Qantas Platinum - downgrading 1 tier each year if status not reached?

[MEL_Traveller]

I can confirm - the 'soft landing' requires no flights.

 

[Sdtravel]

Forget "status". Forget "comping". What do you get? I often fly J long haul on a route that is offered with another company and QF. Zero difference in experience on board, over many. many flights. The onboard staff appear unaware of any difference. So why bother?

Edit: I travel as a P1 super-elite - and it is no different onboard. I get teh same treatment when I fly on another airline's status. Or no status in J.

CX seem to do a good job. CSM will always come around and greet me. Give me a bottle of water before take off or soon after take off. Really appreciated when you board a hot plane. Pre take off drinks and takes the meal order if im sitting far back in the plane.

With QF there are sometimes where there is some special treatment when in Y & Y+. CSM has sometimes offered me J headset or J alcohol or ive been greeted by name when the meal trolly comes around. Not consistent though. Generally get the "Welcome back Mr Sdtravel." When boarding. But when i had an AA printed boarding pass where status wasnt so prominent got the standard "Welcome Aboard"

 

[juddles]

What do you value a headset or a bottle of water at ?

 

[Sdtravel]

Not much but its the sentiment and thought that counts. A small gesture can go along way.

We are getting off topic though.

 

[Haplo]

I was soft landed from Plat to Gold a few year ago but I had the 4 QF flights.

 

[RichardMEL]

Just don't assume that the policy will always continue and build an expectation and then possibly be disappointed. QF can and may change their policy as time goes on. Things like retaining status with points rather than free comps point to them being less likely to continue this unpublished benefit over the medium term. Just be aware(but not alarmed )

 

[Captain J]

Sorry, I just can't agree with those who think it's a good deal to part with 100,000 FF to buy retention of their QF Platinum status, or 80,000 to retain Gold. This is NOT a good deal!

To start with, if you use your points just for Business Class travel, then 100,000 pts is typically worth around $3,000 and that's a lot of money to justify status retention. Even for Economy travel, the value is around $1,000.

To add to this, I see it as poor behaviour and a lack of respect on the part of QF, because they have already declared their hand - and told us the actual value of status credits. At every 500 SC level, QF offers an extra 50 SC or 8,000 pts ... therefore QF has clearly declared their hand in pricing the value of 50 SC as 8,000 pts (or visa versa). If you were offered 50 SC or 80,000 pts, then this is a whole different story!

So, for those of you at Gold, sitting at 500, or 550 and being asked for 80,000 QF pts as a 'gracious' offer to renew, surely if you're only 50 pts short you should be being asked for only 8,000 points, not 80,000 !!! ... because that is what QF themselves are saying 50 SC translates to.

 

[opusman]

I did went to the First Lounge in Sydney Int'l, but I think the variety of food in the lounge is less compared to the Business Int'l lounge.

Can't believe this comment was overlooked!

Did you somehow miss the a la carte restaurant?

 

[serfty]

Did you somehow miss the a la carte restaurant?

I would assume so ...

 

[justinbrett]

I’ve always thought, if you don’t fly enough to keep the status, then you aren’t flying enough for it to be a problem.

 

[Captain J]

Well not necessarily - you could be spending a fortune, but still classed as discounted economy, flying MEL/SYD/MEL for example and only getting 10 SC per sector (needing 30 return flights to just crack 600 SC for GOld renewal). You could therefore do that every single fortnight for the entire year and still not qualify ... but no doubting you're a very regular customer who would love lounge access and the other perks, as you're doing 52 sectors of flying for the year!

 

[teamhamsandwich]

Sorry, I just can't agree with those who think it's a good deal to part with 100,000 FF to buy retention of their QF Platinum status, or 80,000 to retain Gold. This is NOT a good deal!

To start with, if you use your points just for Business Class travel, then 100,000 pts is typically worth around $3,000 and that's a lot of money to justify status retention. Even for Economy travel, the value is around $1,000.

To add to this, I see it as poor behaviour and a lack of respect on the part of QF, because they have already declared their hand - and told us the actual value of status credits. At every 500 SC level, QF offers an extra 50 SC or 8,000 pts ... therefore QF has clearly declared their hand in pricing the value of 50 SC as 8,000 pts (or visa versa). If you were offered 50 SC or 80,000 pts, then this is a whole different story!

So, for those of you at Gold, sitting at 500, or 550 and being asked for 80,000 QF pts as a 'gracious' offer to renew, surely if you're only 50 pts short you should be being asked for only 8,000 points, not 80,000 !!! ... because that is what QF themselves are saying 50 SC translates to.

