Upcoming Qantas Frequent Flyer Changes

[dfcatch]

I usually just fork out for the $20 express complaints handling fee. Ensures your complaint is 'amongst the first responded to'.

I think I may have accidentally selected the $160 exit row option, which "exited" my complaints from the system

 

[sambo517]

I know many of you are keen to hear about changes we’re making to Qantas Frequent Flyer since we sought feedback from you. As a small gesture of thanks to the Australian Frequent Flyer community, we’d like you to be amongst the first to know about these changes in advance of an email later today.

Key Program Changes

Increased Cabin bonuses on all earning fares on Qantas and Jetstar from 17 May 2011.

· Premium Economy: 10% to 25%

· Business: 25% to 50%

· First: 50% to 100%


Increased Status bonuses for Silver and Gold Qantas Frequent Flyers on Qantas and Jetstar from 17 May 2011.

· Silver: 25% to 50%

· Gold: 50% to 75%


More options to earn points and Status credits on Jetstar fares from 17 May 2011.


Improved upgrade request and notification process planned for late 2011, including SMS confirmation


Platinum One - additional benefits for our most frequent flyers from 3600 status credits and beyond.


Changed Loyalty bonus from December 2011 – a Loyalty bonus of 8000 points for every 500 Status credits earned within a membership year up to 4 per year.
​

These changes are specifically designed to reward our Frequent Flyers. As you are aware, we have made recent significant investments in our lounges and check-in on the ground. In the air, we recently introduced our first AVOD equipped 737-800 on the Domestic network. These aircraft will replace 737-400s. Internationally, A380 standard product will be launched on the 747-400 later this year. We are also working on improving the delivery of the basics, to provide you with a better experience with us.

In terms of other changes, there is an increase in points required to pay for surcharges, fees and taxes on eligible Australia and New Zealand Domestic Classic Awards from 3,000 points to 4,500 points per segment, due to jet fuel prices. We are also announcing plans to create a new alliance with Optus to provide you with new opportunities to earn points, which will be launched later this year. For those of you passionate about food and wine, we are also launching epiQure by Qantas Frequent Flyer, a new online community for Members on food and wine.

Thanks for flying with us and for your input and energy in providing us with your thoughts and ideas. No doubt, you will have plenty to share with us in response to this, and we look forward to your feedback.

As I've been Flying ADL-PER & back in Business...
Yes, I've noticed the changes on my statement....
Awesome stuff....

 

[bsymons]

does anyone have an update on when the WP1 benefits will be released?

I'm WP but do around 6 - 8 HNL/DFW/BNA returns a year in F (540SC) and would most likely get to 3600, but im currently reallocating above the 1200 retain mark to AA because i also do HNL/SEA/FAI/ANC/HNL which i can get AA elite miles on... heading towards EP there too.

I may need to rethink this if the benefits are worth it - im most likely to actually use points on trips home to aus (and keep the wife happy when she comes with me!)

 

[simongr]

Q4 is the advised date still for the release of the program although more details will I am sure appear.

 

[bsymons]

Q4 is the advised date still for the release of the program although more details will I am sure appear.

Thanks. think ill keep racking them up until i hear in case its worth it...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Frm what I can make out, the new Qantas platinum level is going to be centred on providing benefits to plats when travelling Qantas... with some sort of special assistance team to look after you. This could be extremely helpful if you are doing a lot of flying on Qantas... but not if you are on AA.

It seems likely there will be some enhanced upgrade mechanism, which will also apply to regular platinums.

So if you are going to assign everything above 1200 to AA, and get significant benefits from that, then it may be worthwhile staying with those for a year until P1 is rolled out.

Certainly the redemption levels on Qantas are extraordinarily high... 90K for a one way redemption to Asia First class (from Australia). This compares to 45K for the same award using your AA miles. (In fact AA miles cover the whole of Asia to Australia for that level, Qantas is more than 90K if you go farther than Hong Kong.)

 

[bsymons]

Certainly the redemption levels on Qantas are extraordinarily high... 90K for a one way redemption to Asia First class (from Australia). This compares to 45K for the same award using your AA miles. (In fact AA miles cover the whole of Asia to Australia for that level, Qantas is more than 90K if you go farther than Hong Kong.)

The redemption levels are certainly something ive noticed, that has been the other reason i have lost some degree of "loyalty" to the QFF program. I have enough points to upgrade flights home to aus and use the AA points for holidays to the US mainland, effectively costing me less.

As you note, i think ill keep doing this until its clear what the changes are!

 

[Awesom Andy]

I agree with MEL_Traveller. I think it would be quite difficult for a partner to provide any additional services. Plus, with the differences in redemption rate, it may be wise to credit to AA until the WP1 benefits are finalised.

 

[yo yo ma]

You really need to make more seats available as most frequent flyer seats are booked out up to one year ahead! There is really no point to becoming a FF member with Qantas if you have to book a seat a year in advance.

They are not booked out in my experience and you don't have to book a year in advance... have a look at the ASA (any-seat-award) section of the website

 

[clifford]

They are not booked out in my experience and you don't have to book a year in advance... have a look at the ASA (any-seat-award) section of the website

Ah yes, but at what cost?

 

[Fantic125]

does anyone have an update on when the WP1 benefits will be released?

I'm WP but do around 6 - 8 HNL/DFW/BNA returns a year in F (540SC) and would most likely get to 3600, but im currently reallocating above the 1200 retain mark to AA because i also do HNL/SEA/FAI/ANC/HNL which i can get AA elite miles on... heading towards EP there too.

