topic World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey in Credit Cards

World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 21:52:01 GMT

Airport lounges wil be back in the mix with those of us with WEMC's. HSBC's WEMC is the first issuer to offer the lounges; however, according to Mastercard's concierge service, it will be available to all Black and WEMC cardholders at a later date.

https://airport.mastercard.com/en/program-overview

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 21:40:38 GMT

Great information ... thanks!

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

wasCB14 — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 21:52:38 GMT

Lounge access is one thing.

Complimentary (or fee-worthy) access to a convenient and comfortable lounge at the time of day you want it is another.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 23:53:50 GMT

I have 4 trips (and counting...) to plan for 2018. This is welcome news for the airports I'm not as familiar with.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

negg — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 00:06:17 GMT

Looks like the same lounges Priorty pass uses.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

UncleB — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 00:13:54 GMT

This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:33:01 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.

One of the common problems with validating World and World Elite MasterCards is the fact if they were standard/classic cards to start with, the systems require special actions in the back room to see that the credit card number is entered into the system that validates the higher tier cards. Often that process does not always get completed so the card errors out as a standard/classic tier card (example Citi Double Cash Cards that get approved as standard/classic cards and then are upgraded to the World Elite as the system looks for the first six numbers of the credit card number and Citi Double Cash starts 5424-18(or 11 or ??)xx-xxxx-xxxx which is recognized as a standard/classic card to the system normally. Now, if you take the old Citi Dividend World Elite Master Cards which started out as standard/classic cards when the upgrade took place, the account number was changed to 5466-16xx-xxxx-xxxx and they were recognized as a higher tier card due to the first six digits (a higher tier card) and note when people had their old Citi Dividend MC Cards updated the account numbers were changed (old school) to the higher tier. Now the modern world generally does not change credit card numbers so the cards need to have their numbers entered into the system for higher tier cards recognition. First National Bank of Omaha issued FNBO Bucks Back Visas years back and then upgraded them to Vision Visa Signature Cards and the system still recognized the account numbers as a regular/classic Visa Card and it took special handling (speak with experience) to get the account numbers entered into the higher tier recognition system. In today's environment I doubt it happens often but, if someone has a higher tier card that is not recognized as such, the problem is likely it did not have the account number properly processed into the higher tier recognition system. Note, I mentioned a few cards here and Citi had many more cards that are or were affected this way along with other issuers. Also, the process includes Visa Signatures and so on like the old Citi Forward Cards that saw upgrades in tier for 2012, 2013 and 2014. This process used to potentially affect the flexible spending, no-preset options, revolving credit lines for lenders and as we know today those options are up to the lenders on a per card line basis.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

UncleB — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:13:59 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.
One of the common problems with validating World and World Elite MasterCards is the fact if they were standard/classic cards to start with, the systems require special actions in the back room to see that the credit card number is entered into the system that validates the higher tier cards. Often that process does not always get completed so the card errors out as a higher tier card (example Citi Double Cash Cards that get approved and then upgraded to World Elite as the system looks for the first six numbers of the credit card number and Citi Double Cash starts 5424-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx which is recognized as a standard/classic card to the system normally - now if you take the old Citi Dividend World Elite Master Card which started with 5466-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx they were recognized as a higher tier card due to the first digits and note when people had their old Citi Dividend MC Cards updated the account numbers were changed (old school) to the higher tier. Now the modern world generally does not change credit card numbers so the cards need to have their numbers entered into the system for higher tier cards. First National Bank of Omaha has issued FNBO Bucks Back Visa years back and then upgraded them to Vision Visa Signature Cards and the system recognized the account numbera as a regular/classic and it took special handling (speak with experience) to get the account numbers entered into the higher tier recognition system. In todays environment I doubt it happens often but if someone has a higher tier card that is not recognized as such, the problem is likely it did not have the account number properly processed into the higher tier recognition system.

