How long does it usually take VA to upgrade your tier?

[stig_aus]

This is a known issue and can easily be fixed by calling Velocity as @jb01 describes:

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[kyle]

So here's the conclusion.

My status still has not been updated since the last flight was credited to the account on 30 December 2018. Called VA today 14 January 2019. The rep checked the account and saw that I was eligible. She did a manual refresh of the account and then the new platinum status was successfully applied.

 

[Max Samuels]

I am now ready to get upgraded to Gold! Flew the last flight Monday (today is Friday)... but still Silver.
Even though the Velocity App says I have "0 Status Credits Needed".... I was kind of hoping that I would be freshly minted Gold for today's flight... but alas I guess I'll have to buy a coughpy coffee at the airport with cash.....

Although I am really enjoying VA as a nice change from QF, I have to say it again.... QF's IT systems seem much better. Points and SCs are always there by the next day (sometimes same day). I thought the whole point of the digital cards was that one didn't need to wait for the snail-mail when a tier upgraded occurred?

 

[stig_aus]

Although I am really enjoying VA as a nice change from QF, I have to say it again.... QF's IT systems seem much better.

I'm going through the same situation at the moment. Earned enough status credits in April to keep Gold for the next 12 months. Got to my review date in August and then my account spent 3 weeks under review (which while not ideal didn't really cause me any issues). Annoyingly I'm going to Singapore next week and probably won't have received my updated physical card - hopefully this won't cause me any issues at the Lounge.

Really frustrating from a customer perspective when you've done all the flying months ahead but the back end systems can't keep up.

 

[Pleb Status]

I am now ready to get upgraded to Gold! Flew the last flight Monday (today is Friday)... but still Silver.
Even though the Velocity App says I have "0 Status Credits Needed".... I was kind of hoping that I would be freshly minted Gold for today's flight... but alas I guess I'll have to buy a coughpy coffee at the airport with cash.....

Although I am really enjoying VA as a nice change from QF, I have to say it again.... QF's IT systems seem much better. Points and SCs are always there by the next day (sometimes same day). I thought the whole point of the digital cards was that one didn't need to wait for the snail-mail when a tier upgraded occurred?

View attachment 187331

It normally takes 24 hours after the final SC required are credited to your VFF account.

So, if the final SC required for SG credited to your account this morning, you should elevate to SG tomorrow morning.

The average three day delay to get SC/points credited to your account is only an issue when you change status. Once you are a WP, hopefully it will never be an issue again...

 

[Pleb Status]

I'm going through the same situation at the moment. Earned enough status credits in April to keep Gold for the next 12 months. Got to my review date in August and then my account spent 3 weeks under review (which while not ideal didn't really cause me any issues). Annoyingly I'm going to Singapore next week and probably won't have received my updated physical card - hopefully this won't cause me any issues at the Lounge.

Really frustrating from a customer perspective when you've done all the flying months ahead but the back end systems can't keep up.

I have never had to show my VFF card at an SQ lounge as long as my status (Partner Gold for SG and Partner Priority for WP) is shown on my SQ boarding pass.

Sometimes I have found that my status will not show on the online generated SQ boarding passes (when using OLCI). In that case, you will need to get an airport generated SQ boarding pass which will show your status.

 

[stig_aus]

I have never had to show my VFF card at an SQ lounge as long as my status (Partner Gold for SG and Partner Priority for WP) is shown on my SQ boarding pass.

Sometimes I have found that my status will not show on the online generated SQ boarding passes (when using OLCI). In that case, you will need to get an airport generated SQ boarding pass which will show your status.

Perfect. Even though I'm flying on a KrisFlyer redemption I'll make sure my Velocity number is linked to that booking.

 

[Pleb Status]

Perfect. Even though I'm flying on a KrisFlyer redemption I'll make sure my Velocity number is linked to that booking.

That will be a little more interesting... SQ can have some odd rules sometimes.

