In response to the requests of readers, let’s share the basic rules of major domestic airlines and overseas mileage programs such as Asia-Wan, in addition to the accumulation and redemption standards, including transferees, validity periods, refunds, changes, etc. . At the same time, the points rules of China Railway are also added to facilitate comparison. This article is the latest version in 2020. The main changes involve Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, etc.
Registration
As long as you are two years old or above, you can register as a member of all major airlines in China, Southeast Asia and Xiamen.
The railway requires people over 12 years old to register as a member, and Chinese passengers can only register as members with their ID cards, which means they cannot accumulate points when purchasing train tickets with their passports.
Transferee
In the mileage plan of domestic airlines, the transferee (beneficiary) system has to be mentioned. The word "transferee" means that the person provides it to others, so it is only necessary to add a transferee when exchanging for someone other than the person, but not for the person to exchange.
Air China PhoenixMiles: To redeem a ticket, you must have four flight segments (note that it is not just four flights, this is a big pitfall). Of course, old users who have accumulated 3,000 credit card miles before 2017 can also Can. Adding a transferee will take effect in 60 days (no flight segment requirements for the transferee), up to 8 people, and 300 miles will be charged for non-first-time additions.
New Air China members must pay attention to this. If you cannot fly four sectors, you can only exchange miles for rice instead of air tickets. Anyway, I haven’t seen any other company in the world with such regulations. In addition, this is only a restriction on the use of Air China miles. If you use miles from other airlines, such as UA, etc. to fly to Air China, it will follow the rules of the airline to which the miles belong, that is, there is no requirement for the number of flights.
Eastern Miles: There is no flight segment requirement. After activating the consumption password, the first 10 transferees added will take effect for 15 days, and after 10 people, it will take effect for 30 days, up to 10 people. After exceeding the limit, 200 miles will be charged for deletion and addition. .
China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl: No flight segment requirements, adding/modifying the assignee will take effect in 30 days. Maximum 8 people. Platinum card members add transferees effective immediately.
In the past, China Southern Airlines had "three flights" where adding transferees took effect immediately, but after the launch of the Platinum Card, this privilege was given to the Platinum Card.
Xiamen Airlines Egret: No flight segment requirements. Adding an assignee will take effect in 30 days, with a maximum of 8 people.
Hainan Airlines Jinpeng: No flight segment requirement, adding a transferee will take effect in 30 days, with a maximum of 10 people.
Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda: No flight segment requirements, adding a transferee will take effect in 30 days, up to 8 people.
Jixiang Ruyi: If there is a paid flight record in the last 2 years, the first addition of the transferee will take effect immediately; in the case other than the above, it will take effect in 30 days, with a maximum of 10 people.
Asia Miles: There is no flight segment requirement. Adding an assignee takes effect immediately, up to 5 people. After exceeding the limit, deletion and addition will cost USD 50 per person.
Smooth rail travel: When you reach 10,000 points for the first time, you can redeem a ticket. Adding an assignee takes effect in 60 days, up to 8 people.
There is a pitfall here, that is, if you don’t take 2,000 yuan of train tickets within a year to accumulate 10,000 points, you will not be able to redeem them and can only watch the points continue to expire
Think more carefully Further afield, European and American airlines such as UA/BA generally do not have the concept of an assignee. Japanese airlines like JL/NH require spouses and second-degree relatives (parents, children, brothers and sisters) to redeem, and may be required to provide relevant certificates.
The redemption function is activated
In order to avoid mileage theft, some airlines have the following additional steps before redeeming air tickets:
Eastern Miles: a consumption password is required , China Eastern Airlines members registered with ID cards can activate it by verifying the bank card in their name online, otherwise they have to go to the China Eastern Airlines counter.
China Southern Airlines Pearl: Identity authentication is required. China Southern Airlines members registered with ID cards can pass online authentication, otherwise they have to go to the China Southern Airlines counter. You can ignore the above steps if you want to redeem it for yourself.
Xiamen Airlines Egret: Identity authentication is required. Xiamen Airlines members with registered ID cards can pass online authentication, otherwise they have to go to the Xiamen Airlines counter.
