Malaysia Airlines Enrich frequent flier members can earn a 50% bonus on all Malaysia Airlines flights through November 30, 2023, if ticketed between May 15 – 31.

You can access the Malaysia sale here and the Enrich bonus promotion here.

Note that you must register for the Enrich 50% bonus on reward points (not elite qualifying miles).

Sale Fares from Kuala Lumpur:

Valid Fare Classes For Enrich Bonus:

Conclusion

The fares within Malaysia to some of the close destinations are reasonable.

I checked some fares ex-Thailand, and they were not remarkable, like sometimes in the past.

It was not that long time ago when Malaysia Airlines had fantastic fares around Southeast and Noth Asia, and I flew with the airline numerous times to these destinations, but unfortunately, those times are long gone.

Perhaps this sale helps some of our readers in Malaysia book discounted fares for travel this summer and fall.

The fare sale T&Cs:

The bonus Enrich points T&Cs:

Booking &  Ticketing Period	15 May 2023 at 00:00 (GMT+8) – 31 May 2023 end at 23:59 (GMT+8)
Travel Period	15 May 2023 at 00:00 (GMT+8) – 30 November 2023 end at 23:59 (GMT+8)
Flight Requirements
From	To	Eligible Booking Class
Malaysia Singapore Thailand Indonesia Vietnam Philippines Cambodia Myanmar Brunei Sri Lanka Nepal Bangladesh India China Taiwan Hong Kong Saudi Arabia Qatar Australia New Zealand Japan Korea United Kingdom	All destinations operated by Malaysia Airlines	Economy Class Y/ B/ H/ K/ M/ L/ V/ S/ N/ Q/ O/ G   Business Class J/ C/ D/ Z   Business Suite F/ A/ P

This time around, the passes are available for domestic destinations only (previously, international was available as well), and the tickets come with extra benefits such as being flexible.

Now keep in mind that flights within Malaysia are usually cheap to begin with, but it’s still possible to have some savings here if the route is suitable and you’re either flying at least twice or traveling as a couple, as the package includes four coupons.

The Vacay Pass is being sold through MH’s Journify program (access here).

We are excited to announce the launch of our latest themed travel pass – MHvacaypass!

MHvacaypass offers two return trips in one pass to discover Malaysia based on your interests: diving, beach, food, nature and cultural heritage.

Exclusively for Enrich members, we’re giving you early access to grab these limited passes and enjoy vouchers worth RM30 on your next purchase on Journify! Our presale starts now until 9 Apr only, so don’t miss your chance!

Purchase MHvacaypass and earn Enrich Points or pay them with Full Points or Cash + Points redemption as your travel reward, this is the best way to use them!

For an additional RM5 off, purchase via the Journify app.

There are five different pass types that include different destinations for customers to choose with Kuala Lumpur being the center point as either origin or destination.

• Vitamin Sea
• Heritage Discovery
• Nature Trail
• Foodie Hunt
• Sun Days

The Sun Days pass is the cheapest with 531 MYR (US$120) and all other passes are priced at 961 MYR (US$220) so the price for each coupon is rather moderate.

These are the options and destinations:

Vitamin Sea MHvacaypass – Flight to/from Kuala Lumpur – Tawau & Terengganu

Heritage Discovery MHvacaypass – Flight to/from Kuala Lumpur – Miri & Penang

Nature Trail MHvacaypass – Flight to/from Kuala Lumpur – Miri & Kuching

Foodie Hunt MHvacaypass – Flight to/from Kuala Lumpur – Kota Kinabalu & Sandakan

Sun Days MHvacaypass – Flight to/from Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi & Johor Bahru

The conditions are similar to the passes in the past, such as booking class V being required to book these flights under:

• The pass allows up to 2 return trips.​
• Price is inclusive of SST and exclusive of airport tax & fuel surcharge.
• Valid for 12 months upon purchase.​
• Flights may only be booked minimum 14 days before your intended date of departure (subject to seat availability).
• No refunds or cancellations are allowed once the voucher is purchased.
• The pass is non-transferable, which means it cannot be transferred to another person.​
• The pass is only valid for Enrich members.
• Sign up for free as an Enrich member to purchase, as each pass is linked to Enrich login.
• Pass redemption is subject to availability of the allocated seats (booking class V).

