When did you decide to go for lifetime gold with Qantas?

[TomVexille]

Did you ever consider going for it with AA?

No, as I didn't really fly rev on AA

 

[drron]

I made a different decision-that is not go for QFF LTG on the 10/4/2006.
I then had very few SCs but about 350000 miles at Aadvantage-as we flew JAL BNE-NRT-JFK 2 or 3 times a year as it was half the price of QF in J.It was not in OW then but you could earn QFF miles only Aust-NRT but Aadvantage miles for the whole flight.A no brainer.Didn't get us any status but a nice mileage earner.
Why I am confident of the date.well it was due to AFF and this thread-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....he-great-points-transfer-aadvantage-6802.html

A light went on in my brain.I got to 1 million miles in Sept.2009 and my second million in August 2011 a little before AA changed the rules.So I became an AAA LTP.
Mrsdrron who travels with me on all our OS trips-the majority of our status earning-is still 1400 shy of LTG so you can see why I still feel I made the right decision and still thank QFWP for making me see the light.

Unfortunately it is no longer easy to get LT status with AA.

 

[Jet2727]

I am 26 status credits shy of LTG with a flight on Tuesday which will give me 30 SC and LTG. Didn't really aim to achieve it. Took me 20 years to LTS and just under 3 years to LTG due to both work and husband working in NZ and me doing a number of J/F runs to NZ.

 

[NZflygirl]

I didn't decide to go for LTG, it just happened. I knew I'd get there eventually. It's nice to know that once I stop travelling as much I'll get treated reasonably well those few flights that I take.
For statistical purposes, it took me 6 and a bit years to achieve it once I started seriously travelling for work and pleasure.

I am the same - i flew J 5 times a year on QF to US or Europe with work. Got LTG in those 4 years. Now using it as i don't fly in paid J with work anymore.

That is pretty damn fast for LTG. I can see how you can make those sorts of strides if flying J longhaul with some frequency for work.

That line was from split enz. (Not boy as I recall)

Knew I should have googled that one

I made a different decision-that is not go for QFF LTG on the 10/4/2006.
I then had very few SCs but about 350000 miles at Aadvantage-as we flew JAL BNE-NRT-JFK 2 or 3 times a year as it was half the price of QF in J.It was not in OW then but you could earn QFF miles only Aust-NRT but Aadvantage miles for the whole flight.A no brainer.Didn't get us any status but a nice mileage earner.
Why I am confident of the date.well it was due to AFF and this thread-
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....he-great-points-transfer-aadvantage-6802.html

A light went on in my brain.I got to 1 million miles in Sept.2009 and my second million in August 2011 a little before AA changed the rules.So I became an AAA LTP.
Mrsdrron who travels with me on all our OS trips-the majority of our status earning-is still 1400 shy of LTG so you can see why I still feel I made the right decision and still thank QFWP for making me see the light.

Unfortunately it is no longer easy to get LT status with AA.

I'm really impressed at the routing and it being much cheaper. Interesting you've not gone with your home carrier also - mainly from a domestic convenience point of view than loyalty. I briefly saw your AA plat and thought you'd have LT OWE but remembered it's a different status tier from QF plat. It's the equivalent of QF LTG though? Sounds like Mrs Drron will make LTG eventually. I'd like to try JAL/ANA one day. Might save it for the rugby world cup!

 

[elan]

I have just over 12,600 points so should reach LTG bymid 2018. Been flying QF since the demise of Ansett. LTGis still a long way away, but I must admit that I'm starting to thinkabout it now. It’s been a long haul as I only fly Y with the occasional Y+ tothe US.

 

[egoode]

I'm about to get LTS but it has taken me about 10 years to get there. I don't go out of my way to maximise SC's and as I live in the UK these days can't make use of a lot of the double SC promotions. However my regular J flights to Australia have contributed to me getting LTS but given I'm self funding I care more about price and don't always fly one world but generally I can get a good deal on a one world carrier.

 

[Hvr]

I joined Qantas Club in Nov 2006 when I commenced a lot of work flying. Wasn't long until I got to LTS and decided it was worthwhile to make an effort to get LTG. Took me about 6.5 years after I started flying.

AFF opened my eyes up to JASA/MASAs and very cheap US status runs.

I enjoy knowing LTG is locked in.

 

[froggerADL]

I have LTQP, LTS. So de facto LTG. 6000 SC's away from LTG, so in no hurry as I am currently WP, will make WP again this year, which means it will be August 2018 before I soft land to Gold if I don't make it to WP again.

LTQP + LTS is equivalent to LTG domestically but not internationally, as you wouldn't be eligible for OneWorld lounge access.

The thing about LTG is trying to ensure you never need it! Unfortunately I will from 2018, as all work travel has now ceased.

 

[Himeno]

I didn't decide to "go" for LTG, it just happen after I started booking D fares instead of L fares.

