Qantas extends current status Until at least March 2021

[justinbrett]

From FAQ
My membership anniversary date is in March 2020, so while the extension will take my membership year to March 2021, I still may not be able to fly for much of this year. Will Qantas consider additional support to help me retain next year?

The situation is constantly evolving, as is our response. We will review whether additional support is required closer to the time

A) - That's a FAQ, not T&C
B) - It say "the extension will take my membership year to March 21". Mines already at March 21. So the extension should take it to March 22.

 

[grrofunger]

Perhaps they’ve worked out how to extend my life by 12 months?

In this current climate i'd take that !!!

 

[Danger]

I'm with those who say this is an extraordinary move by Qantas and one particularly early on. While I very much benefit from it, appreciate it and will not whinge or complaint about, I do also think it's too much, Qantas is very much the leader (and outlier) here. However, I'm also not too sure what the better approach would have been. Reduced qualification and requalification levels would have been more appropriate but aren't options for Qantas where member years aren't aligned with calendar years. So, for example, why should a Platinum whose year ends in December have a reduced requal of 600 SCs, the same as a Platinum whose year expire in June, only three months away? The former very much benefits; the latter probably far less.

I got the email too. Although I am lifetime gold. Does that mean my status continues for a year after I die?

Well, yes. But when St Peter invites you to access the Pearly Gates through the left-hand lane, don't expect you won't also be milling with those who shouldn't be there, just like on earth.

 

[CaptJCool]

A) - That's a FAQ, not T&C
B) - It say "the extension will take my membership year to March 21". Mines already at March 21. So the extension should take it to March 22.

Take them at face value..

Will Qantas consider additional support to help me retain next year?

The situation is constantly evolving, as is our response. We will review whether additional support is required closer to the time

Say you can’t retain because there’s no flights for 6 months, I would expect something more

 

[Tropic]

Can I just make sure I have this right... My membership year ends in Aug 2020 and I already have earned 1800 SC since Aug 2019, so have requalified for WP for next year. So this means QF's offer provides me nothing but provides other lapsing WPs with a free year of WP. Given this obvious inequity, why didnt QF at least allow those WP who already requalified to carry over their SC to the following year...? Or have I missed something?

 

[michaele]

Given this obvious inequity

The business focus right now is to allow people to retain their current status levels while there is a global shutdown on flying, nothing else.

It's a generous move that I expect will be appreciated by many.

 

[aggie57]

This is a good thing, there will unfortunately always be winners and losers in all such things. The winners here are people who's status runs out between now and Feb 2021 and will be short SC's and 4 QF flights to re-qualify.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Just got an email from Virgin who are taking a different approach - frequent flyers are being gifted SCs over the next three months:

• Platinum - 70 SCs per month for the next three months
• Gold - 35 SCs a month for the next three months
• Silver - 20 SCs a month for the next three months

Personally, that approach would have worked better for me if Qantas had adopted it. I've already requalified WP for my next membership year (ie May 20 to April 21) and have enough advance bookings in that year to maintain WP for the year after (ie to April 22). So the 12 month extension makes no difference to me . On the other hand, being gifted SCs would help in the journey to Lifetime Gold. Of course, there are plenty of people for whom Qantas's approach would work out better. Swings and roundabouts...

 

[ChrisMars]

I also would have preferred the Virgin approach, especially if it adds to the Life Time counter.

My membership renews the end of March, and I already requalified, so I get zero benefits according to this table Qantas Frequent Flyer Status Extension, and I won't be able to start accumulating SC in April, obviously... I hope Qantas will continue rolling this program on a monthly basis, Maybe I will get Plat till March 2022?

 

[LadyC]

This works for me as my year end is 31 March and I had just cancelled a domestic SC run to get me to requalify for Gold.

 

[Hvr]

Got the email, suits me given I'll have to cancel three overseas trips including two with DSC.

Now good until November 2021.

 

[Anna]

I don't think there's any point in anyone saying it isn't 'fair'. QFF and QF are businesses. From the perspective of trying to keep the customers they're most likely to lose, I think the offer works well. Eg me - my QFF year started 1 Jan, I have 0 SCs and 0 forward bookings, WP until Dec 20 and now to be extended as WP until Dec 21. Even before covid19 I was losing interest in going out of my way to keep WP and was not bothered about dropping to LTG. I had already started thinking QF might lose me altogether out of covid19 (and no QFi flights ex ADL, but that's another story). Smart move by QF and QFF to extend WP to keep me even slightly interested in looking at them when I can resume travelling. As for the QFF customers who scramble every year to retain or increase their status and had already requalified early, probably QF categorises those people as less likely to shift to another airline. Therefore QF needs to do less to keep them. Whether that is 'fair' to them or not isn't the point from QF's perspective.

 

[Max Samuels]

I did predict this of course.... having the unique talent to predict the future is a double-edged sword....
Saw an ad for the latest reality TV cooking/home-renno/dating show.... don't have the heart to tell them it will fail coz it looks cough...

 

[DC3]

I don't think there's any point in anyone saying it isn't 'fair' .... From the perspective of trying to keep the customers they're most likely to lose, I think the offer works well. Eg me - my QFF year started 1 Jan, I have 0 SCs and 0 forward bookings ..... Smart move by QF and QFF to extend WP to keep me even slightly interested ....

In your situation, you are definitely a Winner.

 

[Anna]

Ironically @DC3 I probably still won't be interested in flying QF to Europe - maybe trans Pacific and NZ though.

 

[Max Samuels]

Can I just make sure I have this right... My membership year ends in Aug 2020 and I already have earned 1800 SC since Aug 2019, so have requalified for WP for next year. So this means QF's offer provides me nothing but provides other lapsing WPs with a free year of WP. Given this obvious inequity, why didnt QF at least allow those WP who already requalified to carry over their SC to the following year...? Or have I missed something?

Surely you are joking - "obvious inequality"? Count yourself lucky. It's like not getting food stamps from the government - rather than resent that, I consider myself lucky I don't need it.

 

[Max Samuels]

Got the email, suits me given I'll have to cancel three overseas trips including two with DSC.

Now good until November 2021.

Me too - thank you Qantas

 

[blackcat20]

I'm on a status hold so no impact on me; had SG paused until end June 2021 and was going to requalify anyway, taking me to 2022.

 

[Anna]

Anyway peeps, think of all the lovely status match offers that will probably emerge in the brave new post-covid19 travel world!

 

[AIRwin]

My first status comp, otherwise I'd have dropped down a tier...