Benefits:

• Unlimited free date change (subject to seat availability)
• 35kg check-in baggage allowance and 7kg cabin baggage allowance.
• Priority check-in, boarding and baggage.
• Valid for 12 months upon purchase.​
• Standard seat selection.​
• Unlimited ‘Go Show’ (the ability to board an earlier flight is only applicable to flights on the same day, subject to seat availability).​
• Complimentary snacks/meals and beverages.​
• Earn 907 Enrich Points.
• RM30 Journify voucher (for the first 200 purchasers only).

Those who want to purchase such a pass have to use their Malaysia Airlines Enrich account and if so desired, the number has to be swapped later against another oneWorld program in order to obtain relevant status benefits.

The conditions of the ticket are quite generous with the exception for the two weeks advance booking, which might work for some but not for everyone. I have previously considered buying different flight passes, for example, from Air Asia and Bangkok Airways, but the advance booking was always the killer for me.

Conclusion

Malaysia Airlines has brought back a flight pass promotion for domestic travelers where you can purchase a set of four flights between a range of local destinations. The prices are moderate and the ticket conditions rather good concerning flexibility and baggage allowance but beware of the advance booking requirement of two weeks. It’s also worthwhile to price the flights individually and see if there is a lower or comparable fare.

These flight pass programs often offer a few decent advantages if one is able to work with the conditions of the program. In the case of Malaysia Airlines, it also requires membership in the Enrich program. You could later (for example during online check-in) swap the membership number for another partner.

Many domestic, regional, and long-haul destinations are on sale for economy and business cabins. Enrich members also earn 50% bonus miles. You must book this offer by March 8.

You can access this offer on the Malaysia Airlines website here.

Destinations On Sale:

Bonus Enrich Miles:

Conclusion

I have taken dozens of Malaysia Airlines flights in business within Asia and credited them to British Airways Executive Club (usually earned 360 TPs if you chose the destinations carefully).

The pricing recently hasn’t been as reasonable as in the mid-2010s, but let’s hope those deals return soon.

Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll try to cover them here several times a week.

You can access Malaysia Airlines here.

Question from a reader:

I was wondering if you had any experience  with crediting of tier points on British airways exec club whilst flying on Malaysia airlines.

Is it true that there is zero tier points earned on Malaysia airlines on a business class ticket booked in ‘I’?

I know the miles are very low when crediting to BAEC whilst flying MAS but I did not know there would be zero tier points on some business tickets.

I thought tier points are always earned no matter the class fare.

Prepandemic, I flew quite a bit on Malaysia Airlines on those cheap business class fares ex-Bangkok and Phuket to destinations in Asia (excellent and affordable way to rack up BA TPs). However, I had not heard of fare classes that wouldn’t credit to partner programs, so I decided to investigate.

British Airways – Malaysia Airlines Earning Chart:

The Z has been the lowest business fare class on Malaysia Airlines for a while (and the one where those cheap tickets were booked at).

Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur – Sydney Availability:

There is indeed an I-fare class that is used for business class flights, and it should also be the “lowest.” But sometimes, there is I availability when higher business class fare buckets are zeroed out.

Not sure what to think of this.

Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur – Sydney Fares:

There are no published fare classes for this city pair that would book into I.

Conclusion

It would be interesting to know in which markets Malaysia Airlines publishes I-fares and if they are used for other purposes.

There are often fare classes, such as P on Lufthansa (not on Swiss) and O on Air France & KLM, that cannot be credited to any or only a small number of partner programs. These tend to be deeply discounted business-class buckets.

Then there are many economy fare classes in the economy that earn very little, if nothing at all, when trying to get credit with partners, but you rarely need to pay much attention to the business class ones.

I cannot wait for Malaysia Airlines to reintroduce those “deal” fares around Asia, but let’s hope they don’t book into this I.

Remember to email or message us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with your airfare-related questions or discoveries!

fare: Malaysia Airlines (MH) ZBTRTJP TYO to SYD

• Booking class: Z
• Price: from $1,841 ($1,784 base fare + taxes & surcharges).
• Day/time restrictions: -/-
• Advanced reservation/ticketing restrictions: reservations required at least 5 days before departure.
• Minimum stay: 2 days.
• Maximum stay: 3 months.
• Stopovers: unlimited stopovers permitted at JPY 7,000 each.
• Cancellations: charge JPY 30,000 for refund.
• Changes: 1^st time change free plus fare difference.