Joined QFF in 2006, got LTG in 2013. All trips out of my own pocket. I don't travel for work.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I didn't decide to "go" for LTG, it just happen after I started booking D fares instead of L fares.

Joined QFF in 2006, got LTG in 2013. All trips out of my own pocket. I don't travel for work.

yes all of ours was paid for out of our own pocket. Ours was a lot slower than yours, but then that's what 3 kids does to you. Joined in 98, LTS in 2012 and LTG (for me) in 2015. Mr FM will go LTG if we do another o/s trip with Qantas and all 3 ankle biters will be LTS by April.

 

[Himeno]

I have 1 long trip and sometimes 1-2 short trips each year. Overseas. I used to travel (fly or overnight bus) CBR-MEL for 1-4 days once or twice a month, but the reason for that ended a few years ago. Started traveling on my own domestically in 2004 and overseas in 05.

But now it means I'm the "travel agent" for the extended family. :shock:

 

[Borisdog]

I was also an Ansett FF, never had any great status with them though. Then I didn't do much flying for about a decade, during which time Ansett folded.
I joined QFF pretty much when Ansett folded as I'd long been into the "Get FF points with your credit card".
I started doing quite a bit of self funded flying to get to work in 2012 and will get to LTS in about Nov next year. Current rate would see me at LTG 4 years after that.
However I may stop the work flying as soon as a better job comes up closer to home - who knows?

But it just makes sense to me to concentrate my spend/benefit, the LTG may or may not come but it'll come faster if I don't split my spend. I really don't like VA - just way too many bad experiences.

 

[Basalt]

When I first joined AFF I assumed that I'd get LTG sooner or later but now I'm starting to wonder whether to bother trying to go for it. I joined QFF 4 years ago and have 1500 odd SC's. A slow start but now averaging around 800 SCs a year. Not enough to really try for (and maintain) WP and a projected LTG about 15 years away, which really makes me re-think trips once I've made the 600 to retain SG.

For example, looking at MEL-AKL-MEL in a month or two, 60 SC's for $800ish fro two people in Y, $1800ish for two people for 240 SCs in J with the current sale and 50% business rewards SC bonus. Since I already have SG locked in this year, is $1000 for 180 SCs for two worth it when the extra SC's are only useful for a (very distant) LTG?? If there was some sort of guarantee from QFF that the LTG program was going to remain indefinitely, it would be a no brainer for us, but anything can happen with mergers, rationalisations, enhancements etc, so I give it 50/50 in 15 years... Anyone have any thoughts to add? I'd assume our situation would be extremely common given there must be far more SGs than WPs....

 

[petertct]

Never intended, more as a wishful dream, then a lot of O/S work flying Business (paid for by others) and BINGO

 

[ALH]

I discovered AFF in 2012. I hit Gold in my first year and have been Platinum every year since. All self funded with many frivolous trips each year to get me across the line, so it is a true addiction. I'll hit P1 shortly for the first time and Lifetime Gold in the next couple of months.

I wasn’t aiming for P1 until I realised how close I am (with 6 months of my year still to go). However, I’m pretty sure this year is a one off.

I've also brought Mr ALH along for the ride, sometimes kicking and screaming because - 'Not Flying Direct'

 

[Flying mermaid]

I've also brought Mr ALH along for the ride, sometimes kicking and screaming because - 'Not Flying Direct'

I used to have the same problem . We were planning an Aone4 one year and I had read you could maximise SCs by doing something like flying LHR-LAX and then back to JFK domestically and do some internal sectors and then LAX-SYD - something like that anyway. I put this to Mr FM and dressed it up with, “we will get a nicer plane between London and LAX”. I still remember him staring at me and saying “are you crazy? I don’t care how nice the plane is, we are not doing all that extra time in it”. .

 

[drron]

I started my quest for lifetime OWS in 2006 but it was LTP with AA.I made LTP in 2011.
Mrsdrron kept posting to QFF and has had at least 7 years as WP but has only made LTG today.

Of course we are comparing Apples to Oranges.When I was chasing LTP with AA all points counted to lifetime status so I was churning DC points via SPG as well as earnt SPG points as well.I was fortunate as I got to LTP a few months before they announced lifetime status could only be reached by BIS.

 

[DrJ]

Just passed LTS with the trip to SYD/ BNE last weekend. LTG had once seemed like a pipe dream, but with the current level of J travel for business, should remain low end WP for the next few years, and ergo, LTG in about 5. That’s if they don’t shift the goalposts before then.

 

[amaroo]

My kids have been given a "jump start" and will achieve LTS well before their 18th birthday .... they're pretty keen to get to LTG!

 

[mviy]

My kids have been given a great jump start and will achieve LTS well before their 18th birthday .... I do wonder how long it will take for them to get LTG.

Wow. When I was 18 I was a NB that hadn't done much flying and had never come anywhere close to getting PS, let alone anywhere close to LTS.