Hainan Airlines Jinpeng: The initial password needs to be changed.
Jixiang Ruyi: Online authentication and consumption password activation are required.
Railway Smooth Travel: After registration, you need to activate it at an offline self-service ticket vending machine or window. You can accumulate or redeem it after activation.
Exchange Tips
When redeeming free tickets, the standards for infants, children and adults are the same (except for the above lucky ones), so it is recommended that infants on domestic routes buy 10% off tickets in cash, and cash is the best option for children. The price is only 50% off, so I suggest you take it into consideration. For example, you can also consider using mileage for some routes with short distances and high fares.
The railway runs smoothly because it doesn’t matter if you use the money anyway, you can buy a child ticket or an adult ticket.
Of course, children can enjoy tax exemptions and reductions. For example, domestic airport construction fees (Civil Aviation Development Fund) are exempted, and domestic fuel surcharges are generally discounted in half (the current fuel surcharge is 0). For more details on purchasing tickets for children, please refer to the "Practical Guide to Children's Air Tickets".
There are no additional taxes and fees on the railway, and points can be used directly to offset the full fare.
For redemption standards, please refer to the "Real Redemption Form for Domestic Two Classes", which will be updated in Asia. Note that except for China Southern Airlines, there are varying degrees of discounts for redeeming round-trip tickets.
Mileage Validity Period
Let’s talk about the mileage validity period again. The miles you have worked so hard to save cannot expire easily. These miles refer to consumption miles. Usually the miles earned from flights have the same validity period as those from partners (credit cards, hotels, etc.).
Air China PhoenixMiles: Expires after 36 months. For example, if it is recorded on May 10, 2019, it will expire on May 30, 2022.
China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl: Expires after 36 months, same as Air China. However, when it expires, you can apply to pay 20 miles to extend the remaining 80 miles for 12 months. The extended part cannot be extended again. In addition, the mileage for Silver Card and above members does not expire.
Eastern Miles: It will expire at the end of three years. For example, if it is recorded on May 10, 2019, it will expire on December 31, 2022.
When China Eastern Airlines launched the "new membership system", it announced that mileage would not expire. It is still unknown when it will be officially implemented, and after implementation, it may be "the old method with old miles, and the new method with new miles."
Xiamen Airlines Egret: Expires at the end of three years, same as China Eastern Airlines.
Hainan Airlines Jinpeng: It will not expire if there is any change every 24 months.
Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda: Expires after 36 months, of which the mileage for the first flight is only valid for 12 months.
Good luck: Expires in 24 months.
Asia Miles: Miles credited from January 1, 2020 will not expire if there is any change every 18 months. Mileage recorded before the end of 2019 is based on the month of registration and expires after three years; for example, if registered in October 2017 and recorded on May 10, 2018, then it will expire on October 31, 2021, that is, all mileage recorded before the end of October each year will expire. It expires at the end of October three years later.
Railway Smooth: Expires after 365 days. For example, if it is recorded on May 15, 2018, it will expire on May 15, 2019.
Other overseas airlines, many European and American airlines such as UA have permanent validity; BA and Hainan Airlines will be extended if there are changes; Asian airlines mostly have a fixed validity period and will become invalid upon expiration.
In addition, some airlines conduct promotional activities to give away miles, and the validity period may not be as usual, so please pay attention. For example, the mileage validity periods for China Eastern Airlines’ previous document-adding activities and questionnaire survey activities were only 12 months and 6 months respectively.
The mileage of child members China Eastern Airlines' "Oriental Little Flyer", China Southern Airlines' "Little Pearl", and Xiamen Airlines' "Egret Growth Card" will not expire before the age of 12. Air China's child member "Zhiyin Baby" has the same validity period as adults .
Usage of air tickets
There is no difference in the use of air tickets redeemed by miles and air tickets purchased with cash. The only difference is that mileage cannot be accumulated again (one exception: China Eastern Airlines points can be redeemed as desired and mileage can be accumulated according to cabin class, which is clearly recognized by China Eastern Airlines. In other cases where mileage tickets are accumulated again, it is a loophole).
