Velocity points now worthless in 2023 (extreme stealth devaluation)

[mingzie]

SQ availability via VFF does seem odd. There’s plenty of Saver availability with KrisFlyer that doesn’t seem to show in VA nowadays.

Thanks, I can confirm that this is the case. Have spent almost 5m on SQ redemptions using velocity so I am not just spitballing or a random clueless Facebook user as some would like to claim

It used to actually allow equivalent Saver 1:1 on almost all routes. I have even booked 5 international J on the same flight RECENTLY.

Now I can't even find ONE on the routes I usually fly, even one year in advance, even with the flight fully empty (can be paid for via cash and all seat selections available), even willing to fly from other states

 

[jakeseven7]

Could it be just another VA2 / Velocity bug/IT issue??

 

[mingzie]

Could it be just another VA2 / Velocity bug/IT issue??

Hoping so, but what makes me think it's not is that the website changed last night a couple hours after these complaint posts to allow a max of 2 redemptions in domestic J. I saw the change happen in real time, lol.

So someone seems to be tinkering with the backend configuration. As a software engineer myself I really don't think this is a IT bug but a deliberate change.

I am really hoping it is a change that will be reversed though. It looks like they've half reversed the domestic devaluation but it's still nowhere near as good as the 4 max it was for the past 10+ years

On the other hand, SQ availability has been completely devastated. Now THAT I am hoping is a bug.. but the pessimist in me is skeptical

I could transfer to KF but I'd lose about 30-40% efficiency compared to what I used to be able to book my flights as. Still quite a huge devaluation given I have over 1m points cost in KF is almost the same as what used to be available in Velocity, except KF is worth 50% more per point. Though taxes are less and this now makes the efficiency / value loss somewhere around 40%.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Your original assertion was that you couldn't book J seats like you used to and that amounted to a massive and extreme devaluation of Velocity points to the point of being worthless.

Indeed. Availability and cost(~value) are not the same thing.
OP does state what dates he/she is looking for. Or routes.
100's - 1000's of people are *now* looking to travel. Demand is high for awards and cash tickets

 

[mingzie]

Indeed. Availability and cost(~value) are not the same thing.
OP does state what dates he/she is looking for. Or routes.
100's - 1000's of people are *now* looking to travel. Demand is high for awards and cash tickets

This really seems to be a case of potatoe potatoh.

Deliberately coded devaluation because of perceived "demand" even though the same 10 seats are available as they were a month ago is a devaluation, regardless of how you want to paint or spin it.

Availability is a factor that makes up the value. Take the extreme example of 0 redemptions or just 1 per year being made available to all flyers within the pool. This is a deVALUation.

Just like how there are 10 seats available two weeks ago (and you can book 4 redemptions), and 10 seats available now (but this week you could only book one seat).

I really, really don't get the corporate simping or how people don't understand the basic concept that a deVALUation (worth) can come in the form of reduced availability or worsened conditions, despite the points cost not increasing.

If this change happened gradually and naturally based on the previous rules that were already in place, I'd say your anecdotal theories make sense. But these were deliberate / released and cliffed code changes, not natural ones as a factor of natural availability reducing. There were distinct coding changes on the back end..


Furthermore, if I was the only one mentioning these issues, you could say I'm crazy or imagining it due to "increased demand". There is literally one thread about the dripfeeding issue, and another about SQ (as well as someone above who actually checked SQ who is confirming what I am seeing)

If the rule before was that if ALL seats on a flight are available to buy, 4 are made available to the redemption pool and you can book them all at once. Now that rule has arbitrarily changed. That is a devaluation :/

 

[travelislife]

I get your points. Just a note, there is only 8 J seats on VA’s aircraft. 4 x 2.

 

[HS-TQE]

I get your points. Just a note, there is only 8 J seats on VA’s aircraft. 4 x 2.

Only on the 738s and the 2x 73Gs (VBY and VBZ).

The Fokkers, Airbus and 73W (ex-KLM 700s) are all-Y aircraft mostly crewed by WA's Regional subsidiary, despite the 73Ws being registered to the mainline AOC.

 

[travelislife]

Only on the 738s and the 2x 73Gs (VBY and VBZ).

The Fokkers, Airbus and 73W (ex-KLM 700s) are all-Y aircraft mostly crewed by WA's Regional subsidiary, despite the 73Ws being registered to the mainline AOC.

Yep…but not really relevant to the conversation as mingzie isn’t booking a business redemption on those because not available!