You should be fine (no different to a revenue booking I would assume), but I have never needed to change my KF (nothing) status to my VFF WP status on SQ KF award bookings, as all award bookings have been in J and therefore making my VFF status redundant.

I am flying on a SQ KF J award booking next week and may change the 'crediting' to VFF to see what happens...

 

[stig_aus]

I am flying on a SQ KF J award booking next week and may change the 'crediting' to VFF to see what happens...

I'm actually in the same boat. SQ KF J award to SIN next week and then returning on a SQ KF Y award the week after. I was contemplating updating both bookings to my VFF SG (even though the first is redundant as you mention) just to see what happens. I'll give it a crack!

 

[Max Samuels]

So this is how it happened.....

Monday = final qualifying flight flown
Friday = flight credited to account (that is waaaaaay too long in my opinion)
Saturday = tier upgraded to Gold

Not very impressive from an IT point of view as VA should be able to process this stuff much faster....

 

[Max Samuels]

Hey so question..... I just received the welcome email from VA about my exciting Gold Status..... I see that one of the benefits is "fly ahead" on an earlier flight up the 3 hours before your scheduled flight on any fare except a "getaway" fare (which I assume is their version of a red e-deal?). Does anyone know how generous they are with this? I only ask because the whole reason I am going through the messy divorce with QF is because they wouldn't put me on an earlier flight on a discounted J ticket.... if I had been flying VA that wouldn't have been an issue I imagine because "I "class is not a getaway fare....

QF's ears must be burning..... I am suddenly receiving all sorts of emails from them, even a phone call, asking what they could do to improve.... I wonder if it is coincidence or the fact that I went from almost 2x weekly flying to NIL overnight....

 

[Pleb Status]

Hey so question..... I just received the welcome email from VA about my exciting Gold Status..... I see that one of the benefits is "fly ahead" on an earlier flight up the 3 hours before your scheduled flight on any fare except a "getaway" fare (which I assume is their version of a red e-deal?). Does anyone know how generous they are with this? I only ask because the whole reason I am going through the messy divorce with QF is because they wouldn't put me on an earlier flight on a discounted J ticket.... if I had been flying VA that wouldn't have been an issue I imagine because "I "class is not a getaway fare....

QF's ears must be burning..... I am suddenly receiving all sorts of emails from them, even a phone call, asking what they could do to improve.... I wonder if it is coincidence or the fact that I went from almost 2x weekly flying to NIL overnight....

I have used fly ahead on about eight occasions in the past (all on SYD-MEL v.v.) and no fly ahead request has ever been rejected (all requests were from an Elevate fare and I checked that some Y seats were available prior to the request).

Getaway (the bottom three Y fare classes) and Elevate fares are equivalent to QF red edeals. Fly ahead is available on all Business fare classes and even all award tickets (in both Y and J).

T&C below. I have broken rule 23.5.3 on previous occasions as the PER lounge will not process a fly ahead request for the SYD-MEL sector if flying PER-SYD-MEL on the same ticket. You need to do it in the SYD lounge (if HLO) which is 'a mid-way point of a connecting journey'.

23.5 Fly Ahead

23.5.1 In the event that a Platinum or Gold Member, who has a confirmed seat for a Virgin Australia marketed and operated Domestic flight, arrives at either the Virgin Australia Lounge, Priority check-in or Service Desk or kiosk (where kiosk Fly Ahead functionality is available) on the day of travel in time to be carried on an earlier Virgin Australia Domestic flight, the Member is entitled to make a request that they, and up to 3 accompanying guests on the same booking, be carried on that earlier flight (Fly Ahead).

23.5.2 Subject to clause 23.5.8, Platinum or Gold members may only make a Fly Ahead request at the Virgin Australia Lounge or kiosk (where kiosk Fly Ahead functionality is available) for Members with no check-in baggage; or at the Virgin Australia Priority check-in counter or Service Desk for members who have baggage and have not yet checked in.

