Where to with status

[Deleted member 29185]

I'm in multiple minds as to what to do with status right now (including doing away with it entirely) so I though I'd throw it out there for discussion.

As we know, both major AU carriers are painful with regard to status and devaluations so are there viable options of partner airline status which may be similar with benefits and earning, but perhaps better with redemption prospects?

I'm AU savvy (to a point) but a relative newbie at OS airlines but currently hold silver with Emirates, silver with QF and plat with VA. With some changes, I can easily hold gold with both QF and VA and fairly easily plat with one and gold with the other, (and with a bit more cash thrown at it, plat with both) but before I start booking, is there a better path as VA seem to be getting more restrictive with redemption availability and so too it seems is QF? My biggest goal is to pay for my multitude of work flights and have decent family holidays with the redemptions.

Can we manipulate the alliances ... One World, Star, Skyteams or even the Etihad or Alaskan partnerships to provide more options. I know I can transfer VA points from VA to SQ so is there a good warehousing option to avail myself of multiple choices for rewards?

I hope this isn't a stupid conversation to have, but as I said, I'm pretty conversant with AU airlines but pretty green with international options. (PS I mainly fly AU DOM, but INT sector requirements shouldn't be too big an issue).

Any comments are most welcome.

 

[straitman]

I'm looking forward to some answers also.

I have all but dropped chasing status though I am doing it with a cruise line at the moment.

VA I have dropped to Silver and possibly Red in a couple of months but I still have lounge access via a CC. Qantas I now have LTG so there is no need for the big chase either.

We still fly a reasonable amount but use award tickets a whole lot more. I'm fortunate that I'm able to plan a fair way ahead and then plan further things around the plans already made.

 

[RooFlyer]

Talking international strategies here ...

I've long advocated diversifying ones status across airlines if you can. I've never tried to get WP1 from WP on QFF .. always got Plat with QF first and then shifted flying and earn to Air Canada (star alliance), and then I was free of being handcuffed to Qantas if I wanted status perks when flying international. (Mind you, I chose Aeroplan only because I was flying in Canada a lot a few years ago ... the program outside flying Air Canada is rubbish). I also have an AMEX plat charge card that gets me admittance into VA lounges, so I don't need to chase their status to get lounge access.

You can get by in the short term with a status match from your non-regular alliance - TK (Star Alliance0 do it pretty regularly, although I'm not sure if they will match with Virgin. If you are lucky, you can then match with another *A airline to keep it going, and hopefully during one term you will earn to keep that status on *A.

Aegean (*A) used to be relatively easy to get status on by earn (low mileage thresholds), but I'm not sure if that is the case.

 

[JohnK]

If I had my time over again I wouldn't worry about status. Cheapest fare of the day would have been the most sensible policy.

Unfortunately now hooked on the stale carrots the airlines dangle in front of you.

 

[Tremere]

I looked at SQ directly (given almost all my OS flights are with them), but it turns out the threshold to get and maintain gold on VA is significantly lower - on SQ you need 50K qualifying miles by distance (multiplied by fare class), whereas the status credit mechanism on VA nicely rounds up each distance bucket.

If you have credit cards with their own programs (all the non-QF ones really), probably best to keep points in them until you are ready to pull the trigger on an award, then you can put them in the program offering the best redemption options.

 

[NZflygirl]

Wouldn't there be an issue with crediting cheaper flights to the OS FFP? You'd need to buy higher fares? VA J earns 200% with SQ but domestic I think 50% on some fares which is worse than the transfer from VA to SQ.

Given most of your flying is Oz domestic I'd still go for keeping at least gold with both mainly for the flexibility. You obviously do enough flying to keep that even in your sleep so why not enjoy the benefits for your day to day flying? I like a speedy check-in. If you're sick of the lounge just eat at home or buy at the airport or take a wander around the terminal. Guest people into lounges and use it as a meet and greet. On board I still value seat select even if it is just window or aisle. On board food take it or leave it. Priority bags are great if you hate waiting.

You have to get to work anyway and it sounds like that's going to involve planes and airports with or without a programme. So just use the parts of the programme you like and leave the rest.

VA gives you access to EY, SQ, NZ and QF has EK, QR one world, etc. That's not a bad group of airlines! Who do you want to fly when it comes to personal travel? You can grab more points with your cc in order to get redemptions or buy points in other programmes to get redemptions (I haven't really done this myself but it's clear it can be done - time consuming I imagine).

Are you looking more at upgrades or outright reward bookings for your redemptions?

Beyond gold - well if there's an airline you want a redemption on, can't you just check your fares and see if any of them will accrue to the FFP you want to redeem with and credit them there if eligible? Not going for status but just points, eg check VAs business fare classes that credit to SQ for 200%.

Then the only thing to consider is points longevity....and the headache of looking through the airlines FFPs you want to redeem with.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Wouldn't there be an issue with crediting cheaper flights to the OS FFP? You'd need to buy higher fares? VA J earns 200% with SQ but domestic I think 50% on some fares which is worse than the transfer from VA to SQ.

