Complimentary Partner Gold Membership is now for a "family member or friend"

[kpc]

Additional Status credits required by 31 Oct 2010 to receive
complimentary Gold membership for a family member or friend:

Just noticed this.....a +ve move IMHO for QF WPs without partners or whose partners are already SG / WP:idea:

 

[Voyages]

Interesting indeed. I've just noticed it

 

[oz_mark]

It's in the T&C's from 01 October, although it does look as though a transition is in place.

i.e Until May 2011 for the Comp Gold and from 1 Oct 2010 there may be other things at 2,400 points

Platinum Member additional benefit
20.3.1 Until 3 May 2011, Complimentary Gold Membership may be awarded to a family member or friend nominated by a Platinum Member when a Platinum Member first reaches 2,100 Status Credits within a single Membership Year

20.3.2 On and from 1 October 2010, a Platinum Member may be offered the opportunity to choose one of a selection of benefits (as determined and offered by Qantas), and that selection may include Complimentary Gold Membership, when a Platinum Member first reaches 2,400 Status Credits within a single Membership Year (unless the Platinum member has already obtained Complimentary Gold Membership under clause 20.3.1 for that Membership Year). Details of any such benefit or selection and any additional terms and conditions applicable to this benefit are provided at qantas.com. Any offers made under this clause 20.3.2 will expire at the end of the relevant Membership Year that the Member achieves 2,400 Status Credits or, if the Member achieves 2,400 Status Credits in their Membership Anniversary Month in that Membership Year, the end of the following month. Retrospective claims cannot be made if the offer has expired.

20.3.3 In respect of any Complimentary Gold Membership offered under clause 20.3.1:
(a) each Member may have only one nominated family member or friend at any one time. Until 3 May 2011 retention of Complimentary Gold Membership will require the Platinum Member to accrue another 2100 Status credits in the subsequent Membership Year. The Complimentary Gold Membership Year will be aligned with that of the primary Platinum Member;

(b) Complimentary Gold Membership will not be offered to any nominated family member or friend who already holds Gold or Platinum status level in Qantas Frequent Flyer;

(c) if Complimentary Gold Membership is not retained in the subsequent Membership Year for any reason, the Complimentary Gold Member will be subject to normal Gold status level qualifying criteria; and

(d) if the Platinum Member wishes to change the nominated Complimentary Gold Member, the Platinum Member must ensure that the previously issued Complimentary Gold Membership card is surrendered before a replacement card will be issued for any new Complimentary Gold nominee.

20.3.4 In respect of any Complimentary Gold Membership offered under clause 20.3.2:
(a) each Member may have only one nominated family member or friend per Membership Year. Retention of Complimentary Gold Membership in subsequent Membership Years will require the Platinum Member to accrue 2,400 Status Credits and select the Complimentary Gold Membership option under clause 20.3.2 in each subsequent Membership Year. The Complimentary Gold Membership Year will be aligned with that of the primary Platinum Member;
(b) if the family member or friend is not nominated for Complimentary Gold Membership (or the Platinum Member does not qualify for the benefit under clause 20.3.2) in the subsequent Membership Year, then the Complimentary Gold Member will be subject to normal Gold Status level qualifying criteria; and
(c) once a Platinum Member has nominated a Complimentary Gold Membership to a family member or friend, an alternative cannot be chosen within that Membership Year.

 

[Mal]

Oooh nice. Good to know Qantas has listened.

(Now where's that hand that taketh away something else? )

 

[oz_mark]

Oooh nice. Good to know Qantas has listened.

(Now where's that hand that taketh away something else? )

That might be the bit about the SC's required for the additional benefit moving to 2400SC's.

 

[Mal]

That might be the bit about the SC's required for the additional benefit moving to 2400SC's.

Thanks. Didn't notice that at first. But seriously, if someone is getting 2100 sc's / year, 2400 isn't that much more travelling.

 

[Voyages]

So what will happen when one obtains 2,100 SCs after 3 May?

 

[oz_mark]

So what will happen when one obtains 2,100 SCs after 3 May?

By the look of it, not much until they get to 2,400 SC's.

 

[YQY]

It's in the T&C's from 01 October, although it does look as though a transition is in place.

i.e Until May 2011 for the Comp Gold and from 1 Oct 2010 there may be other things at 2,400 points

That sucks - 20.3.1 and 20.3.2 state:-

1. If you earn 2100 sc's before 3rd May 2011 - you will get PG and you can nominate a friend or family member to receive the benefit.
2. But after 3rd May 2011 you will need to earn 2400 sc's to earn PG or other benefits to be determined.

They have raised the bar for PG and reduced the bar for PS - what other changes are being rolled out???

 

[Voyages]

Some confusion has certainly been raised by QF members... according to QF Platinum desk.

