

WilcoRoger

Don't forget the soft landing to Gold - ie. if you make Plat but do not requalify again, you'll get an extra year of elite status (and 4SH vouchers)

HJP

Talonmies

Thanks!

I knew there would be some valuable ideas: I didn't think of the soft landing. Being already qualified to Gold this year, I would "loose" it.

Trav1970