 

[jase05]

The SQ thing is not a conspiracy either. Try finding a single flight to or from Syd/Mel/Ade to J within the next entire year. These are flights with full J seat availability on SQ who have had their availability just completely disappear

I haven’t looked for the rest of the year but I’ve been looking at flights in November and December for our trip and 2x J seats on SQ ADL-SIN and SIN-ADL available on several dates

 

[mingzie]

I haven’t looked for the rest of the year but I’ve been looking at flights in November and December for our trip and 2x J seats on SQ ADL-SIN and SIN-ADL available on several dates

I can also confirm that there is availability as of today; it looks like it was either a temporary disabling or temporary issue with the SQ partner (and will give benefit of the doubt here)

One example is that the route Syd to PEK (and back) was completely disabled. Now it has been "reactivated"

The only thing left is that domestic J has been changed to one seat. And then yesterday night changed to two seats (it was originally 4/8 of the J domestic if all 8 J seats were available)

For international SQ, the availability is now reflecting what I saw before this temporary outage (which is not amazing, but beats the shock of not even seeing one seat :/)

 

[RooFlyer]

Looks like velocity points are almost worthless now and have had a massive stealth devaluation. There is almost zero award availability on almost all routes and there is single seat dripfeeding (only one seat available on all routes)

The first sentence in this thread is utter nonsense. Award availability every time I look HBA to SYD and BNE. Even with a single seat, this saves me ~$900 for a J fare to Brisbane every time, so hardly 'worthless'.

Lets see how the thread develops


Second post:

Now absolutely everything is gone...

No, it hasn't.

 

[RooFlyer]

Also just noting that I am only talking about J rewards. Economy and Premium Economy are still there and seem to be normal.

J rewards seem to have fallen off a cliff and disappeared completely.

So am I (J). I have got them very recently so they haven't disappeared completely.

EDIT: Oh, sorry, you are just talking about last night? Could have for a few hours I guess.

 

[RooFlyer]

So someone on the VA side has specifically been tampering with this.

VA have been 'tampering' with their own website/reward seat yield?

Re: SQ yes, this partnership appears to have been gutted in terms of SQ now offering almost zero seats.

Sorta like Qantas and Qatar

 

[Gold Member]

The title of this thread and the desperate attempts to provide evidence and justification just smacks of a Qantas troll account trying to divert attention from the dismal QFF experience.

My experiences (and it seems for most others here on AFF) differ greatly from yours, Mingzie.

Good luck.

 

[burmans]

So just reading this thread a minor problem with reward availability for z as few hours had become a major catastrophe. Seems minor compared with some of the problems people have had on QF and SQ in the last year (noting that both seem to be improving recently) so yes I do wonder on motivation!

 

[kamchatsky]

So just reading this thread a minor problem with reward availability for z as few hours had become a major catastrophe. Seems minor compared with some of the problems people have had on QF and SQ in the last year (noting that both seem to be improving recently) so yes I do wonder on motivation!

SQ still provides the best availability for awards, especially awards with more than 2 seats.

 

[mingzie]

So just reading this thread a minor problem with reward availability for z as few hours had become a major catastrophe. Seems minor compared with some of the problems people have had on QF and SQ in the last year (noting that both seem to be improving recently) so yes I do wonder on motivation!

SQ was 2-3 weeks, not hours

If you can't find a motivation maybe it's exactly what I said

The domestic J dripfeed was also 1 week, not hours. And still not fixed. It went from 4 to 1 to 2 last night. But if it makes you happy to believe in a conspiracy and you are that bored with your life then whatever. I guess 5 other aff are also in on it with me and we are all paid actors!

It's really annoying when brand apologists come out to call everyone who says anything negative a troll. These issues were fixed not long after my posts, maybe probably because of them. See the other dripfeed thread from Monday, and the other SQ 600k points and it's not just me imagining it.

 

[odysseus]

Or maybe it's just the typical 'financial optimisation' and the like that all airline programs have run, for many years. It doesn't make them worthless, just you sometimes have to change your tactics, or utilise them in different ways.

There aren't just two states, black and white, incredible or worthless.

 

[mingzie]

Or maybe it's just the typical 'financial optimisation' and the like that all airline programs have run, for many years. It doesn't make them worthless, just you sometimes have to change your tactics, or utilise them in different ways.

There aren't just two states, black and white, incredible or worthless.

This is all irrelevant, I'm not asking what to do in the case of a major devaluation (I am a points user of lots of different programs and I am used to devaluations), I'm just pointing out there are major issues that are stealthed and my current concern is this because I have 1m points to use. The total lack of SQ rewards IS worthlessness for someone who collects based off this partnership (but this issue has thankfully been fixed). I never said they are either at the extremes incredible or worthless, nor am I a stranger to devaluations.

Being only able to book one J domestic this week was a real piss take, though, even for other programs standards. I actually forgave the SQ stuff for the last few weeks but this broke the camel's back thus the post.

 

[burmans]

It's really annoying when brand apologists come out to call everyone who says anything negative a troll. These issues were fixed not long after my posts, maybe probably because of them. See the other dripfeed thread from Monday, and the other SQ 600k points and it's not just me imagining it.

Gotta love someone who thinks the airlines are monitoring your posts!