Yesterday marked two weeks until the days of easy Star Alliance Gold come to a close. I am talking, of course, about the upcoming changes to Aegean Airline’s Miles and Bonus program. They will be closing off the loop hole allowing people to simply credit one flight every three years to keep their Star Alliance Gold status going and will switch to an annual qualification system. Not only that, but the requirements for earning Aegean Airlines Gold (and thereby Star Alliance Gold) will be seeing quite a hike.
Read this Post: Get Star Alliance Status with Aegean Airlines
Countdown to End of Easy Star Alliance Gold
Here is a recap of some of the things you should read about and know before November 24th comes up. While the changes certainly are not kind to the people who only credit one flight per year to Aegean, the program is actually offering some significant upgrades and perks to those who would be continuing to credit to Aegean and those who may fly Aegean on occasion themselves.
The Upcoming Changes
From now on, to earn Silver status, you will need to fly 12,000 miles within 12 months and two Aegean/Olympic flights or 24,000 miles on any of the Star Alliance airlines. To earn Gold, you will need to fly 24,000 miles within 12 months and four Aegean/Olympic flights or 48,000 miles on any of the Star Alliance airlines.
To retain Silver status (the converted Blue status), you will need to fly 8,000 miles within 12 months and two Aegean/Olympic flights or a total of 16,000 miles on any of the Star Alliance airlines. To retain Silver status after the November 24th date, you will need to have flown those miles within the previous 12 months.
To retain Gold status, you will need to fly 12,000 miles within 12 months (including four Aegean/Olympic flights) or a total of 24,000 miles on any of the Star Alliance airlines. Gold members will retain Gold status no matter the flight activity.
The upcoming changes are not all bad. They are adding some great benefits in, especially for those who will do flying on Aegean. Even for those that do not fly Aegean may still get value from the program as their Together miles benefit. This will be available to flyers who are Silver or Gold with Aegean. It allows up to 5 people to contribute their award miles to your account. They will still earn miles towards their own status, but the award miles will pile up in your account. This is a great benefit if you are taking family trips and want to accrue the most miles possible! – See Taking Another Look At The New Miles + Bonus Program for this and other benefits in the new program (including upgrade certificates)
With less than two weeks left until the changes kick in, should you still try for Gold under the current program? Check this post for details and help in deciding that – Should You Still Try For Star Alliance Gold Before November 24?
Unfortunately, for those who do not plan on renewing their Aegean Gold status, Aegean is planning on issuing new Gold cards under the new program which means that you will not have a good shot at getting into Star Alliance lounges with your existing card after November 24, 2015 – No Access To Lounges With Your Aegean Gold Card After Switch
Earning Status Under The New Program
If you want to retain/earn Star Alliance Gold status through the new Aegean program, the best way to do so is going to be through their +Aegean option. That means, you get to fly 1/2 of the required miles as long as you have 4 Aegean flights to your credit. Since Aegean is a great airline and has some really cheap sale options, that is not a bad thing. Also, if you roll into the new program as an Aegean Gold, you will have 4 upgrade certificates so you can upgrade those flights to business class.
Here are some of the posts with sale prices and other options to earn Aegean miles in the easiest ways.
– Fly Short Thai A380 First Class For $650 ($1,050 R/T)
– Aegean Fare Sale – 25% Off To International Destinations
– Aegean Airlines Fare Sale – Paris, Marseille, and Geneva
– Aegean Airfare Sales Are Becoming More Relevant For Star Alliance Gold
– Should You Credit To United Or Aegean In 2015?
Summary
With the upcoming changes to the Aegean program, will you work to continue your status? Since Aegean is my main carrier for regional European flights, I will definitely be sticking with them. It will be interesting to see how well the new program operates. I for one am excited about certain aspects of the program. I am also grateful for the upgrade certificates (even though inter-European business class isn’t really exciting) and the ability to pool miles in one account.
Finally, if you have Aegean miles but you will not be continuing to credit to them, here are some top ideas of what you can do with the miles you might already have – 7 Great Uses For Aegean Miles
I am still confused. I earned my Aegean Gold status in May 2011, and I received a Gold card with an expiry date of 12/31/2014.. Between May 2011 and January 2014, I credited no flights to my account. Then, in January 2014 I credited a single flight to my account, which supposedly extended my status. However, I never received a new Gold card.
My account shows the following summary
Total Tier Miles:20xxx
Total Award Miles: 24xxx
Miles Required For Upgrade: 0
Until –
So, what happens to my status in 2 weeks?
You should get a new card by the end of the year with a new experiation date of November 2015 (unless they choose to use the actual calendar year for status in 2015). They stopped printing new cars last month, so that is why you have not been sent a new one yet. In the meantime, you can use the digital card in the app for most things (even some partner lounges have accepted mine).