Qantas Club Lifetime Membership Benefits Removal

[Blackie67]

Hello folks,

I am hoping someone can help me. I purchase a Qantas Club Lifetime Membership around 2001. At the time, the benefits included priority baggage. The last three times I have travelled domestically and internationally I did not get priority baggage. When I contacted the airline about this, I was informed that my membership did not include priority baggage. I tried to have the matter escalated and was met with stony silence of course. I persevered and was eventually told to 'contact frequent flyer'. I have to say the corporate customer is the worst I have ever experienced. I took the matter to the Airline Customer Advocate. They made contact and I received a reply, which was an image on two lines from a document:

'...it's always been a condition of membership that Qantas could change the benefits:
9. Termination
9.1 Qantas expressly reserves the right to terminate or materially alter any Benefits, or any aspect of
the operation, of The Qantas Club at any time, without notice
By using the card and /or PIN members the customer agreed to be bound by these Terms and
Conditions, so we do not agree with her statement that we are 'unable by law to remove or modify
any benefits'.'

Under law of contract, when you take out a lifetime contract and pay for that contract up front, parties to the contract cannot vary that contract without mutual consent. I have never received a single piece of correspondence from Qantas telling me they were removing benefits from my membership. In reading through other comments in this forum, it seems as they no longer offer the Lifetime Club Membership category they simply omitted it from their systems and their database.

I am hoping someone has a copy of the original contract for Lifetime Club Membership or can guide me to a copy of if dated 2001. I remain unconvinced that they have the legal right to remove benefits from the Lifetime category. Have others experienced this? By joining together we may make greater inroads.

Hopeful

Leharna

 

[luckypierre]

Yes mine too - but not my point

Understand your point of you, but to me it’s more about the gradual decline in QC benefits including priority check in and loss of International Oneworld lounge access when travelling whY, not withstanding DBX lounge when do flying EK on QF codeshare flight.

 

[SYD]

Understand your point of you, but to me it’s more about the gradual decline in QC benefits including priority check in and loss of International Oneworld lounge access when travelling whY, not withstanding DBX lounge when do flying EK on QF codeshare flight.

QC never had general OW lounge access. Just reciprocal arrangements with a couple of airlines. AA Admirals Clubs are still in play across the US of A. BA was the other that was dropped in lieu of EK.

In fact, it was the creation of OW and the status benefits that was the death knell for QP special privileges beyond paid lounge membership.

 

[luckypierre]

QC never had general OW lounge access. Just reciprocal arrangements with a couple of airlines. AA Admirals Clubs are still in play across the US of A. BA was the other that was dropped in lieu of EK.

In fact, it was the creation of OW and the status benefits that was the death knell for QP special privileges beyond paid lounge membership.

Fair enough. I do recall accessing Aer Lingus, Alitalia and Admirals club lounges many years ago on the basis of my QP membership when travelling whY

 

[Retired1]

Understand your point of you, but to me it’s more about the gradual decline in QC benefits including priority check in and loss of International Oneworld lounge access when travelling whY, not withstanding DBX lounge when do flying EK on QF codeshare flight.

is it not time for a lifetime members lobby group with a suitable spokesperson ?

 

[SirGeoffrey]

I had the foresight to buy QC Life membership as a 30 year old in 1996, just wondering how many other people did similar?

 

[encryptededdy]

I was informed recently that my membership with lapse after 50 years. This will happen in the next few years.!

How were you informed? If you just saw a date on your account in their website or something, I think this is just a case of Qantas IT being unable to handle a true "lifetime" membership and instead just setting a year far in the future for lifetime members.

 

[opusman]

I had the foresight to buy QC Life membership as a 30 year old in 1996, just wondering how many other people did similar?

