How does the QF Membership year work?

[Tom125]

Hi all,

I've decided to try and work my way up through the levels in the QFF scheme after Velocity has ditched their partnership with AirNZ for all but trans-tasman services. I'm Platinum with VA and am going to let it soft land back to Gold while I try to build my Bronze QFF up to Gold. So, a bit of planning is required...

My membership anniversary is 28 Feb, and I have about 500 SC's worth of flying to do between now and then, but won't be able to fit in 700 and reach gold. At some point, say December, I'll reach the 300 needed to attain silver.

Poking around their website it seems that I'll get a new card valid for a year from December to access the (not very exciting) silver perks, but the membership anniversary doesn't change, so on 01 March I'm back to zero, meaning I've wasted SC that won't be counted towards attaining gold. I might be better off sticking with velocity and getting platinum for another year, and then starting my QFF attack in March.

Is that correct?

Thanks!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes that is correct - your sc will reset to zero on 1 March 2018. You will keep silver status until 1 March 2019, but as you say it's not all that exciting. There is also lifetime status, so any sc accumulated prior to 1 March will go towards that.

 

[clazman]

QF year relates to the day you joined, for example you joined 1st February 2017

So between 1st February 2017 and 31st of January 2018 is your QF year and any SC collected are reset midnight the 31st of January 2018

If you qualify for Silver by 1st June 2017, this means you will have access to Silver for the remainder of this year (until 31st January 2018) and for the next year of your membership year (until 31st January 2019)

At the 31st January 2019 you have collected 250 SC you will keep Silver for another year, if not you drop to NB

 

[Tom125]

Great, thanks all, will use my pre-March travel to retain Velocity Platinum for another year, then work on getting QF Gold in my new QF membership year.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Just keep this in mind, while its not cheap, but you can get 200 QF SC, if you do have the $.
You can quite easily earn 200 by this means.
To NZ. EDIT: ***EK metal, QF flight number***.
BNE (or your home city - if not SYD) to SYD in J will get you 40 QF SC, then SYD - CHC for either 80 in whJ, that gives you 120 as it is.
Then F back from CHC - SYD is 120 QF SC, that is already 240.
If you want to, you could go whF from SYD - CHC and whJ back to see the QFi SYD F lounge, and then the Manaia lounge on the way back.
Travelling whF from MEL - SIN is more pricey, so if you ever want to see what the 380 is like to fly in F, SYD - CHC is a good way to try it out.
That was my first F flight on the 380 one Jul about 2 years back. Also my F lounge visit to the QFi SYD F lounge.
I do understand not everyone has the $ to travel like this.
And not everyone wants to see the Southern Alps of NZ.

 

[Himeno]

QF year relates to the day you joined, for example you joined 1st February 2017

Not quite. It's the month you joined.
I joined mid July. My rollover is the end of July.

 

[Jack_OC]

My membership anniversary is 28 Feb, and I have about 500 SC's worth of flying to do between now and then, but won't be able to fit in 700 and reach gold. At some point, say December, I'll reach the 300 needed to attain silver.

Poking around their website it seems that I'll get a new card valid for a year from December to access the (not very exciting) silver perks, but the membership anniversary doesn't change, so on 01 March I'm back to zero, meaning I've wasted SC that won't be counted towards attaining gold. I might be better off sticking with velocity and getting platinum for another year, and then starting my QFF attack in March.

Is that correct?

Thanks!

You might be well advised to ask QF for a status challenge. I did that last year when I got sick of VA. They offered me either Gold or Platinum challenges, for Gold I had to earn 200 SCs (all on QF code and metal) within 90 days, or for Platinum it was 400 SCs. I was allowed to nominate whatever start date I wanted (so you can time it to coincide with planned travel). I went for Gold as I wanted to just get lounge access etc as a starting point, and I wasn't sure I could get 400 SCs within 90 days. Importantly, your membership year becomes irrelevant with respect to achieving this challenge - i.e. the 90 day period can straddle two membership years. Your new status is then valid to at least the end of your current membership year, but in my case they granted it until the end of the membership year after that (13 months away at the time).

