Tl;dr – A reminder to choose the programs you chase carefully.
In a measure of irony, I’m writing this while sitting on board Turkish Airlines Business Class (shhh, don’t tell them). A few days ago, I outlined Turkish Airlines’ Six Continent Challenge and why I was a pass. Some of it was procedural. Flying through Istanbul several times to complete the challenge and then doing so to make use of the 1,000,000 miles for me was a nonstarter. However, there was an arguably bigger drawback – I have a personal rule of ‘protecting my piece’ when it comes to playing the points and miles game. Some ‘deals’ are just not worth it if I don’t have a hefty degree of trust in the travel provider and/or loyalty program that’s doing the offering. And we need to look no further than what’s happened with the Turkish Airlines offer. Just a few days after launching the challenge, Turkish Airlines abruptly ended it, without advance notice, possibly leaving at least some would-be challenge-doers out in the cold.
There was a lack of foresight here. People love a deal, and I’m sure Turkish Airlines was overwhelmed by the participation level and decided to pull the plug. To clarify, individuals who have booked an eligible flight before the end date (July 8th) can still participate and complete the challenge. However, if you’ve made other arrangements and were planning to finalize your flights in the coming days (which is entirely reasonable), you, my friend, are very likely S.O.L.
I can’t say I’m surprised here. Turkish, despite offering a solid business class service (I just had breakfast btw), is not always known for the best tech or customer service. And that ill-fated combo can often result in bad user experiences. I have battle scars from an Avis promotion where I was supposed to receive 25,000 Etihad Miles after a successful three-day rental. After completing the requirements, I then took a long ride on the Etihad customer support hamster wheel. The points? They never came.
I love a great deal as much as the next person, but you’ll save yourself a lot of unnecessary hassle by sticking to deals with companies that have a better track record for accountability.
