What will happen to Club Vistara points, vouchers after Air India merger?

Source: Business Standard

As Vistara prepares to cease operations on November 11, 2024, the merger with Air India is nearing completion. This transition will involve the integration of Club Vistara and Flying Returns frequent flyer programmes.

All CV Points, Tier Points, subsequent Tier Status and available Vouchers (if any) will be transferred to the linked Flying Returns account. Members can link their Club Vistara and Flying Returns account for a smoother data migration, the company said in a FAQs section on the Vistara website.

Flight Operations and Bookings 

Vistara will continue its flight operations until 11 November 2024 allowing all bookings on Vistara Website along with accrual of CV Points. 3 September 2024 onwards, bookings with Vistara for travel on or after 12 November 2024 have been discontinued. This includes Award Flights and bookings made using Cash + Points. Starting 12 November 2024, all Vistara aircraft will be operated by Air India, and bookings for the routes operated by these aircraft will be redirected to Air India’s website. 

In the interim, for bookings for travel on or after 12 November 2024 you can book with Air India and earn Flying Returns Reward Points by enrolling with the Flying Returns programme or using your existing Flying Returns account. However, you can redeem your CV Points and available Club Vistara vouchers on Air India website only on or after 12 November 2024 once these benefits are migrated to your Flying Returns account. 

Can I still make bookings on the Vistara website before for travel until 11 November 2024?

Yes, you can make bookings on the Vistara website until 11 November 2024. for travel until 11 November 2024 only However, for travel on or after 12 November 2024, customer will be redirected to the Air India website. This includes booking Award Flights and bookings using Cash + Points feature.

What if I have to make a booking for travel on or after 12 November 2024 in the interim?

For future booking on or after 12 November 2024, you can book with Air India currently and earn Flying Returns Points by enrolling with the Flying Returns programme. However, you can redeem your CV Points and unutilized vouchers on Air India website only on or after 12 November 2024 once these benefits are migrated to your Flying Returns account.

What will happen to my bookings for travel date on or beyond 12 November 2024 on Vistara?

All your Vistara bookings remain valid and will be converted to Air India bookings upon migration, which may happen any time after 3 September 2024. You will receive a change notification on the email and contact number updated on the booking.

Key Points:

Club Vistara to Flying Returns: Your Club Vistara account will be transferred to Air India’s Flying Returns program.

Point Transfer: Your CV Points balance will be transferred at a 1:1 ratio to Flying Returns on November 12, 2024.

Extended Validity: Expiring CV Points will be extended for one year in your Flying Returns account.

Complimentary Flight Ticket Vouchers: Vouchers valid beyond November 11 will be extended by three months.

Booking Conversions: Existing Vistara bookings will be converted to Air India bookings post-merger.

Co-brand Cardholders:

Existing co-brand cardholders can continue to enjoy their benefits until March 31, 2026.

New co-brand card issuance will be discontinued.

Important Dates:

Account Linking: Link your Club Vistara and Flying Returns accounts before November 11.

Point Transfer: CV Points will be transferred to Flying Returns on November 12.

Booking Conversions: Vistara bookings will be converted to Air India bookings after September 3.

To alleviate the inconvenience, all CV Points expiring in the months of September 2024 and October 2024, will be transferred to your Flying Returns account with an extended validity of one year, along with the ability to redeem points on a wider network with Air India.

Complimentary Flight Ticket vouchers with validity beyond 11 November 2024 will be further extended for a period of three months and this validity will reflect in your Flying Returns account.

On 12 November 2024, the CV Points balance available in your account will be transferred to the Flying Returns program at a 1:1 ratio. The points will remain valid for at least one year, even if they are due to expire sooner. For example, if you have 500 CV Points, these will move to your Flying Returns account as 500 Flying Returns Points.

Validity Extension for CV Points and Complimentary Vouchers 

Compensatory CV Points: All CV Points set to expire in September and October 2024 will be reissued as ‘Compensatory CV Points’ and transferred to the Flying Returns account on or before 12 November 2024. These points will remain valid for at least one year from the date of migration, regardless of their original expiration date, with the ability for redemption on a wider network with Air India. 

Complimentary Ticket Vouchers:  Complimentary Ticket Vouchers issued by members or auto-generated under “On-demand Voucher Generation” with validity beyond 11 November 2024 will be further extended for a period of 3 months.

On-demand Vouchers: Vouchers available under the “On-demand Voucher Generation” feature that are not issued by 11 November 2024 will be automatically issued to the Flying Returns account with a fixed validity of 9 months.

