Status level for couples

[sumthinfornuthin]

I was cutting the grass today and I think I had an ephifony in relation to earning Status.
Surprisingly for a variety of reasons my wife and I made Silver by the end of March ( used to be Platinum with Any Seat Awards but that is ancient history )
We now have the opportunity of a few more flights with realistically getting back to Gold by the end of July HOWEVER I tyhink I have done the wrong thing.
We always travel as a couple so is there any real advantage ( other than a few extra points ) in us both being the same Status ????
My thoughts are this....that we aim on one of us "making the dash to higher status" and paying for seats with DOLLARS and then using points ( we have s**t loads of those banked up ) for the other of us.
As long as the seat is firstly available for points and booked first I don't see how we can go wrong as long as we book and pay for the 2nd seat immediately.
that way we both get to go into the lounges TOGETHER and both get to travel in Business albeit with the risk that the seats are separated.

Now will someone please shoot me down in flames and tell me why it is a bad idea

 

[Andyc]

It's an area that Velocity is streets ahead of QFF on thanks to family pooling!

 

[TheRealTMA]

I was cutting the grass today and I think I had an ephifony in relation to earning Status.
Surprisingly for a variety of reasons my wife and I made Silver by the end of March ( used to be Platinum with Any Seat Awards but that is ancient history )
We now have the opportunity of a few more flights with realistically getting back to Gold by the end of July HOWEVER I tyhink I have done the wrong thing.
We always travel as a couple so is there any real advantage ( other than a few extra points ) in us both being the same Status ????
My thoughts are this....that we aim on one of us "making the dash to higher status" and paying for seats with DOLLARS and then using points ( we have s**t loads of those banked up ) for the other of us.
As long as the seat is firstly available for points and booked first I don't see how we can go wrong as long as we book and pay for the 2nd seat immediately.
that way we both get to go into the lounges TOGETHER and both get to travel in Business albeit with the risk that the seats are separated.

Now will someone please shoot me down in flames and tell me why it is a bad idea

QF don't provide privilege or encouragement for couples at all. If you fly together, it seems there's no benefits if you have the same level of status. As long as one of you have status then that person can make the bookings and gave privilege of seat allocations and lounge access (for two) etc and the other can be a guest. It's most annoying when one person gets a 50% status bonus and one books flights for two, on equal status, that only the person making the booking gets the status bonus. Causes marital disharmony.

QF should allow status pooling.

 

[JohnK]

If you have enough points to fly business class then you don't need status.

Otherwise if flying economy it makes sense to purchase one airfare and use points for the other airfare. One of you makes Gold and you both get benefits of Gold.

I feel as if Qantas has missed a golden opportunity. Gift every QFFer Platinum.... err.... Gold status. That way everyone feels special and continues to fly Qantas over Virgin. Hopefully some will strive for Platinum One. Lounges will be overcrowded but that's not a problem. Domestically convert all terminals into a big lounge but Golds have to pay for food and drink. Internationally only the first 20 or so Golds to checkin are allowed into the lounge.

Perfect right?

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

QF don't provide privilege or encouragement for couples at all. If you fly together, it seems there's no benefits if you have the same level of status. As long as one of you have status then that person can make the bookings and gave privilege of seat allocations and lounge access (for two) etc and the other can be a guest. It's most annoying when one person gets a 50% status bonus and one books flights for two, on equal status, that only the person making the booking gets the status bonus. Causes marital disharmony.

QF should allow status pooling.

Agree but that assumes that "SWMBO" understands or cares about Status as long as they get the seat ??

 

[TheRealTMA]

Agree but that assumes that "SWMBO" understands or cares about Status as long as they get the seat ??

When MRSTMA received the letter on her new downgraded gold QF card she was so disgusted that she left it out under a plant on our deck for 4 days until I discovered it.

She still has EK platinum for another 8 months tho.

ps: JohnK. It never makes sense to either of us to fly whY, irrespective of status.

 

[Limewood]

i have gone from gold to plat to gold to silver since any seat awards and double status points went west, wife has gone silver to bronze, from years ago we found she had 2+ years left on her Q club membership, handy, however, as we have stacks of QFF points but mostly use AA or AS miles for J award seats (as we don't like the outrageous fess from Q awards) and travel in J long haul we get the perks anyway.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

We do exactly as the OP is suggesting, I buy J for status and SWMBO is on a J points redemption. Keeps her happy and she very rarely will fly alone. Keeps me WP for now and soon to be LTG. As we're very modern, we split the total cost of the J fare plus the points co-pay and works out fairly reasonable. We get heaps of QFF points so works well.

 

[TonyHancock]

Gift every QFFer Platinum.... err.... Gold status.

I thought that this is exactly what Qantas had done, by making platinum more like gold.

 

[Awesom Andy]

I thought that this is exactly what Qantas had done, by making platinum more like gold.

Remember back in the days, when you get a credit card it's classic, silver, or for those really swanky ones, gold? Every second card is now a platinum, or whatever signature/world/infinite/super-duper-I-have-a-massive-ego thingy.

 

[JohnK]

I thought that this is exactly what Qantas had done, by making platinum more like gold.

Qantas has and continues to enhance Platinum.

 

[UP4014]

Depending on the points as you said you have plenty, perhaps buy one membership which goes on hold once you reach gold. It might be better use of the points than burning through them for two people.

Matt

 

[TheRealTMA]

Remember back in the days, when you get a credit card it's classic, silver, or for those really swanky ones, gold? Every second card is now a platinum, or whatever signature/world/infinite/super-duper-I-have-a-massive-ego thingy.

I loved the original NAB Black Ant card. Looked fab. But now everyone has black, platinum, " I'm a member of a royal family" cards!

 

[Deleted member]

I think it's a good idea, so much so, that Mrs GPH and I have resolved to do just that.
We are both currently WP. I will fall to Gold in September. Mrs GPH has however managed (if the 50% bonus SC's promo pays up) to book and fly sufficient miles to re qual WP. We will both pass LTS and I am already LTQP. As Mrs GPH flies without me more often long haul, we came to the conclusion that keeping her WP is a better option than both trying. We have a shed load of points and will continue to accumulate while the going is good.

 

[RichardMEL]

Another option may be, as the points thin out (if they do!), is to credit the partner's paid flights to another OW (or QF partner) program such as AA, then ine could, in theory, enjoy the best of both worlds. Obviously this would depend on travel patterns (eg: little point to credit to AA if ones travel never goes near AA metal)

Just a thought

 

[Awesom Andy]

Another option may be, as the points thin out (if they do!), is to credit the partner's paid flights to another OW (or QF partner) program such as AA, then ine could, in theory, enjoy the best of both worlds. Obviously this would depend on travel patterns (eg: little point to credit to AA if ones travel never goes near AA metal)

Just a thought

If the points thin out, I would rather keep both people on the same program if the program allows for free pooling or transfers. Spreading to 2 different programs makes it much harder to collect the required points needed for redemptions.