A GUIDE TO THE PAL MABUHAY MILES PROGRAM

(SPOT.ph) It's not a secret that everyone is on the lookout for the best deals and discounts on travel. While seat sales and travel vouchers often have us covered for trips planned ahead, they're not always the best option for drop-everything-and-go, a.k.a., emergency travel needs or when you just want a bit more comfort for less. Well, if you're a frequent traveler, especially if you love flying with Philippine Airlines, then you might want to consider enrolling in PAL's Mabuhay Miles Program.  This frequent flyer program might just be the secret to getting the most out of flying via Philippine Airlines.

Also read: 

A Guide to Airline Loyalty Programs in the Philippines

The SPOT.ph Guide to Airport Lounges at NAIAThe Ultimate Step-By-Step Travel Guide for the Airport Newbie

What is PAL's Mabuhay Miles Program?

Mabuhay Miles is Philippine Airlines' frequent flyer program. Much like any other airline loyalty program, it rewards passengers by offering reward "miles" as a treat for completing trips with the airline repeatedly. Essentially, the more you travel and the farther you travel, the more miles you get. After collecting a sizeable number of miles, you can use these to redeem flights within the Philippine Airlines network, upgrade your seats, or unlock other perks to make your trip more comfortable. 

How do you join the Mabuhay Miles Program?

Anyone can join the Mabuhay Miles Program from as early as two years old. Just note that minors have to be represented by their parents or legal guardians. To be a part of the loyalty program, you must fill out the enrollment form on the website and create your Mabuhay Miles profile to get your membership number. Remember to check that your Mabuhay Miles profile name matches the name on your passport and other travel documents to ensure proper crediting of miles. 

Log in to your account every time you book a flight on the Philippine Airlines website and indicate your Mabuhay Miles number so that you can earn miles for your trip. 

The different tiers of the PAL Mabuhay Miles Program

The Mabuhay Miles program has several membership tiers. Depending on how much you travel, you can move up or down the tier annually. 

The Mabuhay Miles program has four tiers: Classic, Elite, Premier Elite, and Million Miler. Each tier has its own set of benefits and privileges, including access to the Mabuhay Lounge, priority check-in, and an additional baggage allowance. Upon enrolling in the program, everyone enters the Classic tier. 

Classic Tier

This is the basic tier of the Mabuhay Miles Program. Here, you can earn miles, which you can use for seat upgrades and free flights to a destination of your choice. You can also share your miles with other users.

Elite Tier

Your status in the Mabuhay Miles Program is evaluated on a calendar-year basis. Provided you meet any of the following criteria, you may be moved up to the Elite Tier.

Achieve any of the following on eligible tickets:

  • Earn 25,000 Tier/Flight Miles on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flights
  • Fly 30 one-way qualifying flights on any class of service on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flights
  • Fly 15 one-way qualifying flights on Business Class on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flights

While it may seem like a lot of earned miles, having an Elite Tier membership does have some perks:

  • Lounge Access - Prior to your flight departure, guests with Elite status can use the Mabuhay lounges as well as participating VIP lounges at selected international airport when traveling on Philippine Airlins and PAL Express using a Philippine Airline ticket. 
  • Bonus Miles Accrual - Elite tier members can earn a tier-based bonus of 25% for all Philippine Airlines and PAL Express-operated flights. Passengers flying Economy, Comfort, and Premium Economy will earn this bonus based on earned Miles while those flying Business will be based on actual distance flown.
  • Priority check-in, boarding, and luggage handling - Hate waiting in long queues at the airport just to check in and get to your seat? Elite tier members may check-in, board the plane and collect luggage ahead of others on Philippine Airlines and PAL Express flights.
  • Priority Airport Standby - In cases passengers are on standby due to a fully booked Philippine Airlines of PAL Express flights, you'll be given a higher priority for a seat on the next available flight. 
  • Additional Luggage Allowance - Guests on the elite tier get an extra 10-kilogram baggage allowance when flying on Philippine Airlines (except to/from USA, Canada, Middle East, Japan, and Guam) and on PAL Express.

