Using points to retain Platinum ...

[levelnine]

Dilution of status and the frequent flyer program in general has been happening for at least the past 12 years.

Upgrade credits replaced by loyalty bonus which has since been enhanced 2-3 times. For reference 3 UC's earned after 1,200 SCs were good for a one-way upgrade to business SYD-BKK/HKG/SIN from any economy fare class. An upgrade to business today from an upgradeable fare requires 40,000 QFF points?

Anytime lounge access taken away and replaced with domestic arrival access after the backlash.

Complimentary exit rows on international flights is also gone.

Minimum points guarantee has been reduced to 800 QFF points which was a 20% devaluation. I now need 125 SYD-BNE flights to earn 100,000 QFF points where as someone can churn multiple credit cards and easily earn 100,000 QFF points each time for a cost of $400-$500 for each churn and sometimes even less if first year fee free.

And with other banking and shopping promotions someone can earn 100,000 QFF points for very little outlay.

As you can see the points I earn from flying are almost worthless. It is no longer a frequent flyer program but a frequent spender program. I see less and less award seats available especially during "peak" times. From early February there was very little award availabilty from Asia in July.

I can't plan 12 months ahead. I'm being punished for being a frequent flyer. I should be able to access award seats 5 months out.

Add to this that you can now buy SCs through credit card sign up offers. It is a frequent flyer program in name only.

 

[Franky]

Do try to pull the "I have been loyal for X amount of years and held WP for 6 years"

Mrs Franky tried this yesterday, and it fell on deaf ears. Her WP status expired end of Feb when she fell short by 80 SCs, and it has taken this long for QF to respond to several phone calls and emails since then, to her request for a review. The point she stressed is that as we live in Perth, and almost all of her international travel is to Asia, Europe and Africa, it is hard to get QF flights on most occasions without taking the Captain Cook route. This was underlined yesterday when she eventually got thru to QF, and the operator suggested that a recent trip to Nairobi from Perth, could have been taken on QF by flying there thru Melbourne! Keryln pointed out that she chooses OW airlines for the trips where QF is not an option, and therefore cops a reduction on her rate, and also has three trips sitting in MMB to be taken in the next month, but all she got was the bum's rush. Thankfully, she is LTG, but is most disappointed that her loyalty hasn't been reciprocated. There was no mention of the ability to purchase WP status on this occasion.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Do try to pull the "I have been loyal for X amount of years and held WP for 6 years"

Mrs Franky tried this yesterday, and it fell on deaf ears. Her WP status expired end of Feb when she fell short by 80 SCs, and it has taken this long for QF to respond to several phone calls and emails since then, to her request for a review. The point she stressed is that as we live in Perth, and almost all of her international travel is to Asia, Europe and Africa, it is hard to get QF flights on most occasions without taking the Captain Cook route. This was underlined yesterday when she eventually got thru to QF, and the operator suggested that a recent trip to Nairobi from Perth, could have been taken on QF by flying there thru Melbourne! Keryln pointed out that she chooses OW airlines for the trips where QF is not an option, and therefore cops a reduction on her rate, and also has three trips sitting in MMB to be taken in the next month, but all she got was the bum's rush. Thankfully, she is LTG, but is most disappointed that her loyalty hasn't been reciprocated. There was no mention of the ability to purchase WP status on this occasion.

From an analytics perspective, Qantas can already predict if you're 'on the way out' and the current lifecycle of you being a valuable customer may be in, or heading towards a down trend. It's difficult to BS data because it's aggregated and puts you in a specific segment of others who display similar flight patterns/spend etc. To break the big data system you'll need to do things outside your norm, and this will mess up their propensity scoring of you - things like, start booking significantly higher/lower fare classes than usual, book ex-different cities, use a new credit card with a bank not attached to qantas points earn (that you've never had earn into QFF), use a travel agent or new booking channel, start crediting a few bank points into QFF (trickle them in) if you don't have any going in currently, and be sure to disable location services related to Qantas apps.

QF will view loyalty based on your future potential value, and not on your history. Add to that, if QF thinks you'll fly them even without status - the chances of getting anything extra will instantly drop.

This topic is deep and we could go on for hours... .

 

[JohnK]

Add to this that you can now buy SCs through credit card sign up offers. It is a frequent flyer program in name only.

I wonder how long before they will offer SCs on shopping?

 

[rsellens]

I wonder how long before they will offer SCs on shopping?

Velocity already do with Coles.

 

[Danger]

I don't like it at all. If QF starts selling status for points it will further devaluate the programme. First they will offer it to WPs who want to retain, then to SGs who are looking to jump the queue and later to anyone who is willing to use their points to buy status.

As points and SCs have always been a separate entity this is either the start of a number of discreet offers by QF or the beginning of a major change to the programme.

