Pilot Gold

[Cult of one]

Hey all, My first post........

I am a few days off my pilot gold finishing up and I will have earned 200+ status points having had silver and 450 SC before I was given it. With return to Paris booked with Virgin in October and Return to Miami booked December If I get to keep all those earned prior and during pilot gold it will be happy days but of not I just said good bye to 250 odd SC plus what I missed out on with the family pooling during the 3 months. Sigh.. Is there any update from anybody that can make my day?

Cheers, Cult Of One

 

[serfty]

Welcome to AFF.

I believe that Pilot gold confirms status if you earn 80 SC's within 90 days from commencement.

Other than that, Status is based on the SC earn for your previous 365 days of travel. As an example, if that 450 was earned since January this year, you have at least 650 so far since than. If you earn another 350 before Januar you would be come WP.

 

[OzEire]

I know that Serfty is usually right about, well most things! But i had understood that the Pilot Gold deal was that your normal/prior status is either suspended, wiped or reset.

Worth checking the TnCs.

 

[serfty]

...

Worth checking the TnCs.

See post #1 of this thread:

11.15 During the Pilot Gold Membership Period, the Member’s Status Credit balance will reflect the number of Status Credits, Points and Eligible Sectors earned since their Pilot Gold Review Date. Following the Pilot Gold Review Period, any valid Status Credits, Points and Eligible Sectors earned prior to Pilot Gold Membership will be reinstated.

...

looking further, that's from 2012 - the current T&C's are slightly different and that last sentence does not exist. (https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.c...fits/TermsConditions/index.htm#memberbenefits).

22.2.7 During the Pilot Gold Membership Period, the Member’s Status Credit balance will reflect the number of Status Credits, Points and Eligible Sectors earned since their Pilot Gold Review Date.

Looking there, it seems: succeed (80 SC's in 90 days with at least 1 VA segment) then SG is for another 9 months; fail then have PS for that 9 months.

None of that overrides the following clause:

... 21.4 Status Credits and Eligible Sectors Required to Upgrade to a Higher Membership Level

On any given day, if the total number of Status Credits earned and Eligible Sectors flown during the previous 365 days meets the upgrade criteria in clause 21.1.4, the Member will be upgraded to that Membership Level for the Benefit Period.

 

[jackthomas]

I first got pilot gold when I started my frequent work travel and yes , need 80 SC to keep gold for the year ( another 12 months)
Not sure how previous status works with this though.

 

[OzEire]

This is what always bothered me about Pilot Gold, trying to interpret how the rules might apply to Cult Of One's situation, in a few days he (?):

1. Will have achieved Gold because >80SC earned in Pilot period

2. Should have a Gold review date of early Sept 2016

3. Will require 400 new SC by early Sept 2016 to retain Gold

4. The unclear part is the 'rolling' SC balance (he had 450 before Pilot, 200 earned during Pilot, and 250 more SC missed due to failed family pooling during Pilot) which might mean he has:

650 by keeping SC earned in Pilot; or

450 Pilot period 'black hole'; or

0 If TnC mean that any SC prior to Pilot are void.

Would be good to know actually happens COO, let us know in a few days.

 

[serfty]

With 200 SCs CultOfOne will have Gold for another nine months. (As per 22.2.7, the member's 'review date' is changed to reflect the start of the three months period.)

I don't believe clause 21.4 is unclear at all - and there's nothing I can see in the T&C's that overrides it ....

 

[Cult of one]

Roll on September 19th when pilot gold finishes. I will post back once the dust has settled and let you know how it worked out. Would love those extra SC's

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Would love those extra SC's

To go toward platinum one would assume? (it's the only reason to want those SCs at all as far as I can tell).

If so, I believe serfty is correct and the rolling 12 month period should accurately show all the SCs earned and pooled to your account in the previous 365 days. In fact, if you look at your status credit balance in the top right corner of your velocity home page, it should show your rolling balance even though you are under pilot gold.

