Should i go for Platinum

[JohnK]

The best Australian one that I alluded to above is actually now somewhere between $5.50 and $6.00 per S/c.

A couple of regulars here know it (mainly by good guesses or analysis). And no, before you PM, I don't randomly give it out to strangers...

So it's something to keep searching for - and to keep quietish about when you find it (if you are able to find it).

A well balanced informative post mal.

By the way I am no longer a stranger. No I don't want to know, I will probably blab to everyone, I would rather find it on my own. If it is the one I am thinking of it has been as low $4/SC but is being phased out by QF due to new routing. I think the original routing only remains 2 days a week. Not long before this goes as well.

Also for the AY special which is widely known, I don't see that it is easy to do either due to the small amounts of credits earnt per flight and the setup/inconveniences caused by the trip away.

For someone like me who visits the area 3 times a year this is perfect, even taking into consideration the stress caused by delays, cancellations and re-routing, as 3 SC runs each trip can accumulate 360 SC's for $1300 giving a total of 1080 SC's (3 trips/year) for $3900. The SC's accumulated getting there in discount economy easily make up the 1200 SC's required to requalify platinum each year. Almost as good as serfty's 2360 SC's for $8000 or Dave Noble's 1100 SC's for $4,000.

I would love to see a ~$3/sc status run become available in Australia, but doubt it will happen.

Unfortunately with the small population, monopoly, rising fuel surcharges this will not happen. We need to get to used $8+/SC. SYD-ADL-DRW was a real nice one at around $6/SC but this has been killed with the introduction of JQ only flights ADL-DRW in July.

 

[oz_mark]

Now didn't there use to be a bus ride from TPR-PBO? Originally bookable in it's own right - a great SC run. Then only part of a PER-PBO-TPR itinerary, and now I notice it is gone altogether.

Yes, the code share arrangements for this ceased a couple of days ago. A service is still available, but has no QF number

I concur that status credit runs in Aus are almost gone altogether. I can recall doing MEL-ADL-PER, MEL-BNE-DRW, MEL-SYD-CBR (yes this used to be cheaper than just MEL-SYD if booked in Y), BNE-CBR-MEL, TSV-CNS-MEL in days gone by, and not to do SC runs, just merely as affordable & available options (with a SC bonus attached!) Such routings are a thing of the past, and now these routes are can be bought for a price is that basically just a sum of the two individual city pairs prices. In fact I notice that currently DJ is more of a network carrier than QF is, if "through fares" are any indicator of this.

MEL-ADL-PER is sometimes available at around the same price as MEL-PER, the extra in this routing seems to be only in the fuel levies. It is often MEL-ADL-PER comes up often cheaper than the two bits added together.

 

[serfty]

... Going back to the OP's question, yes Platinum is worth it - but only if you are doing a lot of international travel. I don't think Plat is worth much for purely domestic travel - unless using the QP entry rules or needing the Plat guaranteed economy seat benefit. ...

And that's the main point.

If you are not flying, status means nothing (Unless a QF WP lives within walking [staggering] distance of a QP ). If you fly infrequently then it does not mean much either.

I maintained QF SG status for 4 years by flying for work ~95% of the time on discount WHY fares. In that time I had over 300 segments and I made good use of the status benefits available.

Yesterday, as a QF WP, I received a call from Qantas to advise my flight to LAX via AKL was departing 100 minutes later and I would mis-connect with my DFW flight which is on a separate PNR. I was offered the direct flight. Would this have happened for a QF NB?

 

[Dave Noble]

Yesterday, as a QF WP, I received a call from Qantas to advise my flight to LAX via AKL was departing 100 minutes later and I would mis-connect with my DFW flight which is on a separate PNR. I was offered the direct flight. Would this have happened for a QF NB?

As long as they had your contact details, then I think that they probably would have done

Dave

 

[tanewi]

What works for me, is to make expensive International J Class bookings without paying for the tickets. Seems like some checks your status a few months prior to your real anniversary date and then rounds up to give you platinum.

