Earn Points and SCs with Any Seat Award Flights

[ejb]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

That's what alerted me to it, look at the flights that are 19000 pts vs the ones that are 150000 pts and youl willl see the 19K flights match to flights that have classic awards available for 16K + taxes. WIth taxes in the order of $12 would never spend the extra 3K pts, but with status credit and points earning it's worthwhile.

I have been looking further and the less points are quite often also on less popular aircraft. B763 SYD - PER compared to A333 40000 points - 160000 points.

They do not want to give up the SkyBeds cheaply.

I think it will be mainly a dom issue as Int flights appear to still be quite high for anyseat.

ejb

 

[djfuzz]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I must say, I'm kind of mystified at the negativity towards points/SC earning for any seat fares.

Even if there are some non-elite QFF members with insanely big CC points balances, in order to threaten the status quo by buying their way to WP, they still have to:

1) Have a points balance substantial enough to cover 1200/1400 SC.

2) Choose to use the points (in one qualifying year).

3) Pay a significant premium over the points required for a classic reward for those flights (repeated many times over, given the number of flights required to achieve WP on QF/JQ alone).

4) Have the time and inclination to fly enough legs to achieve WP.

5) Actually fly those legs.

Quite frankly, IMHO getting 4 and 5 out of the way alone is a significant enough hurdle to deserve WP. Whether it's paid for through cash or significantly undervalued QFF points due to 3 seems to be besides the point - by using ASR instead of CR, they're paying a premium in points liability rather than as a cash liability (apparently pretty much the same to QF's balance sheet) - so it's no longer really a generous perk of the QFF program. Finally, given the even smaller population who satisfy 1 and 2 (who have not already got elite status), I can't imagine how this is really going to make such an intolerable difference.

Just my 2c (as a wannabe 2010 WP myself).

 

[ejb]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I feel, like I believe others do, that if it is easier to reach the higher status levels the less useful they become.

If everyone was SG the QP would be packed and become useless, if everyone got WP there is not enough row 4 seats on 738's to sit them all down.

I personally don't think the average person has 400K+ points to spend in a year and those of us that do already have status with an airline or don't care about status. So I don't think this will add to the number of WP's and SG's but may make life easier for those that wish to retain status.

The people that make use of this new system are not doing anything different to those that already use the system to maximise SC's while limiting spend, that is why we are all here to play the system for our benefit.

ejb

 

[bossreggie]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

No worries at all. However if you are on the same flight in Y please do NOT walk past the curtain or bossreggie and I may get upset.

ejb

I will indeed! AND I'm glad we think alike on this particular matter ejb.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

EDIT: Well, this is interesting. The Airline Earning Table has been updated to reflect the Any Seat Awards being paid points and SCs now, but they only have one class of each service type - X, Z, U, P - in the table. I know that Classic Seats book into X for Economy; I wonder if each "fare type" in an Any Seat Award situation will have different fare codes too, and only some of them are X (and others may be something else). This gets a little hairy too if QF offer the opportunity to upgrade some Any Seat Awards (as having all as one class - X - doesn't take into account different upgrade amounts and types).

X is not eligible for an upgrade
U and Z are eligible for upgrades if booked as an Anyseat Award
P is not eligible (probably as there is nowhere to go)

16.1.3 Flight Upgrades are not available when travelling on Restricted Fares (except for those Segments with a Qantas (QF) flight number booked in Z or U class entered on the itinerary as part of a Qantas & Jetstar Any Seat Award),

 

[hasan27]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Strange....

I just booked another Any Seat Reward flight from SIN-MEL for April 14th.

The fare description states:

"Flight Upgrade Awards are eligible on this fare except if this fare is a Qantas Any Seat Award.
Flight Upgrade Awards can only be redeemed on Qantas operated flights
Points and Status Credits are not earned when travelling on Qantas Any Seat Awards. Classed as Discount Economy when Status Credits are earned on this fare."

Wonder if Qantas has just forgotten to update certain pages on the website with the new T&Cs? I get a conflicting description when I book using the "POINTS + PAY" option from MEL-SIN where for the states:

"Flight Upgrade Awards are eligible on this fare.
Flight Upgrade Awards can only be redeemed on Qantas operated flights.
Points and Status Credits may be earned on this fare. Classed as Discount Economy when Points or Status Credits are earned.
Points and Status Credits are not accrued when travelling on Qantas codeshare flights operated by Jetstar."

Confused... I wonder if you could call them to check --- and if all the staff would even be across this change yet.

This is good, but I’ll wait for the official announcement

 

[Flying Fox]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Certainly changes the value porposition.

I looked at some international J & F under both classic and any-seat. 'price difference' was nominal but the value of the SCs (and to a lesser degree the points) would be substantial to me.

 

[markis10]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I stillhave a cancelled AS booking in limbo, maybe I need to get it back????

 

[djfuzz]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Hasan27, I wonder if it will only apply for bookings made after the time that ASR points/SC earning is announced - there's an argument to be made that the terms have already changed, but they may refer you back to what was set out on the as-yet not updated fare conditions when you booked them.

