Miles & Smiles
| Miles & Smiles
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|---|---|
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| legal form | |
| founding | 2000 |
| Seat | Turkey |
| Website | www.milesandsmiles.com |
Miles & Smiles is the frequent flyer program of Turkish Airlines , which was launched in the 2000th
history
In 1989 Turkish Airlines started its own frequent flyer miles, the “Frequent Flyer” program. A few years later, in 1998, there was a merger with the program of Swissair and the “Frequent Flyer” of Turkish Airlines. However, Turkish Airlines left the group in 2000 and then re-launched its own program under the name Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles.
miles
The unit of account of the program is "miles". However, they are divided into status miles and award miles. Miles can be transferred.
Status miles
Status miles are used to determine the membership status. These can only be purchased with flight tickets purchased and flown from Turkish Airlines , partner airlines and other Star Alliance partners. For all card models, miles expire after three calendar years . You have the option of extending the expiration date for a further three years. You pay 30 US dollars for every 1,000 miles.
Bonus miles
Bonus miles are those awarded by cooperation partners such as For example , miles earned from hotels, rental car companies, Travel Value and Duty Free Shops or partners, which have the same value as status miles.
Purchase of miles
As with other frequent flyer programs, the miles are primarily earned through flights, but also through credit card transactions. However, you earn higher miles for special flights, hotel bookings, shopping, and car rentals.
The amount of miles a customer receives depends on the flights and very much on the booking class. In principle, more miles are credited in higher classes than in lower classes. A distinction is also made between individual tariffs. On domestic flights, regardless of the length of the flight or the booking class, you receive 300 miles in Economy Class and 800 miles in Business Class.
On European flights, a participant receives between 125 and 2000 miles per flight, depending on the booking class. On intercontinental flights you get 0.5 to 3 times the great circle distance in country miles per booking class . A minimum amount of between 500 and 1500 miles will be credited for these flights, whereby these can be calculated beforehand using the "Award Calculator" available on the company website.
Redeem miles
With the miles z. B. Seat class upgrades (Economy → Business) or award flights can be booked. Originally, these were the only uses.
The suitability for an upgrade depends on the booking class, for which the participating airlines have their own sets of rules.
With the growing range of "sources of revenue from miles", the possibilities for use also gradually grew. So today, provided you have enough miles, you can also pay for entire trips.
Frequent flyer status
Miles & Smiles knows four categories for participants:
Classic card
Classic Card is the start card of the program. Cardholders have priority in the queue and receive rental cars from Miles & Smiles partners at reduced rates. Access to the Istanbul Domestic Lounge is available at an additional cost.
Classic Plus card
In order to receive the Classic Plus card, one must have collected 25,000 status miles within the last 12 months. Only then is there a free upgrade option.
Classic Plus cardholders can check-in at the Business Class counter on flights within Turkey . You have access to all lounges that Turkish Airlines offers on domestic flights. Members can also take 10 kg of additional baggage with them on national and international flights.
However, membership in this program is limited to one year. If the holder accumulates 17,000 miles within the first year, membership is extended to two years, with 35,000 miles (over two years) to be earned at the end of the second year. If you achieve this, you stay at this level. If not enough miles have been collected, you "fall down" again.
Elite card
All travelers who have accumulated 40,000 miles in the last 12 months are eligible to receive the Elite card.
While you already had access to the domestic lounges with the Classic Plus card, it is now possible to access all Star Alliance and Turkish Airlines lounges worldwide. With the Elite card, a fellow traveler can also use the Istanbul Miles & Smiles lounge. 20 kg of additional luggage is also a privilege.
At the Turkish Airlines hub, Istanbul Airport, a separate check-in area and a fast track at passport controls and gates have been set up. These are also available to "elite" customers.
To stay at this level, 30,000 miles must be earned in the first year or 45,000 miles over two years. This only applies to customers who live in Turkey. Everyone else only has to earn 25,000 or 37,500 miles.
Elite Plus card
Anyone who collects 80,000 miles within one year receives the Elite Plus card. This is the highest level. This means that the customer has all of the previous privileges. In addition, you can use Entrance E with the separate check-in area at Istanbul Airport, you will automatically receive a cabin upgrade twice a year and you can take 25 kg of additional luggage with you. Owners of an Elite Plus card can upgrade family members and friends to Elite status. The customer has the following options for maintaining his level: Earn 40,000 miles in the first year or 60,000 miles in the first two years.
Frequent flyer status with Star Alliance
The Miles & Smiles program is also recognized by Star Alliance companies , of which Turkish Airlines is a member. Miles can usually be earned on Star Alliance flights ; individual booking classes of some airlines are excluded from this. The purchase of award flights is possible from all Star Alliance members. An upgrade of the travel class using award miles can be carried out with many Star Alliance airlines.
Cooperation partner
The cooperation partners include hotels in over 80 countries, as well as car rental companies. It is now possible to collect miles in various malls, hospitals, petrol stations, universities and booking platforms for travel.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Earning the Miles
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 5, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Redeeming the miles
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Cooperation partner hotels
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Cooperation partner car rental