I believe the line that was deleted from the original Ts&Cs was incorrect in the first place and the deletion corrected it, whilst not removing the benefit of having the SCs for the full year. Let's face it. Why would they return those previously earned SCs to you? You never lost them! Your review date has changed twice, once by starting pilot gold and once by achieving gold, so the SC balance to achieve both pilot gold and then platinum should reset to zero at each review, which I believe is the case with your experience.

 

[juliusg]

We received Pilot Gold for 2 of our people when we joined the Virgin corporate program. Each Gold was 3 months, and each person needed to earn 80 SC to retain. Which they did, whereupon the Gold was issued from that date. Which suits us!

 

[OzEire]

Perhaps unclear is the wrong word. My situation was similar to COO and I had trouble clarifying what would happen after the Pilot period ended, hence I thought the clause was unclear, but perhaps it is clear but I didn't like how it worked!

The key point is the review occurring after pilot, the figure "# earned since ## date" resets to 0.

Like COO I was close to Gold when the Pilot was offered (about 410 SC). Knowing I would reach Gold anyway (and from reading AFF) I contacted VFF and asked about reaching Platinum, and requal for Gold if I didn't make WP. In short I was given the impression that if I earned 350 SC in the Pilot period (my guesstimate), I would still have to reach the full requal amount of another 400, to be earned after the Pilot, to regain gold. I declined the Pilot and made SG after about 3 weeks, and the other 260 SC that would have been earned in the remainder of the Pilot period then counted toward my Gold requal - which wouldn't have been the case if I had accepted the Pilot - they would have been voided.

As it is, I made WP so these numbers became academic because the rolling amount took precedence with a new review date and requal requirement.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Perhaps unclear is the wrong word. My situation was similar to COO and I had trouble clarifying what would happen after the Pilot period ended, hence I thought the clause was unclear, but perhaps it is clear but I didn't like how it worked!

The key point is the review occurring after pilot, the figure "# earned since ## date" resets to 0.

Like COO I was close to Gold when the Pilot was offered (about 410 SC). Knowing I would reach Gold anyway (and from reading AFF) I contacted VFF and asked about reaching Platinum, and requal for Gold if I didn't make WP. In short I was given the impression that if I earned 350 SC in the Pilot period (my guesstimate), I would still have to reach the full requal amount of another 400, to be earned after the Pilot, to regain gold. I declined the Pilot and made SG after about 3 weeks, and the other 260 SC that would have been earned in the remainder of the Pilot period then counted toward my Gold requal - which wouldn't have been the case if I had accepted the Pilot - they would have been voided.

As it is, I made WP so these numbers became academic because the rolling amount took precedence with a new review date and requal requirement.

As you continued on without pilot gold, you reached gold after a further 90SCs (assuming none dropped off by being >12 months old) at which point your VFF account page would have said something like Maintain Gold = 400SCs and Attain Platinum 1000SCs, Earned 500, Required 500. In the top right of the page, your SC balance (your running total) would show all your SCs earned in the previous 12 months. You would then have three possibilities. Continue to earn SCs to a point where you reach 400 within 12 months, you've then retained gold. Fail to reach 400 within 12 months and you drop to silver. Continue to earn SCs and surpass the gold retain amount by 100 to earn 500 and you achieve platinum (once again provided no previous SCs drop off in the time it takes to earn the new SCs.

By gaining pilot gold, you would have effectively saved yourself the need to earn 10SCs. To earn platinum should be no different to that stated above. You need 1000SCs within any 12 month period to do it (including the 10SCs you wouldn't have needed for pilot gold). The bonus you would have received was having gold one flight earlier than you did. It is a pilot gold program, not a pilot platinum program so you still need to earn the full 1000SCs to achieve platinum.

The pilot gold program is (to the best of my knowledge) a SC based program with a time limit. Once you earn the 80SCs, your account should move to gold and your review date change to that date and your "retain gold" SC balance should rest to zero, even if you have achieved pilot gold early. Are you saying it does not work that way?

