Help us out: your experiences of using two frequent flyer numbers with the same booking

We have had a LOT of emails, article comments and forum posts in recent weeks from readers who are trying to juggle two frequent flyer accounts on the same booking.

It’s not easy, and to add to the complexity there are two totally opposite reasons why you may want to do it.

We’d like your input if you have been in this situation recently.

Here are the two scenarios you could be in:

Scenario 1

You want to earn Avios in British Airways Executive Club whilst using another oneworld frequent flyer programme where you have status for lounge access, free seat selection etc.

Most likely to apply to: people who got Royal Jordanian elite status via the ongoing hotel status match and want free seat selection etc whilst still earning Avios.

Your problem: you need to have your non-BA frequent flyer number in your booking to get free seat selection, but need to change it over at some point to your BA number in order to earn Avios – whilst still trying to get lounge access, fast track security, use of business class check-in desks etc from your non-BA status card.

Scenario 2

You want to earn status tier points in another oneworld frequent flyer programme whilst using your existing British Airways Executive Club elite card for lounge access, free seat selection etc.

Most likely to apply to: current BA status holders who cannot retain their status from 1st April in British Airways Club and are moving to another oneworld frequent flyer scheme where it is easier to earn status (probably Iberia, Royal Jordanian, Malaysia)

Your problem: you need to have your BA frequent flyer number in your booking to get free seat selection via your current status but need to change it over to your non-BA number to earn status credit with your replacement programme – whilst still trying to get lounge access, fast track security, use of business class check-in desks etc on the back of your BA status.

In theory this shouldn’t be a problem, but it is

When Amadeus (the back-end ticketing system used by most airlines) was designed, they DID think that this could be an issue.

Your BA flight ticket data contains two fields, which by default are filled with the same number which you added when booking or via Manage My Booking:

• FQTV: the frequent flyer number you want to use to earn miles
• FQTS: the frequent flyer number you want to use for claiming status benefits

The problem is that your chance of finding a check-in or call centre agent who knows about FQTV and FQTS, yet alone knows how to amend your data correctly, is low.

I think that Singapore Airlines is the only carrier which allows you to enter two frequent flyer numbers for bookings.

How have you got around this?

Whilst Scenario 2 will be the most common after 1st April, as many readers start trying to earn status in a different oneworld frequent flyer programme, there are currently a lot of readers in Scenario 1 thanks to the Royal Jordanian status match.

If you’re in Scenario 1:

For people in Scenario 1, I have been saying that – at least for short haul flights – you should forget about earning Avios. Put your Royal Jordanian number in your BA booking from the start and keep it there. It will save you a lot of trouble trying to swap numbers over, and the relatively small number of Avios you will forfeit isn’t worth worrying about. You will be earning Royal Jordanian miles instead which can be redeemed on BA.

Of course, if you are on a long haul flight then you might want your Avios. At what point do you swap your frequent flyer number for the BA one? After check in? Whilst in the lounge? Could you use fast track security or priority boarding by showing your Royal Jordanian card on your phone whilst having the BA number on your boarding pass?

Let us know in the comments.

If you’re in Scenario 2:

This is a bit trickier. You should be able to get into a BA lounge by showing your BA Gold or Silver membership card on your phone, even if your ‘no status’ Iberia / Royal Jordanian / Malaysia etc number is in your booking.

Can you get away with this at fast track security though? Or when trying to get priority boarding? Do you keep your BA number in your account until the last minute and call BA to swap it from the lounge?

Again, let us know in the comments.

How to change the frequent flyer number in your booking

This is as good a place as any to cover this. Most airlines, including BA, disable the Amadeus functionality which allows you to change your frequent flyer number via Manage My Booking. One that doesn’t is Royal Air Maroc.

You can go on the Royal Air Maroc website and pull up a BA flight booking using the 6-character booking reference. One of the options allows you to change the frequent flyer number.

Thank you for your contributions

We look forward to hearing about your experiences of swapping frequent flyer numbers in the comments. We will run a fresh article next week summarising your feedback.