Qantas FF announcement 20 June - "biggest overhaul" in program history

[RooFlyer]

Dynamic redemption ....

It would allow them to sell Qantas FF points to literally every business in Australia (earn QFF when you purchase your local hamburger, you visit your dentist, go to your local car mechanic, etc etc), making it the country's default rewards program.

Literally every business? No, not every business (they couldn't sell to mine for instance), but they already can sell points to a vast range of enterprises, including burger joints if the burger joint wanted to pay for the points. Dentists too ... sorta like health funds.

And its already the country's 'default' rewards program. But I wouldn't take that literally.

 

[levelnine]

Velocity is hardly a strong program. Zero premium avails to the US. QFF would have to drop into the gutter to match them so hopefully they don’t fall that far!

That's why we should be expecting a strong devaluation on Thursday.

Little competition means QFF is free to chase greater profits at the expense of customers.

 

[I love to travel]

@ support

9 hours in have we broken a record yet for number of posts in a single thread?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I expect many changes.

Hower key will be tiered award flights. QANTAS will boast that this will provide increased availibilty which it may. But the base level will be in even shorter supply than it currently is and so the reality will be it costing more points to actually fly.

QFF has not been a generous program for a long, long time and so I cannot see this changing now.

Suspect a second aspect will be new ways to spend points on non-flying options.

 

[rock86]

I wouldn't be surprised if Qantas gives it a shot. The potential upswing in profit is huge.

Mostly a one time uplift in profit, once it's recognised this year there won't be a great deal of impact comparatively in the following years.

It would allow them to sell Qantas FF points to literally every business in Australia (earn QFF when you purchase your local hamburger, you visit your dentist, go to your local car mechanic, etc etc),

Which they already do.

 

[harvyk]

Just some thoughts,

You don't pull out the big guns and make it a media event for negative things. Negative things get a catch phrase like "enhanced" and buried in an otherwise advertising email.

I'm thinking that classic awards are probably going, however I don't think we'll see a revenue model that's to crazy out of reach, they still need the average joes to feel that an award is possible. Removing some of the "taxes" for awards since LCC's often seem flights at below the "taxes" amount of awards.

The DSC (and others) offers probably where market research to see what people where willing to do for status. We'll likely see a shake up of the levels and the SC's required, with either a level disappearing, or "sub levels" to make the range from bronze to plat more gradient like than hard and fast levels. Prehaps some gamification such as "badges" which become viewable through the FF app to open up things like express immi.

Just some uneducated guesses.

 

[Catweazle]

There go me points...

Positive possibility: less taxes and additional fees charged when making reward bookings.
Negative likelihood: something that adds $$$ to AJ's pockets.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Lots of websites do encourage visitors or those who come to their sites, "provide" them with our email addresses to "be the first in the know about sales" etc, etc, etc.
QF and QFF rely on us here, for their livelihood, without us flyers, they would not exist.
That is the reason I would have though they would send out what was coming via email to us first to digest, then to the media.
QF sends me lots of info on upcoming sales to the US/UK or DPS, of which I have no interest in going to, they have the gall to send me that, but no news on this big upcoming change.
D(T)KWIA (playing) on DYKWIA, do you know who I am.
I have been with QFF for 20 years, granted there are a lot who have been with QFF from the start, but still, I would have thought those loyal to QFF would have the first dibs at whats coming.
I gave QFF a lot of my flying business, was SG for nearly 4 years, I never gave that to VFF.
Do I feel hard done by, yes, QF, yes, I do feel hard done by.
I want to know now.
Sorry for the diatribe.

 

[exceladdict]

Wow. Much post, very comment. I wish to reply to the below.

Oneworld awards could be removed

Only reason I still credit to QFF!

OW awards have been fairly immune to change over the last few years - let's hope it stays that way!

All the more reason for them to be devalued.

I'd say at least a bump to 300K for a J award. Maybe much more.

Well I'm glad I've booked my OW classic award, looks like it could be bad news...

