Life Time Gold - The [Realistic] Holy Grail

[serfty]

I'll try to bring the 'Gold Letter' with me on Saturday ...

 

[burnt]

My suggestion would be to open inventory (make available the ability to request redemption seats) would be a great benefit for LTG, in my opinion this would be fine without the need to offer deals on WP etc as would still give access to 1st lounges when redeeming J or F seats

 

[Austman]

The current LTG letter:

 

[JessicaTam]

That's awesome. It's even on letterhead. :shock:

 

[JohnM]

Here's one from a while back. It's signed...

 

[Stoopidsteve]

[insert fungiform papillae in buccal cavity]
We should of course not be cynical of QFFs commitment to rewarding loyalty in being wary of the "*", nor should we laugh hysterically at the understatement inherent in "The Qantas Frequent Flyer Program benefits may change from time to time".
[remove tongue from cheek]

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Note the verbiage has changed over the years.....

Gold Frequent Flyer Life Membership
to
Gold Lifetime Membership

 

[JessicaTam]

Note the verbiage has changed over the years.....

Gold Frequent Flyer Life Membership
to
Gold Lifetime Membership

Less ink?

 

[PineappleSkip]

As for what I would like next as a newly minted AFF gold (and recently requalified WP). It was a case of 'where else will I go'. I could fly VA but, having invested all my pennies in the QF box my status with VA is PB (PR?). Eeeew. I could presumably fly Jetstar or even Tiger but I am not a masochis_?

Additional obsequiousness is all I ask. I shall fly QF BNE-SYD tomorrow. I could have gone from MCY but QF depart at sleepy time and only the wretched Jetstar is available at wakeys time. I could have gone from WTB but the fares are ridiculous and there is no comfy part of the plane. So BNE it is.

As a WP-LTG, I shall expect one extra kowtow at valet parking, another at the lounge desk, another at the gate and another at boarding. An excellent flight would also include a kowtow at security screening but sone places are beyond redemption. I expect Redroo to be writing this on his notepad, like one of Kim Jong Un's generals. Do you have that Redroo? Four extra kowtows.

Cheers skip. He knows who he is. Do you?

 

[Austman]

Rest assured PineappleSkip that no-one will know about your LTG status.

And no-one will care.

Shame isn't it?

My personal view is that it should count more than WP, but will only ever be recognised as SG.

But SG is just 600 SCs (to renew). WG is 1,200 SCs (to renew). LTG needs 14,000! That's a LOT of loyalty.

And at least someone in Qantas should acknowledge it personally... at least once!

Wake up Qantas Loyalty!

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Rest assured PineappleSkip that no-one will know about your LTG status.

And no-one will care.

Shame isn't it?

My personal view is that it should count more than WP, but will only ever be recognised as SG.

But SG is just 600 SCs (to renew). WG is 1,200 SCs (to renew). LTG needs 14,000! That's a LOT of loyalty.

And at least someone in Qantas should acknowledge it personally... at least once!

Wake up Qantas Loyalty!

In my humble opinion LTG should have a lower threshold to achieve higher status (ie WP or P1) each year.

 

[Austman]

It's a major milestone that I thought needed a lot better (at least one-off) recognition than just an unsigned letter.

For me, even first turning PS was better!

 

[Chrizztofa]

While I hope one day to reach the dizzying heights of LTG, I'm not sure there's any real benefit to Qantas offering additional benefits for LTG.

Surely we (AFF) don't make up a large proportion of the frequent flyer base, so most people who qualify for LTG will be those earning SCs at $10+ each...likely to be the high flying corporate types who don't need to go chasing status (and probably generate good corporate business for QF in the meantime). If they're still flying they're probably SG/WP anyway and they have LTG to fall back on when they retire?

I understand some people will consider crediting elsewhere once LTG is earned but considering you need to fly EK or a oneworld airline anyway don't QF only lose out where they effectively directly compete on routes (e.g. CX to HKG?). How many people would consider crediting flights to a rival program where the rules / terms may be different? If it's just those finding ways to sneak SCs for $1-$2 (myself included!) we probably aren't HVC for QF anyway.

In any case, it could be worse - it's not like lifetime status is a feature of every program. Within oneworld only AA, AY and BA offer it and QF is by far and away the easiest to obtain.

I don't mean to attack anyone by saying this (and certainly SG needs improvement generally!) - these are just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

While I hope one day to reach the dizzying heights of LTG, I'm not sure there's any real benefit to Qantas offering additional benefits for LTG.

