Finnair Plus earning rates announced: Evolution not revolution
After much analysis a few weeks back, Finnair continue to dripfeed information on the ‘refreshed’ frequent flyer programme. While high level changes such as the move to Avios were announced, vital details like how many points do you earn were not announced - until now. Here’s a look at the state of play.
The TLDR of the earlier announcement
Finnair announced in August they were moving to Avios as their points currency and adopting a revenue-based loyalty programme. As part of the move, all Finnair Plus points and Tier Point balance would be converted to Avios at a rate of 3:2 to align the programme more closely with other Avios-issuing airlines such as BA, Iberia and Qatar Airways.
Avios per Euro spent are about what I expected
In my original article, I expected the Finnair scheme to adopt a similar design to the changes British Airways announced earlier in 2023. For every Euro spent, travellers will earn the following amount of Avios and Tier Points (TP):
| Status level | Avios & TP per € |
|---|---|
| Basic | 6 |
| Silver | 7 |
| Gold | 8 |
| Platinum | 9 |
| Platinum Lumo | 10 |
The caveats for Avios and TP earning are based on the fare cost, excluding taxes and fees, which will mean a pittance earned for the lowest fare classes. If you are purchasing in a non-Euro currency, such as US Dollars or GB Pounds, the amount will first be converted into Euros and then multiplied by Avios earning level.
Travellers can also earn Avios and TPs on flight extras such as seat selection or additional baggage when purchased in advance (not at the airport or on-board).
On the surface, a move to revenue-based earning would feel like it would be easier to understand for less frequent travellers but that is simply not the case. Finding out the cost of a ticket without taxes and fees is not simple without digging into the eTicket after you have made a purchase. With systems such as ITA Matrix you can work this out however it is more complex and reduces transparency compared to the current system of a simpler table on the website.
Status level
The Finnish flag carrier has also announced the number of Tier Points one needs to maintain their status level:
| Status level | Current system (3:2 conversion) | New requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Silver | 30,000 (20,000) | 15,000 |
| Gold | 80,000 (53,333˙) | 45,000 |
| Platinum | 150,000 (100,000) | 80,000 |
| Platinum Lumo | 450,000 (300,000) | 300,000 |
At a high-level, it looks like Finnair have reduced the tier requirement thresholds on all levels excluding Platinum Lumo - which is a positive. Noted in my previous article, calculating your earned Avios involves multiplying the fare cost by your status tier factor.
For instance, if your fare is €112.89 (excluding taxes and surcharges), you'll earn 677 Avios and Tier Points for a standard tier, or 1016 for Platinum. In the current setup, Basic and Platinum tiers yield 1000 Finnair Plus points and tier points, which would become 666 and 1000 after adjusting with the 3:2 ratio. This is a very minor difference to the current setup.
On a more expensive Business fare in I Class (above), here’s how the situation will look:
| Status level | Avios & TP earned (rounded down) | Current system Finnair Plus points and TP (3:2 conversion) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2113 | 3000 (2000) |
| Silver | 2465 | 3300 (2200) with 10% tier bonus |
| Gold | 2817 | 3450 (2300) with 15% tier bonus |
| Platinum | 3170 | 3750 (2500) with 25% tier bonus |
| Platinum Lumo | 3522 | 3750 (2500) with 25% tier bonus |
In the scenarios above, Finnair Plus members will be better off under the new system. While it is extremely easy to simply say ‘revenue-based system = bad, old system = good’ that doesn’t appear to be the case for Finnair Plus. Instead, it shows that the programme is uncompetitive when compared to British Airways where there is a tonne of ‘sweet spots’ which are great for members but less so for the airline.
‘It’s not opinion, it’s just counting’
This not a popular opinion but the vast majority of Finnair Plus members will not notice much difference between the old and new programme design. A minority travelling on low fare classes or who earn status through flights flown (which is being eliminated) rather than Tier Points will be affected. While it would have been preferable that the airline announced the actual tier and Avios earning rates in August, the actual changes are not dramatic.
One slight concern from the latest update is the watering down of the 3:2 conversion commitment. In the August announcement, Finnair suggested that the conversion of pricing from Finnair Plus points to Avios would be 3:2 across the board. However, this language changed in the latest communication to
On average, the prices will change with the 3:2 ratio, but some prices may increase or decrease instead of following the exact 3:2 conversion. The work is still ongoing, and we will publish the Avios prices for award flights and travel class upgrades one month before they come into effect.
That does not inspire confidence…but I will reserve judgment until this is actually confirmed.
Within Europe, British Airways remains the best option for earning status in oneworld because of the current fixed table for earning Tier Points that is not related to earning providing you can meet the minimum number of flights on BA. If they also move across to revenue-based earning for Tier Points, then that will certainly upend a lot of travellers who attain status at a low price using ‘tier point runs’ - but that is an entirely different topic.
