It's finished. Aeroflot allowed participants of its bonus program to transfer bonus miles each other. Now, if you don't have enough miles, you can always take them from another member. Let's take a closer look at how this works.
How to transfer miles?
A section “Spend miles” - “Transfer miles” has appeared in your personal account. Here you need to indicate the participant’s number, after which his name and the first letter of his last name will be displayed. From the drop-down list you can select the number of transferred miles - from 500 to 5000 in increments of 500 miles (i.e. 500, 1000, 1500, ..., 4500, 5000). Next, you need to choose how you want to pay for the transfer: miles or money.
That is, the translation is paid? What is the price?
There are two payment options. Either in miles (the commission will be 20% of the transfer amount) or in money: in this case it will be 600 rubles. Since the monetary “price” of a mile when exchanging for goods is no more than 30 kopecks, it is more profitable to pay with miles. True, there is a trick here: when paying with miles, a silver member can transfer a maximum of 10 thousand miles per year, gold 20 thousand, platinum - 30 thousand. The rest is for money.
Oh, can I legally sell miles now?
Well, that's it. As before, it is not allowed to use your miles for commercial purposes, including the sale/resale of miles to third parties. Aeroflot reserves the right to cancel accrued miles, block a participant’s account for any period, cancel an account, cancel the elite level of both the program participant and the recipient, without reimbursement of any expenses or amounts. And there are many known cases of mileage sellers getting caught up. For example, one of these flew to platinum, then decided to sell the gold card he received for 40 thousand rubles - and in the end, no miles, no status, nothing.
How will Aeroflot know that I have sold miles?
There are many ways. For example, specially trained people monitor private classifieds sites. We are aware of “test purchases”. Finally, this may come to light if something goes wrong for a passenger flying with your miles, he starts demanding compensation and accidentally lets slip that he paid someone. It is relatively safe to send close friends and relatives across miles. But would you seriously charge your mom for a mile ticket at sea?
Are there any restrictions on transferring miles?
Yes, and there are many of them. This is done so that it is impossible to accumulate accumulated miles in one account. The mile owner can transfer no more than 50 thousand miles per year. The recipient can also receive no more than 50 thousand miles from one or more other people’s accounts, but in no more than 10 transactions during the year. At the same time, in order to transfer miles, you need to have at least 3 months of experience in the program (this is done to combat fraud - there is a known method of registering a new account with the victim’s full name and substituting its number in the PNR of this victim). You also need to fly for money at least once within the last two years, that is, inactive miles cannot be withdrawn from your account by transfer.
Oh, 50 thousand! So, can you collect it for gold?
No you can not. Miles received by transfer are not qualifying, even if you initially earned them for the flight and did not receive them from the bank. So you can’t increase your status, there is such an opportunity. And thank God: Aeroflot already has too many status holders, there is no need to distribute statuses to everyone.
Aeroflot rewards its passengers with bonuses for completed flights.
Aeroflot bonus: how to credit miles after a flight? All this is done automatically according to the class of service, booking class and flight distance. The table clearly demonstrates how to accumulate points; how to spend Aeroflot bonus miles depends entirely on the client’s wishes.
How to spend Aeroflot bonus miles? They can be spent:
- to pay for subsequent flights;
- to pay for premium services of company partners;
- to upgrade the class of service;
- for charity, if this coincides with the wishes of the passenger himself, and he voluntarily declares this.
If the client has a Sberbank Aeroflot card with which he pays for purchases, then points are also credited to his Aeroflot Bonus account. How to spend Aeroflot bonus Sberbank miles? Having accumulated enough of them, you can exchange them for a ticket to anywhere in the world. They can also be sold or donated (for details on how to do this, see the article below).
Buy a ticket with miles
How to buy an Aeroflot bonus ticket using miles? If there are a sufficient number of points, the client receives an award ticket on his next flight. But additional taxes and fees will have to be paid as usual. You can use this service only if you have already flown in the direction that participated in the bonus program over the previous two years. Payment for points is made no later than one day before departure. The ticket can be purchased at a ticket sales point or on the company’s website.