Yep, "back in the day" when my Citibank "Classic" Visa was upgraded to a Citibank "Preferred" Visa (Gold) I was issued a new card with a different BIN.

In a way it was simpler back then; the problem some have now wasn't an issue. To quote Montgomery Scott, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

wasCB14 — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:16:39 GMT

It rejected my Prestige WEMC (which has always been a Prestige WEMC).

@negg wrote:
Looks like the same lounges Priorty pass uses.

And considering how many people report being turned away as PP guests, I'd encourage people to keep their expectations for this low.

Has anyone with a website-friendly WEMC determined what the access fees are? In particular, can the primary get in free at some places? Any free guests? At the two I looked at, it sounded like complimentary access was only for very small children.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:27:06 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.
One of the common problems with validating World and World Elite MasterCards is the fact if they were standard/classic cards to start with, the systems require special actions in the back room to see that the credit card number is entered into the system that validates the higher tier cards. Often that process does not always get completed so the card errors out as a standard/classic tier card (example Citi Double Cash Cards that get approved as standard/classic cards and then are upgraded to the World Elite as the system looks for the first six numbers of the credit card number and Citi Double Cash starts 5424-18(or 11 or ??)xx-xxxx-xxxx which is recognized as a standard/classic card to the system normally. Now, if you take the old Citi Dividend World Elite Master Cards which started out as standard/classic cards when the upgrade took place, the account number was changed to 5466-16xx-xxxx-xxxx and they were recognized as a higher tier card due to the first six digits (a higher tier card) and note when people had their old Citi Dividend MC Cards updated the account numbers were changed (old school) to the higher tier. Now the modern world generally does not change credit card numbers so the cards need to have their numbers entered into the system for higher tier cards recognition. First National Bank of Omaha issued FNBO Bucks Back Visas years back and then upgraded them to Vision Visa Signature Cards and the system still recognized the account numbers as a regular/classic Visa Card and it took special handling (speak with experience) to get the account numbers entered into the higher tier recognition system. In today's environment I doubt it happens often but, if someone has a higher tier card that is not recognized as such, the problem is likely it did not have the account number properly processed into the higher tier recognition system. Note, I mentioned a few cards here and Citi had many more cards that are or were affected this way along with other issuers. Also, the process includes Visa Signatures and so on like the old Citi Forward Cards that saw upgrades in tier for 2012, 2013 1nd 2014. This process used to potentially affect the flexible spending, no-preset options, revolving credit lines for lenders and as we know today those options are up to the lenders on a per card line basis.

I have 3 WEMCs and 1 WMC that were all set up as such, not upgraded. In this exercise, each card failed to be validated, which is slightly frustrating. None of my cards are with HSBC. My cards are with various lenders. Based off the OP's post, the validation would be confirmed by HSBC, the card issuer first identified, and that all other banks will eventually be granted access.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:29:12 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Yep, "back in the day" when my Citibank "Classic" Visa was upgraded to a Citibank "Preferred" Visa (Gold) I was issued a new card with a different BIN.

In a way it was simpler back then; the problem some have now wasn't an issue. To quote Montgomery Scott, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

No idea who "Montgomery Scott" is but, if you are into plumbing would you rod out my floor drain

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

UncleB — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:33:09 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I have 3 WEMCs and 1 WMC that were all set up as such, not upgraded. In this exercise, each card failed to be validated, which is slightly frustrating. None of my cards are with HSBC. My cards are with various lenders. Based off the OP's post, the validation would be confirmed by HSBC, the card issuer first identified, and that all other banks will eventually be granted access.

That's what I get for multitasking... that last line explains it.

I'm assuming that when it's rolled out to the other issuers this 'glitch' will disappear (unless there's an issue in the back-office tables, of course).

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

UncleB — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:36:20 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
No idea who "Montgomery Scott" is but, if you are into plumbing would you rod out my floor drain

The quote is from Star Trek III.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:48:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.