23.5.3 Fly Ahead cannot be requested at the Lounge for Members who have check-in baggage or at a mid-way point of a connecting journey.

23.5.4 Fly Ahead requests are only available for individual Flight Sectors departing from the location at which the request is made.

23.5.5 Fly Ahead requests are not available to Members travelling on group bookings, Getaway Fares or bookings in Fare Classes S, M or T.

23.5.6 Fulfilment of a Member’s request is not guaranteed and is subject to the following conditions:

(a) the Member and the accompanying guest(s) (if applicable) must hold fully paid confirmed seats on the same Virgin Australia Domestic flight to the same ultimate Any Domestic destination;

(b) the Fly Ahead flight selection must be made at least 30 minutes before departure while the flight is still open for check-in and the Member and guest(s) agree that catering is not guaranteed;

(c) routing changes to the Fly Ahead flight are not permitted and must remain as a single Flight Sector;

(d) there are available seats in the same cabin as the cabin originally purchased by the Member, on the eligible Fly Ahead flight; and

(e) no guests on the earlier Virgin Australia Domestic flight are displaced.

23.5.7 If the request is granted and the Member and their accompanying guest(s) (if applicable) are moved to an earlier Virgin Australia Domestic flight in a lower class than the fare class originally purchased, which may also include a lower cabin class than the cabin class originally ticketed, no refund will be provided on that ticket.

23.5.8 Notwithstanding clause 23.5.2, Platinum Members are additionally entitled to:

(a) in the case of flights between any of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, request to Fly Ahead on a flight departing up to 2 hours prior to their booked flight by contacting the Guest Contact Centre; and

(b) in the case of all other Virgin Australia marketed and operated Domestic Flights, request to Fly Ahead on a flight immediately prior to their booked flight by calling the Guest Contact Centre

In each case, the Platinum Member requesting to Fly Ahead must contact the Guest Contact Centre at least 1 hour prior to the departure time of the desired flight.

 

[Max Samuels]

... Fly ahead is available on all Business fare classes and even all award tickets (in both Y and J).

Wow so basically the exact opposite of Qantas. An airline that, by the sounds of it, wants to help their customers out by doing something that is not rocket science, and actually helps themselves out by making more inventory available on later flights in case they are needed. When Qantas denied me on an earlier flight because I had a discounted (yet, fully refundable) J fare, they did tell me I could CANCEL that ticket, get a refund, buy a Flex, and them use points to UPGRADE to J, as there WERE J seats available, but just not on my fare.... the mind boggles.

My WORST QF experience was many years ago on the often ill-fated QF497 SYD-MEL which used to depart at 2200.... this one time I arrived early and they wouldn't put me on an earlier flight, then QF497 missed curfew and was cancelled, and I had to stay in a hotel. Seems like an expensive mistake for them? But I am sure the people that made the decision not to put me on an earlier flight got a promotion....

 

[westsurf]

Sort of extended query ... Flying Sydney on this Thursday which with family pooling (2 flying business saver) will easily push me into Silver but shy of Gold. The Saturday week I am flying out of Sydney with five family members. As we have a five (5) hour drive to the airport planning to get there early to ensure we make it in time and use the lounge.

I have two lounge passes on my Amex card and wanted to take three others into the Lounge. I'm wanting to avoid paying $65 x three people.

Will my Silver status have been updated by that stage giving me another two free passes and so that I'll only be up for one $65 charge?

What's the best manner to ensure it is?

 

[Max Samuels]

I also noticed that each time you get to a new tier, the 12 months to retain that tier is reset?? Or am I reading it wrong? But it seems to be different to QF which locks you into your membership anniversary?

 

[AIRwin]

I also noticed that each time you get to a new tier, the 12 months to retain that tier is reset??

Yes (but only when attaining a higher status?)

 

[Max Samuels]

Yes (but only when attaining a higher status?)

Okay good to know.

But still a significant reduction in the barrier to entry, methinks