How to buy miles from Aeroflot? In the literal sense of the word, bonuses are, of course, not for sale. But if someone has saved up enough money to purchase a ticket, and the person knows that he will not have to fly in the near future, he can negotiate with another citizen who needs to fly by plane and buy him a ticket for the desired flight. This is done for a certain fee. Bonus holders usually find who and how to sell Aeroflot miles among their friends or via the Internet. Thus, the person who has bonus points receives a cash reward for them from the buyer, who is also satisfied - the ticket cost him less. To avoid cases of fraud, all transactions of such purchase and sale are best carried out at the company’s office.
Giving award points and Aeroflot miles
How to gift miles from Aeroflot? Everything happens in much the same way as when buying and selling, only the donor does not take a reward, but issues a ticket free of charge. The holder of bonuses must issue a bonus ticket not in his own name, but in the name of the person to whom he wants to give it. This must be done no later than 48 hours before departure. The ticket sales center will need the passport details of the person who will actually be traveling on the plane. The donor's full name and program participant card are also required. But according to the rules established by the company, a person cannot give his points more than ten times a year.
" has introduced the ability to transfer miles between the accounts of members of the Aeroflot Bonus loyalty program. This greatly simplifies the task of issuing awards for participants who do not have enough miles to reach the full cost of a bonus ticket or other award, reports Aviablogger.com.
Earning miles for an award is one of the main problems for passengers who fly infrequently. Often they only need a few hundred or thousand miles to obtain the desired award ticket, and until now this problem has not had any solution in Aeroflot Bonus. Families, for example, found themselves in a particularly stupid situation where each member had, say, 19,000 miles in their account for an award ticket price of 20,000 miles: although the total amount of miles was more than sufficient, it was impossible to use them.
Transfer of miles is allowed between any accounts, except recently opened ones (participants do not have to be, for example, relatives). However, you can transfer no more than 5,000 miles at a time. In addition, there is a limit - you can receive no more than 10 such transfers per calendar year, that is, the total annual maximum is 50,000 miles. You can also transfer no more than 50,000 of your miles per year.
In addition, the transfer has its own price - 600 rubles for each transaction. Payment is made by credit card on the Aeroflot Bonus website or in the mobile application. Elite members can pay this fee in miles instead of money - 20% of the transfer amount, that is, for example, 1,000 miles for transferring the amount of 5,000 miles. Paying for a transfer with miles is therefore especially beneficial if the transfer is for a small number of miles. However, there is a limit: you can transfer no more than 10,000 miles per year from Silver level accounts, no more than 20,000 miles from Gold accounts, and no more than 30,000 miles per year from Platinum accounts. (If Aeroflot Bonus had developed this principle and provided the opportunity to pay fuel surcharges with miles, the program could have become even more attractive to many participants.)
There are a number of additional conditions. The transferred number of miles must be a multiple of 500. Miles can be transferred by members who registered in the program at least 90 days ago and have had at least one paid flight on an Aeroflot flight (or its subsidiaries Rossiya and Aurora on an Aeroflot ticket in the last 24 months) ") with miles credited to your account. These last two conditions are introduced to prevent the creation of fake accounts, the only function of which is to transfer miles due for registration in the program.
The miles transfer service is available in the program participant’s personal account in the “Spend miles” section. Miles transfer cannot be cancelled. Transferred miles are non-qualifying but can be used towards any program award.
You should also keep in mind that transfers are prohibited from being used for commercial purposes, including for selling or buying miles. There are known cases when Aeroflot Bonus canceled the accounts of participants who practiced selling or buying miles. The company identified such cases by monitoring advertisements on specialized Internet forums and other methods.
It is possible that the presence of this “black market” for miles was one of the reasons for the emergence of a legal way to exchange miles. Another possible reason is the increased competition of loyalty programs - not so long ago the S7 Airlines loyalty program was radically improved, and a little later Utair and " Ural Airlines"Maximize the use of awards from their programs by rare fliers.
Many airlines have a cumulative loyalty system, thanks to which you can get a very profitable bonus. This program may be of interest to those whose activities involve frequent flights due to business trips. Essentially, miles are the units by which an air carrier measures customer loyalty.
Such programs are very similar to the savings systems of many large supermarkets, where the client is awarded points (“miles”) for purchasing goods (tickets). In the future, they can be spent on other goods (exchanged for another ticket, or book a hotel, rent a car).
