QF F/F Status-- How to get above Bronze ?

[bertee]

I am a QF F/F and in under 12 months I have made close to 100K points.
I have tried to get a statement,in order to quantify as to how I have accrued the points on my flights,purchases, etc to no avail with Qantas.

I also am still on Bronze Tier and it seems to me that there is some sort of secret arcane formulae that Qantas use to determine when I go to the next level,but they wont tell me how many points I need or where I need to fly to or even what class I am compelled to fly in order to get my credits to get my status lifted.

And to be honest I do not even know what are the next level priviledges if any, I will get because so far I do not seem to have had any with Bronze.

If I join the Qantas Club I have been told that that alone is not enough to get a higher level of F/F anyway. So what goes on there. Qantas just say on their web site that it(Status levels) are separate to their Frequent Flyer programme.

While I am here, although if I should be raising it as another tropic I apologise for not putting it there.
I recently flew from the UK to Hong Kong with BA,marvellous service and plenty of cabin staff in a 747. From HKG to SYD I flew Qantas,albeit in a smaller Air Bus.
The service was slow,a grumpy woman of 50ish seemed to be senior cabin attendant,who seemed agitated,rushing around the cabin.
There appeared to be a very low ratio of cabin staff to passengers on board,which made me think that as a part of Qantas cost cutting they have too few cabin staff on board almost to the point of breaking regulations.
In ECY I really only noticed 4 cabin staff for close to 300 PAX ! Is this becoming the norm on some of these Qantas routes?

 

[Mal]

refer to:

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Benefits & Privileges

and

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Status Credits

and

http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/statusPrivileges

 

[MelUser]

One way to get directly to Plat which is used by members on this site is to travel on a DONE4 airfare (a good travel agent can book these easily or it can now be done on line via the oneworld or Qantas websites) via the US and Europe. Do 6 Flights on AA in the US and then 4 flights within Europe (eg LHR-DXB-LHR as one example) and a couple in AUS before you go. With reasonably careful planning you will easily hit Plat on one trip.

 

[bertee]

Thanks for the links to QANTAS,but I still do not know what an"Eligible Flight" is. Have missed out on points sometimes due to getting an on line special fare?.
There are so many loop holes and hoops to jump that I wonder what Qantas expect from their F/F passengers and should make the incentives better and easier to understand that sticking with the airline is worth their while. There are other alternatives these days on most routes.
I have been into Qantas and BA lounges and while the grog,food and ambience is all very nice,sometimes,I do not have the time to make use of them,so give me an alternative to choose,maybe a stop over included within my points or when I pay my non stop fare in $$ Or points.It wouldn't cost the airline much and would be appreciated.
I expect to be going to HK several times this year and the UK at least two or three times,surely that loyalty should be rewarded better than it what has been up until now.
I have even had an excess baggage charge laid on me for a second bag ,(both under weight) in HK by their agents,Cathay Pacific,despite having gone to and from the US on the same journey.Qantas should not have another airline determining ad hoc what their passengers baggage allowances are when their pax are flying Qantas anyway.
Cathay Pacific claimed I was only entitled to one bag and Qantas have left it at that.
Be warned also that Qantas PAX in HK do not have a Bag Drop service at the airport,although Cathay Pacific do. And the City Check In facility is only available to users of the HK Airport Express Rail Service. Qantas needs to lift its game in Hong Kong smartly. Elsewhere too probably.
Sorry for the gripe early in the morning,but I think that Qantas could do better and after all it is Australia Day Weekend and we should be proud of all things Australian.

 

[notzac]

Getting status with an airline - any airline - is easy. You need to fly lots!

On a more serious note, QF have structured their program in such a way that it is easiest to get status if you fly in paid premium cabins - it takes an awful lot of flying to get status in discount economy.

Beyond the flight with BA/QF to Australia, what other flying have you done? How have the 100k points been accrued? Points earned through hotel/car rental/credit card partners earn nothing towards status, and there are restrictions with earning status from other airlines as well. On the plus side, any QF flight (with a QF flight number) should earn you status - how much depends on what cabin you're flying in as well as the distance flown.

With regards to the baggage charge, there are differences between USA-bound flights and other international destinations. Coming from Europe in Economy, you would have had a total of 20kg checked luggage. I suspect you're confusing the USA allowances with most other international allowances.

I hope this helps.

 

[medhead]

Some imformation to help determine what is an eligible flight can be found here in the terms and conditions:

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions

and also the airline earning table is a nice summary

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions

I think there may be a slight variation to the information in the table for earning status credits. But I can't remember exact what is different. However that table gives a good indication.

