Got BMI Silver Elite Status? Here’s How To Get Your Free Baggage On Continental!

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Update: You can call BMI at +44 (0)1332 854274 (2 cents per minute via Google Voice) to request that your Star Alliance Silver card be expedited. In the package are some other goodies like a Star Alliance Silver luggage tag.

Did you get free Silver status on BMI? Lucky you! You now can get free checked bags for yourself and your traveling companions on airlines like Continental, United, and USAirways.

On Continental.com go to “Manage Reservations” and find your itinerary or enter your confirmation number.

When you are viewing the reservation click on “Edit traveler information”

At the very bottom of that page you will find “Frequent Flyer Information (Optional),” select British Midland (BMI) Diamond Club and enter in your BMI member number.

24 hours before your flight you can checkin at Continental.com and select bags. If you have BMI Silver status it should allow you and everyone else on your itinerary to select 2 free 50 pound bags. On your boarding pass it will also display your BMI number along with *S. *S stands for Star Alliance Silver.

If for whatever reason it does not allow you to select bags for free you can try calling Continental up, but your best bet may be at the airport. At every airport is a sign saying how much luggage costs and it’s very clear that Star Alliance Silver members get 2 free bags. Below is a pic that I took at LAX of the sign with my phone last week.  Just show the agent that your boarding pass says *S and they will be able to waive your luggage fees.

After checking your luggage at the airport using one of Continental’s kiosks you can go back into your reservation at the kiosk and change your mileage number from BMI to any Star Alliance mileage number that you perfer to earn miles with.  I had no problem changing from my BMI/Star Alliance Gold number to my Continental Silver number, but it did cost me an upgrade 🙁  More about that in my trip notes…

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48 Comments On "Got BMI Silver Elite Status? Here’s How To Get Your Free Baggage On Continental!"

All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.

Lev

I signed up for silver on BMI and got it, I doubt I will fly with them in the next 12 months. I do fly Air Canada alot, will it help me at all? (like free baggage)?

Dan/Ctownbochur
Binyamin

Dan- cAn you post on how ro do it with United and /usair? thanks

and

what about on united?

Daniel

Do they check if the names match exactly or can I give my father my BMI number to enter (since our last name is the same)?

Also, does it help only for each individual or the entire itinerary?

levi

how did you get BMI/Star Alliance Gold?

md

do they put priority tags on the luggage

Ben

What about Lufthansa? I’m flying them tom!

Dan/Ctownbochur

@Daniel:
It helps for everyone on your itin.

@levi:
It was thanks to the friendly folks at http://www.dansdeals.com/forums

@md:
If you ask them to.

@Ben:
No luggage benefit on Lufthansa for Star Silver.

Jacques

Just called em.. No prob at all.. Took about a min! Tx Dan

Israel

i called up continental and united and they both see that im a star alliance member but they don’t see that i have silver status. when i log in to flybmi.com diamond club it shows me silver status with 2000 miles. im trying to check in and united wants to charge for luggage. flying today! Help please!

yossi

If I have a ticket on united. Can I do it through their website?

Dan/Ctownbochur

I haven’t flown United or USAirways in years so I have no experience with them.
I know United specifically allows you to specify a mileage number for benefits purposes and a number for accumulation purposes.
United.com is far less sophisticated than Continental.com, so I’m not surprised that they don’t recognize your Silver status.

You can bring a printout of your BMI Silver page and of the United Star Silver baggage allowance and hope for the best with the check-in agent and/or their manager.

Different Dan

I just called BMI and asked for my Star Alliance card to be expedited. The gentleman I spoke with said he would be happy to send me my BMI card, but in order to get anything from *A, I would have to call them.
Dan, do you know if they will send me a *A card or if it will just be the BMI Silver?

Dan/Ctownbochur

@Different Dan:
The BMI card displays your Star Alliance status.
The BMI Silver card displays Star Alliance Silver and the BMI Gold card displays Star Alliance Gold.

The luggage tags that come with the kit also have your BMI number and Star Alliance status on them.

Different Dan

Thanks Dan.

steve

dan , i just watched Up in the air with george clooney and couldnt stop thinkin of you!

Dan/Ctownbochur

@steve:
My sister-in-law made a similar comment as we skipped by every massive line in the airport and were waiting in the club for the flight.

I liked the part where they start throwing down all of the elite cards in their wallets…been there done that!

Daniel

Dan,

Do they check if the names match exactly on the FF accounts or can I give my father my BMI number to enter on his CO itin (since our last name is the same)?

yitz

Watching up in the air was indeed refreshing. I watched it none the less while flying AA business class. There was an article in the american way magazine by the CEO as qouted saying he doesn’t believe that there are those that get on a plane for the sole purpose of getting miles. Little does he know….

SA

@Dan/Ctownbochur:

At the airport, if you show the agent proof of your silver status they SHOULD just give you the bags for free and also the other benefits, as available, like complimentary economy plus and premier-dedicated security line.

If, however, the agent does not give you complimentary baggage check-in, then simply email United CR afterward and they will (in my experience) credit you back the fees (along with a quick apology for the inconvenience).

As for the status match, you can email United at premiermatch@united… and enclose a PDF of your status at a different Star Alliance carrier, and United will match it for 90 days.

I am hoping one can “renew” that status by requesting another premier match at the end of 90 days, but I do not know that to be the case.