Existing Co-brand Card Holders 

All CV Points, One Class Upgrade Vouchers, and Complimentary Ticket Vouchers will be transferred to linked Flying Returns accounts on 12 November 2024. After this date, Co-brand card holders will earn Flying Returns Points and Complimentary Ticket Vouchers in addition to the existing card benefits. You will also continue to enjoy your Tier status for a year from the date of merger. 

As the program benefits will continue only until 31 March 2026, the annual card membership renewals, as applicable, will not be done after 31 March 2025, so that the features and benefits are continued for the whole 12-month annual period. Please note that the last date for annual card membership renewal for the respective issuing partners may vary based on their internal policies but not later than 31 March 2025.

Issuance of New Co-brand Cards 

Effective 30 September 2024, issuance of new co-brand cards will be discontinued. The exact date may vary based on the internal policies of the issuing banking partner. 

Airline partnerships:

Effective 1 October 2024, Vistara will transition away from its Airline Partnerships with Japan Airlines, Air Canada, Lufthansa, and Singapore Airlines. 

Members will not be able to book Award Flights or earn CV Points with these Partner Airlines for travel dates beyond 30 September 2024.  

All existing Award Flight bookings with these Partners for travel after this date will remain valid, except for those made with Japan Airlines, which will be cancelled. A full refund, including all taxes, charges, and convenience fees, will be provided, and the redeemed CV Points will be credited back to the member’s account. 

Retro Claim for Travel with Partner Airlines 

Retro Claims will not be accepted after 30 September 2024. Please ensure you provide your Club Vistara ID at the time of booking or check-in to avoid missing out on points. 

Note for Club Vistara Platinum and Gold Members: Club Vistara Platinum and Gold members will not be eligible for KrisFlyer Gold benefits on Singapore Airlines flights after 30 September 2024. 

New Star Alliance Partnership 

With transition to Flying Returns, members will be able to earn and redeem with all 24 Star Alliance Airline partners and also avail Star Alliance status for gold and platinum members that grants status across the Star Alliance network globally. Please ensure you share your Flying Returns membership ID to earn points on Star Alliance partners.

Vistara’s other partnerships:

Club Vistara discontinued partnerships with its Health and Wellness Partners, Stay Partners*, Car Rental Partners, Retail and Lifestyle Partners, Travel Services Partners, and Club ITC (Points Transfer Partner) on 30 August 2024. Vistara Getaways, powered by Thomas Cook, was also discontinued on 30 August 2024. 

As a result, CV Points will only be awarded for bookings made and services rendered by 30 August 2024. Bookings made before this date but with service completion after 30 August 2024 will not be eligible to earn CV Points. 

*Except Booking.com, which will continue to be a Club Vistara Stay Partner till 31 October 2024. Club Vistara members will be able to earn CV Points with Booking.com for bookings made and services rendered by 31 October 2024.

Linking Club Vistara and Flying Returns Frequent Flyer Programme:

Process to link accounts

Step 1: Login to your Club Vistara account.

Step 2: Under “My Account,” click “Link Accounts”

Step 3: Enter your 9-digit Flying Returns Membership ID and submit.

What to expect after submission:

A) For an account where the below listed five details match perfectly, the Flying Returns ID will be accepted. You’ll receive a confirmation message on successful submission and an email acknowledgment.

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Date of Birth

Phone Number (not applicable for minor accounts)

B) For accounts where the details of the Club Vistara account do not match the above listed details in the Flying Returns account, a prompt will inform you to update the specific fields in either of the two accounts to ensure a perfect match across both programs. You may follow the standard “change/edit profile information” process with either of the programs to ensure that the key details match. Once updated, you can link the accounts.

At the time of migration, if your Club Vistara account has been successfully linked to a Flying Returns account, the airlinr will merge the two accounts transferring your CV Points, Tier Points and Vouchers (if any) to the Flying Returns account.

If your Club Vistara account isn’t linked to a Flying Returns account by the time of merger, here’s what happens:

In case the details in the five fields in your existing Flying Returns account match with the details in your Club Vistara account, the two accounts will be merged for a unified experience. Accounts created by parents/guardians for their children/ward will also be merged as per the process described.

For accounts where the details in one or more of the fields do not match, a new Flying Returns account will be created transferring your CV Points, Tier Points and Vouchers (if any) to this new account. Similarly, new accounts will be created for children/wards and their parents/guardians will be able to access the accounts as per program policy.

Managing duplicate accounts: The Flying Returns programme necessitates that each account has a unique phone number and email address. If duplicate contact details are detected across multiple accounts at the time of migration, or if you have ended up with multiple accounts, you will have the option to merge these redundant accounts into your primary account.

The Club Vistara program will continue to exist until the integration is complete and you can continue to use your benefits and privileges.

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