Last year, Finnair announced a “new era” for the Finnair Plus frequent flyer program. However, what they actually meant was a whole range of downgrades for both frequent and infrequent flyers. Despite the numerous criticisms from the frequent flyer community, the Finns were undeterred. Therefore, it is worth noting that the conversion has taken place with immediate effect. In this context, several changes are noteworthy. Here are the key ones:
- Points Conversion: Finnair Plus no longer offers reward points, but Avios instead. Existing reward points have been converted at a ratio of 3:2.
- Status Miles: The accrual of status miles now also depends on the flight price in euros. This rule does not apply to flights with partner airlines.
- Awards Flights: In many cases, awards flights have become even more expensive than before. This is because the price is now calculated per segment in most cases. This means that a feeder flight costs extra.
Here are some additional details on each aspect:
Table of Contents
Points are now Avios
Finnair converted all existing reward points to Avios. The exchange ratio is 3:2, meaning that 10,000 points became 6,666 Avios, and so on. This is due to the fact that Finnair previously calculated in kilometers, not in miles, so initially it’s somewhat fair.
The currency for miles is now the same as that used by British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airways. Point transfers to other programs should soon be possible, but currently, the function is not yet available. It is only said:
If you also have a British Airways Executive Club account, you can link your accounts and transfer Avios between them from spring 2024 onwards.
Finnair Plus
Revenue-based system for status points (and Avios).
The most significant change probably concerns the frequent flyer status. Until now, status points were awarded based on the fare, distance, and possibly booking class. From now on, only the flight price in Euros counts for Finnair flights.
So, if you’re only traveling with Finnair, it will take roughly:
- Silver: €2,500 ticket price
- Gold: €6,800 ticket price
- Platinum: €11,200 ticket price
- Platinum Lumo: €33,200 ticket price
It gets a bit simpler with flights on other partner airlines such as BA, American Airlines, Qatar, and others. There, distance and booking class still count. But in any case, the new system is very unattractive, and crediting to Alaska Mileage Plan, British Airways Executive Club, and others is more worth considering.
Depending on the existing frequent flyer status, you get between 6 and 10 Avios + Tier Points per Euro ticket price:
Significant price increase for award flights
In December of last year, Finnair announced another devaluation for frequent flyer miles. This is already the second devaluation in less than 12 months.
In principle, the mileage table remains unchanged for now; it is also converted at a rate of 3:2. However, the new aspect is that the price is now calculated per segment. Previously, when booking an award flight, e.g. Tokyo, a feeder flight from Munich was included in the same price. Now, this costs extra. For the example of Berlin – Helsinki – Singapore in business class, the following prices apply:
- Before June 2023: 80,000 points + €82
- June 2023 to March 2024: 95,000 points + €222
- From March 2024: 80,500 Avios (= 120,750 points) + €202
You can find more information about this (and a map of the new zones) in the following article:
There is one exception: Departing from the Northern Europe zone (including Copenhagen, Warsaw, Oslo), a feeder flight is still included at no extra cost. So, traveling to Denmark can now be doubly rewarding. On one hand, departure taxes and airport fees are lower, and on the other hand, the feeder flight is included. This makes it beneficial, for instance, for a trip to Singapore:
- Business class Copenhagen – Helsinki – Singapore: 62,500 Avios + €157
- Business class Berlin – Helsinki – Singapore: 80,500 Avios + €202
With the redemptions for Oneworld partners, there have been a few minor improvements, but they are scarcely worth mentioning. The respective redemption tables for (most) partner airlines can be viewed here.
Conclusion
Due to the numerous changes, there are hardly any reasons left to earn miles and status with Finnair Plus. It’s hard to believe that just two years ago, Finnair Plus was one of the best Oneworld frequent flyer programs.
Personally, I will now wait for point transfer to British Airways to become possible and then bid farewell to Finnair. However, even with BA, not everything is ideal. While achieving Oneworld Sapphire/Emerald status is straightforward, the sweet spots for redeeming Avios are similarly limited as with Finnair. Additionally, the accrual of Avios now also depends on the flight price.