Surely we (AFF) don't make up a large proportion of the frequent flyer base, so most people who qualify for LTG will be those earning SCs at $10+ each...likely to be the high flying corporate types who don't need to go chasing status (and probably generate good corporate business for QF in the meantime). If they're still flying they're probably SG/WP anyway and they have LTG to fall back on when they retire?

I understand some people will consider crediting elsewhere once LTG is earned but considering you need to fly EK or a oneworld airline anyway don't QF only lose out where they effectively directly compete on routes (e.g. CX to HKG?). How many people would consider crediting flights to a rival program where the rules / terms may be different? If it's just those finding ways to sneak SCs for $1-$2 (myself included!) we probably aren't HVC for QF anyway.

In any case, it could be worse - it's not like lifetime status is a feature of every program. Within oneworld only AA, AY and BA offer it and QF is by far and away the easiest to obtain.

I don't mean to attack anyone by saying this (and certainly SG needs improvement generally!) - these are just my thoughts on the matter.

Without the lure of LTG I would be crediting to VA and using points and status on EY.
Or otherwise from year to year as it suited me.
The ongoing loyalty is what QF gains from LTG.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Wake up Qantas Loyalty!

In my humble opinion LTG should have a lower threshold to achieve higher status (ie WP or P1) each year.

I suggested this to QF Loyalty some years ago along with a business case - but didn't get any traction.

I'm now one of those LTG members who doesn't see value in crediting flights to QFF since the safety net will always be there.

An instant 600 SC/year starter is a simple and easy way to re-ignite these perhaps idle members. Also there's no shortage of posts on Flyertalk where LTG (especially expats) members simply shift to another airline since there is nothing to aim for in the QF program (I would need 2 hands to count the number of AFF members I personally know who have switched out post-LTG too). The only potential opportunity cost is the members who are LTG but constantly do ~1200sc/pa as they would have an incentive to now stop after half the flying. But this data would need to be cross-pollinated with their demographical drivers to fully understand their churn risk after the 600 sc (free) + 600 sc (flown). The data gods can run those stats VS the gain in reactivating old accounts which would create new revenue.

Then you'd run stats on how engaged these specific demographical groups were- where they live and if they have the means to send CC points into the program. Factor in the % of members who will use the +600 SC as means to shoot for P1 (thus - a revenue driver) and the endless highly targeted marketing campaigns specifically to this demographic - and QF could calculate the overall potential effect on introducing this change.

As with all things - QF probably ran a few numbers and it might have shown a slight gain in revenue to implement but the time investment to change terms, member & staff education, legal etc would probably only net a small gain versus spending the same time on-boarding a new points partner who can add 10x the revenue to the business over a shorter timeframe.

Pure speculation -- however it might provide an answer as to why nothing has been done about it since being introduced nearly 20 years ago

 

[Princess Fiona]

In any case, it could be worse - it's not like lifetime status is a feature of every program. Within oneworld only AA, AY and BA offer it and QF is by far and away the easiest to obtain.
.

IB also offer it. AY/BA and I think also IB offer Lifetime Platinum.
That's what I want from QF. Now I have LTG and another 15 + years of travel ahead of me it's difficult to weigh up the options, especially when at least one of them involves OWE for life.

 

[JohnK]

My personal view is that it should count more than WP, but will only ever be recognised as SG.

I think that Platinum + Lifetime Gold gives you a slightly higher PCV than vanilla Platinum. Yes there are others factors in play but generally that would be the case.

 

[opusman]

The yearly threshold is a very arbitrary measure of loyalty. It's perfectly possible to attain LTG and never once be WP (or even SG, if you start early enough!). The total "score" should definitely count for more than it does.

 

[RichardMEL]

oh I like the idea of an "instant" 600 SC for LTG's. That's a good one.

Sadly QF has no commercial reason to give extras out. I mean they have no real competition for this sector from VA and that's how many of these things work - they don't really innovate, they "compete" - and where there's no real competition, they tend to stagnate since there's no incentive to improve. As pointed out why would you go from LTG at QF with all that loyalty to nobody at VA? Sure, many people have dual loyalty, or they may move to BA or AA or another OW carrier to credit, but either way QF still gets revenue out of those folks crediting to other OW members.

It's like the US carriers who compete with eachother, so million milers and the like get SWU's and other things, but again in line with what the other guys are doing - it was a masive(for the USA) change for DL to initially go out on its own and go revenue a few years back (now copied).

If VA came out with a LTG/LTP type scheme QF would match within weeks or months, then claim they'd been working on it for years.....

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

So close, not that it means much other than perhaps the removal of golden handcuffs...