Life after Lifetime Gold

[JohnM]

I honestly don't even think I have ever even cared about LTG either before or after reaching it...If LTWP existed I might care more about that maybe but I fly so much domestically in paid J (9 flights in past week for example) that LTG really doesn't offer me much.

I think you might find that most people regard LTG as a post-retirement safety net.

 

[mviy]

I think you might find that most people regard LTG as a post-retirement safety net.

Or as a safety net for if they get promoted and can choose to send others to do travel instead of them.

LTG is not aimed at those who have the inclination and funds to fly J everywhere even post-retirement.

 

[JohnK]

Unless you post it on the internet.

But they would then need to put 2 and 2 together? In my case Qantas knows who I am from the loyalty lunches but I am not afraid they know. I do what is in my best interests and what Qantas thinks or does not think of my travel patterns is not going to change that thought pattern.

I care about Platinum. In my eyes Platinum One is entirely out of reach and I have no interest in trying to attain. I will try to maintain Platinum for as long as I see benefit to me. Once that changes then Lifetime Gold is more than enough as is Virgin Gold right now.

 

[Scarlett]

I guess I'm firmly in the 'look elsewhere' group.

After reaching LTG two years ago, I think I've credited a grand total of 40sc to QFF. However, Ive got *G locked up until 2019 at least and have just had a soft landing from VA WP to SG. Most of this move away from QF was as a result of their determination to monetise as much as possible and I saw it most as a reduction in WP benefits. So I just don't really bother flying QF any more.

 

[TonyHancock]

Here's a question - if I am a QF FF but buy a ticket through Qantas and use my FF number from another program (such as LATAM), would QF know/care that I was crediting the flight to another?

That is a question I would like to know the answer to.

Slighty different but I remember the days when I was climbing the status ladder with BA and was flying QF Y+ International into Australia. I asked the CSM if I could have an express arrivals card. He said he would have a look but they only gave them to J pax. I said I though WP's received them too and for the only time in my life, in flight, I retrieved my P1 card. He scuttled off and came back with his iPad, and an express card, apologising profusely. So certainly without the QFF number in the booking the onboard crew have no idea, (Don't get me started FQTV and the other couple places where a FF number can go!!)

 

[RichardMEL]

Here's a question - if I am a QF FF but buy a ticket through Qantas and use my FF number from another program (such as LATAM), would QF know/care that I was crediting the flight to another?

Here's an answer

In this scenario, QF is acting as the sales agent, and in that sense only care about their revenue. Because the FF# is different, loyalty isn't involved and so they wouldn't be tracking it in terms of John Smith QFF# is the same John Smith with, say, an AA# (could be two totally different people)

The only instance I have seen of an airline seeming to take note and tracking is SQ who somehow (I still don't quite know how!) associated a long dormant and never used SQ# on a booking where I was crediting SQ flights to UA(both numbers showed on the BP) Now this makes sense in respect of SQ's PPS program keeping track of J and F spend as separate to KrisFlyer, but I never gave them that SQ# just the UA#. Must have been some pretty good data matching going on there which was quite impressive in its own way.

With that example in mind, it's possible I guess QF could do similar, and just not make it obvious.. but you know what? I doubt it very much.

Clearly the technology exists on some platforms to manage this sort of thing though.

It may also be a case of laws being different and restricting what can and can not be matched and tracked (I have an idea someone like tripping_the_rift may have more understanding of these issues).

I mean if you suddenly got an email from QF saying "Hey we notice you're crediting to AA now what's with that?" it probably wouldn't go down too well... even if it was phrased more of a "here's a bonus if you credit back to QFF" or something.

It does raise some interesting issues.

Now of course, it's one thing if one tickets or flies QF sectors and they could match and see that one was crediting to another program, but as JohnK noted they would have no way of knowing, except from responses to those Surveys they send out every so often, if someone flew on Star, Skyteam or even LCC's like Scoot, AirAsia, Ryanair etc... and almost certainly not VA.

In my view given QF's historic practice of seemingly doing nothing to acknowledge a big drop in travel or spend (eg: a P1 like TonyHancock going from thousands of SC's a year to 0) they either don't bother to keep this metric(which I find hard to believe) or simply don't view it as important to chase back (unlike some other programs where I've changed spend or travel and had inducements to come back when it's been noticed by the system).

my 2 cents.

 

[TonyHancock]

The voting is interesting and I realise that this being AFF is obviously skewed but I can't help thinking QF is missing out on a potentially lucrative segment. Maybe with the profit as good as it has been they don't care.

Admittedly by the end of my P1 earning I was probably more of a liability and QF was probably pleased to be shut of me. (I was using mASA's extensively)

If I was head of loyalty at QF I might just have the SST contact fallen P1's and find out why they are not flying as much. If they have taken their business elsewhere it might be an opportunity to bring them back into the fold. Seems like low hanging fruit to me. (I should point out that the grass is very much greener where I am so I won't be moving my business unless there are significant enhancements to the BAEC or ex EU fares disappear....and then I'll probably turn to VN and BI)

 

[andye]

The voting is interesting and I realise that this being AFF is obviously skewed but I can't help thinking QF is missing out on a potentially lucrative segment. Maybe with the profit as good as it has been they don't care.

