Confused about my status credit expiry...

[d15.in.oz]

BA's scheme does have something slightly different...

This, in my opinion, is one of the most undervalued aspects of QAN loyalty marketing – depending on your travel; other 1W FF programs may offer you better benefits… Yet, in the final analysis, you still remain loyal to QF! (Just not QFF.)

 

[Flashback]

FWIW, this was only to gain my PS - but given you flew the required SC only a few days after the reset date; a friendly letter to QF explaining the situation will sometimes work wonders

 

[littl_flier]

Ok, I'm going to pose a new question for advice although this might be better in the 4 segment thread.

My membership year is 1 Nov - 31 Oct. I will have a fair bit of running around the US in Nov in AA First which may put me over the barrier to WP. Say I earn 1400 SC's in Nov & Dec but I don't fly on QF until Feb 08, will my four segments for status count from this year, or even though I earn 1400 SC's in the first two months of my year, I can't get WP until I fly 4 QF segs (ie. Feb 08 vs. Nov/Dec 07)??

Thanks,
littl_flier

 

[JohnK]

My membership year is 1 Nov - 31 Oct. I will have a fair bit of running around the US in Nov in AA First which may put me over the barrier to WP. Say I earn 1400 SC's in Nov & Dec but I don't fly on QF until Feb 08, will my four segments for status count from this year, or even though I earn 1400 SC's in the first two months of my year, I can't get WP until I fly 4 QF segs (ie. Feb 08 vs. Nov/Dec 07)??

Regardless of how many SCs you have accumulated you will not get an upgraded QF status for that membership year until you have flown the 4 necessary QF segments.

Not sure whether you still get the soft landing, or even comped again, if say you are already Platinum and have not flown the 4 necessary QF segments.

 

[serfty]

If on or after 1st November 2007 you earn 1400 SC's & fly 4 qualifying segments on Qantas before 31st October 2008 and you will have QF WP until 31st October 2009 - Myself, I'd look at flying a few red e-deals specials before the end of November to clinch it.

 

[En Route]

Regardless, the QF scheme works on a fixed year and this is hardly something that a member is unlikely to realise and the website is quite clear in stating how many SCs are needed by a specific date in order to attain status. At the end of year date, you had not attained the requisite 1400 SCs so you had not earned it.

I will admit you are correct here.

My issue with the QFF program (and other frequent flyer programs) is not when the year is fixed, it is that it is a fixed year! By the intended goals of the flight status part of the program I do not think that serves its intended purpose.

From the QFF web site: "We believe you should enjoy more rewards the more you fly." - Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Benefits & Privileges

As I think I stated flying is not my passion, it is part of what I must endure to do my job. It takes me away from family, but allows me to pursue what I believe is a worthwhile career. For me, status is not worth spending a day of family time (and $700+ of personal income) just to attain. My wife and pre-schooler are worth more to me than that.

I thought a status program was suppoesed to be a "fair" way to compesate/recognise those who spend more with the airline and consequently travel frequently. I guess my view of "fair" is incorrect.

A rolling status program would not be hard for a user to track. You would track it the same way as you do currently. You would be able to track earned status through the web site and also have it expire in smaller monthly chunks instead of one large yearly chunk (yes and if you had a long enough hiatus from flying re-attinging high status levels would be difficult in one sense, but easier in another). I thought the program was to reward those who spend and are still using the service, not those that do not use it for more than a year.

Is there anyone on the forum that specifically plans most of their flights in the first half of their status year to cover a long inactivity period? Or delays international business flights because the status will expire before it can be used effectively? This seems a little ludicrous to me. I thought status should server the frequent flyer, not the frequent flyer should have to change their ways to get status.

OK. I'll be quiet from here on as it seems my opinion is not in line with any others on the forum.


Continuing En Route.

 

[JohnK]

A rolling status program would not be hard for a user to track. You would track it the same way as you do currently.

In my opinion I have earned QF Platinum status and should be able to keep it for at least 12 months. With a rolling status FF program I may lose this status after 4 months as I only really accumulate SCs 3 times a year.

Is there anyone on the forum that specifically plans most of their flights in the first half of their status year to cover a long inactivity period?

As a self funded traveller with mainly 3 trips to SE Asia a year I try to attain status based on those trips. I do have some domestic travel and I also schedule status runs if I am going to be short of the required SCs.

I thought status should server the frequent flyer, not the frequent flyer should have to change their ways to get status.

Know the rules of the FF program very well and exploit them to your advantage. As mentioned some people will specifically schedule a DONE4/5, business class RTW with 4 or 5 continents, at the beginning of their membership year and attain enough SCs to keep QF Platinum, or partner gold, for at least 23 months.