IATA’S COVID19 REGULATIONS MAP

Routing examples

Price comparison

Booking examples

This fare can be booked on GoToGate:

Accruals

Fare rules

Download (DOCX, 25KB)

Enrich members earn double elite qualifying miles on all flights if they are ticketed August 17 – 29.

You can access this offer on the Malaysia Airlines website here.

Eligible Fare Classes:

Elite Tier Requirements 2022:

Malaysia Airlines Routes:

Two Examples:

Conclusion

Malaysia Airlines have gone through a few rounds of restructuring, and some of the short-haul domestic and regional flights have been farmed out to Firefly subsidiary (not part of the Oneworld alliance).

Perhaps this double elite qualifying points campaign helps some Enrich members retain or reach a higher tier with the program.

Here are the terms and conditions of this offer:

Download (PDF, 210KB)

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us their experiences with this product and if elite benefits from Oneworld frequent flier programs apply.

You can access the Malaysia Airlines page for flight passes here.

Email from a reader:

I thought I’d just let you know of an update regarding Malaysia AIrlines FlyPass for Malaysia and ASEAN travel.

https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/plan-your-trip/mhflypass/asean-flypass.html

And the rules pertaining to this is

https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/content/dam/mas/plan-your-trip/mhflypass-asean/pdf/asean_mhflypass_tncs_faqs_en_update_25072022.pdf

Basically the passes were meant to be for Malaysia Airlines Enrich members only. There is no restrictions to anyone joining to be Enrich members in order to purchase these passes and there is no limit to the number of passes one may purchase. All purchases however must be done after they have signed up as Enrich members and using the same log in details for journify as they do for Enrich members.

https://shop.myjournify.com/products/mhflypass-asean-zone-1-non-refundable-transferable-61233?cid=dis%7Cmhflypass-asean%7Cmh%7Czone1

The journify website is very frustrating to get on and for some unexplained reason they are rejecting non Malaysian creditcards. Which is completely ridiculous for foreigners. I have asked Malaysia Airlines to clarify and the Twitter team gave me a nonfunctioning email to address this issue and then they (Twitter team) said that is all they have. I’ll try contacting the Call Centre for help.

Anyway, basically the flights are booked in V class. You cannot look for availability at the normal Malaysia Airlines website but you have to sign in to your Enrich account. From there, you find under menu, Airpasses and then you find the airpass you have bought and check your flights from there. If the flight is available it will show it. You will be given the taxes as a total. Always book one ways. Easier to change.

Many LL members have asked if they can use their various FF Sapphire and Emerald statuses on this booking… and the answer is yes and no. You can’t input your FFP at time of booking nor can you call the call centre to input the number. Your FFP remains as Enrich. It doesnt matter anyway as you will have seat selection access as part of this flypass benefit. You can however, ask your number to be changed to your respective favoured programme at time of check in therefore you will be given lounge access as per your FFP and additional baggage allowance when needed. I had checked in using my AA Platinum and was given lounge access and I needed the extra baggage allowance too.

However, I was not given the points (however small it was between PEN and KUL) even though V class earns miles on AA. It would seem difficult to get a manual credit as there isn’t a physical ticket per se although I hadn’t bothered since the earn rate is so low (i think I get 92 miles). I cannot get any confirmation as of yet if I even get the miles if I am to revert it back to my Enrich account. I can confirm this only next month for a SIngapore to KL flight. The Call Centre says I will get the miles in Enrich.

The main advantage to this flypass is the ability to do last minute changes as frequently as possible which I did… and it was very simple to log on to the main Malaysia Airlines website to do the changes with no penalty or additional collection. That in itself is worth the price of the pass.

Malaysia Airlines Passes:

Malaysia Airlines MHflypass ASEAN

Conclusion

Thanks for Wayne for letting us know how this product works in reality.

So, it remains unclear if you can get a credit on partner programs for this pass, but at least the elite benefits apply (lounge access and additional checked luggage allowance).

As the reader points out, this is an excellent product for someone who flies within Malaysia or ASEAN and needs flexibility, as changes are free.

Three passes are available from $337 to $607, each allowing up to six one-way flights within 12 months of purchase.

