Hi, I am a star alliance gold with AirNZ. I am flying Ethhiopian airlines and I would like to credit my flight to Singapore Airlines which I am nothing.
Can I flash my gold card and gain star alliance gold benefits?
You generally won't be able to gain benefits just by showing your card. It's more likely that you receive priority boarding and screening by that method, but if you present your card at the lounge, they will want to change your accrual before letting you in. However, all is not lost--many *A airlines have a system already in place for this eventuality. The status and accrual information in your electronic reservation comes from two fields--FQTS and FQTV. The FQTS field determines your status, and the FQTV field determines your points accrual. Most graphical reservation interfaces automatically set the FQTS field from the FQTV field on the back end. However, the FQTS field can usually be manually reset by an agent, reflecting your status while still crediting your points elsewhere.
So you should ask the agent to quote your SQ account number in the FQTV field, and your NZ account number in the FQTS field.
In my experience, many agents aren't trained on this feature of the reservation system. Sometimes, they're also unaware of these back-end field names. If they're trained to do this, they may know it as the "supplementary frequent flyer number" field. Don't be afraid to ask, and don't be afraid to escalate if the first agent isn't able to help you. I've never tried this on ET, so your mileage may vary.
If this plan fails, there's always the bait and switch in the lounge--you can quote your NZ number at the check-in desk, and then change it to your SQ number online once you're tucked into the lounge. A lounge attendant might also be able to help you with this directly in the reservation system, although in this case, it always pays to verify with a boarding pass re-print.
Technically under Star Alliance internal rules, an airline only has to recognise you in line with the membership you've linked to the booking, so if you're a no-status frequent flyer, an airline can legitimately decline to recognise your other membership under Star Alliance rules, unless you link it to the booking.
That said, as above, many airlines go beyond the alliance 'minimum standard' and many have features in their software to allow two frequent flyer numbers, or lounge staff can admit travellers using their 'other' frequent flyer number while still being reimbursed for the visit by processing it through a separate system.
(Just flagging as you'll generally have no problems at all, but if there's an issue there's not really anybody you can complain to as such, if the airline is 'following the rules'.)
I've done this many times with no problem. You carry the gold card and flash that for the benefits while putting the points elsewhere right from the start.
The alternative way of doing it is to link your AirNZ number to the booking and get them to change it at the gate just before you step on the plane. They can get a little flurried by this during boarding but you can step to the side to wait for it to die down. Doing it this way is probably better as if there's any chance of an upgrade you might still get it.
I flew Air Canada once and got bumped up to PE because my Avianca number was in the system which was gold status. At the gate I switched it back to Aegean to build those credits up. If i'd had the Aegean number from the start I would have missed the upgrade!
Literally never had a problem, not sure what the overly complicated initial reply was about here! I do this all the time with multiple star alliance airlines (NZ, AC, UA, LH, SQ, TK). I also do it with virgin and Singapore (ie accrue to velocity Red and show my SQ gold card in the virgin lounge - never a problem.)
I think once I had to explain why I was accruing to one and not the other, and I think it was just polite conversation rather than militant interrogation.
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Gold card to get into the lounge
Jorge_fly
Jorge_fly
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 08 Feb 2016
Total posts 83
Hi, I am a star alliance gold with AirNZ. I am flying Ethhiopian airlines and I would like to credit my flight to Singapore Airlines which I am nothing.
Can I flash my gold card and gain star alliance gold benefits?
Any assistance would be great. Thanks.
SilverBromide
SilverBromide
Member since 05 Mar 2015
Total posts 24
You generally won't be able to gain benefits just by showing your card. It's more likely that you receive priority boarding and screening by that method, but if you present your card at the lounge, they will want to change your accrual before letting you in. However, all is not lost--many *A airlines have a system already in place for this eventuality. The status and accrual information in your electronic reservation comes from two fields--FQTS and FQTV. The FQTS field determines your status, and the FQTV field determines your points accrual. Most graphical reservation interfaces automatically set the FQTS field from the FQTV field on the back end. However, the FQTS field can usually be manually reset by an agent, reflecting your status while still crediting your points elsewhere.
Chris C.
Chris C.
Member since 24 Apr 2012
Total posts 1,116
Technically under Star Alliance internal rules, an airline only has to recognise you in line with the membership you've linked to the booking, so if you're a no-status frequent flyer, an airline can legitimately decline to recognise your other membership under Star Alliance rules, unless you link it to the booking.
That said, as above, many airlines go beyond the alliance 'minimum standard' and many have features in their software to allow two frequent flyer numbers, or lounge staff can admit travellers using their 'other' frequent flyer number while still being reimbursed for the visit by processing it through a separate system.
(Just flagging as you'll generally have no problems at all, but if there's an issue there's not really anybody you can complain to as such, if the airline is 'following the rules'.)
milesrolls
milesrolls
Member since 25 Apr 2013
Total posts 25
I've done this many times with no problem. You carry the gold card and flash that for the benefits while putting the points elsewhere right from the start.
I flew Air Canada once and got bumped up to PE because my Avianca number was in the system which was gold status. At the gate I switched it back to Aegean to build those credits up. If i'd had the Aegean number from the start I would have missed the upgrade!
Jorge_fly
Jorge_fly
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 08 Feb 2016
Total posts 83
Thanks all!!
Mjkcan
Mjkcan
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
Member since 14 Jun 2017
Total posts 64
Literally never had a problem, not sure what the overly complicated initial reply was about here! I do this all the time with multiple star alliance airlines (NZ, AC, UA, LH, SQ, TK). I also do it with virgin and Singapore (ie accrue to velocity Red and show my SQ gold card in the virgin lounge - never a problem.)