QP Renewal Question

[Altair]

I have a bit of a dilema.
My QP membership ends at the end of this month while my QFF year ends May. It is 99.9% sure that I will qualify for SG this year, a WLG-AKL(stop)-SYD(stop)-AKL-WLG trip late April/May will guarantee it. What I would like to know is this, if I let my QP lapse and I get SG, and eventually lose it will I have to pay the joining fee again or would the SG mean I would be considered a member? I know that if I renew my QP it will be grandfathered until I drop down to PS again but with my NZ KC membership renewal and wedding/honeymoon all arriving around the sametime and my contract is over (no cashflow) and cutting wedding/honeymoon budget is not an option. I was wondering if the $400+ is a good investment.
For me I will be without lounge access for two flights the WLG-AKL and AKL-WLG which is not a big deal, my other flights for the up coming honeymoon are on TG (BC) and IB (Y) which means my QP membership is useless.
Any suggestions or clarification is welcomed.

 

[Shano]

Looking at the T&C on the Qantas website I suspect that you would have to pay the joining fee:

5.5 If the Qantas Club membership is not renewed within the time permitted, the Qantas Club Joining Fee will be re-applied when the membership is reactivated.

So my interpretation is that because your paid QP membership will lapse before you obtain SG status the joining fee will be re-applied if you want to renew memebership as a PS.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Looking at the T&C on the Qantas website I suspect that you would have to pay the joining fee:

So my interpretation is that because your paid QP membership will lapse before you obtain SG status the joining fee will be re-applied if you want to renew memebership as a PS.

But SG benefit includes complimentary QP membership. So if in future drop to PS or lower then you may be able to pay to renew membership status without paying a joining fee?

Has anyone been through this before?

 

[Altair]

But SG benefit includes complimentary QP membership. So if in future drop to PS or lower then you may be able to pay to renew membership status without paying a joining fee?

Has anyone been through this before?

I called QF NZ and they are not certain themselves. I was quoted the T&C but when I asked about Gold status, "Which you do not have sir." drop down to Silver they were then uncertain.

I would really like to know before I commit to the renewal.

 

[JohnK]

But SG benefit includes complimentary QP membership. So if in future drop to PS or lower then you may be able to pay to renew membership status without paying a joining fee?

Has anyone been through this before?

If I remember correctly someone posted something similar on AFF or FT recently.

I have never had QP membership but I would expect if I ever dropped below QF Gold that I would be able to continue QP membership without paying a joining fee.

 

[Dave Noble]

I called QF NZ and they are not certain themselves. I was quoted the T&C but when I asked about Gold status, "Which you do not have sir." drop down to Silver they were then uncertain.

I would really like to know before I commit to the renewal.

When you attain Gold status, you are awarded with complimentary Qantas Club membership, so by definition, you are a Qantas Club member. That membership expires when you cease to have QF Gold status the membership expires. The membership card even has "The Qantas Club" logo on it.

Since you are a member, then there is no reason at all for them to charge a joining fee to convert to paid membership at the time you drop to Silver

Dave

 

[Altair]

When you attain Gold status, you are awarded with complimentary Qantas Club membership, so by definition, you are a Qantas Club member. That membership expires when you cease to have QF Gold status the membership expires. The membership card even has "The Qantas Club" logo on it.

Since you are a member, then there is no reason at all for them to charge a joining fee to convert to paid membership at the time you drop to Silver

Dave

Thanks Dave Noble, and others, this is what I thought and is logical.
I will call QF next week and ask again using these points as reference. As usual with call centres, or any customer service, you can get some knowledgable operators or you can get some non-service orientated operators.
I will post the results of my enquiry but I doubt I will now pay for the QP renewal anyway, something about cost overruns in the rehersal and post-wedding breakfast budget , well they were not in the project scope in the first place. I just wish that I managed this project better than I do with my other work project, under budget by $16M and need to return it to the government:shock: , but stakeholder management has been quite difficult at times, crying should be banned.

 

[Shano]

Good luck with QP membership - it would be good to know the outcome.

I guess if you are successful then the same would apply for Partner Gold membership? i.e. if you achieve Partner Gold one year but not the following year, then only the annual Partner QP memebership fee would be applicable?

