A question about : Emirates Skywards Elite Credit Card
Hi every one, I have used the site a lot however this is my first post..
I have searched quite a bit on the internet looking for information about MBNA credit cards, more specifically the Emirates Skywards Elite Credit Card without much luck. Due to this I thought I would share my experience, having had one of these particular cards for almost 10 months now.
As I knew I would be flying with Emirates quite a lot this year it seemed an obvious choice to select this particular card. I completed the online application and was promptly informed I had been successful. However I did not receive any formal confirmation whether by email or post. After a couple of weeks had passed I was beginning to question whether or not I had completed the form correctly. Nether the less, both my Visa and American Express card eventually turned up a couple of days later.
Having been used to using a platinum cash back credit card, my first negative experience with MBNA came in the form of their online website. Unlike the previous platinum card I had, which was always quick to show what I had spent and also detailed my pending transactions, the MBNA card provided no details at all. More frustratingly, the pending payments seemed to take a lot longer to be processed. A minor complaint in the grand scheme of things but annoying when you are used to things a certain way.
My first statement arrived and along with it I received a 10,000 first transaction bonus. At this point may I add that during my wait for the arrival of my cards I had been looking on the MBNA website, more specifically at the bonus miles on offer. From the website I could see I would also be entitled to an additional 15,000 air miles after spending Ј2000. My concern at this point was that I had already spent Ј2000 in my first month and so I promptly got in touch with MBNA via their online chat. I shared my concerns with an agent only to be told that my additional bonus miles would be added the following month.
The next months’ statement arrived and once again the miles had not been credited to my statement. At this point I decided to give MBNA a call. I spoke to a lovely lady who seemed to be very helpful and investigated the matter for me. She returned my call to inform me that I had applied for the card before the offer had begun. However she also stated that the offer did indeed go “live” the very same day that my cards became active and so she was quite confident I would be awarded the miles. My only grievance at this stage was that a different agent had already previously informed me I would be receiving the miles on my next statement.
The matter was escalated to the complaints team who sent me a brief letter explaining I was not entitled to the bonus miles. Obviously I was not happy with this outcome but I completely understood that I had been unlucky with my timing and in a sense it was my own fault that I had applied for the card then read up on the offers days later. However the part I remained disgruntled about was the fact that the letter did not make any reference to the misinformation I was provided by one of their agents.
Despite the refusal to award me the additional miles, I continued to use the card, after all I had spent Ј150 for the privilege. Ten months down the line and having spent in excess of Ј25,000 on the card I recently decided to “cash in” on my companion rewards flight. For those that are not aware of this, you are “rewarded” with a companion flight if you spend Ј15,000 or more within 12 months.
My girlfriend and I decided on a travel destination and gave ourselves a month’s flexibility with the booking. Firstly the booking process. The number you are given to book this reward flight turns out to be the bog standard emirates number. You call, then, if you are lucky you get transferred to somebody who knows what the companion flight is all about. Unfortunately the first 4 people I spoke to responded by saying there is no such thing as a companion reward flight. One particular agent asked me to send the email I had received as proof and they would then investigate it!
Due to my lack of process I contacted MBNA. Their answer to this issue was to give me the same emirates number to use as it was nothing to do with them! On my final attempt with emirates I spoke to a UK call centre, Manchester to be precise, where they were finally able to help. Well, help in the terms that they were aware of the companion reward flight. I explained we were flexible with our days and asked what they had for a whole month (giving 6 months notice). Unbelievably the agent replied saying there was no reward flights available during that particular month. So therefore we ended up purchasing our own flights through emirates as normal.
The final straw with this card came as recent as this weekend. Once again I tried to book my companion reward flight. At this point I should explain that the reward flight must be used within 12 months of issue. This concern, coupled with the previous difficultly I had with availability made me fully aware I needed to give as much notice as possible.
The outcome – having given 7 months notice, I was able to purchase a companion ticket (of course having played phone call roulette with emirates for 45 minutes before I was transferred to an English call centre). Great news? Sadly no… having already checked the price for two business class tickets I was ready to receive the good news of how much money I was about to save… This was not the case, the very helpful girl went through all the charges which came to a grand total of Ј20 pounds more than if I purchased two normal business class seats! To add insult to injury, if I had gone ahead with this booking, not only would it have cost me more, but my partner would not have received any air miles either.
Throughout my 10 months with MBNA, I have continually been misinformed, whether it be about miles, payments on my account or even on simple matters such as my statement dates. Having spent in excess of Ј25,000 on their cards I do feel it is a massive kick in the teeth when an apparent offer of theirs turns out to be more expensive than a normal booking. Although the card is advertised as an Emirates card, I have always felt that MBNA have always distanced themselves from Emirates when it came to problems directly related to both companies. One final point which may seem to be minor to some but maybe important to others is how long it takes to clear payments you make to MBNA. They state if you use a faster payment method the funds will clear within two hours and through normal means, one working day. In reality this is far from the truth. I have made faster payment methods on a Monday and it has taken until the Wednesday to clear. With normal transactions even longer. To some this may not seem like a big deal, however when you have a lot of money coming in and out of your account it’s good to know what you have paid so you can stay on top of it. In the past I have made extra payments only for original payments to finally clear.
Low and behold, I will not be staying with MBNA which is a shame really, as it should have been a perfect partnership for them, emirates and myself. I know I have waffled on a lot but in reality I have probably missed out a lot of issues I have had. If anybody has any new card suggestions I’m open to offers!
Best answers:
- While not defending the service you've received you didn't expect to receive the extra 15,000 miles because you didn't know about them because they didn't exist when you applied.
While Faster Payments may not show on your account instantly that doesn't mean they aren't treated as such.
Given your Ј25k spending, I'd suggest looking at AMEX. The Preferred Rewards Gold Card (via TopCashback), with points conveniently redeemed and card closed after 11 months, might be of value as you can aim those points at one of multiple reward schemes.
Or go for cold hard cashback again and remove the dark arts of airline rewards from the equation altogether! - The issue in regards to the faster payments would be for example-
I pay an amount off on a Monday knowing I will require to use all of my credit limit on the Tuesday. However by close of play Tuesday my balance would still be showing "available funds" without including the payment.
I will check out the Preferred Rewards Gold Card, thanks.
- 515 reads