I bought it at the same age (although it was early 2000s). Then I got gold about 3-4 years later and have never been lower than that since. Now have lifetime gold. So for me, rather than foresight, life membership was a complete waste of money

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Fair enough. I do recall accessing Aer Lingus, Alitalia and Admirals club lounges many years ago on the basis of my QP membership when travelling whY

Well unlike Aerlingus, Alitalia was never a member of OneWorld, it was a member of SkyTeam, so this reinforces the point that these were reciprocal arrangements between airlines.

 

[SYD]

Well unlike Aerlingus, Alitalia was never a member of OneWorld, it was a member of SkyTeam, so this reinforces the point that these were reciprocal arrangements between airlines.

AerLingus was actually in OW but withdrew to focus on being a LCC - which didn‘t last long. Alas, they haven’t come back into the fold.

 

[Maca44]

Just checked my card on the app, and my LIFETIME membership expires November 2049. Qantas must know something I don't, must tell the kids of my future demise

 

[Retired1]

Just checked my card on the app, and my LIFETIME membership expires November 2049. Qantas must know something I don't, must tell the kids of my future demise

Mine too - 2048 … is it LIFETIME or not ? I will probably not be around then, but who knows. If not, can my wife inherit my membership till 2048

 

[SYD]

Just checked my card on the app, and my LIFETIME membership expires November 2049. Qantas must know something I don't, must tell the kids of my future demise

Mine too - 2048 … is it LIFETIME or not ? I will probably not be around then, but who knows. If not, can my wife inherit my membership till 2048

There’s a couple of threads on this. It appears for us with LTG. All sorts of numbers floating around.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

If you commit a heinous crime in Australia you can receive a life sentence in prison. Meanwhile there are people on this forum who have a lifetime sentence in the Qantas Club. Which begs the question, what did they do to receive such punishment and does it violate the UN Code of Human Rights when it comes to cruel and unusual punishment?

 

[SYD]

If you commit a heinous crime in Australia you can receive a life sentence in prison. Meanwhile there are people on this forum who have a lifetime sentence in the Qantas Club. Which begs the question, what did they do to receive such punishment and does it violate the UN Code of Human Rights when it comes to cruel and unusual punishment?

Simple, spend money. The same way you used to be able to buy LT AA AC membership!

LT QP seemed like a good idea at the time. They predated OW status and QP members were treated a bit more like SG today (better in some ways).

But if you travelled regularly and had the equivalent of SG now, it obviously didn’t make sense to buy LT membership. I bought 3 yrs of the back of a CoA plan for $150 in 1999. I probably relied on 1 yr of that before reaching LTG anyway.

 

[luckypierre]

Meanwhile there are people on this forum who have a lifetime sentence in the Qantas Club

Well I’ve received a pardon. Only condition is I’m not allowed to fly Qantas. And that’s not really an issue.

 

[HLB]

Hello folks,

I am hoping someone can help me. I purchase a Qantas Club Lifetime Membership around 2001. At the time, the benefits included priority baggage. The last three times I have travelled domestically and internationally I did not get priority baggage. When I contacted the airline about this, I was informed that my membership did not include priority baggage. I tried to have the matter escalated and was met with stony silence of course. I persevered and was eventually told to 'contact frequent flyer'. I have to say the corporate customer is the worst I have ever experienced. I took the matter to the Airline Customer Advocate. They made contact and I received a reply, which was an image on two lines from a document:

'...it's always been a condition of membership that Qantas could change the benefits:
9. Termination
9.1 Qantas expressly reserves the right to terminate or materially alter any Benefits, or any aspect of
the operation, of The Qantas Club at any time, without notice
By using the card and /or PIN members the customer agreed to be bound by these Terms and
Conditions, so we do not agree with her statement that we are 'unable by law to remove or modify
any benefits'.'

Under law of contract, when you take out a lifetime contract and pay for that contract up front, parties to the contract cannot vary that contract without mutual consent. I have never received a single piece of correspondence from Qantas telling me they were removing benefits from my membership. In reading through other comments in this forum, it seems as they no longer offer the Lifetime Club Membership category they simply omitted it from their systems and their database.