You can access this offer on the Malaysia Airlines website here.

You get some priority services in this product, of which the most valuable is the extra luggage allowance of up to 35 kilos (standard 20 kilos).

Three Passes

• Pass 1: 1,499 MYR ($337)
• Pass 2: 2,099 MYR ($478)
• Pass 3: 2,699 MYR ($607)

Eligible Routes:

Pass 1:

Pass 2:

Pass 3:

Three things to note:

Availability:

Why is there no seat available to book with MHflypass ASEAN but available for normal booking?

Seat allocation for MHflypass ASEAN is applicable for selected Economy Class seats based on its fare category and types. On dates with no seats availability, the calendar is displayed as ‘Not Available’. Normal booking without using MHflypass ASEAN for the same flight and date can still be available as seat allocation would be under a different booking class.

It is unclear to what fare classes these passes book into.

Fees:

Are there extra fees?

Airport taxes/surcharges and other applicable costs are not included in the MHflypass ASEAN and must be paid by the member at the time of purchase.

It is unclear if the carrier fee applies to these flight passes, but I assume from the above wording that you need to pay them.

Bali – Yangon

The fees on this route would be exactly $37.

Miles Earnings

The T&Cs state that you earn Enrich miles for this product based on the price you pay. It is unclear if you can credit the flights to any partner program or if the booked fare class is even eligible for credit in any.

Conclusion

Using this pass, you could put together a nice ASEAN trip, especially if you utilize open jaws. The main drawback is that this is only available for economy class.

It is a good deal for someone traveling to/from Kuala Lumpur and one of the eligible destinations. The flight price is $100 on the Zone 3 pass without taxes/fees.

Here are the terms and conditions of this product:

Download (PDF, 188KB)

I previously wrote about the closed First Class facilities last month and at that point no staff at KLIA knew when the facility would reopen.

One of the issues for the closure of the Platinum Lounge was that Malaysia Airlines doesn’t operate its own First Class anymore and only offers the converted Business Suite product on flights to London.

I was sad to experience that all the Enrich Platinum / oneWorld Emerald ground services were suspended last month:

Don’t Fly Malaysia Airlines If You Expect Any oneWorld Emerald Benefits At The Airport

This seems to have changed as of this weekend.

As mentioned, it was really hard to say if we were ever to see true First Class services on the ground in Kuala Lumpur again but todays news our reader Derek forwarded to us come as a surprise.

The Malaysian Reserve reports that the Platinum Lounge including its sit-down restaurant is back in operation:

PREMIUM services are finally back at Malaysia Airlines’ Platinum Lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) beginning July 1, 2022.

After a hiatus due to pandemic-related restrictions, the reopening of the airline’s flagship Platinum Lounge also marks the full restoration of its lounges at KLIA, including its Domestic, Regional and Satellite Golden Lounges.

The bespoke end-to-end premium services can be enjoyed by passengers and frequent flyers travelling via Business Suite, Enrich Platinum, Enrich CIMB World Elite, First Class on codeshare flights (Malaysia Airlines operated flights), oneworld First Class and oneworld Emerald. …

Satiate your cravings by indulging in a three-course meal or choose from a variety of food and beverage options through the lounge’s premium buffet-style offerings at the Platinum Gallery. …

“We hope guests, far and wide, will continue to enjoy the Malaysian Hospitality service that comes with flying with Malaysia Airlines; from the moment they seamlessly book their flights with us, upon their arrival at the airport, impeccable experiences at our lounges and a comfortable journey on board.”

The Platinum Lounge operates on a 24-hour basis at KLIA’s Satellite terminal. The Satellite Golden Lounge also operates 24 hours a day to provide convenience and access to its guests at any time. …

The First Class / Emerald section was closed off entirely which includes both the sit-down restaurant as well as the lovely quiet seating area itself.

Nobody knew when it would reopen. While the seating area might open up again at some point as the space is already there and doesn’t require much attention, the restaurant is probably something we won’t see again.

Malaysia Airlines long-haul services have been decimated which means fewer customers that are paying big bucks and to provide these goodies to regional flyers in Economy Class or cheap Business Class isn’t exactly cheap.

