TFC answers. Do you earn qualifying miles and not with award tickets?

This installment of our TFCanswers column is dedicated to a question/question that I am asked, on the different channels, almost every week.

The similarly posed question is this: "Do you accumulate points and status when you travel with an award ticket?" the answer is almost always NO, but there are three companies that behave differently and consider award flights made valid for status purposes.

What points can be accumulated with award tickets

As always, a distinction must be made between the types of points. No carrier allows you to accumulate reward points, or those that can be used to redeem award tickets, when you fly with an award ticket. Unlike hotel chains that allow the member to accumulate points and qualifying nights when staying by paying with points, no carrier credits points on the cards of travelers flying with these tickets.

If instead let's talk about qualifying points, which then depending on the carrier have different names and rules, there are two companies that grant (rightly) Frequent Flyers valid points for status renewal. I say rightly because, in my humble opinion, it is fair to reward the faithful traveler who redeems points earned by flying and not just for flying with the company whose status he has. At the end of the day it is a roundabout game. The company gives me the points, I use the points to fly with the same company.

Who are the magnificent three

The three airlines that allow frequent flyers to earn qualifying points useful for status renewal are: Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. These three carriers treat award flights as cash paid flights for the purpose of status renewal.

Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to allow travelers to earn Flying Club qualifying points, an operation launched in 2020 as support for travelers during the pandemic has since become a permanent mode. Each award ticket earns 25 to 100 Tier points depending on the class of travel, just as traditional tickets do, with only one post. Points are awarded only if you fly on VS rail, so if you use Virgin points to fly, for example, on All Nippon Airways you will get nothing.

A few months later Virgin was Delta, who of VS is a minority shareholder, to Open to this possibility that is effective today at 100% And valid for all Skymiles members.

Finally came United Airlines which allows its MileagePlus members to earn Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) and Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) on award travel, but only on flights operated by United and United Express.

In conclusion

All carriers should allow those flying an award ticket to earn qualifying points, since obtaining status is increasingly difficult it is obvious that this flight should also contribute to the year-end goal.

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