I may need to rethink this if the benefits are worth it - im most likely to actually use points on trips home to aus (and keep the wife happy when she comes with me!)

Too much information in the last paragraph!

 

[yo yo ma]

QF know that very few, if any FF's will actually leave, despite their protests to the contrary. Only when/if people actually did, might QF listen...

Nice summary of the situation

eg QF changed the bar opening time to 2pm... when it didn't work, they switched it back.

 

[serfty]

... eg QF changed the bar opening time to 2pm... when it didn't work, they switched it back.

Of course, that was after changing the time from 3pm soon enough after AN's demise (I presume to alleviate overcrowding) and when that did not work it was moved to Noon.

 

[connieguy]

I suggest Status Credits should have the same life as do Points and Status Tier selection timing should be at the members choice. This way years when you gain more SCs than needed to obtain your desired Tier level you can, if effect, bank them for lean years, like we can do with points.

I mean we make the decision of when and how many points we draw down and use for award flights, so why not do the same for Status Tier choices? As example if you are happy with Gold, why burn SCs on Platinum when those Platinum SCs may also be used to buy you another year of Gold?

So QF/Red Roo maybe it is time to boldly go where no other airline has gone before. Make status tier selection a members choice and give SCs the same life as Points. They are, after all, our SCs. Should not we have the right to decide how and when we spend them?

 

[willjd]

My gripe is with Bronze members.

You have to pay to join (or free through Woolworths) however for us bronze members the chances of reaching silver within a membership year is slim. Qantas say that they have 8 million members or whatever but how many of them are lowly Bronze members and what changes have they made for us? Say within a year we fly to the UK twice the status credits and points earned are minimal. How about making the membership year for Bronze members 18 months or even 2 years? At least give us something to aim for?
Also as others have said, the redemption rates are awful, for an upgrade or even award flights are out of reach of a large % of the 8 million members.

 

[dajop]

My gripe is with Bronze members.

You have to pay to join (or free through Woolworths) however for us bronze members the chances of reaching silver within a membership year is slim. Qantas say that they have 8 million members or whatever but how many of them are lowly Bronze members and what changes have they made for us? Say within a year we fly to the UK twice the status credits and points earned are minimal. How about making the membership year for Bronze members 18 months or even 2 years? At least give us something to aim for?
Also as others have said, the redemption rates are awful, for an upgrade or even award flights are out of reach of a large % of the 8 million members.

Well actually Qantas fairly recently reduced the silver qualification requirement from 350 to 300 status credits, that is something. But to be honest, if you are flying so little, QF are only really interested in bronze travellers as a whole but not individually. They have utilised the Woolworths scheme as the primary carrot for Bronze flyers (I think the logic if you are steadily accruing points through Woolworths that gives you another reason to fly QF to top up those points). Also the short redemption rates are not that awful - 8000 pts is the entry for a one way flight, which is not bad by global standards, although still only around the 1c per point. Can be most useful on more expensive regional Qantas Link routes.

If you are flying to the UK twice within a year - you would still get 40,000 pts on QF which will give you some redemptions. But if you are paying a premium to fly QF then you need to ask - it is worth considering whether better value for you to go with a lower fare on a different carrier and earn no points (or points in a different program)?

 

[nlagalle]

My gripe is with Bronze members.

You have to pay to join (or free through Woolworths) however for us bronze members the chances of reaching silver within a membership year is slim. Qantas say that they have 8 million members or whatever but how many of them are lowly Bronze members and what changes have they made for us? Say within a year we fly to the UK twice the status credits and points earned are minimal. How about making the membership year for Bronze members 18 months or even 2 years? At least give us something to aim for?
Also as others have said, the redemption rates are awful, for an upgrade or even award flights are out of reach of a large % of the 8 million members.

Welcome to AFF willjd.

Qantas lowered the silver requirement to be only 300 Status credits. That is your two trips to london and a trip or two to Sydney.

Personally I'd be more upset as a bronze or silver about losing the status bonus..

The redemption rates are the same no matter what status you are too.. They may not be the best, but they aren't the worst either. Domestic upgrades are easy enough but international are a lot harder (hence we call it a lottery)

 

[angusburns]

Interesting you should say that as Virgin have changed their status qualification to a rolling 12 month system. Here is the extract from their website:

How is my Status Credit balance calculated?
Your Status Credit balance is calculated daily based on the number of Status Credits earned in the previous 12 months. Every Status Credit you earn is valid for 12 months and your Status Credit balance will not be reset to zero at your Review Date."
(https://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/Status/HowItWorks/index.htm

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Hope this helps - food for thought. I guess this way of calculating rewards people who fly regularly and thus keep their SCs topped up, rather than those who do the one big trip with max points earned.

Not sure which of the two systems I would prefer Qantas to use but I think that the Virgin system is better for the airlines... what do you think?

 

[m_ratt]

I note that AirNZ has a mixture of the methods. Rolling 12 month period for Gold Elite, annual qualification period for Gold and Silver.

I guess it's an interesting choice for an airline to make.

 

[dajop]

Not sure which of the two systems I would prefer Qantas to use but I think that the Virgin system is better for the airlines... what do you think?

Not necessarily, as people who may have an anniversary date of say 1 Jan, yet do a lot of flying in Dec & Jan still will have to split the flights between qualification years under the QF system, but will all be counted in the one qualification period under the Virgin system. But on the flipside if that same person did a load of flying in January and qualified for a status, under QF they would be elevated status for nearly 2 years, yet Virgin it would be only 1...