Gold, Gold Renewed..What Next!!

Hi Guys,

1st post having just signed up, have been aware of the site for a while and people tell me its a great source of help so its nice to now be a member.

I'm flyign VA after dumping BA for more reasons than there is space

But

Having got my Gold Card In December and renewing it in March I dont seem to collect anymore Tier points. Current Gold card runs out in Jan 08 and I assume that I will get a new card to Jan 09 with this renewal and clearly I would'nt expect to renew my 08 card until I have it!! so what now...nothing to collect except miles

I will do around 16 or 17 PE return flights London to Mumbai a year

Do Virgin give you Bonus miles or something for the Tier points than dont count after your Gold renewal?

Many Thanks for any help on this

[mitchja]

Hi Andy and welcome to V-Flyer

This is an issue lot's of people see with Flying Club gold in that once you hit your Flying Club re-newal level there's really no incentive to carry on flying VS.

Although in your case if you are doing 16-17 PE return flights a year that's at least 96 TP's a year which will get noticed by Flying Club I can assure you. Your TP's dont count once you hit your re-newal level but they will still be logged.

It is said that once you hit 100 TP's within 12 months, V50 status starts to kick in which is a special unpublished level above gold. Your card or FC number wont change but you should notice other 'extras'

Regards

[Pete]

Yes, what James said

Once you get to 100 tier points then you will have a very nice person from VS call you and invite you to join the V50 club. They will ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the t's and c's so I guess thats why we dont see any members of the V50 club talking too much about the benefits. However, I understand it gives you more priority than gold and the assistance of a travel manager to whisk you through the airport.

Good luck to you if you achieve it.

[preiffer]

Originally posted by MarkJ
They wil ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the t's and c's so I guess thats why we dont see any members of the VS 50 club talking too much about the benefits.

Eh?! [:?]

Since when? (and it's not called the "VS 50 club"!)

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by MarkJ
They wil ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the t's and c's so I guess thats why we dont see any members of the VS 50 club talking too much about the benefits.

Eh?! [:?]

Since when? (and it's not called the "VS 50 club"!)

Sorry - typo - I've edited my post above - and with regard to the t and c's - that's what I was told they do.

[preiffer]

Umm... I think you've missed my point Mark. Even with your 'typo' corrected, there's still no "V50 club". It's simply a flag on your account.

Well you put "since when" and a quote - which seemed to imply that you were referring to the written terms and conditions. If you were simply referring to my use of the term "V50" club - which was how it was explained to me- then why didnt you just say that?

[fozzyo]

Originally posted by Flying_Scotsman
I will do around 16 or 17 PE return flights London to Mumbai a year

Firstly welcome to the site! Hopefully not all of those flights will be in PE, would be nice if you had a few "We've upgraded you to Upper Class Sir" check-ins or calls to the desk in the Clubhouse.

Mat

Hi Guys,

Many thanks for the repies,

I have had the pleasure of 3 upgrades in 26 flights, whilst not as many as BA give you ( 12 in 24 )it is however better to travel in PE and have no upgrade then travel in BA's World Taveller Plus and pray for an upgrade. The new interior has been added for the Mumbai route now so it even better.

I will keep collecting the points and see what happens

I was thinking about this... I wonder if something like a pair of one-cabin upgrade vouchers (could be e-vouchers, like the companion reward) valid at any time, regardless of upgrade/award bucket availability - like some sort of upgrade "trump card" - for every 10 tier points earned? The only thing that would trump it is a cash fare.

Possibly make them transferrable to others with the Gold Card holders' blessing, so you can also let a friend travel in style?

Might be a nice way of rewarding long term loyalty, as with that number of sectors, one could probably earn gold on two or three airlines.

Mike

[preiffer]

Sould work, Mike - BUT I'd have a slight reservation around it having the capability to turn VS' premium cabin into a similar farce to that of the US Majors.

Imagine - lines and lines of people at the gate, desperate to "clear the upgrade list with their pathetic little paper certificates"... [ii]

Maybe every 10 TP's from 50 and up?

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by MarkJ
They wil ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding the t's and c's so I guess thats why we dont see any members of the VS 50 club talking too much about the benefits.

Eh?! [:?]

Since when? (and it's not called the "VS 50 club"!)

No, its called the Virgin Lodge of Freemasonary [:o)][:o)]

[Scrooge]

I would make it from 80 and up, 50 is to easy to make if you are flying for work and as you said most of the US major's are a farce now and there are even some of them (US) that are making this benefit seemingly harder to use, I am chairmans and should get the auto upgrade..funnily I have had to argue it on a couple of legs where there have been seats open 24 hrs before.

Originally posted by preiffer
Sould work, Mike - BUT I'd have a slight reservation around it having the capability to turn VS' premium cabin into a similar farce to that of the US Majors.

Imagine - lines and lines of people at the gate, desperate to "clear the upgrade list with their pathetic little paper certificates"... [ii]

Oh totally see where you're coming from, but I'm sure we could trust VS to keep a little bit of style and class to the system. Also, because of the nature of VS' business, it's probably not that many people would have enough TPs to qualify.

As VS don't seem to do reward upgrades at the gate anyway, maybe we can avoid "standby"-type farce for this at the gate, and maybe only allow it in advance, at check-in, or at the Clubhouse?

In any case, given VS usually can't manage things like priority boarding reliably, and gate scrums are de-rigeur, it probably wouldn't work that way anyway!

Otherwise, they could offer some other whizzy things, surely?

Mike

Originally posted by Scrooge
I would make it from 80 and up, 50 is to easy to make if you are flying for work and as you said most of the US major's are a farce now and there are even some of them (US) that are making this benefit seemingly harder to use, I am chairmans and should get the auto upgrade..funnily I have had to argue it on a couple of legs where there have been seats open 24 hrs before.

Chairman's what?? [?][?]

[preiffer]

Originally posted by AlanA
Chairman's what?? [?][?]

Chairman's Preferred - the top tier in US Airways' Dividend Miles program

Originally posted by preiffer

Originally posted by AlanA
Chairman's what?? [?][?]

Chairman's Preferred - the top tier in US Airways' Dividend Miles program

OK thanks

As VS don't seem to do reward upgrades at the gate anyway, maybe we can avoid "standby"-type farce for this at the gate, and maybe only allow it in advance, at check-in, or at the Clubhouse?

Yes they do, did it on the VS19 in August last year when it was delayed for 6 hours and eventually left from Gatwick. They even managed to collect the extra Tax from us !