 

[Cult of one]

It has been hard to get clarification on how it works. I contacted VA and all I really needed to know was do I get to retain the SC's I earn during the Pilot period once the period of pilot finishes and they don't seem to be sure.

If it is the case I will finish the pilot period with around 620 (around 450 before I got pilot and 250 earned during pilot period) SC's and with domestic travel booked almost each week till end of the year as well as VA to Miami and Another VA to Paris I would expect to be a WP hopefully by Xmas. I will find out soon enough

 

[Deleted member 29185]

all I really needed to know was do I get to retain the SC's I earn during the Pilot period

Their Ts&Cs say you do. From serfty's post

... 21.4 Status Credits and Eligible Sectors Required to Upgrade to a Higher Membership Level

On any given day, if the total number of Status Credits earned and Eligible Sectors flown during the previous 365 days meets the upgrade criteria in clause 21.1.4, the Member will be upgraded to that Membership Level for the Benefit Period.

Perhaps you should give clause 21.1.4 a read to ensure they're not excluded, but failing that I can't see why you wouldn't. Maybe after you've flown and achieved it, you could post a clarification for others.

 

[Cult of one]

Will do. Period finishes on sept 19 th so it will give it a day or 2 for the dust to settle and post what happened.

cheers

 

[Cult of one]

Well, Sadly, the update is not available, Though the Pilot period ended 19th Sept one week later now and I still have a message saying "We are currently assessing your activity over your membership year. You will still have access to your current benefits until 19 Oct 2015. Your new card will be with you shortly."

This means I will be be full gold as my new card will arrive shortly but it doesn't say anything about status credits. In the 3 month gold I earned 250 and hope to add them to the 400+ I would have had from prior and hopefully hit that Platinum before Santa Time. Will keep updated as Velocity changes my profile.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Well, Sadly, the update is not available, Though the Pilot period ended 19th Sept one week later now and I still have a message saying "We are currently assessing your activity over your membership year. You will still have access to your current benefits until 19 Oct 2015. Your new card will be with you shortly."

This means I will be be full gold as my new card will arrive shortly but it doesn't say anything about status credits. In the 3 month gold I earned 250 and hope to add them to the 400+ I would have had from prior and hopefully hit that Platinum before Santa Time. Will keep updated as Velocity changes my profile.

The "Assessing Your Activity" message is bloody annoying, but it is commonplace. I'd appreciate knowing the outcome, when you can access the information!

 

[Cult of one]

OK, happy to report that I am out of no mans land of pilot gold. Yay. This morning I came up as a full gold member and had all the SC points prior and during the pilot period combined to get me where I wanted to be. Good result. I had 450 prior and earned 250 during so with the points that dropped off from the 12 months prior I ended up with 610 as I had thought and hoped.

only thing is that the gold cards have not arrived as yet, phone assistance has said it should arrive before the old card expires on the 19 October. I am flying out on the 18 th to Paris via Abu Dhabi with virgin codeshare and need that card to get into the Air NZ lounge on Melbourne departure and the El Raheem and Etihad lounge at De Galle on the way back.

Anyway thanks to to velocity for getting it through and happening.
Cult of one.

 

[grounded]

Today we reached the 2k spend on accelerate. Does anyone know how long it takes before Pilot Gold is awarded? Am flying with VA on Wednesday and it would be great to be able to a) enjoy the status and b) have the SCs count.

 

[Cult of one]

Hi Grounded, it was about a year ago I went through this process and the timelines on them can be a bit strange. A college and I went through the pilot God thing at the same time and we were both keen for the perks that were associated. As I traveled more than her I pushed harder to get the pilot thing happening and managed to push the time table up. My suggestion is to make a few phone calls and shake the tree see what falls out. Mention the Wednesday flight and perhaps intimate that the extra baggage available to pilot gold will help you with a work commitment.

Once accelerate approve VA change online status fairy sharpish and once full gold is achieved the cards take 3-4 weeks till the awesome little box of VA love arrives in the post.

best of luck.