This program was reviewed and rated by our editors in July 2009. Changes in the program past this date are possible, especially program partner information. We recommend you subscribe to the #1 source of frequent flyer information, Inside Flyer Magazine, to get the most current information possible.

Launched in 1987, Diamond Club was one of the first European frequent flyer programs and currently enjoys a strong following. Bmi is the second largest airline at London Heathrow and operates services to the U.K., Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and the U.S. The airline belongs to the Star Alliance.

Diamond Club members earn miles when traveling on bmi, Star Alliance or other airline partners including bmibaby, Qatar Airways, Transaero Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. The number of miles earned for flights reflects the class of service flown and the calculation is not an easy one. For example, if flying on bmi, you can earn double miles when flying business and more expensive economy classes (C, D, J, Y, I) for domestic and European flights and in the rest of the world the applicable classes are C, D, J, A, P, I. Low-fare economy flights can earn as little as 25 percent of the miles flown. The best way to determine the amount of miles you’ll earn is to visit flybmi.com.

Whenever members travel on qualifying fares with bmi or a Star Alliance member airline, you’ll earn both membership status and destinations miles. Membership status miles are valid for 12 months and are used to determine your level of membership. Destinations miles can be spent on awards.

The flybmi.com Web site has an interesting page comparing Diamond Club to British Airways Executive Club that claims that members need five roundtrip flights with bmi to earn a free U.K. domestic flight compared to nine roundtrip flights with British Airways.

Diamond Club members can also earn miles with hotel partners and various other partners such as American Express Membership Rewards, BAA WorldPoints, airport parking, online shopping, Hertz car rental and a co-branded bmi American Express Card.

155 countries with the added flexibility of miles and cash flight awards. The award schedule is divided into 11 zones. For example in zone 1 (U.K., Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland) a roundtrip coach fight is 9,000 miles or 5,500 miles and £40. If you prefer to fly in first class, the cost would be x 2.5 the miles of coach or x 2.5 the miles and cash. There are no upgrade awards. One-way awards are available for half the miles of a roundtrip award, including half the miles plus cash option and round the world tickets are also offered. Stopovers are permitted on award flights outside of Europe, and open-jaw flights are allowed as long as the destinations concerned are in the same award zone.

Award flights on partner airlines are also available. For example, you can fly Virgin Atlantic in coach between the U.K. and Boston, New York or Washington. D.C. for 45,000 miles.

You can spend miles for Hertz car hire vouchers, a £25 is 15,000 miles, and you can also spend your miles for hotel vouchers, 6,000 miles for a £10 voucher. “Gifts and Treats” can also be obtained with miles.

If you do not have enough miles for a flight award, you can buy up to 50 percent more to claim the award.

Bmi is a member of the Star Alliance and other airline partners include bmibaby, Qatar Airways, Transaero Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Hotel partners consist of Hilton Hotels, Jurys Doyle Hotels, Radisson Edwardian, Radisson SAS, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Park Inn and Regents Hotels. Members earn 1,000 miles per night, up to a maximum 3,000 per stay. Members earn additional miles when booking your hotel or flight plus hotel package online at flybmi.com—up to 1,250 bonus miles. And members earn between 250 and 1,000 miles a night, depending on star rating, for any accommodation booked via flybmi.com.

The lone car rental partner is Hertz where members earn 500 miles per rental for qualifying corporate contracted rates and 1,500 for non-corporate contracted rates. You can earn an additional 200 miles when you book via flybmi.com.

Diamond Club also partners with American Express Membership Rewards and BAA Worldpoints where you can transfer those currencies into Diamond Club miles. Using NCP parking will get you 10 miles for every £1 you spend.

The bmi American Express Credit Card from MBNA rounds out the partner list with enrollment bonuses ranging from 20,000 to 24,000 miles; 1.5 miles to 2 miles per every £1 spent and double miles for spending at flybmi.com.

There are three elite status levels — blue plus, silver and gold. Blue plus status is attained by earning 3,000 membership status miles within 12 months. This is a glorified basic membership level where members are eligible for a complimentary meal and drink in-flight on Heathrow routes that operate a paid-for-in-flight service. Other benefits include parking discounts and discounts and upgrades with hotel and car rental partners.

Silver membership is attained with 16,000 miles earned in a 12 month period. Membership includes all of the benefits of blue plus, with added features such as a 25 percent miles bonus each month (this is applied only to the base miles flown that month), and access to Diamond Club and other business lounges (when traveling on a bmi flight and not on a shorthaul economy saver fare). Other benefits inlcude a 20kg extra baggage allowance, car rental upgrade voucher, guaranteed business class ticket when booking 48 hours in advance on bmi-operated flights, even if the flight is full (excludes longhaul flights and Leeds Bradford to Glasgow and Edinburgh and bmibaby flights) and priority check-in, standby and ticket sales desk. There is also a dedicated reservations phone line.

Gold member status is achieved with 38,000 miles accrued in a 12 month period. Gold members enjoy all silver benefits but 35 percent miles bonus on bmi flights instead of a 25 percent bonus (25 percent for partner flights); access to exclusive Diamond Club business lounges and Star Alliance gold lounges, regardless of fare flown; four complimentary upgrade vouchers valid on bmi flights, upgrades on bmi award flights to the business cabin (or premium economy) for you and a companion on long haul services; extra baggage allowance and priority luggage delivery; dedicated gold phone line among other benefits. Lifetime gold status is offered for 10 consecutive years as a gold member. Gold members with over 55,000 membership status miles can buy a silver Diamond Club card for a friend or colleague and any miles over 55,000 membership status miles will be converted to destinations miles.

Diamond Club elite-level members also receive Star Alliance elite benefits.

Diamond club membership is restricted to individuals of at least 18 years of age; most FFPs allow membership from age two.

Missed credit for flights, hotel stays or car rentals must be claimed within six months of the transaction.

Changes to award flight bookings with bmi or any other partner airline are permitted not less than seven days prior to outbound departure only, (providing travel is within the same zone) and will incur a charge of £20 per passenger, per change request (regardless of the number of changes).

Miles currently do not have an expiration, but the Terms and Conditions mentions the following: bmi may from time to time in its absolute discretion determine the validity of Destinations Miles and Membership Status Miles and may introduce time restrictions reducing the period of validity.

You can book a free flight ticket on bmi by telephone or online, at least seven working days prior to the date of departure. If you are accustomed to the option of booking award flights the same day, this turnaround service is certainly not speedy. Elite-level members have exclusive phone lines for booking and support.

Bmi was a little late to the game, but you can now spend your miles for bmi award flights. You simply sign into your account and view the "spend miles online" area. It is possible to enroll online, check your account balance and see how many points you earn and how many are required for award travel.

Benefits are available even for Blue-level members, which is just a basic bmi membership, including a return check-in option when your return flight is within 24 hours of outbound travel and special rates with some Diamond Club partners, including airport parking. Flight upgrades are available for gold-level members and attaining elite status is relatively easy compared to many programs. The partnership with American Express is a strong offer with as much as four miles per £1 spent online at flybmi.com. The bonus miles offered for using flybmi.com is the type of bonus offer that has disappeared in many other programs—Diamond Club members can really add value to their membership by using the Web site.

The seven-day requirement to book an award is a throwback to earlier times as are the paper upgrade vouchers for Gold members. Only one car rental partner is restrictive and not being able to spend your miles for flight upgrades is a minus.

Diamond Club
PO Box 5050
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 0DL
United Kingdom

0870 606 9977 (U.K.) blue, blue plus members
+44 (0)1332 854274 (outside U.K.)

http://www.flybmi.com