You can access Malaysia Airlines website here to see the current opening hours for the airport lounges:

• International Golden Lounge at Satellite KLIA: 0000 hrs - 2359 hrs (24 hours service)
  
• Regional Golden Lounge at Main Terminal Building, KLIA: 0500 hrs – 2359 hrs
  
• Domestic Golden Lounge at Main Terminal Building, KLIA: 0500 hrs – 2359 hrs
  

The Golden Lounge Business Class section is very spacious and I like the design as well as the F&B selection there. It’s not horrible having to spend time here, quite the opposite.

It is however a lot quieter over on the First Class side and I’m glad that they reopened that section again against all odds and even kept the sit-down restaurant. It’ll probably be another month or so until I can try it again but at least things look a little brighter now than just a few weeks ago.

Conclusion

According to an article in the local press, Malaysia Airlines has reopened their oneWorld Emerald / Enrich Platinum Lounge at the Satellite Terminal as well as the check-in facilities as of July 1, 2022.

Remember that currently it’s quite a trek over to the satellite terminal if you’re flying from the regional main terminal as the train is only operating at half the frequency if at all. There are even signs that bus service is being used to connect the terminals due to train maintenance (age). I’d probably just use the Regional Golden Lounge for a flight that leaves from the regional main terminal.

Even though the airline has reopened the Golden Lounge, those benefits that are typically available and most valuable for Emerald members are still unavailable.

One of the issues that are related to this situation is that Malaysia Airlines doesn’t operate its own First Class anymore and only offers the converted Business Suite product on flights to London in the morning.

As such it’s hard to say if we will ever see true First Class services on the ground in Kuala Lumpur again but so far Malaysia Airlines has not officially announced that those are permanently discontinued.

The bad news started when the Emerald check-in area was closed:

I was told by the staff that this check-in area is now only open for the London flight that actually offers Business Suite. For the rest of the day, all Enrich Platinum and oneWorld Emerald get the middle finger. Is it really that expensive to have at least one staff member stationed here to provide proper services?

Meanwhile, lines were forming at the regular Business Class check-in counters. Not many people but the staff took forever to process the passengers which was probably due to document checks and other problems. Even more reason to provide more staffing.

The real issue here is that with oneWorld they allow even Ruby members to check-in at the Business Class counter so now there are FOUR groups checking in there. Last week that wasn’t much of a problem but lines can pick up quickly, not only with MH but other airlines too.

The next stop was the Golden Lounge at the Satellite terminal:

Unfortunately, the next bummer was waiting right here: The First Class / Emerald section was closed off entirely which includes both the sit-down restaurant as well as the lovely quiet seating area itself.

Nobody knew when it would reopen. While the seating area might open up again at some point as the space is already there and doesn’t require much attention, the restaurant is probably something we won’t see again.

Malaysia Airlines long-haul services have been decimated which means fewer customers that are paying big bucks and to provide these goodies to regional flyers in Economy Class or cheap Business Class isn’t exactly cheap. Although this was always a very basic f&b selection that doesn’t cost a fortune to provide plus the staff is cheap in Malaysia. We’re not talking about the Singapore Airlines Private Room here.

You can access Malaysia Airlines website here to see the current opening hours for the airport lounges:

• International Golden Lounge at Satellite KLIA: 0500 hrs - 2359 hrs
  
• Regional Golden Lounge at Main Terminal Building, KLIA: 0500 hrs – 2359 hrs
  
• Domestic Golden Lounge at Main Terminal Building, KLIA: 0500 hrs – 2359 hrs
  

The Golden Lounge Business Class section is very spacious and I like the design as well as the F&B selection there. It’s not horrible having to spend time here, quite the opposite.

Nevertheless, it was a lot quieter over on the First Class side and I hope that in due course MH will at least open that section for seating again.

Conclusion

Malaysia Airlines has done away with all their oneWorld Emerald specific services for the time being, offering only the standard Business Class / oneWorld Sapphire amenities. This includes both the check-in as well as the lounge facilities.

This is an important factor to consider the choice of your airline especially when it comes to the price. Malaysia Airlines used to be cheap in the past but not anymore. Last week the cheapest round trip ex BKK was US$300 in Economy and even more ex Kuala Lumpur in the opposite direction. I’d probably pick Thai Airways or any other carrier in case of a price difference if I have similar benefits there compared to being oneWorld Emerald but only receive Sapphire benefits.

