Case Study: How Matt Retained Qantas Platinum in 2025

[AFF Editor]

I've put together this case study which breaks down the 1,200 (well, slightly more) status credits I earned during my current Qantas Frequent Flyer membership year to retain Platinum status. You can have a read here:

Case Study: How I Renewed Qantas Platinum Status This Year

In this case study, I explain exactly how I earned the 1,200 status credits required to renew Qantas Platinum status in my 2025 membership year - and how much it cost.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Of course, this is just one of many, many ways you could do it!

Do you think it's worth going for Qantas Platinum status? And if you have it, what kind of flying did you do to get it?

 

[levelnine]

This will be the last year I care a lot about retaining Platinum status, at least for the foreseeable future — who knows how the game will change.

The biggest benefit of Platinum for me is the release of classic award seats. With the devaluation this year, it'll now be cheaper for me to buy cash fares with my US Amex points (as I noted in the devaluation thread) than to redeem classic award seats.

That means there is no value in classic award seat releases. Now I'm a very niche case as not many people acquire US Amex points, but it is interesting how classic award rates do affect my willingness to chase status — status and points are not completely independent of each other.

(I'll keep first lounge access through AA Executive Platinum status.)

Ironically, I might keep Platinum status because I'll be flying on revenue J fares...

 

[SYD]

Yes, PC/PC+ has been a positive enhancement allowing us to burn points and still earn SCs and not be so obsessed with using cash fares to earn/retain status. Basic PC is the sweet spot. PC+ is just too hard to bother for the 100 SCs rollover - unless you’re churning CCs and/or business owner (who can really rack up serious points on the ground).

Plus during a DSC promo where there’s rarely any sale fares, you can still book CR seats - albeit more scarce than before (which is well documented elsewhere here).

I’ve been meaning to tally up my spend for this year and the last couple of post COVID years, but it’s similar order of magnitude - maybe about $8k and several hundred thousand points (used for J positioning flights and some other trips). I’ve not needed to rely on DSC too much. Instead, the cheap J fares ex Asia for travel I wanted to do anyway has worked well. Although, I really don’t want to see CGK again anytime soon.. . This year, I’ll be passing through HKG six times (purely by coincidence).

Edit: oh, I do GT each year towards the end of the member year - just in case or use to kick start the next year. Actually haven’t had too many LBs since big chuncks come from QR and other partner earn.

 

[Flyerwin]

Nice.

I follow a similar path to retain WP.

Green Tier + Loyalty Bonus + PC+ and then booking most flights on DSC promo.

 

[Cessna 180]

I like how you only "wasted" 6 credits Matt.

Originally I was not going to bother trying to maintain this year, but then I had a few work flights on flexi's so that pushed me along enough that I will be too close to not have a crack.

I will be hoping to just get over the line with the bonus' and possibly green tier. I have a CR from HK to MEL on my last day of the membership year in May. I am still a couple of hundred short currently, but hopefully will make them from work in the next two months.
If not my back up is some intra Europe connections on either BA or AY. I will have to get from the Balkans to HEL, so just waiting until I know what I need.

 

[ronone69]

I've put together this case study which breaks down the 1,200 (well, slightly more) status credits I earned during my current Qantas Frequent Flyer membership year to retain Platinum status. You can have a read here:

Case Study: How I Renewed Qantas Platinum Status This Year

In this case study, I explain exactly how I earned the 1,200 status credits required to renew Qantas Platinum status in my 2025 membership year - and how much it cost.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Of course, this is just one of many, many ways you could do it!

Do you think it's worth going for Qantas Platinum status? And if you have it, what kind of flying did you do to get it?

I have Qantas Platinum for Life. Don't waste your time trying to get it - the benefits for years and years and years and years of loyalty are bugger all. Better to just get your 1200 Status Credits each year

 

[Lockyer Man]

I've put together this case study which breaks down the 1,200 (well, slightly more) status credits I earned during my current Qantas Frequent Flyer membership year to retain Platinum status. You can have a read here:

Case Study: How I Renewed Qantas Platinum Status This Year

In this case study, I explain exactly how I earned the 1,200 status credits required to renew Qantas Platinum status in my 2025 membership year - and how much it cost.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Of course, this is just one of many, many ways you could do it!

Do you think it's worth going for Qantas Platinum status? And if you have it, what kind of flying did you do to get it?

Now that I am retired it is not worth aiming for Qantas Platinum status. It is a shame that airlines do not really reward continuous platinum level members once they retire as I held OneWorld platinum for well over 15 years but following Covid I couldn't maintain it. My loyalty is therefore not rewarded nowadays which is a pity that the loyalty that a lot of people show towards a particular airline during their working life is not reciprocated in some way other than achieving a loyalty status.

 

[freney]

I like how you only "wasted" 6 credits Matt.

I've got a couple of trips left this membership year and should achieve Platinum for the first time with 1404 points.

 

[Cessna 180]

I've got a couple of trips left this membership year and should achieve Platinum for the first time with 1404 points.

Perfectly done.

