Malaysia Airlines revamps Enrich frequent flyer program

Malaysia Airlines is overhauling its Enrich frequent flyer program, with sweeping changes affecting how members earn and spend points.

The airline is also revising how travellers will qualify for its elite Silver, Gold and Platinum ranks.

All changes come into place from April 1 2021, giving cardholders three months to understand how the revised Enrich program will reward their future journeys.

Changes to earning Enrich miles

On the earning front, Enrich members will soon collect ‘Enrich Points’ instead of ‘Enrich Miles’, and all existing Enrich Miles will be converted into Enrich Points at a 1:1 rate.

On Malaysia Airlines and MASwings flights, members will accrue Enrich Points based on the price paid for their tickets.

This is different from the current rewards system, which instead calculates points based on how far a member flies, rather than how much they spend.

New requirements for Enrich Silver, Gold, Platinum

Distance still plays a role when earning ‘Elite Points’ – the Malaysia Airlines equivalent of status credits, and currently known as ‘Elite Miles’ – and these will determine when a member unlocks Silver, Gold or Platinum status.

Members will need 30 Elite Points to qualify for Enrich Silver, 60 Elite Points for Enrich Gold, and 100 Elite Points for Enrich Platinum.

By example, a return Malaysia Airlines business class flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur would earn 12 Elite Points, while a return business class flight from Sydney to London via Kuala Lumpur would amass 28 Elite Points in total – almost qualifying for Enrich Silver in a single trip.

Flights taken on Malaysia Airlines’ Oneworld partners will continue to earn points and status based on the distance flown and the type of fare purchased, rather than the direct ticket price.

No changes to Enrich reward bookings

Although many other aspects of the Enrich program are being revamped, there are no changes to the number of points needed to book a flight through Enrich.

Of course, this aspect of Enrich has already been overhauled several years back, with the number of Enrich miles needed to book a Malaysia Airlines flight fluctuating based on the cash price of an equivalent ticket.

Reward bookings on partner airlines – such as Qantas – instead remain tied to the distance of the journey, with charges remaining at the current fixed rates.

Also read: Malaysia Airlines rebuilds flights to Australia, NZ, London

Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.