Likewise, it makes no sense anymore to trek over to the satellite terminal if you’re flying from the regional main terminal. Just use the Regional Golden Lounge which offers exactly the same. The train system is only running at half capacity and it takes forever to catch one.

The disappointment was compounded by the rather high price of this ticket which was roughly $300 for the Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur Round Trip.

Not too long ago it was possible to fly this route for roughly a third of the price I paid now, even booking some of these exceptional Malaysia Airlines business class fares all over Asia at the price point of ~ US$300.

Here is how many (little) miles I collected after crediting them to British Airways Executive Club:

189 miles per segment for this ticket which booked into V Class despite being purchased as FLEX, the most expensive ticket option offered on the Malaysia Airlines website.

For some reason, the airline has decided to book every single ticket into the same low fare bucket no matter if it’s the most basic saver fare or the flex fare with unlimited changes.

Typically when customers choose a higher fare type, the fare bucket which is determined in alphabetical letters is changes to a more valuable one as well but not so with Malaysia Airlines, at least not when purchasing the ticket online. Travel agents will likely be able to choose a different fare type based on what is available in the GDS which is a lot more than just three fares displayed online.

I’m still British Airways BAEC Gold which maps to oneWorld Emerald so that was naturally the best choice of my oneWorld programs to credit these two flights to. V class only earns 25% of the base miles at both BAEC as well as American Airlines AAdvantage – a pittance. And with British Airways you won’t earn any Elite Bonus either.

Even in terms of status tier credits, this wasn’t very worthwhile, earning 5 points per segment. I was obviously aware of that and in the past, I was always willing to pay more for Business Class to earn 40 points rather than 5 but currently Business is so obscenely expensive for such a short flight ($1000 round trip) that it’s absolutely not worthwhile.

In retrospect, I should have just flown Thai Airways than Malaysia Airlines which became apparent when I realized that MH isn’t providing any oneWorld Emerald ground benefits at the moment. Both the First Class (Business Suite) check-in, as well as the First Class Lounge, have been closed and only Business Class facilities were available. THAI would have cost $50 less with slightly less convenient departure times but I could have made it work somehow.

Conclusion

My most recent Bangkok-Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok ticket for which I spent roughly US$300 only earned a total of 378 miles with British Airways Executive Club (and would have earned roughly the same with AAdvantage) based on the low fare class it was booked in despite the high price.

It’s no surprise that travelers are increasingly frustrated with their loyalty programs and at least in this case a program that’d credit miles based on price would likely be a more fair alternative depending on the distribution. Of course, I was aware of the small number of miles that I’d received out of this but price-wise it was the most reasonable ticketing option and it was better to forego the miles rather than just spending more money for the sake of loyalty points.

What was your most disappointing mileage credit?

Previously the airline has extended member tiers that are earned based in 2019 activity through March 31, 2022 (by one year) which have now been pushed into March 2023.

Enrich just sent out an email to their members last night informing them that miles are now extended as well through December 31, 2022.

Malaysia Airlines Enrich was one of these airlines with a continuous policy of kicking the can down the road, extending little by little rather than taking care of it once with a generous extension which they eventually had to do last round in March and once again now.

The first few mileage extension policies didn’t go far enough and instead of putting a long-term policy in place Malaysia Airlines Enrich is taking another half-hearted approach and extending miles by six months post their original expiry date (Enrich Miles expire on a monthly rotation).

You can access Malaysia Airlines here.

This is what the email reads:

We have been waiting to fly just as eagerly as you. As Malaysia Airlines reopens domestic connectivity and resumes some of our international flights, we bring you wonderful news as we take to the skies again.

As an airline that truly values your unwavering support, we fully understand your needs. Hence, in recognition and appreciation of your loyalty and patience over the challenging past 20 months, we are delighted to provide you with more flexibility when it comes to your benefits by:

1. Further extending your Enrich Points validity up to 31 December 2022 for points expiring between December 2021 to November 2022 for you to redeem your travel and lifestyle rewards.
2. Extending your Elite status for another year until March 2023, so you can continue to enjoy all your Elite Tier Privileges.
3. Making it easier for you to retain or fast-track your tier status by further reducing the tier qualification by 30% for the year 2022. To retain or upgrade to Platinum status require 70 Elite Points, Gold status require 42 Elite Points and Silver status require 21 Elite Points respectively.
4. Also further extending the validity of your Enrich Golden Lounge access voucher until 31 December 2022 for vouchers expiring between December 2021 to November 2022 so that you can utilise them for upcoming travels.