Bonus miles from low-cost airlines come in two types and status ones. The first are the category of bonuses that can be spent on purchasing a ticket or upgrading the class of service. These bonuses have an expiration date after which they expire. They are valid from 20 to 36 months, during which time they must be completely spent. Status miles can also be exchanged for various awards. They influence the status of their owner. The more such “miles” a client has in his account, the more important he becomes. Miles in this category expire after one year.
A little history of the program
This system of receiving profitable benefits originated in the company 15 years ago, in 1999, but Aeroflot is not a pioneer in this bonus program. For the first time, loyal customers of Transaero airlines had the opportunity to enjoy benefits from participating in it 4 years earlier.
In the last decade, there has been rapid development of the bonus program, new relevant opportunities have appeared in it, because of this it was possible to attract 500 thousand clients. The opportunity to participate in it was provided not only to Russian citizens, but also to foreigners who used the services of this airline.
Brief description of the bonus system
The essence of the program to support loyal customers is as follows: for each flight on the company’s comfortable aircraft, certain bonuses will be awarded. After purchasing an Aeroflot airline ticket, miles are credited to the participant's account. Their number depends on a number of the following factors: total flight distance, selected class of service, current program participant status.
Who can participate in this bonus system?
Registration in the Aeroflot Bonus system is a simple procedure; age and citizenship do not matter. Children under 12 years of age must declare their participation in a similar subprogram “Aeroflot Bonus Junior”. Apart from the name, it has no special differences. Aeroflot's rules on how to spend miles and accumulate them change periodically. In order to have these bonuses, you need to declare your participation in the system.
Rules for participation in the program
Becoming an official Aeroflot Bonus member is very simple. There are 3 convenient methods, you can use any of them:
- submit the completed application form at the nearest Aeroflot representative office or at an authorized sales point;
- fill out an online application on the company’s official website;
- become the owner of any partner card of the program, for example, Sberbank issues miles for the Aeroflot company. How to spend them is described below.
Any of the listed methods requires the presentation of passport data of the future participant, his detailed contact and personal information. After registration, an individual number is issued in the system.
The client becomes a full-fledged participant in the bonus program when more than 2,000 miles are accumulated on the account. Upon reaching this level, a plastic official participant card with an individual number is issued, which also contains the full name. owner. The card is delivered by mail to the specified address. After accumulating the required number of award points, their owner will already know exactly how to spend the miles. Aeroflot Bonus is indeed a very profitable and convenient system.
Types of bonus miles
Now it is very important to understand the questions of how to spend Aeroflot miles and accumulate them, as well as what types there are.
This company has two main types of points:
- Qualification-type “miles” that are awarded directly for air travel. The client receives these bonuses not only for purchasing tickets for existing Aeroflot flights, but also for purchasing travel documents from partner companies. Each declared partner has its own restrictions and certain rules; every Aeroflot client needs to familiarize themselves with them. How to spend your miles wisely? This question worries every participant. With the help of qualifying bonuses, you can take a free flight by exchanging them for the desired ticket, or upgrade your class of service or status level in the program itself.
- Non-qualifying bonus miles, which are awarded for purchasing various goods and using services from partner companies. For this type of incentive, the conditions and procedure for their accrual are constantly changing. How can I spend my accumulated miles? Aeroflot offers only one way for this type of bonus - receiving various benefits during check-in and during the flight. In order to spend premium bonuses, you must first accumulate them over a certain point in time.
Saving methods
The main ways to earn the coveted “miles”:
- You must travel on the same airline or through its partners. This is the easiest way to save, it is optimal for those who often move due to business trips or visit relatives. This method is also relevant for fans of a particular country for vacation. For such tourists, you can choose the most optimal bonus program, allowing you to significantly save money without changing your plans.
- Purchasing goods and services from the main partners of the program (payment for hotels, car rental, restaurant meals). It is much more profitable for them to rent a car or stay in a comfortable hotel from the list presented. Additional “miles” are assigned to the card for purchased services.
- Use of special bank cards. Many large banking organizations offer favorable debit or credit cards, which help you fly profitably. When making purchases, a certain percentage of the amount spent is credited to the client's personal mileage account. For example, for every dollar or euro spent, 1 “mile” is added to the account. These “miles” are bonus ones, they can be exchanged and spent, but they do not affect status upgrades.
