The Velocity Status Run Master thread

[davidsilver]

Re: Family Pooling with SQ

One thing to watch out for, is when you are calculating your SCs for the tier jumps, make sure you know when previous status credits are due to expire. SCs are not linked to your status year as such and each SC has a one year validity (rather than being lost on entering a new status year like what happens with QF). So if your current balance consists of SCs that were earned before you current review date, they will expire and drop off your SC balance possibly before you reach your Gold or Platinum targets. You can check when the SCs were earned by going into your Velocity account and scrolling to the very bottom of your account summary page and there is a hyperlink to the right of page that says "View All Activities".

Having recently jumped to Platinum I noticed now my account shows SC earned since review date and SC required to requalify. SC earnt in previous 12 months have not been dropping from my amount required to requalify.

Having said that, I went from 920 to 1050 after a couple of flights and effectively 50 SC appear to have fallen into the VA blackhole as I've only been credited with 130 for the return trip. If I come short by 50 next year I might give them a call and ask them to apply that 50

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Family Pooling with SQ

SC earnt in previous 12 months have not been dropping from my amount required to requalify.

The SCs from the previous 12 months won't have anything to do with your requalification of platinum as they will all have been dropped by then. Effectively, they've already been used to get you to platinum which reset your review date. The tally of SCs required to requal is simply 800 minus your SCs earned since your platinum year started. The full 12 months worth of SCs show up in the top right corner of your account summary page and they're referred to as the Status Credit Balance, but once you are platinum, about the only use of that balance is for achieving partner gold or platinum.

 

[davidsilver]

Re: Family Pooling with SQ

Partner gold is not really in my future. Will comfortably manage 900-1000 SC in the year but unlikely to reach 1300

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Re: Family Pooling with SQ

Partner gold is not really in my future. Will comfortably manage 900-1000 SC in the year but unlikely to reach 1300

You sound very similar to me, which is partly why I've decided to go VA gold and QF gold. This year I'll manage to retain VA plat and earn QF gold, but in subsequent years gold and gold will likely be my target (1000SCs) or perhaps I might swing from VA plat + QF gold one year to QF Plat and VA gold the next (possibly relying on the "soft landing" for both).

The 800-1000 SC earn mark per annum is a pain, as it's just hard earned SCs out the window!

 

[celetrum]

OK after much messing about I think the cheapest way for me to get past 170 SC's before 14 April:

Out: SYD -> OOL -> MEL ->OOL (all Flexi)
Back: OOL -> SYD (Saver)

sorry everyone a newbie question. How do you search and book tHese multi leg trips ? It's not multi city is it as you would be charged for each individual flight ?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

sorry everyone a newbie question. How do you search and book tHese multi leg trips ? It's not multi city is it as you would be charged for each individual flight ?

For a status run, you can use single bookings, return bookings or multicity. For stopovers, eg, a MEL-SYD-OOL, do a MEL-OOL search and look for a stopover (which does cost more than direct, usually) but a SYD-OOL-MEL won't be able to be done that way, as VA does not give an OOL stopover option on a SYD-MEL route. One advantage of booking multicity, is that you only pay one CC fee per pax. I've even booked a multicity with many sectors in J and then cancelled, which returns the value paid into a VA travel bank. You can then use the travel bank to buy multi single sectors (for convenience in managing bookings, future cancellations and flight times) without paying extra CC fees. Effectively, one CC fee for multiple bookings, which is far fairer than the ripoff $7.70 per sector normally.

Sorry if this does not cover what you're asking as I am a little unsure of your comment "It's not multi city is it as you would be charged for each individual flight?" I've assumed you mean charged the CC fee? Or perhaps charged the full price of two sectors rather than the price charged for a stopover flight?

If it's the latter, it's not always the case that a multicity is dearer than a connecting booking. I just did a dummy booking MEL-SYD-OOL and these are the fares:
Stopover - MEL-SYD-OOL = $243.88 +CC fee
Single fares - MEL-SYD + SYD-OOL = $250 + CC fee
Multicity - MEL-SYD-OOL = $243 + CC fee

All flights were on 17th Sept. MEL-SYD on VA819 and SYD-OOL on VA 517 and I'm not suggesting these are the cheapest flights you'll get, I'm simply demonstrating the comparison of fares for the 3 booking methods.

 

[CJEMNMAC]

sorry everyone a newbie question. How do you search and book tHese multi leg trips ? It's not multi city is it as you would be charged for each individual flight ?

I also sometimes compare to webjet website. I only use this for comparison and flight numbers.

If you do a dummy booking say MEL - OOL the webjet search will show direct flights, 1 stop flights and sometimes 2 stop flights. You can then look at pricing on 1 page for the options that suit you. If you find something, then go direct to the carrier website with the details and book if its cheaper.

I don't search multi city on webjet. Point to point search shows direct, 1 stop and 2 stop if applicable

 

[24601]

sorry everyone a newbie question. How do you search and book tHese multi leg trips ? It's not multi city is it as you would be charged for each individual flight ?

