Qantas Assure

[Andyzx]

Probably not a lot of use for me as I have a good insurer, I will still look at the rates and benefits when they are available.
I see Qantas is again releasing a product with little detail far into the future, Qantas Assure will launch during 2016.
If we look at a few past positive changes Qantas has made and their + lead times - 787-9 and routes 2017+24 mths. AA flights to Aust Dec 2015+5mth and NZ June 2016+7mth.
To me it seems they launch these great initiatives, then work out the details and 2 years later enhanced the hell out of the product.

 

[Flying Fox]

I might have to tie the sensor to my bouncy dog for some extra points

 

[samh004]

I'm interested in it as I'm looking to switch PHI to NIB currently as it is. But I'm worried if I lock in a change now I could be trapped for 12 months and first half of 2016 could be any time up to June!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Probably not a lot of use for me as I have a good insurer, I will still look at the rates and benefits when they are available.
I see Qantas is again releasing a product with little detail far into the future, Qantas Assure will launch during 2016.
If we look at a few past positive changes Qantas has made and their + lead times - 787-9 and routes 2017+24 mths. AA flights to Aust Dec 2015+5mth and NZ June 2016+7mth.
To me it seems they launch these great initiatives, then work out the details and 2 years later enhanced the hell out of the product.

I thought about this too... but then I wondered, if they've announced a 'joint venture', is that something they had to go public with for the stock exchange? So they'd have to do it now rather than later.

 

[LA10]

As an existing NIB customer, I'll be keeping a close eye on this.

 

[straitman]

Probably not a lot of use for me as I have a good insurer, I will still look at the rates and benefits when they are available.
I see Qantas is again releasing a product with little detail far into the future, Qantas Assure will launch during 2016.
If we look at a few past positive changes Qantas has made and their + lead times - 787-9 and routes 2017+24 mths. AA flights to Aust Dec 2015+5mth and NZ June 2016+7mth.
To me it seems they launch these great initiatives, then work out the details and 2 years later enhanced the hell out of the product.

There is a cynic in every crowd.

Personally I see this as a good way to do business.

Get people interested, roll out the product and then tweak to improve as people would complain if they didn't. The problem is that the tweaks often have a few too many negatives as well.

This will certainly get me to review my current Defence Health private insurance.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Same. I'm happy with my NIB health insurance and hope I can get the same cover, same price AND earn points for getting active (she says while sitting at the computer.)

 

[drron]

Not a cynic because my insurer is cheaper than NIB with more benefits.The FF points wouldn't make up for the increase in price.

 

[RooFlyer]

I thought about this too... but then I wondered, if they've announced a 'joint venture', is that something they had to go public with for the stock exchange? So they'd have to do it now rather than later.

Unlikely I think.

Materiality. Would the average punter think that this venture will affect the value of the shares/company? Hard to see that.

And there's always the carve out for incomplete proposals. this seems very incomplete at the moment!

To me this sounds similar to a government's policy of having "announce-ables". Keep up the illusion of something happening all the time.

 

[mrs.dr.ron]

Not a cynic because my insurer is cheaper than NIB with more benefits.The FF points wouldn't make up for the increase in price.

When we lived in the Hunter Valley (- and NIB stands for Newcastle Industrial Benefits !! ) we had nothing but problems with NIB claims !

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There is a cynic in every crowd.

C'mon! It's the 'pick and choose' that gives grounds for being cynical.

A new points-earning partner announced months in advance with little detail, and absolutely nothing that we can do about it (except talk), but changes to how many points you'll earn is buried in an email with just a few week's notice?

 

[flying_double]

From The SMH:

Qantas Loyalty chief executive Lesley Grant said the idea behind Qantas Assure came from members saying they wanted to be rewarded for leading a more active lifestyle. About half of those polled during research said they would be more active if they were rewarded.

I guess leading a longer, healthier life isn't enough reward to get some people moving... What's that, you'll give me a handful of frequent flyer points if I exercise? Well, that changes EVERYTHING!

 

[BettyB]

Can't see them being very generous with the points on offer. Probably put up the price of the insurance policies to compensate.

 

[BettyB]

+1. Keen to hear more about this one.

FlyBuys have the same kind of concept with Medibank Private (or similar) if I remember rightly?

Yes, but apart from sign up bonus it's not very good.

 

[JohnK]

The insurance market is saturated. Everyone wants a small slice of the market.

 

[moa999]

One of the news channels showed AJ earning 802pts over a week... So I'm guessing this will be about the Max - 40k points a year

 

[MEL_Traveller]

One of the news channels showed AJ earning 802pts over a week... So I'm guessing this will be about the Max - 40k points a year

Crikey Plane Talking says an illustration on the QF website (which I can't seem to find) indicates 24 points for 8000 steps. Given there's a current health push for people to complete around 10,000 steps a day, that would work out to about 9000 points a year, or one 'free' MEL-SYD economy class ticket (plus taxes, fees and Qantas imposed charges).

That would seem more realistic than 40,000 points a year, which would give a one way business class ticket to Asia every couple of years, valued between $2000-$4000.

Article here: Qantas walk for points works over the media | Plane Talking

These points aren't going to be 'free'. They'll either come from increased premiums, or supposed reductions in the use of the health system. I could see a MEL-SYD economy redemption as being in-line with what the market might be willing to pay in increased premiums.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Crikey Plane Talking says an illustration on the QF website (which I can't seem to find) indicates 24 points for 8000 steps. Given there's a current health push for people to complete around 10,000 steps a day, that would work out to about 9000 points a year, or one 'free' MEL-SYD economy class ticket (plus taxes, fees and Qantas imposed charges).

You could walk to Melbourne/Sydney for less than that.

 

[kevrosmith]

Hasn't NIB been paying attention lately? Both Optus and Woolworths have already worked out that they were just forking out money to Qantas for the points, and in their eyes, only Qantas (and us of course) were the ones that really benefited, because they couldn't work out how to track the continued product loyalty we provided to their business.

NIB will do this for a while, and then pull out Woolworths-style in a couple of years as some finance person will come along and be shocked at the cost of the points (they won't have done their homework properly as to the true cost, especially when the likes of us have pedometers on all our pets, somehow including goldfish, earning points...).

This points-selling loyalty business is well and truly dead, if not already in a few stages of rigamortis... NIB don't seem know it, but you could liken them to a zombie feeding on dead flesh already.

 

[WeeWillyWonka]

Hasn't NIB been paying attention lately? Both Optus and Woolworths have already worked out that they were just forking out money to Qantas for the points, and in their eyes, only Qantas (and us of course) were the ones that really benefited, because they couldn't work out how to track the continued product loyalty we provided to their business.

NIB will do this for a while, and then pull out Woolworths-style in a couple of years as some finance person will come along and be shocked at the cost of the points (they won't have done their homework properly as to the true cost, especially when the likes of us have pedometers on all our pets, somehow including goldfish, earning points...).

This points-selling loyalty business is well and truly dead, if not already in a few stages of rigamortis... NIB don't seem know it, but you could liken them to a zombie feeding on dead flesh already.

This!

Plus the way health funds keep raising premiums, the FF scheme would have to be quite sweet to entice a switch.