FlySmiles Gold is one of four elite tiers that make up SriLankan Airlines’ frequent flyer membership program with Gold being the 2nd highest elite status tier that can be achieved – after Classic status.
As SriLankan Airlines is part of the Oneworld Alliance, Gold status is equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire, meaning (at least to a degree) it will offer similar benefits when travelling with other Oneworld member airlines.
Overview
About SriLankan & FlySmiLes
Since launching in 1979, and entering the Oneworld Alliance in 2014, SriLankan Airlines aims to exceed expectations by providing their customers with a world-class travel experience in and around the Indian subcontinent.
SriLankan’s first frequent-flyer programme was called Serendib Miles and was abandoned in early 2000 when Emirates became a major shareholder. When the partnership ended SriLankan subsequently launched FlySmiLes, modifying it slightly when it joined Oneworld.
Oneworld & FlySmiLes
As with everyone Oneworld member airline, there are two different types of collectable currencies which members accrue simultaneously. Status Points (SP) and Reward Currency (RC) which can be exchanged for airline benefits and rewards.
Status Points
Tier Miles is the name of SriLankan’s Status Points System.
The number of Tier Miles held determines your elite status level and cannot be spent. In general, the more Tier Miles you accrue the higher your elite status tier. Additionally, Tier Miles are held for a fixed time (usually for a year) and on the anniversary of your membership year clear from your account and reset back to zero.
A Membership Year is defined in the FlySmiLes Member Guide as being one calendar year with benifits extending an extra month for issues arising out of membership card delivery. The annual year commences from date in which your elite status is earned.
Reward Currency
FlySmiLes Miles is the name of the Reward Currency used by SriLankan. It’s a points-based reward scheme used by the airline where you can exchange accrued Miles for reward seat redemptions, flight upgrades and other travel-based experiences. Unlike Tier Miles, FlySmiLes Miles can be earned from flight and non-flight transactions.
As per the FlySmiLes Member Guide, Miles in a Member’s Account shall remain valid for a period of three years. HOWEVER, all Bonus Miles including First Flight Bonus, Promotional Miles, Goodwill Miles offered by SriLankan will expire one year from date of accrual.
If you forget to collect your miles when you fly, you may still do so for up to 6 months from date of departure. On new enrolments, members can claim miles up to two months of past travel.
How To Collect Elite Miles
When you travel with SriLankan, any Oneworld partner airline, its subsidiaries, or in some specific cases non-Oneworld member airlines you can earn Tier Miles. It is important to highlight that Tier miles are only given on revenue tickets (paid with money) and never with award tickets (purchased with miles).
Every member starts at FlySmiLes Blue which is the airline’s entry-level tier. It is the most basic and is available to everyone as it does not come with any benefits except the ability to earn Status Points and Reward Currencies. Classic, Gold, Platinum status on the other hand are earned and come with a varying degree of benefits.
Unique to SriLankan is Silver status which is only offered with co-branded credit cards.
As a reminder, Tier Miles can only be earnt by actually flying, not by signing up to credit card deals. There is no other use for Tier Miles other than setting your elite status – they cannot be spent. As you can expect, moving up the ladder within FlySmiLes is completely dependent on the number of Tier Miles accrued within a given year, and like FlySmiLes Miles, expire after a set time – in this case, Tier Miles expire at the end of your membership year.
The general rule is that Tier miles are usually earned based on the distance of the flight and the fare class that you travel in.
SriLankan FlySmiLes program works a little differently than to other Oneworld members. Some differences include:
Benefits Of FlySmiLes Gold
There are multiple Benefits to FlySmiLes Gold including:
Miles Overdraft
Unique to SriLankan is the ability to have an Award Miles overdraft. Gold members who fall short by no more than 3,000 miles for a seat upgrade can use the overdraft provided you have a future flight booked and ticketed with SriLankan which is set to depart no more than 6 months from date of booking.
Lounge Access
All Business Class passengers flying on any Oneworld flight (SriLankan or not) are able to access their exclusive Serendib lounge. You may invite one guest to join them at the Serendib lounge.
When ticketed in Economy and holding FlySmiLes Gold status, you are only able to enter the Serenediva Lounge. You may invite one guest with you only when you are travelling on an international long-haul sector (defined as being an international flight longer than 5 hours).
Exception: Lounge access will not be applicable for SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes Platinum and Gold members travelling in Economy class on SriLankan Airlines services out of Maldives, GAN Islands, Trivandrum, Tiruchirappalli , Chennai, Madurai, Bangalore, Cochin, Coimbatore and Hyderabad to Colombo and vice versa on SriLankan Airlines operated flights.
Routes To Earn FlySmiLes Gold Status
1. With Miles
One way to reach FlySmiLes Gold is to fly with SriLankan a Oneworld partner airline, its subsidiaries, or in some specific cases a non-Oneworld member airline and accrue Tier Miles.
To achieve FlySmiLes Gold status with miles you will need 40,000 Tier miles with a minimum of 20,000 Tier Miles earned exclusively on SriLankan
To renew you will need 35,000 Tier Miles with a minimum of 18,000 earned on SriLankan.
2. With Sectors
Alternatively, another way to reach FlySmiLes Gold is to fly a lot. SriLankan offers a route to Gold status for those who travel exceptionally frequently with the airline.
To achieve FlySmiLes Gold status with sectors alone you will need a total of 40 Sectors with 20 sectors on SriLankan exclusively
To renew you will need 35 sectors with at least 18 sectors on SriLankan.
Calculating The Number Of Tier Miles Earned
SriLankan calculates the Tier Miles accrued based on the distance (in miles) from the departure and arrival destination and assigning a percentage multiplier based on the class of travel. However, the class multiplier changes slightly when travelling with Oneworld Alliance members meaning the total Tier Miles earned is dependent on 3 factors: the route, the carrier you have flown with, and the class of travel.
There are some specific exceptions to the rules which are worth considering, for example:
- SriLankan does not differentiate American Airlines 2 class and 3 class domestic flights opting to have both classes accrue the same rate – a massive negative for first-class fliers earning on SriLankan. Interestingly, it does define Japan Airlines domestic and international offering.
- When flying on Royal Jordanian or Qatar Airways you earn at a slightly reduced rate compared to other partner carriers in that you are unable to earn 100% miles when flying in full-fare economy for instance.
Members may submit a retroactive claim within 12 months of the date of the booking provided that you have the ticket and boarding pass. However, any transactions made more than three months prior to the your enrollment date in the program are not eligible.
The simplest and best tool for finding out how many Tier Miles you’ll earn on any flight is to use SriLankan Tier Miles Calculator.
