Silver Lounge Access - remember when...?

Originally posted by VS045
I'm not particularly familiar with the BA FF system. Does anyone know what they offer in terms of their top status level and level beneath this? Although I suppose it's different for them as you get lounge access with both F and CW, and Y+ doesn't have the same place as it does in VS.

It is a bit of an apples and pears comparison as the qualifying/renewal rates are a bit different but basically:

Silver = 8 WT+ or 5 Club longhaul Legs (qualify or renew)
Gold = 20 WT+ or 13 Club longhaul Legs (qualify or renew)

Silver
Executive Club Lounge Access for you and guest (Flying BA or partner)
Check in at all desks excluding First
25% bonus on miles

Gold
First and Club Lounge Access for you and guest (regardless of airline)
Check in at all desks
50% bonus on miles

Probably a few other perks but I think these are the main ones.
Hope this is clear

Phil

P.S. To summarise - I guess the rewards are better for both tiers but then the qualification is more difficult (although a larger route network makes it a little easier). However there is certainly something there for the middle tier.

Gold
First and Club Lounge Access for you and guest (regardless of airline)

if you are travelling on a non BA/oneworld flight you can only use the terraces lounge and not the first class lounge
BAEC lounge access rules



The major difference with EC is that to get to gold your TPs points zero back when you reach silver so from scratch you need 600tps for silver then a Further 1500 TPs for gold this is approx 18 CW legs in total.
Or as we are in the process of doing 2 BA first class legs,6 BA CE legs (silver)2 WT+ legs, 6 AA First class legs >2000 miles, 2 AA FC <2000 miles and 4 CE legs, gold in 20 months

You could register in europe and lower the required TP to 400 for silver and a futher 800 for gold but this means no BA amex card or 241 voucher and no tesco miles earning.

BA offer no lounge access to non status pax in WT+

So I suppose the main difference between the VS and BA middle status levels is that with VS it is easier to reach but does not offer so many incentives, whereas on BA it is more difficult to reach but gives more rewards.
I would think that BA uses their middle status to try and entice fairly frequent flyers in WT+ say to try and reach, and then maintain, the Ag status. Maybe after trying out the lounge accces and CW check-in they would then not want to go back to WT+ and would rather stick with the CW treatment - most people here seem to have caught the big after all![:p]
However, I am at a bit of a loss to see what VS uses its for as the occasional W traveller can reach Ag without too much trouble, but to then make the jump to Au would require a a large amount of financial sacrifice and being not too frequent a flyer, that certainly outweighs the benefits.
Anyone any thoughts...

This isn't meant to be a rant about VS - just speculation. Sorry about the long post[:I]

Cheers,
VS045

[Scrooge]

Ag to me has seemed like a lost cause from the start,I would like to see VS do something with it,maybe more milage,who know's,just do something.

So I suppose the main difference between the VS and BA middle status levels is that with VS it is easier to reach but does not offer so many incentives, whereas on BA it is more difficult to reach but gives more rewards.

I would say VS Au is equivalant to BA Ag (about the same levels of travel required for retention) ba blue, vs red and Ag are basically worthless apart from a nice tag and earning miles. PE check-in with vs ag when down the back is worthwhile.

I am a silver member didn't know we got lounge access can anyone confirm. I get the extremely useful! (Not) gatwick haethrow express upgrade vouchers. what use are these to me when I don't live near London!

No you don't get lounge access. This was a benefit in the dim and distant past, but only servicair lounges, not clubhouses. The benefits have just been increased for silver. In addition to the GEX/HEX vouchers (I agree these are of very limited value, and nil value to many) and the priority check in and bagage handling, you also get bonus miles each time you fly. To me the last is finally a serious benefit.

Some have said on the forum that to get to silver requires so few flights, that it is not surprising that there are few benefits. I have to say that I agree with this. After all, why would VS give significant benefits to a pretty infrequent flyer.