I stayed there this year with only 650 credits, and a few "bookings".

 

[JohnK]

What works for me, is to make expensive International J Class bookings without paying for the tickets. Seems like some checks your status a few months prior to your real anniversary date and then rounds up to give you platinum.

I stayed there this year with only 650 credits, and a few "bookings".

That works OK if you already have Platinum status in the bag and you get comped again if you don't quite make it the next year.

On 99.99% of occassions you will not get Platinum status the first time unless you have at least 1400 SC's. People have been known to miss out on Platinum status by just being 10 or 20 SC's short.

 

[cwliew]

I know this is an old post, but here is a question related to this:

If you make platinum (planning so far puts me 5 SC short of making by my annivesay date for the upcoming flights I have), do you still maintain status for the year AFTER the one you will achieve status for?

ie: my annivrsary date is the end of jan. Lets say I make platinum...I will therefore be a platinum for 2010 until my anniversary date in jan 2011.

IF: I go away for a year and have hardly ANY status credits in 2010, will I go back down to being a NB or do you just drop a status (ie back to gold) for the following year.

Basically, if this isn't the case, then there really isn't much point in trying to make platinum for me, as FF 100% bonus points don't mean anything to me at all (These are easy come for me), as I mainly fly for work domestically, and make probably 1 international J flight a year, possibly 2. Neither does the QP at any time, or taking 2 people into the QP.

Keeping status for me has had the company's desired effect - I try to fly OW carriers, even though I do like singapore airlines much more for international flights.

My questions is: do you have to maintain EXACTLY the re-qualifying number of status credits for EACH year, as I have heard that you may just get bumped back the following year.

PHEW - a long description for probably an easy answer.

 

[Bundy Bear]

I know this is an old post, but here is a question related to this:

If you make platinum (planning so far puts me 5 SC short of making by my annivesay date for the upcoming flights I have), do you still maintain status for the year AFTER the one you will achieve status for?

ie: my annivrsary date is the end of jan. Lets say I make platinum...I will therefore be a platinum for 2010 until my anniversary date in jan 2011.

IF: I go away for a year and have hardly ANY status credits in 2010, will I go back down to being a NB or do you just drop a status (ie back to gold) for the following year.

Basically, if this isn't the case, then there really isn't much point in trying to make platinum for me, as FF 100% bonus points don't mean anything to me at all (These are easy come for me), as I mainly fly for work domestically, and make probably 1 international J flight a year, possibly 2. Neither does the QP at any time, or taking 2 people into the QP.

Keeping status for me has had the company's desired effect - I try to fly OW carriers, even though I do like singapore airlines much more for international flights.

My questions is: do you have to maintain EXACTLY the re-qualifying number of status credits for EACH year, as I have heard that you may just get bumped back the following year.

PHEW - a long description for probably an easy answer.

You only drop one status level at a time.

To qualify for Platinum the first time then you need 1400 SCs but to requalify you only need 1200 SCs.

To reach Gold the first time its 700 SCs but to retain you only need 600SCs

If you only just reach Platinum near the end of your membership year then you really only have Platinum for the whole of the next year.

 

[cwliew]

OK, that's what I though. Thanks mate. Might be worth it, as I'm not planning on making many flights next year, but will do so the following. So in essence, I get a free gold requal just by doing an extra 5sc this year. Which should make it very simple.

So far, based on flights I already have "booked", I will have 1395 by the end of my period, so I guess the extra should be worth it...

Not sure overall its that much of a jump lke from PS to SG. Actualkly, none of it seems really all that worth it, as have had QP membership for sometime now, and that gives you prtty much all the same...

 

[tuapekastar]

Not sure overall its that much of a jump lke from PS to SG. Actualkly, none of it seems really all that worth it, as have had QP membership for sometime now, and that gives you prtty much all the same...

Your paid QP membership would be placed 'on hold' while you are SG or WP, then resumed if you drop below SG in the future.