Virgin "enhances" redemptions, changes to points + pay

[brad330]

It is true! Please do this for all routes!

 

[AdMEL]

Syd-MEL 30 June

I just checked MEL-SYD on June 30 and came up with the following prices:

Y - 6,900 + $51-68 or 13,500 + $0
J - 6,900 + $38 or 11,800 + $0

Something screwy with Velcoity website still!

 

[pat25d]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Hi guys,
Yes we have reviewed our points + pay redemption levels. To continue to be a profitable business, changes to this product had to be made, where the minimum levels had to be set and enforced.



All due respect to this and some other posts to this thread - we can't provide such sensitive information prior to the fact. Please remember that while we are good friends and a proud member of the frequent flying community, some things we just aren't able to share.

Disappointed but meh I'll live.

Maybe you should also review your web developers contract as its some bad coding and it's still possible to bypass the minimum points if you know how.

 

[Fruitcake]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

For those getting whacked out results - what browser are you using? I'm using Chrome on Windows XP, and can't replicate any of this 'NaN' or or "points + credit" shennanigans.

 

[AdMEL]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

For those getting whacked out results - what browser are you using? I'm using Chrome on Windows XP, and can't replicate any of this 'NaN' or or "points + credit" shennanigans.

Browser is not relevant - as per previous posts by myself and Virgin rep, error has been fixed. This will not occur now.

 

[pat25d]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Browser is not relevant - as per previous posts by myself and Virgin rep, error has been fixed. This will not occur now.

Still does if you know the trick.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Disappointed but meh I'll live.

Maybe you should also review your web developers contract as its some bad coding and it's still possible to bypass the minimum points if you know how.

Or employ me as a code reviewer

 

[obrienja]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Hi guys,
Yes we have reviewed our points + pay redemption levels. To continue to be a profitable business, changes to this product had to be made, where the minimum levels had to be set and enforced.



All due respect to this and some other posts to this thread - we can't provide such sensitive information prior to the fact. Please remember that while we are good friends and a proud member of the frequent flying community, some things we just aren't able to share.

Well that certainly explains the rationale behind the 15/30% redemption bonus that was offered. You can call it sensitive information if you like but you've changed the rules without notice during a promotion designed to entice people to move their points across. A large number of those people might have made that decision based on the reward rates from a few days ago. They'll now be very disappointed that their plans are no longer possible.

Others have commented that Virgin is trying to be Qantas & this change along with others certainly seems to confirm that.

I hope you'll be introducing some of the positive Qantas ideas if you're being proactive - like points & SC earning on points+pay bookings (given the increase in points) & using Qantas' SC earning method of SYD-MEL-PER earning by length of segment not length of SYD-PER.

 

[AdMEL]

I just checked MEL-SYD on June 30 and came up with the following prices:

Y - 6,900 + $51-68 or 13,500 + $0
J - 6,900 + $38 or 11,800 + $0

Something screwy with Velcoity website still!

Also get this SYD-MEL on the same date.

MEL-BNE same date in J is 6,900 + $120.

It looks like only the longer routes such as east coast to PER have been negatively affected at this stage.

 

[oz_mark]

Also get this SYD-MEL on the same date.

MEL-BNE same date in J is 6,900 + $120.

It looks like only the longer routes such as east coast to PER have been negatively affected at this stage.

More date related, than route related.

Longer routes have higher minimums based on the zones.

 

[Fruitcake]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

I hope you'll be introducing some of the positive Qantas ideas if you're being proactive - like points & SC earning on points+pay bookings (given the increase in points) & using Qantas' SC earning method of SYD-MEL-PER earning by length of segment not length of SYD-PER.

One thing I've always wondered is, what business case could you make to Virgin for doing that? Why should they encourage pax to book indirect routes, which generally generate a lot less revenue per mile actually flown? In the event of disruptions, you're potentially increasing the volume of displaced pax. Why should the pax flying CBR-SYD-ROK (ie no direct flight available) be forced to fight for a seat home with the bozo flying MEL-CBR-SYD-BNE just for the hell of it when there's storms somewhere and a CBR-SYD flight is cancelled?