Premier Elite Tier

The next tier on the Mabuhay Miles program is the Premier Elite.  Just like the Elite tier, you can move up this level provided you meet any of the following criteria:

Achieve any of the following on eligible tickets: 

  • Earn 45,000 Tier/Flight Miles on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flights
  • Fly 50 one-way qualifying flights on any class of service on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flights
  • Fly 25 one- way qualifying flights on Business Class on Philippine Airlines and Code-Share flight

Though they may look similar, there are more upsides to being a premier elite member than just an elite member. Here are the perks of being classified as a Premier Elite Mabuhay Miles member:

  • Lounge Access - Prior to your flight departure guests with Premier Elite status can use the Mabuhay lounges as well as participating VIP lounges at selected international airport when traveling on Philippine Airlins and PAL Express using a Philippine Airline ticket. As a Premier Elite member, you may bring one traveling companion into the lounges. 
  • Bonus Miles Accrual - Premier Elite tier members can receive a tier-based bonus of 75% for qualified flights to/from the US, Canada, and London. For other flights onl Philippine Airlines and PAL Express Premier Elite members will earn 25% bonus miles.. Passengers flying Economy, Comfort, and Premium Economy will earn this bonus based on earned Miles while those flying Business will be based on actual distance flown.
  • Priority check-in, boarding, and luggage handling - Hate waiting in long queues at the airport just to check in and get to your seat? Elite tier members may check-in, board the plane and collect luggage ahead of others on Philippine Airlines and PAL Express flights.
  • Priority Airport Standby - In cases when passengers are on standby for a fully booked Philippine Airlines of PAL Express flights, you'll be given a higher priority for a seat on the next available flight. 
  • Additional Luggage Allowance - Guests on this tier get extra 30-kilogram baggage allowance when flying on PAL flights that use the weight system or an additional piece of luggage based on your ticket when flying routes using the piece system. 
  • Upgrade Travel Certificates - Premier Elite guests earn two Upgrade Travel Certificates (UTC) upon accruing the 45,000 tier Miles within the calendar year and an additional two certificates for every 25,000 flight Miles within the same qualifying period. You can use these UTCs on Philippine Airlines and PAL Express flights for a one-step, one-sector upgrade, i.e. Economy Class to Premium Economy or Comfort Class and Premium Economy to Business class upgrades.

Million MIler Tier

The highest membership tier you can be a part of is the Million Miler tier. This tier is awarded to select few travelers who have managed to accrue over one million cumulative flight Miles. If you do ever reach this tier know that it is a prestige and is the ultimate recognition in the loyalty program as such it is a lifetime membership and requires no re-qualification. When you become a Million Miler you can expect first-priority treatment and dedicated travel assistance throughout your journey. 

As a Mabuhay Miles Million Miler you get to enjoy the privileges of the Premier Elite level for life. In addition to having perks similar to a Premier Elite member, you also have exclusive rewards such as:

Pre-flight rewards:

Waiver on all Mabuhay Miles processing fees:

  • Million Miler Card replacement
  • Award ticket rush processing fee
  • Ticketing service charge
  • Buy Miles processing fee
  • Miles Transfer processing fee
  • Reinstatement of Expired Miles processing fee
  • Redeposit of Miles fee
  • Award re-booking fee
  • Choice Seats and Forward Seats
  • Advance seat reservations on Choice Seats and Forward Seats

During Flight Rewards

  • Priority Check-in
  • Priority Airport Stand-by
  • Priority Luggage Handling
  • Priority Boarding
  • Additional free baggage allowance
    • Plus 40 kilograms on all weight-system flights
    • Plus two pieces on all piece-system flights
    • Plus 20 kilograms for sports equipment on all flights
  • Access to the Mabuhay Lounge and VIP Lounges with two traveling companions
  • Extension of the following benefits to one travel companion
    • Priority check-in
    • Priority boarding
    • Priority luggage handling

