Chasing Status: What's your motivation?

[drewbles]

Interesting question.

SQ?

I dislike *A and wouldn't ever actually pay to fly SQ. AA is still the frontrunner, even with devaluation.

 

[Deleted member 62084]

When you say "we", is that both of you, or is it one of you (via family pooling)? It appears that both of you will always be on the same booking so perhaps family pooling would work really well here, if you aren't doing it already.

Yes, we have individual cards and both get credited the same status points when we book with our individual membership numbers. We do not envisage ever travelling separately. I'm happy to stand corrected but I am under the impression that if we pool our status credits, and hypothetically one of us reaches Gold and the other remains at Red, and the booking is made by the Gold member, then the Red member still can't sit in the Gold section (rows 7 to 10) of the plane if the seats are selected at the time of booking???

If so, the only advantage of a 1 x Gold and 1 x Red arrangement that I can see is a guest pass to the lounge for every flight. It's not a game changer for me.

 

[Deleted member 62084]

Regarding the online check in, one issue with Virgin Australia is checking in removes any ability to change the ticket. So there is always a trade off between early check in to get decent seats....

Yes, I have learnt that.

I have been lucky enough to jag seats as good as row 6 by waiting until online check-in on some flights even before we were Velocity members, but it can be a real lottery and nowadays I would rather confirm seats at the time of booking.

 

[Fiches Mouser]

Yes, we have individual cards and both get credited the same status points when we book with our individual membership numbers. We do not envisage ever travelling separately. I'm happy to stand corrected but I am under the impression that if we pool our status credits, and hypothetically one of us reaches Gold and the other remains at Red, and the booking is made by the Gold member, then the Red member still can't sit in the Gold section (rows 7 to 10) of the plane if the seats are selected at the time of booking???

If so, the only advantage of a 1 x Gold and 1 x Red arrangement that I can see is a guest pass to the lounge for every flight. It's not a game changer for me.

I'm definitely able to select all the seats in row 3 when traveling with my 3 red friends on an upcoming flight as WP, so fairly sure SG can do it too. Doesn't matter the status of the other pax – it'll be based on the highest (or at least primary) status on the booking.

 

[Awesom Andy]

If so, the only advantage of a 1 x Gold and 1 x Red arrangement that I can see is a guest pass to the lounge for every flight. It's not a game changer for me.

With 1x gold, apart from lounge access, you also get priority check-in, boarding, luggage, and fly ahead. There's also complimentary status with hotels and car rentals for a year. Pretty much all of these can be used by your wife when travelling together as well.

However, 2x silvers earn more points on VA than 1x gold + 1x red so if you aren't interested in the gold benefits, then it would be better to be 2x silvers for the points earns.

I'm not an expert with VA, although it might be an idea to pool the status so one of you can reach silver earlier.

 

[Cryptarcadian]

I'm happy to stand corrected but I am under the impression that if we pool our status credits, and hypothetically one of us reaches Gold and the other remains at Red, and the booking is made by the Gold member, then the Red member still can't sit in the Gold section (rows 7 to 10) of the plane if the seats are selected at the time of booking???

To back up mrsmart's... absolutely not my experience either!

If you are on the same booking, you can select seats online for both of you together in any row available to the person who booked. Even if for some reason you've made separate bookings while travelling together (e.g. one is a reward ticket), the highest status passenger can call Velocity and ask them to seat you together. I'm pretty sure this is how many of us with status travel regularly with our partners (not to mention families)!

Either one of you should definitely go for gold!

 

[cove]

Have found no need to get status with VA nor SQ. With Qantas I have needed Platinum to get the best seats domestically.

 

[Awesom Andy]

With Qantas I have needed Platinum to get the best seats domestically.

I think you mean P1.
Us lowly plats can only get to row 6 at the time of booking.

 

[cove]

Well AA I just use points so I go business class. If QF has dust we go with the other guys. We have the points.

 

[travs]

I've done status runs if it makes sense. If it gets to the last quarter before I have to requalify, I'll look at travel and possibly buy yo to J or F as appropriate.

In teh past few months I did all my domestic US travel in F revenue, as it gave a ton of points (> 300SC for ~700 USD>) can't beat that!

 

[JohnM]

I think you mean P1.
Us lowly plats can only get to row 6 at the time of booking.

Err - row 2 in J - which very nicely happens to be my preference over row 1 in the re-furbed birds .