SA

This way, you can earn United miles, while still getting Star Alliance Silver benefits thanks to the other carrier that you have Silver status on.

Once they Status match you, though, it’s all automatic if your United MP number is associated with the reservation.

me

What about swiss? will this gold get me anywhere??

THANKS DAN!!

ymg

how do apply for this BMI Elite Status? please fet back to ma asap im leaving tommrow morning

ShmuliT

Note: UK is 5 hours ahead of USA (East Coast). Bmi is open 8am – 8pm.

margo

anyone know whats doing with the bmi website, cant login

Josh

Dan, If I email them to expedite my membership card, do you think it will have the same effect?

MrsM

called bmi yesterday but their system was down so was told to call back. i keep trying to log into their site and that is still down too so I assume they are still having trouble. Anyone have success getting the silver package request through?

work

@margo: worked for me

1 866 716 3790

on bmi website they have a us phone-number that transfers you to the uk call-center.
1 866 716 3790
(just ask them to transfer you to the diamond club.)

here a link to there web site.
https://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/contact-us/customer-relations.aspx

Israel

do we get a star alliance mailed to us automatically or do we have to ask for it? how long should it take to show up with the partner airlines systems that im silver status?

chochem

Dan,

I apply for the card on time but i dont see that i have elit status????!!!!
whats next

MrsM

Not sure if they automatically mail it. I called today and requested my silver card with luggage tags to be mailed to me and the agent confirmed my address and said I should receive it in 7-10 business days. He never mentioned that it was already on it’s way or that it would ship out at some other time. It took less than a few minutes. Very fast and atleast I know now that it is on it’s way.

@Israel:

MrsM

Don’t see Elite status where? On BMI, you should see Silver in your account summary. If you do not, you did not enter the proper code. On Continental or other *A partner? You won’t see it because you are not CO/other airline Elite. I called Continental to check if they could confirm my *A Silver status and they said they don’t have access to that, only CO Elite status. They also said the system will recognize my elite status when I check in with the frequent flyer account I have elite status with or to just present card at check in at the airport. Still to test this info but it makes sense.

@chochem:

Israel

Thanx MrsM… I looked up on the bmi website and it says that it takes up to 28 days to recieve your diamond club card for overseas deliveries. (14 days in the UK). Also, blue status people wont get a card untill 3000 status miles have been earned.

MrsM

Hi. I have an update. I already received my silver card and luggage tags. Pretty fast considering the volcano slowed down air service.

@Israel:

MrsM

For anyone still returning to this post, I have bad news. This morning I received an email from BMI. I have to produce membership credentials to jcwizo in the next 30 days. Received the same email for my husbands account.

how

Just got an email from bmi that they need my JCWIZO.net. account number plus 2 forms of photo ID. I should please mail it in to them within 28 days!!!!

yitz

Look what I got in am email this morning….?????

What should i do????

Your Diamond Club application

Dear xxxxxx

Thank you for enrolling into Diamond Club, account 100111xxxxx, via our promotion with JCWIZO.net.
With reference to your application, I need to request further information in order to proceed.

Accordingly, I would be grateful if you could send in your JCWIZO.net membership number, your Diamond Club membership number
and a copy of two forms of photographic ID, such as your passport and driving licence, to:

Diamond Club
PO BOX 50 50
Annesley
Nottingham
NG15 0DL

If you do not know your JCWIZO.net membership number, please contact them directly.

If we do not receive your JCWIZO.net membership number, your Diamond Club membership number and clear proof of identity within 28 days,
your account will be deleted and any miles associated with your account will be forfeited in accordance with the terms and conditions of bmi Diamond Club membership.

I look forward to hearing from you soon

Regards

Keeley Downing
Diamond Club Manager

© 2010 British Midland Airways. All rights reserved.

A STAR ALLIANCE MEMBER

mongey

I got the same email as Yitz. What is JCWIZO.net? Anyone crack the code on this one yet?

brandon

same here…what should I do?

Anonymous

Seems like the offer was a targeted offer for an Jewish women’s organisation in UK and Ireland and somehow the word got out on the internet and all of us signed up!
Looks like if you got this email (i did), then you are not getting this offer and the account is going to be deleted. Interestingly, i signed my wife up and she just got her shiny new black “silver status” BMI card and tag today. Oh well! – i travel with her all the time so hopefully that works for us.
p.s i wonder if you can transfer out your miles to another account before it gets deleted..hmm

Dan/Ctownbochur

If you have the membership card there is a good chance you’ll still get free bags on Continental/United/USAir by showing it to them.

Bring a printout of their rules that Star Silvers get 2 free bags from their websites.

JJ

Does continental status match bmi silver? Does co silver get me upgrades? How much do I need to fly to maintain co silver?

Berel

I just printed a boarding pass on Continental but it does not have the S for silver status…
On the bmi website it says I have that status.
What to do?

Dan

@Berel:
I wonder if it takes a couple days to update in Continental’s system?
Bring a printout of your Silver status online and a printout of the Continental baggage rules.

elig770

For what it’s worth… The BMI Diamond number has been changed to 01332648768. Today when I called to expedite my silver card they told the only thing they can to is send me an email that states I’m silver status, which they did send.

jacques

@Dan/Ctownbochur: with a lufthansa silver card will i also get this benefit by continental r any other star partner

wpDiscuz