Additional sources of accumulation
To reward their customers, many companies add additional “miles” to them in the following cases:
- upon initial entry into the program, welcome miles are awarded;
- Holiday miles are issued to reward loyal customers on their birthday;
- you can earn “miles” for activity on social networks - for writing reviews, participating in various competitions, games or quizzes from the airline;
- additional “miles” are issued for subscribing to the company’s newsletter;
- "miles" purchased on the airline's website or from other bonus card holders.
Many customers accumulate miles in hopes of receiving a specific benefit. Aeroflot also has a similar program to support its loyal customers. With the help of bonuses, it is possible to get real benefits for those who fly frequently. When accumulating bonuses, many people have a question about what they can spend Aeroflot miles on. Let's try to answer it.
Where to use bonuses?
These “miles” are awarded by Aeroflot for regular flights, their value depends on the distance the client has traveled by air, as well as on the class of service. Each participant in the bonus program is given a certain status, which also affects the amount of bonus miles. The terms of the program are subject to frequent changes; for a more accurate calculation of possible savings, Aeroflot offers a miles calculator.
You can spend bonuses at your own discretion. It is also possible to accumulate them when making purchases, when payments are made using a card from a partner bank. Many of the country's leading financial institutions have actively joined this program. Sberbank also offers a special “Airport Bonus”. Bonuses are awarded for opening new card, every dollar spent adds one bonus mile to the card.
Everyone can take advantage of all the benefits of cooperation with Aeroflot. All bonus card holders also need to know how to spend “miles” from Sberbank. Bonus units are spent in the standard way: on a free flight with this airline or its official partners, on the next increase in client status, on hotel bookings or car rentals. Moreover, these conditions apply almost throughout the world. Now another direction has become popular. How to spend Aeroflot miles for the benefit of others? With their help, you can participate in a special charity program, helping those in need.
What are qualifying bonuses used for?
The qualifying miles accumulated on the account must be spent in one of the proposed ways, otherwise the client risks losing all the benefits from their use. What can you spend Aeroflot miles on:
- Become the owner of an award ticket on an existing flight of one of the partner companies that is part of the SkyTeam group. All commission fees are paid by the passenger himself.
- Upgrade your current service class if you wish. By purchasing an economy class discount ticket, you have the opportunity to use all the business class privileges when paying with bonus miles.
- Pay bills from partner companies.
This is the main thing that those who have an Aeroflot cumulative bonus card need to know. We have discussed in detail how to spend miles and what they are needed for.
Privileged statuses for program participants
The client receives full rights to participate in the program at the time of initial accumulation of 2,000 bonus miles. After fulfilling this condition, he is issued a basic participant card. There are 2 more privileged statuses - silver and gold. They are called SkyTeam Elite and SkyTeam Elite Plus.
To receive a SkyTeam Elite silver card, a client must accumulate 25 thousand miles in a calendar year, and to achieve gold status - 50 thousand miles. When a client reaches a new level, his card is automatically replaced with an individual card of the appropriate design and color. Such programs are beneficial to those customers who fly regularly throughout the year. For those who travel by plane occasionally, accumulating the required points will not be easy. When registering for membership in an airline program, it is important to know where to spend your bonuses. Aeroflot offers to use miles in different ways.
Possibility of buying and selling premium bonuses
Of course, in the literal sense, bonuses cannot be sold or purchased. But there are times when a client has accumulated the required number of “miles” to purchase a ticket, but for some reason he cannot sell them. In this case, you should negotiate with another person so that the ticket does not disappear. This way you can use your accumulated points. This is another option available to Aeroflot customers.
How to spend “miles” if the trip is cancelled? Look for someone to sell a ticket to. In this case, points do not expire, but appear in the form of a cash equivalent. But there is one more nuance: in order to avoid fraud, it is advisable to carry out all operations in special sales centers of the air carrier.
Procedure for donating award miles from Aeroflot
How to spend miles? You can give them to your loved ones and relatives. The whole procedure follows the scheme described above, only the owner does not receive any remuneration, and the ticket is issued free of charge. The ticket goes to the recipient. You will also need the personal passport information of the person to whom the award ticket is addressed. You also need to present the card and provide all the data of the donor. There is one limitation: the client can donate his accumulated points no more than 10 times a year. This is perhaps the most recent answer to the question of where to spend bonuses. Aeroflot gives out miles to its most active and loyal customers.