Yet a flex MEL>SYD>COO return points plus pay will cost you 80K in points for 80 credits. I would argue the valuation is actually somewhere in the middle of the two.

I have 330k in points sitting in the bank and will be using 100k on maintaining platinum this year as I'll finish 200 credits short.

 

[juddles]

I am now in the frame of mind that if you wish to be a frequent flyer, then fly! frequently.

 

[Captain J]

Mmm, I think you've missed the point that you're actually receiving return air travel MEL/SYD/COO (is that meant to be OOL?), not just status credits.

So your cash plus 80,000 pts is not just buying 80 SC, you're actually buying air travel. Hence QF asking for 80,000 to perhaps buy JUST 80 SC is exorbitant!

 

[JohnK]

I am now in the frame of mind that if you wish to be a frequent flyer, then fly! frequently.

A few years back someone was booking an any seat award to earn over 1000 SCs and reach Platinum and would do this each time for Platinum. Their normal (necessary) travel was only around 200 SCs/year.

There must be something sweet about status that people go out of their way to try and earn.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

A few years back someone was booking an any seat award to earn over 1000 SCs and reach Platinum and would do this each time for Platinum. Their normal (necessary) travel was only around 200 SCs/year.

There must be something sweet about status that people go out of their way to try and earn.

Well yes, but bear in mind the any seat award was priced - for the most part - at the same price as a standard award. So 192k for F to europe. On that basis the any seat award didn’t really represent a hardship, and you got the status for ‘free’.

 

[RichardMEL]

Been a long time since those days. Must be well over 5 years at least?

Anyway I still feel soft landings should not be assumed upon. Even more so in these days of QFF being far "meaner" in terms of no (or nearly none) free comps, 80k to retain and all the rest. I certainly wouldn't count it as a given (with the exception of, for example, holding LTG)

 

[trippin_the_rift]

To add to this, I see it as poor behaviour and a lack of respect on the part of QF, because they have already declared their hand - and told us the actual value of status credits. At every 500 SC level, QF offers an extra 50 SC or 8,000 pts ... therefore QF has clearly declared their hand in pricing the value of 50 SC as 8,000 pts (or visa versa). If you were offered 50 SC or 80,000 pts, then this is a whole different story!

So, for those of you at Gold, sitting at 500, or 550 and being asked for 80,000 QF pts as a 'gracious' offer to renew, surely if you're only 50 pts short you should be being asked for only 8,000 points, not 80,000 !!! ... because that is what QF themselves are saying 50 SC translates to.

Points for status is really smart, actually. Except that it potentially creates a requirement standard for status.
IFRS 15 means that loyalty programs cannot recognise the full revenue from the sale of points until the points are redeemed. By creating a 'redemption' of 100,000 points into Platinum status it means QF Loyalty instantly recognise the non-marketing revenue while increasing your propensity to fly QF over the coming year (or two if you subsequently drop to Gold) all while skirting around Oneworld status gifting issues.

If you never use the status - there's virtually zero cost to the airline aside from everyone on AFF knowing it's a possibility (thus devaluing status somewhat).

So, for those of you at Gold, sitting at 500, or 550 and being asked for 80,000 QF pts as a 'gracious' offer to renew, surely if you're only 50 pts short you should be being asked for only 8,000 points, not 80,000 !!! ... because that is what QF themselves are saying 50 SC translates to.

Reading between the lines here.... Qantas (the airline) wants to reward air-ticket loyalty so they have the accruing loyalty points bonus. To save a few bucks (on their payments to QF Loyalty), they negotiate a status credit option instead of points. Basically, it smells to me like a cost-saving exercise.

Thus, the 100,000 points offer to maintain Plat and the loyalty points/sc bonuses are de-coupled at the underlying business logic level.

 

[JohnK]

Anyway I still feel soft landings should not be assumed upon. Even more so in these days of QFF being far "meaner" in terms of no (or nearly none) free comps, 80k to retain and all the rest. I certainly wouldn't count it as a given (with the exception of, for example, holding LTG)

Soft landings are almost guaranteed right? I don't think anything has changed there or is likely to change anytime soon.

 

[oz_mark]

Soft landings are almost guaranteed right? I don't think anything has changed there or is likely to change anytime soon.

Wouldn't say guaranteed. They are offered by policy, rather than through the rules of the program. Given the policies regarding offering extra years at a level seem to have been wound back, it is quite possible the soft landings themselves could be wound back. (unless they offer a half price deal to only go back one level!)