Do I stick with Flying Blue or make the switch to FC?

[gemdog]

UK Resident here. Currently Gold BA Exec Club and about to drop to silver, as I switched up this year to fly more from my hometown LBA via AMS. (thanks BA for cancelling the LHR flights)
In 6 months have already secured Gold on KL Flying Blue, and well on the way to Platinum.
My question to the expert forumites is – do I transition to VA Flying Club – as I would quickly reach elite status? Or do I try to get them to status match (even though I don’t really fly much with VA)? Or do i just keep on keeping on with Flying Blue?

Would like to be able to get companion vouchers etc. through UK credit card other UK-based perks.
Also, seeming hard to use my Flying Blue miles on reward flights eg. VA’s direct MAN-BGI.

Any advice much appreciated!

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

VS won’t match status with another ST member but they will BA Golds but you need to have a VS booking in a premium cabin

check the VS status match page on the VS website.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

Hi, I also made the move from Flying Blue elite status to Flying Club (no status). Whilst I liked the Flying Blue airport and luggage benefits, the dynamic pricing is an absolute nonsense. As is the rule re miles expiry that is needlessly complex. I managed to liquidate my entire FB miles balance on a promo award to Dubai for 45K miles each way.

Now I’m collecting with Flying Club and quite content. Granted a Dubai return is now 100K Virgin Red points but I’d rather the predictability of that over dynamic pricing on AF-KLM.

[gemdog]

Thanks for the advice folks. I might wait to get to Platinum and then do the switch. Would I be right in thinking I’d only ever drop back a status level each year? So could realistically still use the card to get into lounges on Economy flights whilst building up to Flying Club Elite?

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

gemdog wrote:

Thanks for the advice folks. I might wait to get to Platinum and then do the switch. Would I be right in thinking I’d only ever drop back a status level each year? So could realistically still use the card to get into lounges on Economy flights whilst building up to Flying Club Elite?

You definitely only drop one level in year one. As to subsequent years, i’m not sure. The wording is a bit ambiguous.

“ If you don’t reach the minimum XP for your current level at the end of your qualification period, your status will drop by one level (if you’re an Explorer, we’ll reset your counter to 0 XP). The XP threshold for the lower tier will be deducted from your XP counter. Your membership period at this new level will last for 12 months.”

[memesweeper]

gemdog wrote:

So could realistically still use the card to get into lounges on Economy flights whilst building up to Flying Club Elite?

If you are crediting to VFC you are only entitled to the benefits of VFC. So possibly no lounge access while you are building up credit. Suggested ways around this are:

– register flight with VFC details and show up to the lounge and show status card in AFKLM — you shouldn’t, but might, get access.

– alternatively, register flight with AFKLM, get into the lounge, log into Manage My Booking and switch FFP to VFC (if this doesn’t work you may loose the points from a given flight, but your lounge access is assured — I’ve even heard of people switching scheme at the gate, I think once the BP is scanned at the gate that’s the moment it’s definitively too late to change FFP, not when you check-in)