My anniversary date is in June, and I won't obtain 2,100 SCs until end of May. Based on our current interpretation, I will only get PG if:

• I get 2,100 SCs by 03 May; or
• I get 2,400 SCs by anniversary date.

However, this is somewhat contradictory (or potentially misleading?) to the information provided in my account, which states that the "Additional Status credits required by anniversary date to receive complimentary Gold membership for a family member or friend" are xx_, making it a total of 2,100 SCs (not 2,400 SCs as per second point above).

QF put me on hold for 2 minutes, and confirmed that the information provided in my account is correct. That is, I only need 2,100 SCs by anniversary date (NOT 3rd May) for PG qualification. For subsequent years, the SCs required for PG will then be 2,400.

 

[simongr]

Interesting that my status reassessment refers only to regaining Partner Gold (or equivalent) rather than retaining platinum. In the past PG hasn't been a status level as such referred to by QF - it isn't listed as a status.

 

[YQY]

Some confusion has certainly been raised by QF members... according to QF Platinum desk.

Agreed - I hope Qantas send an email to QFF members listing all changes to the QFF Program. Dribbling information via QFF account status pages and T&C's is only leading to confusion.

 

[Voyages]

Agreed - I hope Qantas send an email to QFF members listing all changes to the QFF Program. Dribbling information via QFF account status pages and T&C's is only leading to confusion.

And I also wonder what other potential benefits could potentially be... (as an alternative for PG).

20.3.2. a Platinum member may be offered the opportunity to choose one of a selection of benefits (as determined and offered by Qantas), and that selection may include Complimentary Gold Membership...

 

[YQY]

Interesting that my status reassessment refers only to regaining Partner Gold (or equivalent) rather than retaining platinum. In the past PG hasn't been a status level as such referred to by QF - it isn't listed as a status.

I assume you haven't earned 1200 SC's for your QFF Calendar year yet....my assesment page states the SC's required to re qualify to WP and PG.

 

[YQY]

And I also wonder what other potential benefits could potentially be... (as an alternative for PG).

20.3.2. a Platinum member may be offered the opportunity to choose one of a selection of benefits (as determined and offered by Qantas), and that selection may include Complimentary Gold Membership...

What concerns me is "and that selection may include Complimentary Gold Membership".

i'm happy to get upgrades from K to J on domestic flights instead of PG.

 

[oz_mark]

Thanks. Didn't notice that at first. But seriously, if someone is getting 2100 sc's / year, 2400 isn't that much more travelling.

Although it is troublesome for those that go the DONE4 route to getting PG. The extra 300SC is a bit of a burden.

 

[simongr]

I assume you haven't earned 1200 SC's for your QFF Calendar year yet....my assesment page states the SC's required to re qualify to WP and PG.

I have a 30 Sep status renewal so I have 10 SCs and 1~ to my name. My status page says:

Additional Status credits required by 30 Sep 2011 to receive
complimentary Gold membership for a family member or friend: 2,090

No reference to retaining platinum. I don't know whether that is normal?

 

[Hawkeye]

Going from memory here, it does take a few days for all the details of the summary page to "reset" properly.

So, at the start of the new year, having achieved WP+PG the previous year, it initially shows the requalification for PG only. Eventually, the lesser requirement for vanilla WP appears.

The first time I saw this, i thought it meant I had been comp'ed WP for the next year right from the start.

 

[samh004]

That sucks - 20.3.1 and 20.3.2 state:-

1. If you earn 2100 sc's before 3rd May 2011 - you will get PG and you can nominate a friend or family member to receive the benefit.
2. But after 3rd May 2011 you will need to earn 2400 sc's to earn PG or other benefits to be determined.

They have raised the bar for PG and reduced the bar for PS - what other changes are being rolled out???

Agreed - I hope Qantas send an email to QFF members listing all changes to the QFF Program. Dribbling information via QFF account status pages and T&C's is only leading to confusion.

As noted in the Silver thread, an email should be out tomorrow. Presumably they wanted to implement the changes before announcing them, so perhaps they’ll be effective immediately.

It does make a bit more sense being 2400 SC’s though, just double Platinum (requal level). I can’t wait to hear what the benefits will be instead of PG, even though I’m miles away and probably will be for the foreseeable future.

 

[drewbles]

I have a 30 Sep status renewal so I have 10 SCs and 1~ to my name. My status page says:

Additional Status credits required by 30 Sep 2011 to receive
complimentary Gold membership for a family member or friend: 2,090

No reference to retaining platinum. I don't know whether that is normal?

This has only changed in the past few hours. I had 'Additional Status credits required to attain Partner Gold' this morning, and now I have the same as you (with 2040 required, I have 60 SC's for my year to date, but that'll be over 1400 within a few weeks).