Priority Pass - Change to exclude restaurants

[DavidFlynn]

Well I guess if benefits get abused, they will end. I have heard of the following anecdotes...
...
Reminds me of the now ended "Qf lounge anytime access" which was abused eg where a non travelling Plat member would bring 2 mates every Friday evening for drinks...

I can’t abide that “snouts in the trough” mentality, and yes, this is what ruins it for everybody. A lot of us have done one of the old JQ tag legs ex-SYD or ex-MEL to enjoy a cheeky visit to the QF F lounge - for a while it almost seemed a rite of passage for some of the keener frequent flyers - but there was a vast different between doing one or two of those for a lark, for a special occasion, and still remaining human vs some people I’ve seen and know of who not only did them constantly but treated the F lounge food and drinks menu like an all-you-can-eat buffet and also treated the F lounge staff appallingly... I remain surprised to this day that QF didn’t simply remove F lounge access from JQ tag leg flights to curtail this abuse

 

[SeaWolf]

Had another look at wife's BOQ visa card. It's good for unlimited priority pass visits for two people. The PP restaurants benefit is still active and valid for use.

I had a bit of a look around BOQ's website but I can't seem to find any card that offers Priority Pass. Could you point me in the right direction?

 

[theoracle30]

I had a bit of a look around BOQ's website but I can't seem to find any card that offers Priority Pass.

It's the BOQ Specialist card which is open to people from several select professions and earning more than $120k p.a.

 

[amaroo]

It's the BOQ Specialist card which is open to people from several select professions and earning more than $120k p.a.

Yes, that is the one.

 

[SeaWolf]

It's the BOQ Specialist card which is open to people from several select professions and earning more than $120k p.a.

Thanks for the pointer. I'll have to take a closer look.

EDIT: You need to be a doctor, dentist, vet or accountant, which I'm not. Fairly narrow group of clients.

 

[hossein_au]

Had another look at wife's BOQ visa card. It's good for unlimited priority pass visits for two people. The PP restaurants benefit is still active and valid for use.

The card is not for everyone, but if you fit the criteria and like the PP benefits .... it might work for you.

Just to confirm, does the BOQ card you refer to (specialist, Signature, around the $400 mark annual fee) come with unlimited priority pass, including visits to non-lounge outlets?

I never abused the AmEx perk; I think I have used it, probably, 3 or 4 times in total. But I have decided to close the Plat and like to have a card with unlimited PP just in case I am stuck somewhere and flying with an airline I don’t have status with.

 

[boomy]

It’s a shame but was expected. Ironically I had a talk with one of the restaurant employees in BNE few days ago who told me how people including airport employees, airline staff and even off duty pilots still abuse PP. The next day I read about AMEX axing restaurant benefits

I use PP for dining about twice a week during legit domestic travel. While it's nice perk I can do without it as I have both QF and VA lounge access. Sure, the food in restaurants is better but we are blessed here in Australia with high quality domestic lounges. I do feel sorry for pax with no lounge access who will be effected by this.

 

[awkwardpaws]

yeah just curious how amex pays PP -- whether amex "pays" for a standard prestige membership for its cardmembers, or whether there is some complex calculation around usage. the latter would make sense for amex to shut it down as it might cost them an arm and a leg..

 

[opusman]

It's clearly not a standard prestige membership as standard prestige membership does not give free guest access. I expect it's a combination of flat fee per member plus fee per visit.

 

[amaroo]

Just to confirm, does the BOQ card you refer to (specialist, Signature, around the $400 mark annual fee) come with unlimited priority pass, including visits to non-lounge outlets?

I never abused the AmEx perk; I think I have used it, probably, 3 or 4 times in total. But I have decided to close the Plat and like to have a card with unlimited PP just in case I am stuck somewhere and flying with an airline I don’t have status with.

We've only used the pass for lounge access in Peru and Mexico City, both of us were granted access for free .... never used for the restaurant benefits.

We'll have to give this perk a go after reading all the glowing reports of the meals being enjoyed.

Here's a review from Point Hacks... A guide to the BOQ Specialist Signature credit card - Point Hacks

For an annual fee of $400 per year, the Signature card comes with a Standard membership to the Priority Pass lounge network, with unlimited entry for you and a guest into the network’s 1,200+ lounges. This represents great value, given that an identical membership with Priority Pass retails at US$399 if purchased directly from them.