Given most of your flying is Oz domestic I'd still go for keeping at least gold with both mainly for the flexibility. You obviously do enough flying to keep that even in your sleep so why not enjoy the benefits for your day to day flying? I like a speedy check-in. If you're sick of the lounge just eat at home or buy at the airport or take a wander around the terminal. Guest people into lounges and use it as a meet and greet. On board I still value seat select even if it is just window or aisle. On board food take it or leave it. Priority bags are great if you hate waiting.

You have to get to work anyway and it sounds like that's going to involve planes and airports with or without a programme. So just use the parts of the programme you like and leave the rest.

VA gives you access to EY, SQ, NZ and QF has EK, QR one world, etc. That's not a bad group of airlines! Who do you want to fly when it comes to personal travel? You can grab more points with your cc in order to get redemptions or buy points in other programmes to get redemptions (I haven't really done this myself but it's clear it can be done - time consuming I imagine).

Are you looking more at upgrades or outright reward bookings for your redemptions?

Beyond gold - well if there's an airline you want a redemption on, can't you just check your fares and see if any of them will accrue to the FFP you want to redeem with and credit them there if eligible? Not going for status but just points, eg check VAs business fare classes that credit to SQ for 200%.

Then the only thing to consider is points longevity....and the headache of looking through the airlines FFPs you want to redeem with.

So the things I take from your response (thanks for that), is:
1. Loss of status bonuses - but possibly offset if prepared to buy higher class fares
2. Perhaps higher fares by buying from O/S partner
3. Local status gives benefits worthy of a FFers consideration........but these benefits are also available to partner status, so not really a consideration except if status is forgone, (unless J is bought/obtained regularly)
4. Locals (VA/QF) give a good selection of partners ....... but don't others (Etihad and Alaskan and also including alliances) give similar and/or better?
5. Higher status may be needed to make redemptions/upgrades remotely possible (QF for example)
6. Some program points may expire even when being used regularly

But on the flip side:
1. Are there benefits for Int. by having status O/S
2. O/S programs seem to have better availability for rewards than the locals
3. O/S programs often have attractive point purchase ability

 

[Captain Halliday]

IMHO the long game is worthy of consideration too. How far towards LTG are you with QF?

If family holidays are the payoff for work travel, are the benefits of SG that NZflygirl mentions going to be useful for family trips... Extra baggage allowance for example. And for international travel OW is hard to beat for its network.

Of course LTG is a gamble because the goal posts could move at any time, but it's a status benefit you can lock in for the long term with QF that isn't possible with VA.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

IMHO the long game is worthy of consideration too. How far towards LTG are you with QF?

I'm not really. It was only in the late naughties that I decided that status had benefit. Prior to that, I flew 100% BFOD which almost universally meant JQ. This forum (I was a long time lurker before joining) opened my eyes to the benefit that VA may give. Slightly more than JQ on the day (back then), but the lounge weighed into my calculations which saw a shift in my pattern to VA. So the short and tall of it is that I can aim for (and achieve) LTG but TBH, lounges don't really appeal too much (VA's stale tripe has cemented that).

As you've noted, I also debate the likely value of LTG when I achieve it. I agree that we won't know until the time comes, but it was only a few short years ago that the guy at the top of the QF peanut tree (the same clown now being lauded as some kind of new age airline guru) threated to disembowel QF in one fowl swoop simply because he couldn't get his own way. One of the oldest airlines in the world! Sorry, but that guy cannot be trusted, which is one reason why I'm not running with open arms to QF right now. How much is LTG going to be worth if another goose actually carries out that threat.

How many other FFer programs offer LTG?

However, I agree that it does warrant consideration and I do like your point with regard to luggage allowances.

 

[NZflygirl]

So the things I take from your response (thanks for that), is:
1. Loss of status bonuses - but possibly offset if prepared to buy higher class fares
2. Perhaps higher fares by buying from O/S partner
3. Local status gives benefits worthy of a FFers consideration........but these benefits are also available to partner status, so not really a consideration except if status is forgone, (unless J is bought/obtained regularly)
4. Locals (VA/QF) give a good selection of partners ....... but don't others (Etihad and Alaskan and also including alliances) give similar and/or better?
5. Higher status may be needed to make redemptions/upgrades remotely possible (QF for example)
6. Some program points may expire even when being used regularly

But on the flip side:
1. Are there benefits for Int. by having status O/S
2. O/S programs seem to have better availability for rewards than the locals
3. O/S programs often have attractive point purchase ability

RE: 1 and 2 (the non flip side) - I'd only pay higher fares if work was paying for it. Otherwise you may as well save that money and put it towards buying PE or J etc outright for personal travel.
3. Are ALL the benefits available with partner status? eg NZ/VA are a bit funny about lounge access on pacific island flights which are a nice holiday destination. There may be others with other airlines.
4. I would ask you where you want to go to for personal travel but, being a travel forum you'd probably just say "everywhere!" Maybe you could look at this from another view point. Why don't you make a list of your preferred carriers that fly longhaul to South America, North America, Asia and Europe/UK, and look for where the overlap is for partners with VA and QF that you might like to preferentially fly with then look at their FFPs and points programs, expiry and redemption, rules around points + pay, family pooling of points, earning tables and take into account their network eg EY isn't as diverse as QR or EK and I'm not sure how I feel about ending up on EY partners that sometimes turn up when looking at bookings. But this exercise might help you narrow down your options to look at because you're going to be flying VA and QF metal domestically so it's going to have to be their partners isn't it? But it would be nice to choose options that cover the globe.

