Malaysia Airlines gold fast track: What to watch out for
You can score oneworld Sapphire with a single return flight.
Earning gold status as a frequent flyer normally requires a heap of flight activity. However, right now Malaysia Airlines has a "fast track" promotion running that will score you gold status in its Enrich frequent flyer program with just one business class return flight from Australia to London. (Thanks to the Points Finder Facebook group for pointing this out.)
Malaysia Airlines is part of oneworld, and its Gold status is equivalent to oneworld Sapphire. That means that within Australia, as an Enrich Gold member, you'd gain access to Qantas Club lounges when flying Qantas domestically, and to the Business lounge when flying internationally. (It doesn't qualify you for the swankier Qantas First international lounges, however.)
So signing up for Enrich might be a useful strategy even if you also have Qantas Frequent Flyer membership and are topping that up through your credit card.
To take advantage of the promotion, you need to book a business class return flight (in ticket class J, C, D, Z, F, A or P) on Malaysia Airlines from Australia or New Zealand to London. Word of warning: check carefully to see what ticket class you've been issued, because if it doesn't fall into these categories, you won't qualify.
You also have to fly entirely on Malaysia Airlines; if any part of the flight is on another oneworld carrier, you won't be eligible. And you need to be signed up to Enrich before you make the flight booking.
Eligible flights can occur between 2 September 2019 and 30 July 2020, but you need to book before 16 September 2019 to qualify. Malaysia is one of the "cheaper" business class options for flying to London; you can pick up a return fare for $5,000 outside of peak travel dates. (By the way, you have to actually pay for the flight; a rewards redemption won't qualify.)
If you already have Gold or Platinum status with Enrich, the promotion offers a bonus 50,000 Elite Miles instead of the upgrade to Gold.
Bottom line: this kind of fast track is potentially appealing if you don't already have Gold status and Qantas/oneworld is your preferred airline and frequent flyer alliance. I flew Malaysian business class earlier this year, and it's a solid product. (Definitely try the satay!)
If you are planning to take advantage of the promotion, check the fine print carefully. Full details are on the Malaysia Airlines site.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears regularly on Finder.
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Pictures: Shutterstock/Angus Kidman