Anyone think the Oneworld Award might be adversely impacted or is it governed by OW themselves to such an extent that changes are too difficult?

More for the masses will likely cut the top end of town. So I certainly suspect changes to high value redemptions such as these.

After learning about them for 5 years I literally just booked the first two flights on my first OWA - it doesn't yet meet the 2 other airline requirement.

The question becomes, do I add two extra flights now, that I'll subsequently cancel anyway, assuming they disallow new OWAs but allow changes to those ticketed prior to the announcement - or - risk it.

The points fee seems like a decent insurance policy, given the value of the rest of my points is likely to plummett anyway.

Hoping I'm wrong, preparing to be right.

 

[Pushka]

It's amusing reading all the conspiracy theories.... I'm a bit of a lurker but after VA's recent "Something big is coming" from May thread and all the suggestions there and the massive letdown, why do people buy in so emotionally before any announcement?

How about, just for fun?

 

[RooFlyer]

You don't pull out the big guns and make it a media event for negative things.

Agree, but it depends who its negative for. Remember 'simpler and fairer'? That was a nice 'positive' splash ... where the customers got screwed. I suspect it'll all be dressed up as a great positive for customers, for the airline, for world peace etc. But the fine print will be that our points won't take us as far, and the perks will be harder to get.

 

[RooFlyer]

It's amusing reading all the conspiracy theories.... I'm a bit of a lurker but after VA's recent "Something big is coming" from May thread and all the suggestions there and the massive letdown, why do people buy in so emotionally before any announcement?

Wonderful you are being amused. Why buy in? Its better than watching the telly.

 

[amaroo]

What's wrong with a revenue based system?

 

[p--and--t]

Sarcastically - if not already on the agenda, AJ should add use of points for treatment for nuclear levels of anxiety amongst AFFers on what might or might not happen.

The probability of my guesses being any better that other AFFers is unlikely to be better.

However if I was CEO I would be looking at:

• How to neutralise any benefits perceived or claimed by Velocity, not currently in QFF.
• How to drive people to utilise their points without costing the company $$ - perhaps drive them to unused capacity somewhere, gimmicks like QFF plane to Japan
• How to limit or modify the gaining of Lifetime privileges which are an increasing liability on the company
• How to gain patron kudos introducing something that doesn't really cost the company anything but is perceived as a significant improvement by patrons (and perhaps induces them to squander points)
• How to increase market saturation in their market areas - already more adults in AU have a QFF account than those who don't.

 

[calmelb]

So if we assume the news is dire and we should jump ship from Qantas, what is a decent FF program in OW that:

a) Makes it relatively easy to earn status (Such as how much it takes for QF)
b) Has a decent partner grouping outside of OW
c) Has decent elite benefits (outside of the normal OWS/E things, like the ability to request rewards that QF have for WP and above)
d) Has good earnings on other OW carriers bar themselves
e) Has decent burn rates for QF domestic, and other partners internationally.

I can't imagine there would be many good ones for Australian based fliers (even if you do the BA set your address to Austria trick).

 

[justinbrett]

How about no access to Qantas lounges on domestic itineraries for elite members, without additional Qantas club membership?

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Thanks god I have still got my franking credits

 

[mviy]

How about no access to Qantas lounges on domestic itineraries for elite members, without additional Qantas club membership?

That would be a very frustrating change. Hope that doesn’t happen. It would certainly make LTG much less attractive to aim for. Lifetime lounge access is one of the main reasons to aim for LTG.

 

[p--and--t]

 

[Mattg]

What's wrong with a revenue based system?

Assuming this is a serious question, it basically removes all of the sweet spots in the program that make it valuable to its users. A revenue-based system means that all points are worth a fixed amount as determined by the airline, and you can no longer get valuable rewards for a small number of points.

Under a revenue-based system, J award seats from SYD to LAX could cost over a million points. Don't believe me? Just look at current Qantas Points+Pay pricing:



For many of us, this removes the incentive to earn points in the first place. If Qantas Frequent Flyer becomes a revenue-based program, I will be moving my business elsewhere.