 

[snabbu]

I've done status runs if it makes sense. If it gets to the last quarter before I have to requalify, I'll look at travel and possibly buy yo to J or F as appropriate.

In teh past few months I did all my domestic US travel in F revenue, as it gave a ton of points (> 300SC for ~700 USD>) can't beat that!

While it most certainly is great value it can be beaten, comprehensively.

It's possible with a bit of work to find close to 1-1 SC/$ ratio. Infact I think JT recently picked up a great variation of the PTY fares at about $1.06 / SC.

 

[puppysparkes]

Priority boarding, everything else is a bonus.

 

[VPS]

While it most certainly is great value it can be beaten, comprehensively.

It's possible with a bit of work to find close to 1-1 SC/$ ratio. Infact I think JT recently picked up a great variation of the PTY fares at about $1.06 / SC.

pardon my ignorance but what's a PTY fare?

 

[JessicaTam]

Priority boarding, everything else is a bonus.

I find if I get priority boarding, it is a bonus!

pardon my ignorance but what's a PTY fare?

PTY - Panama City. A fair bit of discussion in the 'Best QF SR options' thread.

Oh, and the rate snabbu quoted was in US$. (US$819/770SC) about AU$1.40/SC

 

[VPS]

I find if I get priority boarding, it is a bonus!

PTY - Panama City. A fair bit of discussion in the 'Best QF SR options' thread.

Thanks Jessica - we all know about Panama after this week

 

[snabbu]

Oh, and the rate JohnK quoted was in US$. (US$819/770SC) about AU$1.40/SC

I'm not sure JohnK participates in the lotfap side of SC runs.

 

[JessicaTam]

I'm not sure JohnK participates in the lotfap side of SC runs.

Oops, wrong credit. It was your post. All those white avatars look the same!

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

I travel for leisure and normally qualify for silver each year, but this year I'm doing a status run to NZ (cost around $1400) to achieve gold. While I'll enjoy all the benefits this brings, to be honest the main driver is emotional. I LOVE flying and I want that little shiny gold card and I want to feel just a tiny bit 'elite'. There, I said it!!

Say 3 'Hail Mary's' and put $20 in the poor box my son for your sin of pride

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Some here may be aware of my continual love/hate relationship with VA, which culminated with me deciding to finally split my loyalty and gain QF status as well.

although I was well on my way to QF gold (my intended QF status level) by a carefully managed plan of throwing some decent coin at JQ max bundles (which are not worth the money), QF decided to "help" me along the way with a gold status challenge. The terms of this were for me to run up 200SCs on QF marketed and operated flights within 3 months (pretty easy) and I'd have gold. There were no other Ts&Cs. I met their challenge conditions easily, but admittedly did it by using the Aquire double SC offering. I rang QF and asked when they'll be boosting my status level from lowly silver to gold, to which they replied that I wasn't on a status challenge (they later found the offer my records and agreed I was....but without an apology for implying I was lying) and then reneged on the offer by stating I cannot use a double points offer with a challenge. I argued that they had not issued me with any Ts&Cs to that effect (in fact none at all) and they agreed that they hadn't. I quite genuinely met the conditions stated to me, but no way were they going to accept that they were at fault, I had met their conditions and that I was due the status boost. They did however, offer me some "compensation" by offering me a platinum challenge except it would have to start all over again. This time 400SCs.

Once burnt, twice shy and QF can go flog themselves. Their failure to honour their original offer to me has now made me anti QF even more. I pointed out my many and numerous J and flexi bookings and decided lack of saver/redi-deal bookings to no avail. seems QF doesn't want me so that's fine, but I will not be throwing any more money at a status "carrot" after seeing them renege on the first. I had previously decided that holding two statuses would be beneficial and to do so I was prepared to fly predominantly flex or J. All QF has made me realise, is that we're all cough in the eyes of an airline no matter what status you hold, so I'm back to VA (which I can easily hold platinum on predominantly saver fares) and the odd time I need QF, I'll either suck it up as a nobody or pay for J as required.....let's face it, I was prepared to do that anyway.

I have my careful dual status planning on a spread sheet so I know how much more I was prepared to pay to gain dual status, so I'm now seriously considering putting that extra cash into a higher interest bearing account for future airfare use to either buy points or outright J to achieve the same result as status but leaving all the flying options (airline choice etc) open for me to choose at the time. I will not support a company that reneges on an agreement and just now, I'm thinking the QF lowlifes have done me a favour without realising it!