Post-flight rewards

  • 25% tier-based bonus Miles on  PAL Express and Philippine Airlines except flights to/from USA, Canada, and London
  • 75% tier-based bonus Miles on Philippine Airlines flights to/from USA, Canada, and London
  • Discounts and perks from selected program partners
  • You'll receive four complimentary Upgrade Travel Certificates each year, in addition to any additional certificates you may earn based on the Premier Elite perk you are entitled to
  • Premium gifts from program partners

How does the PAL Mabuhay Miles Program work?

All the perks that come with becoming a frequent flyer with Philippine Airlines sound great and all, but how exactly do you earn miles? 

How to earn PAL Mabuhay Miles

There are lots of ways to earn Mabuhay Miles, but the most common route is by booking flights through the Philippine Airlines website or its codeshare partners. To get an idea of how many miles you stand to earn for a booking, you can use the Mileage Calculator on the Philippine Airlines website:

Aside from earning Miles by flying, you can also earn them by transacting with program partners like Petron, SMAC, banks such as Metrobank, BPI, and BDO, hotels like Shangri-La, Dusit Hotels & Resorts, and many more. You can view a full list of their partner companies on the Mabuhay Miles website.

Alternatively, frequent flyers can also opt to buy Miles. This is a special feature of earning Miles designed for immediate use. It can be availed for one's own Mabuhay Miles account or given as a gift. A maximum of 150,000 miles can be credited to any account within a calendar year. Note that purchased Miles do not add to the qualification of Elite-tier status. You can refer to their website for a full list of prices and other terms and conditions in buying Mabuhay Miles.

How to redeem PAL Mabuhay Miles

Depending on your tier, you can use your earned PAL Mabuhay Miles for perks, pay for your next trip with them, or use them with PAL's program partners. 

Here are the steps you need to follow to redeem your miles online:

1. Log in to your Philippine Airlines account on the website.

2. Navigate to the booking widget and select 'Book with Miles.'

3. Choose an available flight and review the passenger contact information. 

4. Select any additional services or products, such as baggage, seats, and meals, or continue to the next step.

5. Pay and agree to the terms.

You can also use your MIles as a form of payment for select Philippine Airlines myPAL Travel Boost for domestic flights. You can redeem these through any PAL Ticket Office or through their contact center.  Here are the items in myPAL Travel Boost that you can earn with your Miles:

Note that PAL Mabuhay Miles do not expire. You can collect as many points as you can without the fear of losing them because you weren't able to use them before a certain period.

Redeeming Mabuhay Miles as SMAC Points

Another alternative to using your Mabuhay Miles is to convert them to SMAC Points, which you can use for shopping and services in SM malls.

To convert your Mabuhay Miles to SMAC Points, all you have to do is:

1. Login using your Mabuhay Miles credentials on this website.

2. Fill out all the fields in the redemption form:

  • Miles to redeem
  • Promo code (if any)
  • Loyalty Partner ID Number (SMAC number)

3. Review the details on the summary page

4. Enter the One-Time pin sent to your registered email address.

5. SMAC points will be credited real-time to your SMAC accounts following a successful message displayed on your screen.

Maximizing your PAL Mabuhay Miles

To be able to have access to your Mabuhay Miles on-the-go you can download the free Mabuhay Miles App which showcases the wide range of partners available for earning and redeeming Miles. 

The Mabuhay Miles app gives you a snapshot of your Mabuhay Miles account including your earned Miles and recent transactions done. You can also view recommended offers, stores, and partners near you.

With the Mabuhay Miles app, you are also provided with a virtual membership card to present to our participating program partners and score the deals and discounts offered.

For more information, visit Philippine Airlines' website.

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2024-03-29T04:07:31Z dg43tfdfdgfd