Many frequent flyer programmes have a minimum flight requirement. This is usually because you can earn the necessary credits on other carriers, so airlines add this in to ensure you actually fly with them.
Foe example, with Qantas Frequent Flyer in Australia, you need to have four flights with Qantas to gain status. As you can earn with all the oneworld alliance airlines, it prevents someone based in another country from flying their local airline, crediting to Qantas, gaining status yet never setting foot aboard the Aussie airline’s planes. Fair enough!
The Minimum Flight Requirement at Aer Lingus
I had no idea until very recently that Aer Lingus has a minimum flight requirement for achieving Silver, Gold or Concierge in their frequent flyer programme, AerClub. Having a look around their website, it’s not immediately obvious at all. In fact, it’s buried in the Terms & Conditions.
Overall Thoughts
I’m all for clarity when it comes to the rules of frequent flyer programmes. Sadly, Aer Lingus is not alone with this kind of chicanery, as I found out when I joined Aegean’s Miles+Bonus. I took two for Silver and four for Gold to mean a total of four flights, when in reality it was two plus four for six. That certainly surprised me, and I don’t consider myself someone particularly dim when it comes to working things out.
Anyway, for those who use an airline as their local airline, these kinds of limits don’t even cross your mind. You’re likely to meet them without making one bit of effort, but they are in place to prevent non-locals from taking too much advantage of the system.
Did you know that Aer Lingus had a minimum flight requirement in AerClub? What do you think of this kind of thing? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by Colin Cook Photo on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons.