I agree that the premium for some international fares is not too bad, but they tend to correspond with sale fares, so I guess it again becomes a value proposition of whether it is better to spend cash or points for such a 'cheap' fare (provided paying cash at all is not a problem at the time) - but at least with SC/points being earned either way, it does make the choice a little less lopsided.

 

[bossreggie]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

the value of the SCs (and to a lesser degree the points) would be substantial to me.

Totally agree.

I have booked a Dom J fare for 2nd April just to see if points/sc's appear before doing anything else.

I saw a SYD - MEL for 19,000 points. I paid the $55 and got it for 16,000 (A332)

 

[iqis60]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I've just booked a return flight in J to Melbourne this weekend to check out the GP on awards. I'll let people know what credits.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I believe it comes from the award bucket. Did someone post something on AFF recently about it all?

One way of checking is to look at some award availability where only Any Seat Awards are offered and check Expert Flyer for the booking class. It would be X for economy, Z for premium economy, U for business, P for first. I don't think the free availability tools show the award buckets.

This doesn't make sense. It's an *any seat* award. You can book any seat that's left on the plane (provided you have enough points). Plenty of evidence around to suggest that the point cost is approximately 100 points for each $1 that buying the cheapest ticket in that class of services will cost (with the exception of when there are still classic award seats left).

That all said, what's the difference between people with millions of CC points flying around on QANTAS, and say, flying around on CX? or AA YUP fares? At least the people with CC points are flying on QANTAS.

 

[Mal]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

The T&C's have been changed again to indicate that Anyseat rewards booked previous to 23 March will not earn points:

9.4.1 Points are not earned for travel on:

(k) Qantas & Jetstar Any Seat Award bookings originally made before 23 March 2010.

In a roundabout way, I think one can thus safely assume that bookings made 23 March 2010 onwards will earn points according to the Earnings table.

If you already have a Anyseat Reward booked previous to that date - perhaps cancelling and rebooking might be worthwhile

 

[samh004]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Such a rule change would seem to suggest they plan on increasing the number of points needed, though perhaps they just don’t want to change the fare class previous ASR’s were booked into, assuming it’s different.

 

[straitman]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Such a rule change would seem to suggest they plan on increasing the number of points needed, though perhaps they just don’t want to change the fare class previous ASR’s were booked into, assuming it’s different.

Sam,

Could you please eloborate :?: I do not understand your logic.

 

[samh004]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Sam,

Could you please eloborate :?: I do not understand your logic.

Well, I don’t understand why a flight booked prior to the rule change, but flown after the rule change, shouldn’t earn points/SC’s, unless there are fare increases to cover the change or the tickets were booked into a different code and they can’t be bothered to swap them over.

I realise they’re a company and can do what they like, but for flights not yet flown, unless the points required increased considerably, I don’t see the big issue giving points/SC’s.

Eg. You buy a ticket on the 22nd for 30000 points, and another on the 24th for 30000 points too, yet only the later booked ticket earns points/SC’s even though the tickets are exactly the same, makes no sense. But say your ticket on the 24th suddenly cost 35000 points, theres a difference that’s accounting for the new earning potential and it makes sense.

 

[straitman]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Well, I don’t understand why a flight booked prior to the rule change, but flown after the rule change, shouldn’t earn points/SC’s, unless there are fare increases to cover the change or the tickets were booked into a different code and they can’t be bothered to swap them over.

I realise they’re a company and can do what they like, but for flights not yet flown, unless the points required increased considerably, I don’t see the big issue giving points/SC’s.

Eg. You buy a ticket on the 22nd for 30000 points, and another on the 24th for 30000 points too, yet only the later booked ticket earns points/SC’s even though the tickets are exactly the same, makes no sense. But say your ticket on the 24th suddenly cost 35000 points, theres a difference that’s accounting for the new earning potential and it makes sense.

OK got it now.

I see it exactly the opposite and as simple as they need to draw the line at some date or other.

 

[Mal]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

I see it exactly the opposite and as simple as they need to draw the line at some date or other.

And it's probably also related to IT changes in the back-end too. System programmed to use booking date of ticket as a guide for whether to credit points or not (and yeah I don't really see the logic in that vs the logic of flying date, but I'm sure there are some reasons for it).

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

Eg. You buy a ticket on the 22nd for 30000 points, and another on the 24th for 30000 points too, yet only the later booked ticket earns points/SC’s even though the tickets are exactly the same, makes no sense. But say your ticket on the 24th suddenly cost 35000 points, theres a difference that’s accounting for the new earning potential and it makes sense.

You buy an anyseat award ticket on the 22nd and one of the conditions of the ticket was that it would not earn SC or points. They are just clarifying that you are bound by the rules on the date you booked. It is not at all unsusual for this to happen.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Earning Status Credits & Points on ANY SEAT bookings

This doesn't make sense. It's an *any seat* award. You can book any seat that's left on the plane (provided you have enough points).

You are quite right. Sorry my mistake....