OK. I'll be quiet from here on as it seems my opinion is not in line with any others on the forum.

Why? Just because you have a different opinion does no make some right and you wrong. The good thing about this forum is learning from other peoples experiences and hopefully contributing useful information occassionally.

 

[serfty]

... For me, status is not worth spending a day of family time (and $700+ of personal income) just to attain. My wife and pre-schooler are worth more to me than that.
...

So are my wife and 15yo schooler; however I would spend and extra day way and $700+ (tax deductible) to ensure continuance of my status. This enables my wife and 15yo schooler to enjoy travelling far more.

FWIW, the 15yo enjoyed the benefits of my status as long ago as when she was a pre-schooler ...

Cheers ...

 

[oz_mark]

In my opinion I have earned QF Platinum status and should be able to keep it for at least 12 months. With a rolling status FF program I may lose this status after 4 months as I only really accumulate SCs 3 times a year.

While I have no real strong feelings on the rolling status thing, how long you retain your status is an implementation issue, and I don;t see why they could not have it as now that when you attain it it is until the relevant anniversary.

I do know how people feel though, as when I started travelling a lot for work, I has some awkwardly placed anniversary dates, but not much I could do about it.!

As a self funded traveller with mainly 3 trips to SE Asia a year I try to attain status based on those trips. I do have some domestic travel and I also schedule status runs if I am going to be short of the required SCs.

Fortunately, most of my ravel is employer funded, although that has practically been non-existant for the last few months. So much so, that I doubt I will be requalifying as plat this year. And I tyhink I will fall so far short that it would not be worthwhile having status runs just to make up the points. If I were just a bit short (like last year, but was comped back anyway), I might do an extra weekend run to visit someone somewhere.

Know the rules of the FF program very well and exploit them to your advantage. As mentioned some people will specifically schedule a DONE4/5, business class RTW with 4 or 5 continents, at the beginning of their membership year and attain enough SCs to keep QF Platinum, or partner gold, for at least 23 months.

From what I see they sometimes stragetically design their DONE4's to accrue SC's in two different years! I wish I were in a position to do such things, but I am now.

 

[Dave Noble]

I thought a status program was suppoesed to be a "fair" way to compesate/recognise those who spend more with the airline and consequently travel frequently. I guess my view of "fair" is incorrect.

A rolling status program would not be hard for a user to track. You would track it the same way as you do currently. You would be able to track earned status through the web site and also have it expire in smaller monthly chunks instead of one large yearly chunk (yes and if you had a long enough hiatus from flying re-attinging high status levels would be difficult in one sense, but easier in another). I thought the program was to reward those who spend and are still using the service, not those that do not use it for more than a year.

Is there anyone on the forum that specifically plans most of their flights in the first half of their status year to cover a long inactivity period? Or delays international business flights because the status will expire before it can be used effectively? This seems a little ludicrous to me. I thought status should server the frequent flyer, not the frequent flyer should have to change their ways to get status.
.

I agree with you in that there could be benefits in a rolling year and that it would not be that difficult to track. I also know people that would have benefitted from it rather than ending up with enough travel to attain status but failing due to membship year

At one time TWA did have something of a rolling nature to attain status; fly 4 transatlantic flights within a 12 month period and you would get the next Silver status; fly 8 and get Gold.

QFF however doesn't offer this type of feature, so there is nothing that is unreasonable about not giving status to someone who ends the year on 1350 SCs.

Whatever method QFF did use for status would likely benefit some and be negative to others

Dave

 

[AnonymousCoward]

As I think I stated flying is not my passion, it is part of what I must endure to do my job. It takes me away from family, but allows me to pursue what I believe is a worthwhile career. For me, status is not worth spending a day of family time (and $700+ of personal income) just to attain. My wife and pre-schooler are worth more to me than that.

I'm pretty sure we all feel that way.

A rolling status program would not be hard for a user to track. You would track it the same way as you do currently. You would be able to track earned status through the web site and also have it expire in smaller monthly chunks instead of one large yearly chunk (yes and if you had a long enough hiatus from flying re-attinging high status levels would be difficult in one sense, but easier in another). I thought the program was to reward those who spend and are still using the service, not those that do not use it for more than a year.

I think all your plan does is change status from rewarding regular travel from year-to-year, to regular travel from month-to-month. The overall spend by the flyer would probably be the same over a period of several years.

OK. I'll be quiet from here on as it seems my opinion is not in line with any others on the forum.

I don't have that much issue with your plan - it wouldn't work for me personally, as most of my travel is project work (I have a project interstate for 3 or 6 months, then I have a project at home for 3 or 6 months).

But there would be others that it does work for, and I suppose some of us would change our flying habits to keep our status (no matter which way the system works).