Anymore and you are cramped up on the plane too much! haha

I do enjoy being platinum, however apart from a period a few years ago when I was commuting to NZ I am lucky to see the inside of an F lounge once per year. Domestically the benefits are not massive although I did just witness a colleague of mine drop back to gold and he seemed quite upset.

 

[Flyfrequently]

Thanks for the article Matt.
If I have done it correctly this year, I should reach Platinum in early May.
My aim had always only ever been to retain Gold.
By voraciously reading almost every thread on AFF, I have been able to achieve GT, PC+ (giving me 150 SC's) chasing ORC when downgraded and I am almost LTS - for what it is worth!
For the first time, I took advantage of booking DSC flights and timed our trips accordingly.
The major benefits for me will be requesting CR seats and FLounge access - if I only have it for a year, I'm happy.

 

[oz_mark]

Now that I am retired it is not worth aiming for Qantas Platinum status. It is a shame that airlines do not really reward continuous platinum level members once they retire as I held OneWorld platinum for well over 15 years but following Covid I couldn't maintain it. My loyalty is therefore not rewarded nowadays which is a pity that the loyalty that a lot of people show towards a particular airline during their working life is not reciprocated in some way other than achieving a loyalty status.

If you acheived Qantas Platinum for 15 years straight you should be either Lifetime Gold, or at least close to it. Lifetime status seems a reasonable reward for all those years - sure, it's not platinum, but Gold is still pretty good.

 

[CaptTidybeard]

My wife and I reached Platinum pre-Covid, thanks to post-retirement travels. Qantas kept people's status post-Covid while the industry was finding its feet again, and we appreciated it. While we had it, we enjoyed a few extra perks, the best being Sydney First Class Int. Lounge, but now it's back to Gold.
I've got LTG, so the pressure's off, and now we are organising our travels this year for her to retain Gold, which she will (just). Platinum perks are okay when you have them, but I personally won't be scrambling to get it again, unless, of course, it's almost within reach. Then I'll probably jump back on the hamster wheel of Status Fever.

 

[themaiz]

Nice one Matt. I just spent five years at Platinum, resulting from making both WP and LTG just before lockdown and the rolling rollover renewals. I was about to drop off the edge, but the benefits of WP - mostly through rapid attention, and being able to request reward release on the leg I travel most - allowed me to convince SWMBO that we should spend a truckload of household money to do a DSC run to Auckland and back in J. Notwithstanding that I got sick in Akl, and that we had three cancelled flights (hard to achieve on a one-city itinerary!), the aim was achieved and I've renewed. I'm probably going to focus this year on keeping WP. Ironically, a completely unexpected trip just pushed me 200SC over what I already had, a bit too early to be useful for the next cycle.

 

[vt01]

Finished my last platinum status in 2022 then dropped to LTG. I haven't travelled much since then, a few domestic and 1 international.
I haven't noticed much difference although I did miss the F lounge on my international trip.
But as no longer travel for work, no way to make platinum again. I had a good run and it was definitely nice when traveling a lot.
I think the only think the only benefit I will miss is requesting FF seats on flights where there are none.
I've noticed recently that classic awards on routes I want to fly are either on Jetstar or inconvenient flight times. The flights I would like such as QF1/2 return to Singapore all seem to be classic plus.
Would've been nice to have QF platinum for life!

 

[Pushka]

I will have two more visits to Sydney F lounge and one to Haneda lounge before I expect my interest in retaining Platinum April 2026 is gone. Won't be chasing it anymore. Likely we will simply pay for J on whatever route suits us. Been a great ride.

 

[justinbrett]

I'm trying a new strategy with a two year cycle - year 1 attain P1 by only flying revenue and saving points, year 2 fly mostly reward seats / revenue Y (and then upgrades) which should be easier to get with P1 releases, repeat in year 3. Bouncing from P1 to WP won't bother me too much as it would likely be 6 months WP then 18 months P1. So for a 50% increase in SCs, I get P1 most of the time and I can gift my brother WP.

 

[Himeno]

I joined QFF in 2006 when booking a RTW trip (LGLOB29) at the Qantas Travel agency and they discounted the joining fee. (booked an xGLOBnn instead of an xONEx as I used JL for HND-ITM and KIX-LHR prior to JL becoming a oneworld member)
The following yearly LONE4s (along with the random CBR-MEL returns) was enough to get to Silver each year, and sometimes to Gold depending on the timing of that years trip compared to my membership year.

Started booking combined DAS13s and DONE3s from 2010 and made it from Silver (had been reduced from Gold just days before that trip and the gold status was still showing with AA for the first US segment) up to Platinum during that trip. Between 2010 and 2014, I was getting around 2600 status credits, then the 2014 QFF program changes happened which reduced the non QF status credit earn. Was still getting enough for Platinum, but only in the 1400-1800 range per year (on the lower end more recently after oneworld got rid of the xASnn fare).
Due to the timing of my 2023 trip, I only just made Platinum for the current membership year with my weekend trip to CGK last May.
Got to LTG in 2015, now about 45% to LTP.