Oh, and good luck with your impending project - no amount of professional ability really counts when dealing with this type of stakeholder

 

[simongr]

And be prepared for the greater than normal level of inability to rely on third parties and a lack of bipartisan cooperation

 

[Altair]

Well talk last weekend went to our next CAPEX:
A new head office.
Should it NZ, OZ other off shore options? Greenfield or Brownfield?
When to increase headcount and by who many....I can guarantee you that I will not be outsourcing headcount recruitment!:mrgreen:

 

[Altair]

The Answer

I rang QF last night and was put through to reservations as the QP Service closes at 7 AEST. It was great how the VRU inidcates that. They were not able to answer the question.
I just got off the phone with QP Service Centre, CSO Gerald, the answer is....as long as you take up the QP renewal offer when you get down off your SG complimentary membership then you will not need to pay the joining fee. Of course he told me that you can renew and the QP membership is suspended as long as you have the QF status for complimentary membership. I was also told by a workmate that QF sometimes offer you a discount membership if you do not renew, but I reckon that was in the past.
So now I am officially just a QF PS, with no QP access as I gave my PS pass to my brother for his trip to see me get married.:-|

 

[simongr]

That's great and not so great and great for your bro - but no so great for you. All in all somewhat of a roller coaster

 

[Altair]

That's great and not so great and great for your bro - but no so great for you. All in all somewhat of a roller coaster

Not too bad really. There are currently only two flights on QF NZ Dom that I would miss it on, the rest of my flights are on IB and LA (qualifiying flight)which would not be valid for QP membership. Also I could always use NZ and use my KC membership for lounge access, I would just lose 20 SC for lifetime PS and 2K in FFP.
As I said 99.9% sure I will qualify for SG....oh look an email from beloved, a link to a house that is for sale down the road:shock:

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Depending on the timing of those 2 flights, it may be someone can help you with lounge access (if flight times coincide)

 

[mainly tailfirst]

<bump>

Has anyone recently 'renewed' their QP membership once they dropped down from SG to PS?
Sadly QF have not found it in their good graces to renew mine with only 480SCs to go
I'm tossing up getting the QP membership for the trip back home (about 6 flights in total).

Also, anyone got a price comparison of renewing (sans GST) QC vs. participating in the AFF corporate scheme? For the life of me I can't work how to get a renewal price out of the QF site *until* my complimentary membership expires.

This is all subject to approval by the better half of course...

thanks,
Matt

 

[JohnK]

For the life of me I can't work how to get a renewal price out of the QF site *until* my complimentary membership expires.

It would appear that the price list for renewing Qantas Lounge membership has been taken offline. Was this part of the changes removing option for buying life membership?

Renew Qantas Club Membership

As a Gold or Platinum member you receive complimentary Qantas Club membership.

For further assistance, contact the Frequent Flyer Service Centre.

 

[Dave Noble]

It would appear that the price list for renewing Qantas Lounge membership has been taken offline. Was this part of the changes removing option for buying life membership?

The renewal prices have been absent for a v long time

Dave

 

[acampbel]

The renewal prices have been absent for a v long time

Dave

Strange .... if I go to www.qantas.com/renew I get what looks like a standard web page. It offers 1 year at $195 or 2 years at $325, but requires the number of your corporate scheme. I put the "old" one in and it was happily going to take my money, but I thought it best to come clean and get my new company to sort it out.

I was initially panicking about this as my membership ceased in October, a fact I only realised when I had a proper look at what I thought was junk email from Qantas. I rang up the QC number and asked what the phrase " ...within the time period permitted... " meant. They said that the membership could lapse for up to 3 months before a re-joining fee would be levied.

So to answer the original question ....... if it is 99% certain that Gold Status (and therefore QC membership) will happen this year then I would just let it slide for now. If you don't make it and you want to change your mind about paying, then you should still have time to renew without penalty, though they may backdate the membership to your original renewal date. It may also be of little concern to you, but I quite like the "Member since OCT 94" on my card. Makes me feel important. [cough knows why ....]


Cheers,


Andrew

 

[mainly tailfirst]

Well, I tried to get to the renewal page today and lo, QF thinks that I'm still a SG! :shock: So I check my summary and...

Current Status: Gold
Status reassessment will occur: 31 Oct 2007
Status credits earned from 01 Nov 2007: 0
Additional Status credits required by 31 Oct 2008 to retain Gold: 600
Additional Status credits required by 31 Oct 2008 to attain Platinum: 1,400

I'm now 90% certain that, despite what I previously thought, QF have comp'd me another year at SG. The reassessment date looks a bit suss, though. The pessimist in me thinks this is a programming error that will soon be 'corrected'. Fingers crossed it stays this way - if it does, I will keep crediting (and flying QF) transpac - karma and all that.

mt

 

[NM]

Well, I tried to get to the renewal page today and lo, QF thinks that I'm still a SG! :shock: So I check my summary and...

Give it a couple of days to sort out. Seems to be right by about the 3rd or 4th day of the new membership year.