In Could 2024, Vistara Airways introduced its merger with Air India, which is about to be finalized in November 2024. This merger represents a major shift for each airways and their loyal prospects, particularly for credit score cardholders who’ve most popular the advantages of Vistara’s loyalty program, Membership Vistara.
After this merger, Membership Vistara will mix with Flying Returns from Air India, and Membership Vistara (CV) Factors earned via your bank card will routinely be transformed to Air India Flying Returns factors at a 1:1 ratio, with prolonged validity. Moreover, customers will achieve entry to twenty+ airline companions via the Star Alliance for reward factors redemption
As we method the ultimate levels of the merger, cardholders ought to pay attention to a number of essential adjustments and advantages.
Membership Vistara and Flying Returns Merger
One of many greatest adjustments following this merger is the mixing of Vistara’s loyalty program, Membership Vistara (CV), into Air India’s Flying Returns program.
CV Factors: Beginning November 12, 2024, the amassed CV Factors might be routinely transferred to Flying Returns factors at a 1:1 ratio with an prolonged validity of a yr.
Tier Standing: The tier standing might be allotted primarily based on the present Membership Vistara standing and cumulative factors of each packages.
Complimentary Ticket Vouchers & Class Upgrades: One class improve and complimentary ticket vouchers might be transferred to Flying Returns with the present validity.
Hyperlink Membership Vistara & Flying Returns Account
Nonetheless, with the intention to make use of those advantages, Vistara cardholders should hyperlink their Membership Vistara and Flying Returns accounts. Cardholders can both choose out of this system or observe the below-mentioned steps to hyperlink their accounts:
Step 1: Log in to your Membership Vistara account.
Step 2: Underneath “My Account,” click on on “Hyperlink Accounts.”
Step 3: Enter 9-digit Flying Returns Membership ID and submit.
Step 4: Customers will obtain a affirmation message on profitable submission.
Word: Customers who do not need an Air India Flying Returns account must create one after which provoke the method.
| What occurs when you don’t hyperlink your Membership Vistara and Flying Returns accounts? If you don’t manually hyperlink your Membership Vistara and Flying Returns accounts, the accounts might be merged routinely primarily based on sure key private particulars, together with first title, final title, e mail handle, date of delivery, and telephone quantity. Nonetheless, if the small print don’t match, a brand new Flying Returns account might be created to switch your current CV Factors and vouchers. In instances the place a single telephone quantity is linked to a number of accounts, customers are required to merge these redundant accounts manually. |
Migration of Membership Vistara Factors & Complimentary Ticket Vouchers
Ranging from September 3, 2024, bookings with Vistara for journey on or after November 12 might be discontinued. For journey after November 12, customers could make bookings with Air India and earn Flying Returns factors by both enrolling within the Flying Returns program or utilizing their current account. Since this transition restricts using CV Factors or vouchers till November 11, 2024, the next compensatory advantages might be provided to the cardholders:
Compensatory CV Factors: CV Factors expiring in September or October 2024 might be reissued as compensatory factors and transferred to Flying Returns. These factors can have a minimal one-year validity from the migration date, no matter their authentic expiry date.
Complimentary Ticket Vouchers: Ticket vouchers legitimate past November 11, 2024, might be prolonged for 3 extra months and transferred to Flying Returns.
On-demand Vouchers: Any vouchers not issued by November 11, 2024, might be routinely transferred to Flying Returns with a validity of 9 months.
Particulars on Co-branded playing cards
Present Vistara cardholders will proceed to avail advantages till March 31, 2026, as per the present card program’s phrases and situations. Because of this, annual card membership renewals won’t be processed after March 31, 2025. Moreover, the issuance of latest Vistara co-branded bank cards might be phased out by September 30, 2024. For IDFC FIRST Financial institution prospects, this date is earlier, with new card issuance ending on September 5, 2024. These dates might fluctuate relying on the insurance policies of various card issuers.
How will these adjustments impression cardholders?
The merger between Vistara and Air India is a serious shift for frequent flyers, particularly for Vistara loyalists. Whereas the transition brings adjustments to loyalty packages, cardholders can anticipate some optimistic outcomes from this merger:
Prolonged Level Validity: With CV Factors being transferred to Flying Returns with an prolonged validity interval, cardholders can have extra time to redeem their factors.
Continued Advantages: Vistara cardholders can avail the present advantages until March 2026, providing cardholders ample time to regulate to the brand new program.
Elevated Redemption Choices: The transition to Air India’s Flying Returns program is useful for Vistara cardholders, because it presents enhanced flexibility with entry to over 20 airline companions via the Star Alliance, in comparison with simply 5 with Membership Vistara.
Regardless of this merger, cardholders can nonetheless earn an honest worth again via a broader vary of redemption choices, prolonged level validity, and continued tier standing.