This goes beyond many premium credit cards that offer complimentary Priority Pass membership, which generally come with only two complimentary entries per year.

Traditionally, the number of available lounges in Australia has been quite limited, however, this has been improving with Priority Pass’s recent initiatives to provide an AU$36 credit when purchasing food and beverage from selected outlets within Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Airports. Priority Pass also has physical lounges in Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns and Darwin run by third party providers.

 

[oz_mark]

yeah just curious how amex pays PP -- whether amex "pays" for a standard prestige membership for its cardmembers, or whether there is some complex calculation around usage. the latter would make sense for amex to shut it down as it might cost them an arm and a leg..

Without seeing the contract between PP and Amex, almost impossible to say how it is done. One way or another Amex will get billed for the visits whether thats per visit or some blended costs based on visits, who knows.

 

[HTG2016]

Sad to see this benefit go , i often used it at SYD T2 while traveling with JQ and VA ( nice meal before lounge time ) .

 

[Bell21]

Thanks for the pointer. I'll have to take a closer look.

EDIT: You need to be a doctor, dentist, vet or accountant, which I'm not. Fairly narrow group of clients.

When I spoke to them last year, they indicated that they would potentially consider other professional groups as well as those listed

 

[SOPOOR]

Seems like they should have just come up with a better method of policing it than screwing honest users. It doesn't even make sense for the AU market where there aren't any lounges domestically to fall back on (you can't call Rex a lounge )

or maybe its just an excuse/reason to keep shareholders happy by cutting inclusions

 

[amaroo]

or maybe its just an excuse/reason to keep shareholders happy by cutting inclusions

TBH, it was a stupidly open offer welcoming abuse... not the first time Amex has done that!

 

[muppet]

TBH, it was a stupidly open offer welcoming abuse... not the first time Amex has done that!

Abuse? Puh-lease!

AMEX sold a product with certain terms and conditions, people having reviewed the product were aware of the value and how best to maximise it.

Why is it whenever customers maximise the value of a transaction it is “abuse” that a company must stop? Rather than the company’s incompetence in designing its product?

In my personal experience, all the Australian restaurants were painfully inept and difficult when redeeming this benefit - if it really was abused, the abuser must have serious patience!

 

[oz_mark]

Abuse? Puh-lease!

AMEX sold a product with certain terms and conditions, people having reviewed the product were aware of the value and how best to maximise it.

Why is it whenever customers maximise the value of a transaction it is “abuse” that a company must stop? Rather than the company’s incompetence in designing its product?

In my personal experience, all the Australian restaurants were painfully inept and difficult when redeeming this benefit - if it really was abused, the abuser must have serious patience!

American Express didn't design Priority Pass. It's just that about 2 years ago, Priority Pass extended the reach of what the card could do. Obviously that change by Priority Pass made things more expensive for Amex..

 

[muppet]

American Express didn't design Priority Pass. It's just that about 2 years ago, Priority Pass extended the reach of what the card could do. Obviously that change by Priority Pass made things more expensive for Amex..

True enough. But still, does that make it customer abuse? (Which implies something immoral/illegal?)

Indeed the very presence of that extension to restaurants improved the value proposition regarding the absurd $1,450 annual fee (surely that fee is abuse!)

 

[Quattro]

True enough. But still, does that make it customer abuse? (Which implies something immoral/illegal?)

Indeed the very presence of that extension to restaurants improved the value proposition regarding the absurd $1,450 annual fee (surely that fee is abuse!)

I think when you route it back to the annual fee it's valid. I mean really how much can we take?

 

[amaroo]

Abuse? Puh-lease!

AMEX sold a product with certain terms and conditions, people having reviewed the product were aware of the value and how best to maximise it.

Why is it whenever customers maximise the value of a transaction it is “abuse” that a company must stop? Rather than the company’s incompetence in designing its product?

In my personal experience, all the Australian restaurants were painfully inept and difficult when redeeming this benefit - if it really was abused, the abuser must have serious patience!

Like I posted, when something is stupidly open.... abuse will follow. It's the human nature. Many examples of this already posted in this thread.....