We sincerely hope that you will have more time to enjoy all that you truly deserve, with these extensions.

As we gradually regain our freedom to travel, we wish to rebuild your confidence by ensuring you that we are taking all the necessary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests and crew across multiple touchpoints, be it on the ground or in the air.

According to the information on the website, the Points and Tier extension will be reflected in members’ online accounts in January 2022.​

Members who are starting to fly again in 2022 can (re)qualify their Enrich status fast based on the reduced tier qualification rules. To retain or upgrade you will need:

• Platinum status 70 Elite Points,
• Gold status 42 Elite Points
• Silver status 21 Elite Points

John recently wrote that the Malaysia Government is considering opening for tourism arrivals in January of 2022.

Malaysia Set To Reopen For International Visitors By January 1, 2022

This date hasn’t been formally set as of this time so we gotta wait a little longer and see what they have in store for us.

Malaysia has been hermetically sealed for 18 months and it was pretty much impossible to maintain the tier level for those who remained in the country while at the same time it made very little sense for those members outside Malaysia to continue crediting oneWorld flights to the program.

Conclusion

Malaysia Airlines was about the last airline to announce its elite status extension due to the current global pandemic. This time they finally made a generous cut and extended miles/vouchers for a full year until the end of 2022 and Enrich Elite status through March 2023.

Malaysia has opened its borders again allowing Malaysian citizens and residents to travel, however, inbound tourism by foreigners is still not available (might be on/after January 1). The best is to absolutely avoid collecting miles with Enrich in any way, shape, or form and that includes credit card points. If you’re in Malaysia and carry one of the credit cards that collect Enrich miles I’d look for an alternative for the time being until redemption options and travel opportunities are back in full swing.

The bonus for conversions will then drop to a mere 10% until November 3, 2021 for a range of financial institutions and their respective loyalty currency, all of which are Malaysia based.

Keep in mind that Malaysia Airlines traffic is currently severely limited with close to no international travel going in/out of the country. Domestic travel to destinations such as Langkawi just reopened but these flights are extremely cheap to begin with.

You can access this promotion on the Enrich website (see here).

Yes it’s happening! The Bank Conversion bonanza is back and the more you convert, the more Enrich Points you get including amazing perks and privileges. ​​

Convert points from any of our bank partners to enjoy more Enrich Points plus bonuses!

Early birds get more Bonus Points, so hurry!

Get 25% Bonus Enrich Points: 4 October – 6 October 2021 ​

Get 10% Bonus Enrich Points: 7 October – 3 November 2021

These are the partners that Malaysia airlines lists as eligible:

Even American Express is explicitly listed as “Malaysia only” so international members won’t be able to profit from this campaign in any way.

However even if that was the case I’d find it difficult to identify any real value, especially in the current times. The Malaysia Airlines award chart isn’t great, redeeming miles for oneWorld flights not ideal either and credit card points are best to be left alone until there is a specific purpose to immediate redemption.

Nobody knows when it will be possible again to travel in/out of Malaysia or even go on domestic trips. Adding several hundred thousand miles to my Enrich account wouldn’t be a decision I’d like to make right now without having a clear idea of how to use these points in the future.

Conclusion

Malaysia Airlines Enrich is offering a conversion bonus of 25% for those who wish to move their banking loyalty points to Enrich Miles through October 6, 2021 (10% thereafter through November 3, 2021).

I’d suggest anyone to have a good look at the alternate options of redeeming their credit card points as I’m sure there are better redemption options out there than to move them to Enrich, even with the 25% bonus. Sometimes you can book flights directly through a banks system or affiliate partner and then use points to offset the charges or simply choose a statement credit.

These are the terms and conditions for this points conversion campaign:

Terms and conditions

The 1,000 Bonus Enrich Points will be awarded on a first come first serve basis to the first 200 CIMB Enrich Credit Cardholders (“Cardholder(s)”) who redeem a minimum of 20,000 CIMB Bonus Miles during Campaign Period from 4 October 2021 – 6 October 2021.