I am hoping someone has a copy of the original contract for Lifetime Club Membership or can guide me to a copy of if dated 2001. I remain unconvinced that they have the legal right to remove benefits from the Lifetime category. Have others experienced this? By joining together we may make greater inroads.

Hopeful

Leharna

Hi Leharna,

Did you get anywhere with this? I am in the same position having purchased Life membership in 1996 or thereabouts. I have been living overseas for a decade and now I'm back using Qantas more often.

I remember that I could use partner lounges anywhere in the world, priority baggage and a range of other benefits but now it seems most benefits have been taken away.

I would like to pursue this further and would love to hear from others who also purchased life membership.

I can be contacted on <email address redacted>

Regards
Heather

 

[HLB]

Hello folks,

I am hoping someone can help me. I purchase a Qantas Club Lifetime Membership around 2001. At the time, the benefits included priority baggage. The last three times I have travelled domestically and internationally I did not get priority baggage. When I contacted the airline about this, I was informed that my membership did not include priority baggage. I tried to have the matter escalated and was met with stony silence of course. I persevered and was eventually told to 'contact frequent flyer'. I have to say the corporate customer is the worst I have ever experienced. I took the matter to the Airline Customer Advocate. They made contact and I received a reply, which was an image on two lines from a document:

'...it's always been a condition of membership that Qantas could change the benefits:
9. Termination
9.1 Qantas expressly reserves the right to terminate or materially alter any Benefits, or any aspect of
the operation, of The Qantas Club at any time, without notice
By using the card and /or PIN members the customer agreed to be bound by these Terms and
Conditions, so we do not agree with her statement that we are 'unable by law to remove or modify
any benefits'.'

Under law of contract, when you take out a lifetime contract and pay for that contract up front, parties to the contract cannot vary that contract without mutual consent. I have never received a single piece of correspondence from Qantas telling me they were removing benefits from my membership. In reading through other comments in this forum, it seems as they no longer offer the Lifetime Club Membership category they simply omitted it from their systems and their database.

I am hoping someone has a copy of the original contract for Lifetime Club Membership or can guide me to a copy of if dated 2001. I remain unconvinced that they have the legal right to remove benefits from the Lifetime category. Have others experienced this? By joining together we may make greater inroads.

Hopeful

Leharna

Hey Leharna,

How did you go with this? I am in the same position. Purchased life membership in 1997 and now I can't figure out what benefits I have left!!

 

[HLB]

Your worried about your bag. Qantas should have transferred all QCLT members to FF lifetime Gold. But they didn't, so we have seen airline choice drop from 40 to 3 and then to 2 and now 1. We have also seen out seat choice ignored. last time I flew they plonked me into seat "E".

I am about to sue Qantas over this.

PS I had wondered about the orange tags.

Hey, how did you go with pursuing Life Member benefits? I'm in the same boat. I purchased my LM in 1997 or thereabouts and after living for over a decade overseas have come back and found out the value has gone. They never communicated with me about losing benefits!!

 

[DejaBrew]

Welcome aboard @HLB

From a privacy perspective, I would highly recommend you edit your earlier post to remove your email address. If you're unable to do it, I'm sure one of the mods will be able to assist.

 

[curto]

I had the foresight to buy QC Life membership as a 30 year old in 1996, just wondering how many other people did similar?

Yep exactly the same (through my own business) at age 26 - back then you had free access to the lounges and was also able to take a partner into the lounges with you - they would send out a certain number of Free Passes each year as well (i think it was 5) that you could give out to friends/relatives. OTOMH it costs me somewhere around $5K at the time. Had a couple of standup arguments with them in the recent past where they tried to refuse my wife entry and i pointed out the word lifetime on my card - which they had to go and look up to see what it entailed. A number of times they have sneakily sent me updated cards - all of which omit the lifetime word and i refuse to use them just stick with the old one.