I have 3 WEMCs and 1 WMC that were all set up as such, not upgraded. In this exercise, each card failed to be validated, which is slightly frustrating. None of my cards are with HSBC. My cards are with various lenders. Based off the OP's post, the validation would be confirmed by HSBC, the card issuer first identified, and that all other banks will eventually be granted access.

If I read your post correctly ... assume you have had some validation problems on cards from their issuance and they were higher tier cards out of the shop. In my readings of posts around the web, people seem complacent to the situation and they accept it. Since it has happened to me on more than several occassions, I contact the lenders to correct the situation. It took me six weeks with one lender and becoming a thorn in the lender's side to get the situation corrected. Some lenders seem to have had problems inputting the account numbers (can only assume somewhere some one did not do their job or the system was a miss). Why pass on any present or future benefits? Assume you are already on this matter.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 03:50:55 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
No idea who "Montgomery Scott" is but, if you are into plumbing would you rod out my floor drain

The quote is from Star Trek III.

Love "Star Trek" but sure missed on the quote ... do agree with it however!

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 10:46:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
This is good info... thanks for sharing!

Side note: For 'giggles' I tried to register using my Venture WEMC and it gave an error. In the past I've been able to use this card to 'validate' WEMC bennies so I'm not sure where the issue is; thankfully LoungeKey does provide a toll-free number for help.

I know that it's not uncommon for people to sometimes have issues getting a card to validate as a WEMC (especially with some Citi cards) and I'm hopeful that since this specific issue is mentioned they are empowered to remedy it.

Edited to add: Since I don't have a need for LoungeKey I won't be calling myself; I'll leave that experiment to someone else.

I have 3 WEMCs and 1 WMC that were all set up as such, not upgraded. In this exercise, each card failed to be validated, which is slightly frustrating. None of my cards are with HSBC. My cards are with various lenders. Based off the OP's post, the validation would be confirmed by HSBC, the card issuer first identified, and that all other banks will eventually be granted access.

If I read your post correctly ... assume you have had some validation problems on cards from their issuance and they were higher tier cards out of the shop. In my readings of posts around the web, people seem complacent to the situation and they accept it. Since it has happened to me on more than several occassions, I contact the lenders to correct the situation. It took me six weeks with one lender and becoming a thorn in the lender's side to get the situation corrected. Some lenders seem to have had problems inputting the account numbers (can only assume somewhere some one did not do their job or the system was a miss). Why pass on any present or future benefits? Assume you are already on this matter.

I don't pass on any of the benefits available on my accounts. I'm the rare odd person that reads the disclosures and can recite the differences in coverage limits and time frames from one creditor to the next. This is just a wake up call on the lounge access. I'm on it

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

wasCB14 — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 16:34:11 GMT

From the FAQs: https://airport.mastercard.com/en/faq

"Complimentary Visit Information

How many Complimentary lounge visits do I receive?

Complimentary lounge visits may be provided by your card issuer. Please refer to your Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey online account to view the number of complimentary visits you and/or your guests may have. If you have any additional questions, please contact the Customer Service team by clicking on the Help section of the website or app.

How can I find out if my issuer provides me with complimentary lounge visits?

If your issuer provides complimentary lounge visits, there will be a “Complimentary Visit” section under My Information on the app and under My Account on the web. If you do not have any complimentary visits, this section will not display. If you have additional questions, please the Customer Service team by clicking on the Help section of the website or app."

This doesn't sound like it will be a "free access for all WEMCs" perks. Rather, complimentary visits are at the discretion of the issuer. No-AF WEMCs are less likely to participate.

It sounds like another case where WEMC focuses more on the appearance of luxury without providing much of real value.

Re: World Elite Mastercard and LoungeKey

Anonymous — Sun, 10 Dec 2017 18:31:32 GMT

not free...$27 pp.

http://www.hsbc.ca/1/2/personal/banking/credit-cards/pwemc/full-details