The Bonus Enrich Points will be credited into the Cardholder’s Enrich account based on the Cardholder’s Enrich ID that is registered with CIMB Bank within twelve (12) weeks after Campaign Period ends (“Fulfillment Period”) and will be reflected in the Cardholder’s Enrich account statement. The Cardholders are able to check their Enrich account statement online by logging onto Enrich Online. The Cardholders should notify CIMB Bank within four (4) weeks from the Fulfillment Period if they are not able to view the Bonus Enrich Points inside their Enrich account statement. If the Cardholder do not notify CIMB Bank within the Specified Period, the Bonus Enrich Points will be considered as successfully credited.

The Bonus Enrich Points will be capped at 1,000 Enrich Points per Cardholder and 200,000 Enrich Points throughout the Campaign Period.

The airline, over the weekend, sent out an email to its loyalty program members informing them about further booking flexibility for existing and new tickets. Still, refunds won’t be forthcoming.

You can access the Malaysia Airlines page for travel flexibility here.

Here’s the email that Malaysia Airlines sent out:

Here’s information that Malaysia Airlines has published:

Malaysia Airlines Booking and Travel Flexibility

Last updated 31 MAY 2021, 1845hrs (GMT+8)

Due to the prolonged impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia Airlines offers customers who have experienced flight disruptions more control over their travel arrangements with one (1) free change and fare difference or change/service fees waived.

Rebook Your Tickets

• Applicable for tickets issued for travels between 1 January 2020 to 30 October 2021 only.
• Rebook by 30 June 2022 for travel to be completed by 31 December 2022.
• No changes to the original destination
• A fare difference may apply for subsequent changes if your new travel date’s fare is higher than the original ticket fare purchased. Fares will be reassessed at the time of your rebooking.

Cancel Your Tickets

• Applicable for tickets issued for travels between 1 January 2020 to 30 October 2021 only.
• A travel voucher/open ticket will be issued for your next travel to be booked by 30 June 2022 for travel to be completed by 31 December 2022.
• The cancellation fee for partially used and unused tickets will be waived.

Request for Refund

• Contact the Malaysia Airlines Global Contact Centre at 1-300-88-3000 (in Malaysia), +603 7843 3000 (outside Malaysia) to find out if you are eligible.
• Alternatively, visit here to find your respective country’s contact information, submit your request to us via our online Assistance Request  form.
• Please contact your travel agent for any refund or change request if you have booked through a travel agency.
• Please note that refund requests will be reviewed and processed based on applicable local and international regulations on passenger rights that apply in these current unprecedented circumstances.

How can you extend your tickets?

To change or convert your ticket to a travel voucher/open ticket, please submit your requests through our online Assistance Request form here or contact your travel agent accordingly.

AND

Malaysia Airlines Offers a One-Time Fare Difference and Service Fee Waiver due to Malaysia’s Movement Control Order 3.0

Last updated 31 MAY 2021 1845hrs (GMT+8)

Applicable wholly for domestic travel within Malaysia from 13 January to 14 June 2021 period only and does not apply to international destination tickets that include a domestic sector. For example, London – Kuala Lumpur – Kuching routes.

Rebook Your Ticket

1. Rebook by 30 June 2022 for travel to be completed by 31 December 2022.
2. All subsequent changes for deferred/new travel dates will reflect the current available fare.

Cancel Your Ticket

1. Convert your ticket into a travel voucher/open ticket (applicable for all types of tickets except redemption tickets).
2. The travel voucher/open ticket can be used for your next travel before or on 30 December 2022.
3. For those with redemption tickets, the options in the form of a full refund or a travel voucher is not applicable. Enrich members will be allowed to have their ticket open dated, with travel rebooked by 30 June 2022 and the journey to be completed by 31 December 2022.

To rebook or cancel, please call our Global Contact Centre at 1-300-88-3000 (in Malaysia) or +603 7843 3000 (outside Malaysia).

Conclusion

Free changes with waived fees are useless UNLESS the airline also waives the potential fare differences. They do it for the first change if I read the text above correctly, but do collect for any subsequent changes (remember to be careful).

You can change tickets issued for travel between January 1 – October 31, 2021, until June 30, 2022, for travel through the end of 2022 without any fees.

It is unclear how Malaysia Airlines will come out of the current pandemic or if the local government finally decides to pull the plug after covering the losses for years.