Admittedly by the end of my P1 earning I was probably more of a liability and QF was probably pleased to be shut of me. (I was using mASA's extensively)

If I was head of loyalty at QF I might just have the SST contact fallen P1's and find out why they are not flying as much. If they have taken their business elsewhere it might be an opportunity to bring them back into the fold. Seems like low hanging fruit to me. (I should point out that the grass is very much greener where I am so I won't be moving my business unless there are significant enhancements to the BAEC or ex EU fares disappear....and then I'll probably turn to VN and BI)

Are you sure about BI?-no gin with them, at least when I flew

 

[TonyHancock]

Are you sure about BI?-no gin with them, at least when I flew

Griselda will be packing my emergency martini kit and pre order the necessary duty free Coates.

 

[juddles]

Each person's circumstances are different (such as mine vs TonyHancock's), so we each have different options or lack there of.

Having LTG is pleasing in that I will never have to be a bronze / whatever later down the track. But at the moment with lots of travel and having grown accustomed to P1 level, I don't really want to drop while I am still doing so much blooming hours in the sky. I suspect that the LTG will only benefit me once I retire (or go broke )

Once I retire I intend to do little travel, and certainly not long haul in Y - so LTG will not be much help then anyway. But maybe nice for a couple of domestic trips a year.

If I fall on hard times that LTG could be useful to drown my sorrows in the lowly QP lounges as I do a domestic sector in - aaaaarrrgggghhh! - Jetstar!!!

So for now, will continue to credit enough against QFF to retain status, whether that be P1 or easing down to WP. But certainly, and this to me is THE number one change I would want, in the absence of any LTP or similar worthwhile cause, the excess I have to credit after retaining level is NOT for QF. That margin is used by me according to my perceived valuation of individual trips and the points I would get from other carrier programs.

 

[Drpopper]

I agree wholeheartedly.... it really makes me wonder if QF are actually interested in the true loyalty aspect of their FF program at all.

The voting is interesting and I realise that this being AFF is obviously skewed but I can't help thinking QF is missing out on a potentially lucrative segment. Maybe with the profit as good as it has been they don't care.

Admittedly by the end of my P1 earning I was probably more of a liability and QF was probably pleased to be shut of me. (I was using mASA's extensively)

If I was head of loyalty at QF I might just have the SST contact fallen P1's and find out why they are not flying as much. If they have taken their business elsewhere it might be an opportunity to bring them back into the fold. Seems like low hanging fruit to me. (I should point out that the grass is very much greener where I am so I won't be moving my business unless there are significant enhancements to the BAEC or ex EU fares disappear....and then I'll probably turn to VN and BI)

 

[cove]

For under $6 plus brokerage you could come to the Qantas AGM in Melbourne and ask a question about why is it so. The AGM is October 27th in the morning. You do need to be a shareholder to get into the meeting.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I got LTG a couple of years ago. It hasn’t really changed my habits at all. Like others I think of LTG as a retirement Qantas Club thing. My retirement is still a long way off though. I continue to credit to QFF mainly to keep P1 although I’m not really sure that’s worth it most of the time
I still live in hope that LTP will be introduced as I’m pretty sure by the time I’m finished flying I’d qualify.

 

[mviy]

For under $6 plus brokerage you could come to the Qantas AGM in Melbourne and ask a question about why is it so. The AGM is October 27th in the morning. You do need to be a shareholder to get into the meeting.

I think it would cost quite a bit more than $6 to have your say at the AGM. To become a shareholder of an ASX listed company you need to buy at least $500 worth of shares, I think. This is to try to limit the number of cases where shareholders have holdings that are too small to sell easily.

You can have a smaller holding but that would be after selling shares. A common reason for having a smaller shareholding in an ASX listed company would be that you’ve signed up to a DRP (Dividend Reinvestment Plan) if the company offers one and sell your shares after it goes ex-dividend but before the dividend is paid. You get the dividend which is a small number of shares that you can’t sell easily.

 

[cove]

Yes that market parcel idea seems to be ignored these days as COMMSEC and others are doing $10 fee for under $1,000 trades. I see sales of one share in a number of shares each day now.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yes that market parcel idea seems to be ignored these days as COMMSEC and others are doing $10 fee for under $1,000 trades. I see sales of one share in a number of shares each day now.

This is terribly off topic, but I decided to put it to the test and tried to buy 1 Qantas share on etrade. It was rejected as being under their minimum marketable parcel amount of $600.

 

[drron]

It changed back in the 60s.Conservation groups would buy a share each,go to the AGM and cause a stir.I still have 3 of my 1 share certificates-though I don't think the companies exist as such anymore.

 

[cove]

Thanks for the update FM. I have several shareholdings if you want me to get you into the meeting.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Thanks for the update FM. I have several shareholdings if you want me to get you into the meeting.

do you know I have never ever been to any shareholders meeting! Every now and then I get cranky and huff and puff and tell Mr FM I am going to go to an AGM and ask questions, but it never happens - just chronically lazy

 

[cove]

The Qantas meeting will be interesting this year. I am interested in the value that Qantas has the 12 A380s in their books seeing SQ has 2 that are heading to the scrap heap. The technology of two engine planes has leap frogged the A380 with the A350 and the 787.
The most enjoyable meeting in recent times was the NAB meeting where two quite old shareholders asked some brilliant questions that made Michael Chaney look out of his depth as a banker.
Someone could ask a question about loyalty with Qantas after Lifetime Gold.