Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

[support]

This thread is for Questions and General discussion regarding the Best Status Run Options for QFF as per this thread:

Overview of Best Status Run Options [not the discussion thread]

Please keep your questions and queries to this thread and avoid posting in the other.

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You can also get some status run inspiration from this AFF article:

The Best Qantas Frequent Flyer Status Runs

Haven't earned enough status credits in your Qantas membership year? Here is a selection of the best Qantas Frequent Flyer status runs.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Ah, thanks for that, Eminere.
In reply to Funnymummy, I now book my trips to NZ as separate bookings, on my trips from Au to NZ and the way back.
This will make the system ask you if you want to pay in Aud$ or Nzd$.
I needed a flight from WLG - SYD - ADL, and I did the booking on the QF NZ website.
It asked me if I wanted to pay in Aud$ or Nzd$.
If you pay in Nzd$, while its cheaper, some banks will charge you a forex fee, as its processed in a foreign currency.
This time I decided to pay in Aud$ but if I wanted to, I could have paid in Nzd$ with a 1.0025% extra surcharge from my bank.

 

[CaptJCool]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Well that's convenient.. Is that in the booking cycle just BEFORE you put in the credit card details ?
i note one of my financiers now charges international fees even if you "pay" in $A at point of sale in the foreign country ....
I wonder how they DETERMINE where the QF merchant account is located ? Muses

 

[madrooster]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Well that's convenient.. Is that in the booking cycle just BEFORE you put in the credit card details ?
i note one of my financiers now charges international fees even if you "pay" in $A at point of sale in the foreign country ....
I wonder how they DETERMINE where the QF merchant account is located ? Muses

Based on what merchant facility QF uses to charge your card. It'll be the merchant of the originating country...

 

[medhead]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Ah, thanks for that, Eminere.
In reply to Funnymummy, I now book my trips to NZ as separate bookings, on my trips from Au to NZ and the way back.
This will make the system ask you if you want to pay in Aud$ or Nzd$.
I needed a flight from WLG - SYD - ADL, and I did the booking on the QF NZ website.
It asked me if I wanted to pay in Aud$ or Nzd$.
If you pay in Nzd$, while its cheaper, some banks will charge you a forex fee, as its processed in a foreign currency.
This time I decided to pay in Aud$ but if I wanted to, I could have paid in Nzd$ with a 1.0025% extra surcharge from my bank.

Well that's convenient.. Is that in the booking cycle just BEFORE you put in the credit card details ?
i note one of my financiers now charges international fees even if you "pay" in $A at point of sale in the foreign country ....
I wonder how they DETERMINE where the QF merchant account is located ? Muses

This sounds like the dynamic currency conversion that Qantas offers. It is extremely poor value. Get a Citibank Plus debit card and pay in NZ$. Sorry that doesn't help with financiers.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Yes, just before you pay, it asks.
I have not ever seen the question asked on the QF Au website, so it probably relies firstly on if a person choose the QF Au or QF NZ website, and also then if a person chooses to pay in Nzd$, then the surcharge comes into the equation.
Its a hard thing though, because the 1.0025% surcharge for forex does take away the savings a bit.
Back to the gist of amassing QF SC, a real indulge is this one, Aud$3863 for 300 QF SC-ADL - PER QF J, PER - AKL QF J, AKL - BNE QF J, BNE - ADL QF J.
About Aud$12.87 a QF SC.
Doable over the Christmas long weekend this year.
23 start out from ADL, overnight PER, 24/12 PER - AKL, and then 27/12 back again.
If a person saves for a year, that Aud$3xx_ is probably achievable.
Expensive by others, but maybe when Pushka is better, she could consider this.
PER - AKL is that QF111.
Get the earlier flight ADL - PER to meet the 20.50 departure for PER - AKL.
This one is on my bucket list.
If I add an F AKL - BNE instead of the J, while a very expensive bucket list item, all up, this will keep my QF PS requirements for one year.

 

[defurax]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

About Aud$12.87 a QF SC.

The title of the thread is "Best QF Status Run", I was under the impression that this implied less than $10/SC...

 

[medhead]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Back to the gist of amassing QF SC, a real indulge is this one, Aud$3863 for 300 QF SC-ADL - PER QF J, PER - AKL QF J, AKL - BNE QF J, BNE - ADL QF J.
About Aud$12.87 a QF SC.
Doable over the Christmas long weekend this year.
23 start out from ADL, overnight PER, 24/12 PER - AKL, and then 27/12 back again.
If a person saves for a year, that Aud$3xx_ is probably achievable.
Expensive by others, but maybe when Pushka is better, she could consider this.
PER - AKL is that QF111.
Get the earlier flight ADL - PER to meet the 20.50 departure for PER - AKL.
This one is on my bucket list.
If I add an F AKL - BNE instead of the J, while a very expensive bucket list item, all up, this will keep my QF PS requirements for one year.