I've found Google flights useful for exploring multi-leg options, including international. Like SYD-NTL via AKL-MEL-BNE. From memory I may have had to book that one on Expedia or Wotif. I needed to go to AKL and then get to NTL. It wasn't the quickest way, but did earn a bunch of SC and spent a pleasant day working from lounges plus a spot of shopping at BNE.

 

[Cryptarcadian]

On a recent trip, partner and I got screwed by Hawaiian Airlines. Tried to book M fares (showed up as M on the confirmation screen and everything), but got ticketed as Z (which is totally non-earning on VA). So now I need 220 SCs by mid-October to achieve my goal of moving up from SG to WP (since it's likely the only time I'll even get close ).

I should get 20-40 SCs from domestic trips in the next 2 months anyway, but have been looking at a solo SYD-SIN-HKG return on SQ on a W fare (thanks to all the previous posts about the flexi savers!), yielding 200 SCs for about $960, which from what I've gathered would be pretty good value at $4.80/SC. One of the long legs is on a 772, which seems doable, but not a lot of fun in Y. Thinking of overnighting at the Ambassador Transit Hotel within Changi on the way.

SQ's new Premium Economy looks nice, but doesn't seem to be worth an extra $465 one-way to bump it up to a $5.70 status run?

Any other suggestions I should consider, departing SYD? Have family pooling for the two of us, and can do 2-for-1 with the CC if that helps…

 

[Spook]

Does anyone know how flexible the review date is?

I will be 80 SC short on my date but 2 days later will return from o/s earning 100.

Is it worth trying to get the extras before I go? If ì get in before the end of this month I would only need 50 SC to maintain.

Thanks.

 

[joejoeblogs]

Does anyone know how flexible the review date is?

I once called and had them give me day's grace.
I reckon if I'd put on an even sexier voice I could have got a second day out of them.

Mind you, I think for me it was only a matter of 20 points or so.

 

[Mumfreqflyer]

Per - Mel - BNE - lax for $530 one way in oct for 75 status credits

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Book it before it disappears!

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Per - Mel - BNE - lax for $530 one way in oct for 75 status credits

View attachment 55049

Wow !!

Even Syd - Lax same day one way saver is $460 on VA website...

A very nice price and SC earn from Perth

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Does anyone know how flexible the review date is?

I will be 80 SC short on my date but 2 days later will return from o/s earning 100.

Is it worth trying to get the extras before I go? If ì get in before the end of this month I would only need 50 SC to maintain.

Thanks.

I'd telephone them and plead your case. The problem you may have is if they do bump you back a peg, you'll be faced with not just the 80 needed to retain, but the extra (another 100 if you're gold and another 200 if you're platinum) to qualify for that level again. I'd suggest telephone first and see what they say, and failing that, a quick status run to grab those 50 may be prudent.

 

[davidsilver]

I agree, I would call them and see what they say. Failing that, depending on how much you value status & how much you actually fly, it might be worth doing a quick status run. IMO if you are short on requal for WP is it really worth chasing the SC to retain? SG is a nice enough soft landing?

$530 one way to LAX for 75 SC is not bad, so assuming the return is the same price you're looking at $1060 for 150SC which is a nice little earner, but I personally think thats a long way to fly just retain status. MEL-BNE-CNS return usually runs around $800 for 120SC and can be done in 1 day.

Value is in the eye of the beholder though

 

[CJEMNMAC]

$530 one way to LAX for 75 SC is not bad, so assuming the return is the same price you're looking at $1060 for 150SC which is a nice little earner, but I personally think thats a long way to fly just retain status. MEL-BNE-CNS return usually runs around $800 for 120SC and can be done in 1 day.

Value is in the eye of the beholder though

I think its pretty good seeing as the pricing seems to go for about 4 weeks..up to about mid november. Agree its a damm long way for a status run but some times if you can incorporate this into your travel plans it would obviously assist.

The return trip however is nowhere near as friendly as far as I could see. I do like the fact that the $530 can be reduced further by using dlr26... PER-SYD-LAX for $489 one way

 

[davidsilver]

If I wasn't already booked to MNL on those dates, I'd be seriously considering 2 weeks in USA at that price.

I know I was 20 SC short of going from PS to SG and tried calling to see if they could bump me to SG as I had 360SC coming within the next 5 days, they wouldn't do this saying it was a computer automated process and they have no guarantee that I will travel and just take the status and run. Only wanted to be bumped so I could have lounge access as I had used my 2 passes from being Silver.

I ended up purchasing lounge access the morning of my flights and then the next day my status went to SG and I called them to cancel and they issued me a pro rata refund the next working day. Meant I only paid around $3 for access to lounge in MEL & BNE, couldn't justify paying $65 each for 2 adults in both airports.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

The return trip however is nowhere near as friendly as far as I could see.

This is the part I really dislike about a lot of carriers. Beaut prices over.....but oh, you want to come back, with a disbelieving expression firmly affixed!

 

[a1ring23]

Finally gonna start family pooling - moving in with my fiancee this week and will have the same address etc. If I book now and don't have family pooling 'turned on' - will the points/SCs still come over to me? Flights are in late Oct/early Nov.

Ie does the family pooling count when the flight is taken or when the flight is booked?