Add to this that you can now buy SCs through credit card sign up offers. It is a frequent flyer program in name only.

I'm with levelnine. I viewed the recent decision to award SCs on shopping spend and, mot recently, throw 75 SCs with a credit card as the crossing of a sad and disappointing line.

 

[mannej]

Velocity already do with Coles.

And EY .

 

[JohnK]

Velocity already do with Coles.

I know. Let's see how long before Qantas catches on. Sad indeed.

 

[Jet L]

I think we all need to go back to status miles... you can only earn status by sitting on the plane.. at least you need to do some flying for status and its not where you can earn 1000 scs on shopping

 

[11sjw]

I think we all need to go back to status miles... you can only earn status by sitting on the plane.. at least you need to do some flying for status and its not where you can earn 1000 scs on shopping

See here's you thinking it's a Frequent Flyer Program. Seems like it's converted to a loyalty program without a name change. In saying that, if I earn as much money for QF without flying as say someone who earns SG through flying why couldn't I be given the SG benefits?

 

[straitman]

See here's you thinking it's a Frequent Flyer Program. Seems like it's converted to a loyalty program without a name change. In saying that, if I earn as much money for QF without flying as say someone who earns SG through flying why couldn't I be given the SG benefits?

An interesting and quite valid question IMHO.

 

[nutwood]

Add to this that you can now buy SCs through credit card sign up offers. It is a frequent flyer program in name only.

I actually find this more concerning than the 100k to retain status as it shows that somewhere in the Qantas brain, the idea has germinated. Now SC's are a commercial item.
Frequent Flyer points were originally just that, points for people who flew frequently. Then they became commercial and suddenly you could have a huge number of points without ever setting foot in a plane.
Aside from the perks, arranging passengers, based on their flying experience, makes good practical sense and is also much more pleasant for the passengers. I fly quite a bit domestically and I would greatly prefer to be surrounded by passengers who are experienced flyers rather than those who have purchased status by tricky credit card manoeuvres.
The other aspect is loyalty. If loyalty becomes a commodity to be purchased, then it loses value. I probably fly enough that, combined with a few credit card dodges, I could also have status on other air lines but I stay with Qantas because, annoying though they can be, they have always looked after me. Problems have always been sorted. Possibly not immediately, but eventually. No doubt there are many like myself and it would be very risky to start us looking at our flying choices purely from the commercial angle.
My feeling is, to maintain the integrity of the program, there should be only one way to gain Sc's and that's through flying. It's probably harmless to "sell" status to someone who has previously held that status and is having a slow year but the question is whether it's the thin end of the wedge?

 

[cmon0005]

I got the call last week for 120kto retain, politely declined.

 

[amaroo]

I got the call last week for 120kto retain, politely declined.

Would this offer get you from Bronze/Silver/Gold > Plat ?

Hotel status is handed out like confetti ... can't see any difference if airlines do the same.

 

[cmon0005]

Would this offer get you from Bronze/Silver/Gold > Plat ?

Hotel status is handed out like confetti ... can't see any difference if airlines do the same.

This was plat > plat retain I was only at 770SC this year, with expiry end of this month.

 

[amaroo]

This was plat > plat retain I was only at 770SC this year, with expiry end of this month.

430SC for 120,000 ... not a bad deal IMO - better earn than the old JASA. Wonder what the rate would be if your SC earn for the year was under the gold threshold.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

I wonder this too. I thought there were more WPs and P1s than you could poke a stick at flying in and out of PER but the other week I managed to get my family of 4 upgraded to J MEL to PER and I'm only SG. Maybe the significant drop in FIFO workers following the mining slowdown has really started to hit the FF program?

I have heard that some mining companies are now economising by buying fares that do not earn points or SCs for the FIFO workers they have left.

 

[cmon0005]

430SC for 120,000 ... not a bad deal IMO - better earn than the old JASA. Wonder what the rate would be if your SC earn for the year was under the gold threshold.

Issue was I spoke to QF a month ago, as I knew I wasn't going to make 1200, they informed me if i could make it to 750 i would be retained by the computer, which didn't happen. Ie comps are dead..? Hence now i will ask for retain based on their advice last month.

 

[amaroo]

Issue was I spoke to QF a month ago, as I knew I wasn't going to make 1200, they informed me if i could make it to 750 i would be retained by the computer, which didn't happen. Ie comps are dead..? Hence now i will ask for retain based on their advice last month.

Interesting circumstances. Assume the comp would have been issued based on the 3x theory. Best of luck with the comp!

 

[levelnine]

Ie comps are dead..?

This is the biggest aspect of the development in my opinion. Comps are on the way out (if not already gone). A benefit of long-term loyalty has been 'enhanced'.