By the way, I think the fixed membership year is a major downside of QFF - although to be fair, QFF is pretty much aligned with most other FF programs in this regard. When I first started flying a lot I got badly caught out with this. I earned over 1,000 SCs in the space of two months, yet I still didn't move past Bronze!! The first 250 or so were towards the tail end of my membership year, all on QF codes, so I earned way more than the required 4 eligible sectors (~). However, then my SCs and ~ reset to zero before I even made it to silver, and my next 800 or so SCs only involved 3~, so I was still stuck on Bronze, when the same amount of flying with VA and partners would have had me on Platinum! I ended up getting to Gold, but never made it to Platinum until several years later, again because of the arbitrary nature of the membership year.

 

[mviy]

There is also lifetime status, so any sc accumulated prior to 1 March will go towards that.

With 7000 LTSC needed for LTS and 14000 LTSC for LTG that's a lot of flying but if that's achievable for you the sooner you start the better. I'm on track to reach LTS with the bulk of my flying life hopefully ahead of me, so I've got a decent chance of reaching LTG before retirement.

 

[straitman]

With 7000 LTSC needed for LTS and 14000 LTSC for LTG that's a lot of flying but if that's achievable for you the sooner you start the better. I'm on track to reach LTS with the bulk of my flying life hopefully ahead of me, so I've got a decent chance of reaching LTG before retirement.

Go for LTG as it changes your whole outlook.

In my case the Qantas lack of LTP has cost them quite a lot.

 

[Tom125]

I'm in a different league I'm afraid when it comes to QFF with only 380 LTSC to my name! Thanks for all the advice everyone, I'll firm up my travel plans and ask for a status challenge, good idea, thanks.

 

[mviy]

Well LTG is at most 23 and 1/6 years of Gold starting from 0 SC and that's just scraping into obtaining it in the first year and retaining it every year after that without fail (alternatively at most 11.5 years of Platinum following the same assumptions). If you're young and make good use of double status and 50% bonus SC promotions as they come along your lifetime tally may build faster than you think. In just the last couple of years I've earned close to four times my previous LTSC tally.

 

[RichardMEL]

This post, while OT, is meant for purely educational purposes..

If you want to, you could go whF from SYD - CHC and whJ back to see the QFi SYD F lounge, and then the Manaia lounge on the way back.
Travelling whF from MEL - SIN is more pricey, so if you ever want to see what the 380 is like to fly in F, SYD - CHC is a good way to try it out.
That was my first F flight on the 380 one Jul about 2 years back. Also my F lounge visit to the QFi SYD F lounge.

Pooch, you mention whF and whJ above.

I think you misunderstand the origins of the "whY" saying - it does not apply to anything else.

In short, "whY" is basically a fun way of expressing "why would anyone fly Y?" (EconomY) obviously shortened to whY.

The concept doesn't work for J (Business) or F (First) both because it breaks the word "why" and makes no sense with the other meaning of the phrase.

It may be best to stick to the generic cabin designations in common use, such as Y, J and F or use their full names if you prefer. It would be far less confusing for readers than mixing them up, as you have above.

Again, meant to be informative, educational and constructive.

 

[Himeno]

Well LTG is at most 23 and 1/6 years of Gold starting from 0 SC and that's just scraping into obtaining it in the first year and retaining it every year after that without fail (alternatively at most 11.5 years of Platinum following the same assumptions). If you're young and make good use of double status and 50% bonus SC promotions as they come along your lifetime tally may build faster than you think. In just the last couple of years I've earned close to four times my previous LTSC tally.

I had LTG within 8 years of joining QFF. Haven't used any bonus SC offers. Currently sitting on 18,680 LTSC. Average of just under 1700SC/year.

 

[mviy]

Well. Not everyone travels enough for work/pleasure to get there without the help of bonus SC offers. If you can do it without them then good for you.

I would argue that even for those who don't need it it's still beneficial to get to LTG sooner than otherwise as you never know when your flying habits may change (e.g. due to a change of job, illness etc.).

 

[Himeno]

Well. Not everyone travels enough for work/pleasure to get there without the help of bonus SC offers. If you can do it without them then good for you.

I would argue that even for those who don't need it it's still beneficial to get to LTG sooner than otherwise as you never know when your flying habits may change (e.g. due to a change of job, illness etc.).

I don't travel for work. I do 1 RTW trip each year with 1 other short overseas trip.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

For RichardMEL.
Noted: re abbreviations I made up.

 

[perthjay85]

I don't travel for work. I do 1 RTW trip each year with 1 other short overseas trip.

Without trying to hijack the thread could you if you get a chance post up or PM myself an itinerary that you have done.
I would love to make WP status just once in my life as I am lucky enough to travel by plane maybe once / twice per year tops.

Cheers.