That is a terrible suggestion for getting status. $12/SC !!! The sale that ended today had ADL to AKL for $800. That can easily get 240 SC or possibly as much as 280SC, for $1600. For $3200 as many as 560SC. $7/ SC or less.

If you want to fly all over the countryside, that's fine. But it is not a status run.

 

[hossein_au]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

That is a terrible suggestion for getting status. $12/SC !!! The sale that ended today had ADL to AKL for $800. That can easily get 240 SC or possibly as much as 280SC, for $1600. For $3200 as many as 560SC. $7/ SC or less.

If you want to fly all over the countryside, that's fine. But it is not a status run.

It still is technically a status run, albeit a leisurely one on wide-body, across the pond, just as some people like them! Not for me though ;-) $12 per SC? Thanks, but no thanks!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Ok, noted.

 

[eminere]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

It still is technically a status run, albeit a leisurely one on wide-body, across the pond, just as some people like them! Not for me though ;-) $12 per SC? Thanks, but no thanks!

This thread is for the best status run options, which seems to imply a level of cost effectiveness, no...?

 

[medhead]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

It still is technically a status run, albeit a leisurely one on wide-body, across the pond, just as some people like them! Not for me though ;-) $12 per SC? Thanks, but no thanks!

I would call it a route run or premium cabin run or even a widebody aircraft run (or dare I suggest an interview with border force run ). If the primary objective is to achieve status, I don't see how that suggestion is fit for purpose.

Edit: probably a good idea if someone wants to create a thread on interesting routing/aircraft combinations/premium cabin experiences.

This thread is for the best status run options, which seems to imply a level of cost effectiveness, no...?

I'd add time effective as well.

 

[snabbu]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

This thread is for the best status run options, which seems to imply a level of cost effectiveness, no...?

I'd have to agree.

You could also technically call a SYD-LHR-SYD in F @ $31/SC a status run, it just doesn't really need discussing here.

Maybe a playground thread would be more appropriate.

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

F sale now on.
AKL - BNE.
26 Dec 16.
Nzd$899.
If I had my next sub contractor payment in full, this is what I would do next.

What may be more helpful to the general readers of this thread is giving the booking dates and travel window rather than just a random date.

For this particular iteration of the sale:

Fare code AANZ, books into A
Booking window April 8-April 14, Travel period: April 20-Dec 31, 16 (10 day min Advance Purchase)

Also of note to the conversation about poor Dynamic Currency Conversion rates (I would NEVER elect to pay in AUD from a foreign source), it's useful to note that the NZ website (QF) does not charge a CC surcharge, and bookings ex-AU can avoid same by use of voucher

 

[mviy]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

I'd add time effective as well.

I'm not so sure on that. Some don't mind stopping a few days somewhere to experience somewhere different (and perhaps save a bit on the flights) but going somewhere they wouldn't have gone if it weren't for the status run. Certainly a status run should be at least one of cost effective and/or time effective.

 

[eminere]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Also of note to the conversation about poor Dynamic Currency Conversion rates (I would NEVER elect to pay in AUD from a foreign source), it's useful to note that the NZ website (QF) does not charge a CC surcharge, and bookings ex-AU can avoid same by use of voucher

From the QF NZ booking engine:

Add NZD $7.00 per passenger for payment by debit/prepaid cards or NZD $7.00 per passenger for payment by credit or charge cards.

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

From the QF NZ booking engine:

Add NZD $7.00 per passenger for payment by debit/prepaid cards or NZD $7.00 per passenger for payment by credit or charge cards.

shoot! Is that new??? I don't recall there being one previously.

mea culpa! Thanks for the correction!

 

[medhead]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

I'm not so sure on that. Some don't mind stopping a few days somewhere to experience somewhere different (and perhaps save a bit on the flights) but going somewhere they wouldn't have gone if it weren't for the status run. Certainly a status run should be at least one of cost effective and/or time effective.

Time effective for the flights required to get the status.

If you're having a holiday, does it count as a status run?

 

[mviy]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Time effective for the flights required to get the status.

If you're having a holiday, does it count as a status run?

Well put it this way, say I went to the US for work and had a choice of spending a bit of extra time over there for a break. I could choose to stay in the state I visited for work or fly to another state using some cost effective flights and spend a few days there to experience somewhere different. Were it not for the status credits I may not do those flights.

I'm not planning on doing a status run this year (in fact I've never done one) as I'm too far off from the next status tier to make a run worth it for me, but another year I may visit a state in the US I wouldn't visit were it not for the status credits.

 

[RichardMEL]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

Time effective for the flights required to get the status.

If you're having a holiday, does it count as a status run?

I think it counts if you're using out of the way routings and stuff as part of the holiday.

It is true that a "proper" status run has no purpose to the flying (or hotel staying a.k.a. mattress run) other than simply to accrue status earning points, but one can easily include a SC run to a trip with another purpose

 

[Awesom Andy]

re: Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

$12/SC !!!

I can fly SYD-xMEL-SIN and return this Saturday, at $11.46/SC...