Saving my Gold FF memebership. Help!

[hank]

I have been a Gold Frequent Flyer for several years. I find it a very useful program and utilise it often. I have not been travelling much over the last year and have received notification that Qantas FF may downgrade me. They have allowed me the option of speaking to one of their consultants about it.

Does anyone have an idea of what I can/should say to Qantas to keep my Gold membership for another year ?(obviously without needing to show my next 20 flight bookings)

 

[simongr]

How many SCs have you got now? And how much do you plan to fly in the next qualifying year? Might be good to know that so that you can make an assessment based on the advice here of what you could do to requalify and advice whether you should even bother.

Welcome btw

S

 

[hank]

How many SCs have you got now? And how much do you plan to fly in the next qualifying year?

thanks for the welcome.
I have 240 points and I need 360. Future booked flights won't really cover that but I plan to be travelling much more next year - as yet unbooked.

 

[NM]

thanks for the welcome.
I have 240 points and I need 360. Future booked flights won't really cover that but I plan to be travelling much more next year - as yet unbooked.

They are not really interested in what bookings you have in place, nor how many SCs you expecrt to finish with this year. They are interested in your travel plans for next year. So let them know how your travel plans will be different next year than this year, and if that involves enough flying to ot Gold next year, they will quite likely renew your current status.

 

[garyjohn951]

Yes, it is the expected flights you intend to make, whether already booked or not.
A relative of mine was Gold and had a bad experience just after 9/11, was caught up in all the cancellations etc afterwards and stopped fyling for 12 months, Qantas wrote her with similiar letter. She replied the reason and had actually started to fly again. Told them of her expected flights, about 500-600 min I think was what she said. They said ok, continued the card and since then she has had 2 years at 500+ points and 2 years at 800 odd points.

 

[coco50]

Tell them about your travel plans in the coming year. Be specific. Make sure that you include international sectors. Of course there are many unforseen events that could interrupt your planned travel

 

[NM]

I am still waiting for my email requesting info on future travel plans. It will be interesting to see their response when I tell them my travel will be more than sufficient to requalify QF Platinum status, but that all my OneWorld travel will be credited to my AAdvantage account due to better benefits provided.

 

[dajop]

It will be interesting to see their response when I tell them my travel will be more than sufficient to requalify QF Platinum status, but that all my OneWorld travel will be credited to my AAdvantage account due to better benefits provided.

Go for it. When that happens, I am sure many of us here would be interested in their reponse, so keep us informed. But IIRC, you are LTG, so that may put a different slant on it than many ...

 

[NM]

Go for it. When that happens, I am sure many of us here would be interested in their reponse, so keep us informed. But IIRC, you are LTG, so that may put a different slant on it than many ...

It won't be until the middle on next year. I have Plat status until Sept 2007 and then LTG to fall back to. But I certainly will take the opportunity to let them know my reason for a zero SC balance.

 

[Altair]

It won't be until the middle on next year. I have Plat status until Sept 2007 and then LTG to fall back to. But I certainly will take the opportunity to let them know my reason for a zero SC balance.

Do you think it matters to Qantas if you are not crediting your flights to their program?
If you are still flying on their planes surely the difference in revenue is marginal. Of course when you use your LTG to access lounges they will be charged for it, but once again there would not be much difference since you would have used your status anyway.
For a person that may have both AA and QF, QF points will come in handy if you want to up grade but these could be obtained from CC programs, but flight redemptions will be from AA points. Is this what many high status flyers are now doing?

 

[NM]

Do you think it matters to Qantas if you are not crediting your flights to their program?
If you are still flying on their planes surely the difference in revenue is marginal. Of course when you use your LTG to access lounges they will be charged for it, but once again there would not be much difference since you would have used your status anyway.
For a person that may have both AA and QF, QF points will come in handy if you want to up grade but these could be obtained from CC programs, but flight redemptions will be from AA points. Is this what many high status flyers are now doing?

Don't know if they will care of not. But I will feel better having told them the truth behind my decisions. What they do with my info is their business.

 

[simongr]

I will also tell them in a similar vein. But I will also tell them that I am now intentionally flying more on AA on the same routes that I would have flown QF as I can upgrade using my AA points so they WILL lose revenue from me next year.


Edit: Also if I make exec platinum and get the Evips then I will defeinitely be buying AA metal so I can use them and again QF will lose revenue.

 

[JohnK]

For a person that may have both AA and QF, QF points will come in handy if you want to up grade but these could be obtained from CC programs, but flight redemptions will be from AA points. Is this what many high status flyers are now doing?

More than likely. Or at least until AA start making "enhancements" to their FF program.

 

[Dave Noble]

More than likely. Or at least until AA start making "enhancements" to their FF program.

major enhancements to the program is not that likely since, unlike Qantas, AA has proper competition and mlost of the US schemes are fairly similar

Dave

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I will also tell them in a similar vein. But I will also tell them that I am now intentionally flying more on AA on the same routes that I would have flown QF as I can upgrade using my AA points so they WILL lose revenue from me next year.

What routes are they? I thought QF & AA only directly competed on LAX-JFK vv?

 

[simongr]

Hmm - you might have found a slight flaw in my plan I guess I will be looking for any opportunities to fly on AA - so I reckon the main one will be as part of my RTW ticket I will look at AA from LHR-SYD if they fly it. I am on a slow computer here so cant check routes. It will be more of a when I can than all the time though.

Equally doing DONE4 next year I might route via NRT or something else if I can avoid QF potentially. Again - cant check the routings at th emoment - but I will have some free time oer Xmas to plan my routes etc for next year. I have probably 3 conferences/meetings in New York or London that will necessitate RTW tickets to save the co. money.

S

 

[NM]

What routes are they? I thought QF & AA only directly competed on LAX-JFK vv?

There are non-QF options for trans-Pacific. When using AA program, then using AA via NRT or HNL can be attractive. And also makes CX option much more attractive since an AA Plat and EXP member get the 100% Status Bonus paid for CX flights while a QF member does not.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Sure. But that is not the same route, meaning other considerations come into play (like schedule, total flight time, etc).

 

[simongr]

But now a new world of routings is open to me and I am willing to waive some issues re routings etc for the option of F. BUT AA F class is NOT real F for short long haul - so before I book a J seat and up grade I want to make sure I am not upgrading to REAL J...

 

[NM]

But now a new world of routings is open to me and I am willing to waive some issues re routings etc for the option of F. BUT AA F class is NOT real F for short long haul - so before I book a J seat and up grade I want to make sure I am not upgrading to REAL J...

AA's two class flights do not provide an option for upgrading when using a DONE4 fare. The two class domestics are booked in A (first class) anyway, and the two-class internationals are J and there is no F on the aircraft.

Any AA flight that books you into business class and has a first class cabin has real First Class. The only aircraft that fit that description for AA are their 767-200s used trans-continental (e.g. LAX-JFK) and their 777 aircraft flying international routes.