As a DJ status holder I'd love to be able to construct ridiculous domestic SC runs but I can't for the life of me figure out why the airline should allow it.


But as for SCs (and possibly points) for 'any seat' bookings though - I'd love to see that implemented.

 

[obrienja]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Fruitcake I was being facetious If they're so desperate to be Qantas they might as well copy all of their business model. So they'll need to have inconsistent priority boarding & a new garishly coloured low cost airline as part of the "Virgin Group"*

*when it suits them

 

[Fruitcake]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Fruitcake I was being facetious

Well I guess I've made myself look like a bit of a fruitcake?

 

[Undercover Brother]

I can't seem to get Points plus Pay working at the moment, the best I can do is get the NaN error, and certainly no 6900 J fares on any route.

Can someone PM me the process?

Cheers

 

[jazza1971]

Well I just ninja'd an ADL-PTH (via Mel)-SYD-ADL booking for 30 Jun at the old rate just for the hell of it! If anyone else from ADL does the same let me know!

 

[Moopere]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

All due respect to this and some other posts to this thread - we can't provide such sensitive information prior to the fact. Please remember that while we are good friends and a proud member of the frequent flying community, some things we just aren't able to share.

Ordinarily I'd probably side with this. But to make such dramatic change, that directly affects passengers who want to use FF points _during_ a major promotion to get said passengers to transfer points from other schemes (Amex) to VFF is probably bait-and-switch.

I'm glad I left my FF points where there were - otherwise I'd be forced to look at all available options.

 

[Moopere]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Website still not fixed for me. Although fares like 6900 + 500$ or 60,000 are shown I can't select any of them because I don't have 60,000 VFF, though I do have more than 6900.... what a shamozzle.

 

[wafliron]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Yes we have reviewed our points + pay redemption levels. To continue to be a profitable business, changes to this product had to be made, where the minimum levels had to be set and enforced.

And fair enough - but you should have provided advance warning.

All due respect to this and some other posts to this thread - we can't provide such sensitive information prior to the fact. Please remember that while we are good friends and a proud member of the frequent flying community, some things we just aren't able to share.

With due respect in return, "sensitive information"? I haven't been in the FF game all that long, but as far as I can recall I haven't seen any other airline change their FF redemption rates without significant advance warning, let alone when it involes a change of this magnitude. Plus the fact that you've done it in the middle of a promo designed to get people to redeem their CC points to Velocity, as others have mentioned.

As I said earlier in the thread, you've cost yourself my business for the foreseeable future. You've also cost yourself the business of several of my colleagues who, up until now, travelled with Virgin quite frequently. And I'm sure we're not the only ones making this same decision. Note that I'm not saying this to be argumentative or spiteful, but rather to point out that, apart from any ethical considerations around making such a large and abrupt change, it seems likely to also be a poor commercial decision.

 

[AdMEL]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

Another 'enhancement' that appears to have been slipped in - redemption rates for J are increasing as of 1 July. Appears to be about 500 points each way, for the routes I've looked at (MEL-PER and MEL-BNE). E.g. MEL-PER increasing from 30,800 to 31,300. No mention of this on the Velocity website (still shows rates until 30 June), nor any notification received.

Whilst this increase is small, again, the lack of notice is disappointing.

 

[pat25d]

Re: Very cheap business class points + pay redemptions

I think people are overreacting.

What's the bet that most people using this 'benefit' are of relatively low importance to Virgin (whether in spend level, status or not widespread) and that Virgin just wants to stop being taken advantage of.

As pointed out in this thread, Flexi + points upgrade isn't much more than what the points+pay was.

It just seems so childish to make threats/claims of moving their custom to Qantas.