On the matter of getting a statement, have you logged into your account on line? Once logged in there is the option to check and print off 12 months worth of statements. Basically, qantas have stopped posted out statements except for a fee, or people who never opted out of printed statements.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Log onto freq flyer section the QF web site to check what Status Credits you are earning for your flights https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyns/LoginForm You go to next level by Status Credits (SC) and not points

Thanks for the links to QANTAS,but I still do not know what an "Eligible Flight" is. Have missed out on points sometimes due to getting an on line special fare?.

Eligible Flights are in the above link in Mal's post. What QF flights do you think you have not go points SC's ?? All QF flights on QF aircraft get points & SC's (QF flight numbers on Jetstar are different)

Has your QF freq flyer number been entered in the reservation on all flights?
How many flights have you taken ?

 

[serfty]

I am a QF F/F and in under 12 months I have made close to 100K points.
I have tried to get a statement,in order to quantify as to how I have accrued the points on my flights,purchases, etc to no avail with Qantas. ...

How do you know you have "made lose to 100K points."?

Have you logged into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account to see this?

If so, there are several links to show all you Qantas Frequent Flyer award activity for the last 12 months.

After logging in you can either:

• Click "Your Activity Statement" on the left, or
• Click "View Activity Statement" on the right.

 

[Alanslegal]

The simple way to know if you are flying an eligible class is to ensure there is a big QF in front of your ticketed booking - as all QF bookings you get SC and FF miles. If you do fly to HKG or LON multiple times per year, again look for QF numbered flights.

If you are flying only Y its going to be a tough ask to reach a decent level such as Gold which requires 700 of them. A simple return in cheapest Y fare to HKG is only going to net you 60SC and a simple return to LON is 120SC, compare this with business class which earns you 4x SC. Flying business or first will be the only way to get higher status faster. (so hypothetically if you fly 4 x to HKG and 2 x to LON, you will only hit 480SC). Yes some flyers will feel this is a bit of a raw deal to only hit Silver after 6 long haul flights but then QF have done their assessment and believe it isn't enough to give you a higher status (as like many other airlines which can be as hard or much harder to reach).

As with the lounges - yes its decent grog and nibblies, but there are other nice benefits as well such as if a flight is delayed - at least I can lounge around. Or if I had a red-eye long haul flight, I can shower and change into something comfy before hand. It makes travelling that more relaxing.

 

[Nigelinoz]

It's not hard to get stuck on bronze even with 100K points,an example would be 2 return flights SYD-LHR at discount economy fare would earn you 42,344 points but only 240 status credits which is still a fair way off silver status.

 

[bertee]

Thank you to all who contributed today. I have put a claim in for missing points on some flights made in the last 12 months.
Most of the time I do not have the time to waste going looking to see if my points and "Status" have been credited.
I still do not believe that "Status Points" that Qantas allocate for flights should have any bearing on my level,but I am over the so called Silver,Gold etc status that is near unobtainable to FF who choose to save their company $$$ and sit in ECY. What I save on the class,I can easily pay my annual Qantas Club membership.All I ask is for decent friendly service and not champagne.
Of course if I had my fares and other perks paid for by the Government,clients or a generous company I could easily go up to the high level,but quite frankly the "wanker factor",may well come into it for some.
There is a lot to be said for the Qantas lounges. Now here is a radical idea=open a Qantas Club with a higher annual fee for members to visit at any time regardless of whether flying or not along the lines of a a private club,one guest per member.
I am sure that Qantas could generate income and pinch flyers from other airlines.
I remain a F/F member and loyal to QF mainly for patriotic reasons and to get a cheaper flight or free from time to time and thus save my business money that I can pay bonuses to my staff or invest in new equipment.How many of you pay your own way?
I have met flyers on board or in lounges boasting how much they earn,their bonuses,perks etc and why they insist on Club membership as part of their salary package.These are the sorts of people that the companies are going to let go first in the very near future fortunately.
Over and Out
Thank you for the sincere assistance and advice from some of you

 

[notzac]

Now here is a radical idea=open a Qantas Club with a higher annual fee for members to visit at any time regardless of whether flying or not along the lines of a a private club,one guest per member.

That already exists - it's called Frequent Flyer Platinum. W**ker Platinum, if you will.

 

[oz_mark]

Thank you to all who contributed today. I have put a claim in for missing points on some flights made in the last 12 months.
Most of the time I do not have the time to waste going looking to see if my points and "Status" have been credited.
I still do not believe that "Status Points" that Qantas allocate for flights should have any bearing on my level,but I am over the so called Silver,Gold etc status that is near unobtainable to FF who choose to save their company $$$ and sit in ECY.

Status credits is the complete and total way they determine your level. They need to use something, and that is what they have chosen.

For what its worth I got Platinum origially travelling all economy (domestically even), and have retained gold on the same basis (cause discount economy requires a shed load of travel to get to plat)

Howwould you suggest the measure whether someone gets to a particular status?