Points cannot be accumulated for train tickets redeemed with points.
If you are redeeming a first-class/business-class ticket, the services are the same as those for paid tickets. You can use the two-class check-in counter, two-class security check, lounge, priority boarding, and remote stand car. In terms of transfers, etc., the in-flight service is also consistent.
The exception is that some airlines provide additional airport transfers or overnight transfer accommodation, which may not be available for free tickets.
Similarly, if you redeem a business seat on the railway, the service is the same as a paid business seat.
The mileage ticket fare is displayed as 0, only the taxes and fees you pay, so if you want to be reimbursed, don’t worry.
There is no fare for train tickets redeemed with points.
In addition, the delay insurance provided by most credit card purchases does not cover mileage tickets. You can try China Merchants Bank and Shanghai Bank. Of course, Bank of China and Everbright, which do not need to purchase tickets, are even better.
Cancellation and Change Rules
Finally, let’s talk about the mileage ticket cancellation and change rules. The following are voluntary cancellations and changes. As for involuntary cancellations and changes, of course they are free of charge.
Air China PhoenixMiles: Change domestic 100 yuan per time to international Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan 300 yuan per time (if it is changed before departure and it is the first time, you can also choose to pay 5 of the total round-trip standard mileage instead of paying. You can decide which one is more cost-effective) . 100 miles will be deducted for refunds.
Eastern Miles: Reschedule as many times as you like. 100 miles will be deducted for refunds (Platinum members can get a full refund for free).
China Southern Airlines Sky Pearl: For rescheduling more than 24 hours before departure, the domestic fare is RMB 50 per trip and the international fare from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan is RMB 100; within 24 hours, the price is doubled to RMB 100 domestically and RMB 200 internationally from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. 50 miles will be deducted for refunds, and free refunds for platinum members.
Xiamen Airlines Egret: 30 yuan per time for rescheduling before departure, 100 yuan for each time after departure, and 50 mileage will be deducted from the refund.
Hainan Airlines Jinpeng: Change domestic fares of 100 per time and international Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan 200 per time before departure (free for silver card members and above, 10% off for flight cards); no changes are allowed after takeoff. 100 miles will be deducted for refunds.
Sichuan Airlines Golden Panda: Free rescheduling for domestic routes 24 hours before departure, 100 yuan for rescheduling within 24 hours, and 200 yuan for international routes. 100 miles will be deducted for refunds.
Jixiang Ruyi: Since it is a form of redeeming points for cash, the refund and change rules for the corresponding cabin class apply.
Asia Miles: The online change fee for each segment is US$25 or 1,000 miles, the telephone change fee is US$40 or 4,000 miles, and the refund fee is US$120 or 12,000 miles per ticket.
China Railway Smooth Travel: It cannot be processed through online channels, and the change button is gray. If you really need to change your ticket, you can go to the member service window at the station. A handling fee of 1,000 points will be charged each time. The handling fee and price difference still need to be paid with points. If you change to a lower-priced ticket, the price difference will not be refunded. Checks cannot be refunded.
The prerequisite for voluntary change is that the target flight also has the corresponding free ticket redemption space, and the railway must also be an open exchange train to be the target train for the change. Involuntary changes do not have this restriction.
If it is a dynamic redemption of flexible award tickets, the cancellation and change rules shall be based on the rules of the corresponding cabin class when the ticket is issued.
The validity period of a ticket is usually one year after the ticket is issued. Due to system restrictions, this rule is basically followed by airlines around the world. Refunding tax refunds after the expiration date will be a big hassle, so you must handle it in time even if you don’t have time to sit.
If it is an exchange partner or alliance airline, you need to find the airline that the ticket was issued for when making a refund or change. Of course, you need to find the operating airline for the actual flight.
What if you really can’t ride and your miles will not be refunded? If you change the delayed flight, you can get a full refund as an involuntary refund, and involuntary refunds usually re-validate the miles for three years (some airlines do not follow this rule).