Finnair Plus has brought back a popular “buy points” promotion that even allows you to buy elite status. The promotion will run from December 15-27, 2021.
At first glance, the promotion looks like any other “buy miles/points and receive a bonus” promo. The more points you buy, the bigger the bonus. However, this promotion also includes “tier points”, which is what you would need for elite status.
How to Buy Oneworld Sapphire or Emerald Status
Step 1 – Buy 150,000 points
The highest bonus begins when buying 150,000 points. You would pay €1,931 ($2,180 at current FX rates)
You would receive:
- 300,000 award points
- 75,000 tier points
Step 2 – Convert Award Points into Tier Points
Finnair Plus allows members to convert their award points into tier points on a 3:1 basis. The only restriction is that exchanged points cannot make up more than half of the tier points needed to maintain your tier or move up to the next one.
Oneworld Sapphire Status (Finnair Plus Gold)
Finnair Plus Gold status requires 80,000 tier points. Because you have already received 75,000 tier points (assuming that you bought 150k x 2 award points), you would only need to convert 15,000 award points into 5,000 tier points and that Oneworld Sapphire status is yours.
And of course, you would still have 285,000 award points to spend…
Oneworld Emerald Status (Finnair Plus Platinum)
Finnair Plus Platinum status requires 150,000 tier points. Because you already received 75,000 tier points when buying 150k x 2 award points, you would need to find another 75,000 tier points.
This can be achieved by converting 225,000 of your brand new award points into 75,000 tier points.
You would be left with 75,000 award points to spend.
How Long is Finnair Status Valid For?
When you join Finnair Plus, a one-year “tracking period” begins. When you reach a higher tier, your new status will be valid for the remainder of your current “tracking period” and ALL of the next.
For example, if you join Finnair Plus today – December 16, 2021 – and upgrade yourself to Gold or Platinum status tomorrow, your new level of elite status should be valid until December 15, 2023.
If you have an existing Finnair Plus account, the length of your upgrade would depend on your existing “tracking period”.
Tempting… But Should I?
$2,200 for up to 2 years of Oneworld elite status is certainly quite tempting. If you choose Oneworld Sapphire status, you would have a substantial number of award points available to spend on a reward flight somewhere. (but for that, you will have to do your own research)
If you choose Oneworld Emerald status, you would be forfeiting most of your just-purchased award points.
But most importantly, you need to judge for yourself whether you want to:
- Make a complete switch to Finnair Plus as your main Oneworld program
- Use your Finnair status for perks while crediting your paid flights to a different program (something that involves a fair amount of hassle, as I explained in this article)
- Gamble that travel in 2022 and 2023 will be close to normal, so that you can actually take advantage of your elite benefits
If you are interested in this promotion, you can read more by clicking here.
You can also find out about Finnair Plus elite status benefits, etc. by clicking here.
Tempted? Have any experience with Finnair Plus that you are willing to share? Let us know in the comments section…