 

[Mwenenzi]

For what its worth I got Platinum origially travelling all economy (domestically even), and have retained gold on the same basis (cause discount economy requires a shed load of travel to get to plat)

Same here. Got and later renwed Platinum by FLYING in discount economy in Au & NZ. QF FFP is a Frequent Flyer Program, not a frequent spender program

.. I have put a claim in for missing points on some flights made in the last 12 months.
Most of the time I do not have the time to waste going looking to see if my points and "Status" have been credited...

If you dont ensure your FF number is in the reservation you won't get SC's or points. Hey the FF number is even printed on the boarding pass.

 

[medhead]

Of course if I had my fares and other perks paid for by the Government,clients or a generous company I could easily go up to the high level,but quite frankly the "wanker factor",may well come into it for some.
<snip>

How many of you pay your own way?

I have some of my fares paid by government, and guess what I always try to get the cheapest fare possible.

Of course the vast majority of my SCs are obtained by me paying my own way! The next biggest chuck is subsidised by the ATO and the smallest amount from my employer, the government.

Personally the biggest "wanker" I've an encountered in the QC was a soldier (Gunner - typical artillery). In those days Defence had a very good corporate scheme for QC membership. Anyway, on a MEL-BNE flight I sit next to this young fella, with his slouch hat and all. He must have seen me in the QC and starts in about all the so and sos in the QC who pay all that money and how they're complete idiots because he gets it so cheap - yada, yada, yada. I just didn't have the heart to tell him to get over himself as I was on exactly the same plan.

 

[Will]

How many of you pay your own way?

I have. In discount Y.

I understand your point, but please be careful with the generalisations you draw.

 

[NM]

How many of you pay your own way?

We all pay ... its just the way we pay and the impact on our lives may differ. Some pay with their own hard earned cash while other pay with their valuable time being taken away from their family. Some of us pay with our sanity. Some pay with their career (choosing to travel or not to travel). For some of us, travelling and earning points/miles/status is a hobby. Some others of us its a mill-stone we carry because we love our job. This is what makes a community like AFF such a great place. We each come with our own passions and problems, dreams and dilemmas, fruits and frustrations. The common bond between us is that in some form or another, we all pay for our addiction.

 

[2muchplastic]

We all pay ... its just the way we pay and the impact on our lives may differ. Some pay with their own hard earned cash while other pay with their valuable time being taken away from their family. Some of us pay with our sanity. .....

Wonderfully poetic way of putting it NM, I couldn't agree more. Although the cash for the airline ticket is not coming out of my bank account, I pay a much bigger price by not being able to be with my family. (For 3 weeks so far this year, and yes, we are only in week 3). Would I swap my fistful of FF cards to spend the time with my family instead? Absobloodylutely. Why don't I? That's a story of ecomonics.

I get to see some new places, places I've never been to before. But there's nothing like being able to see new places with my wife and children, for free, with the miles I earn through my employer sending me all over SE Asia. And if that makes me a w**ker, then so be it.

 

[serfty]

bertee, please take the advice given herein and on the other threads you have posted to:

• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/airport-lounges/heathrow-terminal-5-a-13920.html
• http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...-flyer-program/no-ff-points-q-club-13940.html

People here are trying to advise/assist you, yet you seem to not be taking notice.

 

[Nigelinoz]

Wonderfully poetic way of putting it NM, I couldn't agree more. Although the cash for the airline ticket is not coming out of my bank account, I pay a much bigger price by not being able to be with my family. (For 3 weeks so far this year, and yes, we are only in week 3). Would I swap my fistful of FF cards to spend the time with my family instead? Absobloodylutely. Why don't I? That's a story of ecomonics.

I get to see some new places, places I've never been to before. But there's nothing like being able to see new places with my wife and children, for free, with the miles I earn through my employer sending me all over SE Asia. And if that makes me a w**ker, then so be it.

[QUOTE]And if that makes me a w**ker, then so be it.[/QUOTE]

That's just it,it does not make you a w***ker at all,but there are some(wa***rs) out there.and they are the people who seem to think that just because they fly in J that somehow makes their time and money more valuable than that of somebody who pays less and flies economy,just because somebody flies first class does not mean their family are of greater value than the self employed sole trader sittting a few seats back.and unfortunately over the years I have met a few people in lounges who think the country would collapse without them,those people have been few and far between,but unfortunately there are some around.

BTW,I hope I made my point clear,I am not,for one moment implying that anybody who pays for business/first class seats doesn't deserve the extra legroom,better food etc that they get,of course you get what you pay for,it's just that there are some (fortunately few) ff's out there who seem to think the world revolves around them.