A number of years ago I found myself in South East Asia for a time. I gave Royal Skies, the frequent Flyer programme of Royal Brunei Airlines a try. Those readers who live in Brunei (and there are some!) will be familiar with Royal Skies. It does look reasonably attractive. There are plenty of collection opportunities in Brunei, including credit cards, restaurants, coffee shops and even a supermarket. However, when using the scheme, I found it quite frustrating for a number of reasons.
Firstly, miles earned from partners took months to credit to the account. Secondly, many partners would routinely offer discounts that were not available if you claimed the miles- the discount was invariably better value, and so points turned down. Thirdly, you cannot book redemptions online. This means you cannot get a confirmation there and then, instead you have to make contact with an agent. This is not always easy.
Some Brunei banks offer credit cards that come with status in the programme. These might well be worth considering especially if they offer lounge access. I'll review the newly refurbished lounge in Brunei in a forthcoming post.
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