Don't forget other disadvantages like - if I book VA via NZ I have to call and ask to select a seat etc and that would bug the cough out of me if I had to do that ALL the time. And if you're seriously considering giving up status then - maybe you should trial a few of the general pax lines and foregoing the lounge etc just to try it out before you do it for real. Although that is the norm for many regional places.

You don't need to have status to purchase the points in the other programs and if you're primarily doing reward redemptions for long hauls then its just planning and points which you can buy or get through ways other than flying. Reward redemptions at least give you a guaranteed seat vs the upgrade lottery which uses less points.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

I would ask you where you want to go to for personal travel

Lot's of excellent points, but I guess I started this thread to hopefully generate a wide discussion .... rather than it being about me.

There's lot's you mention, but a discussion may help a lot of people rather than each and every one of us separately checking the pros and cons.

For instance, I look up Etihad to see if I can buy a VA tix CNS-BNE. I see that I can buy CNS-BNE-AUH. The CNS-BNE leg is on VA but the EY website doesn't show a CNS-BNE by itself. Does this mean they don't code share a dom flight or does it mean I have to ring up to book it (in fact even to price it)? Alternatively, can I buy from VA and nominate an EY FFer account for points and SCs?

 

[newmarket]

I hate lines - that's the big thing for me. I'm not too worried about lounges - very few are worth it, they're too crowded. I often just sit at an open gate lounge.

I just don't like waiting in line!! And I'd like to make sure that I get an aisle. Oh and I like being taken care of first when there's a problem. Well one more, PB so the HLO (I can't be bothered) fanatics don't take up all the room (and I love getting hit in the face with backpacks haha).

About 75% of my travel is international (economy or PE), mostly North America. My opinion currently is that VA is the best option for me.

The big problem is that it's hard for me to spend the points. I can't plan my business 6 months in advance so it's hard to utilise the family benefits - I might look at a transfer to SQ and take the family via Europe on the next trip with me.

DL treats me well and the SC's in first or Comfort Plus are great. Points aren't so great. I used to keep DL gold and VA Platinum but don't bother any more.

Maybe another deciding factor is that I know my way the DL terminals!!

 

[juddles]

As per newmarket, my biggest thing is queues. I hate them. Lounge access is great but outside Australia those lounges are often just not worth anything. (With a few exceptions)

My principal FF program is QF, for a variety of reasons. First off is that despite their faults, I understand the QF FF program, and it is IMHO just as good as any other. Especially if you are Australia based. I hate the obscene cash charges for redeeming award tickets, but rather than fight or whinge about that, I look for the better options, such as upgrades.

At the end of the day every flyer has their own circumstances, and the program that best fits is dependent on that. I maintain Star Alliance Gold due to a lot of Avianca travel, but even though I am LTG with QF I still use them for everything else. No other One World program appeals to me.

 

[NZflygirl]

Lot's of excellent points, but I guess I started this thread to hopefully generate a wide discussion .... rather than it being about me.

There's lot's you mention, but a discussion may help a lot of people rather than each and every one of us separately checking the pros and cons.

For instance, I look up Etihad to see if I can buy a VA tix CNS-BNE. I see that I can buy CNS-BNE-AUH. The CNS-BNE leg is on VA but the EY website doesn't show a CNS-BNE by itself. Does this mean they don't code share a dom flight or does it mean I have to ring up to book it (in fact even to price it)? Alternatively, can I buy from VA and nominate an EY FFer account for points and SCs?

Oh...so the topic's even broader:shock:

Well - it would be interesting to know if anyone here credits VA or QF domestic/international to another FFP and why? Hopefully that should bring out the pro's and cons of partner FFP. I'm sort of looking at partner programs myself but more as an addition rather than in place of but haven't finished looking.

I will say that I think if you want to redeem VA via SQ then look at the earn charts and see if your fare class earns well on SQ and direct credit it there to avoid the transfer loss of 1.35:1 of VA to SQ. You can credit NZ flights too as SQ seem to accrue via the operating carrier, not marketing. But make sure you use your KF miles in 3yrs otherwise transfer back to VA at the same loss rate or pay to extend by 6 months.

re:EY and domestic bookings yeah that's generally the go - you can only book domestic legs on international carriers as part of an international itinerary. If purely domestic booking then using the airlines website you're flying is the way I would go about it then change accrual at check-in or lounge.

Sometimes gets tricky when you want lounge access eg I don't think you can get into EK DXB 1st lounge using QF plat (unless flying F) and trying to credit to EK with no status.

NZ website does allow you to put your VA FF# into the system via the drop down box if you enter passenger details manually or you can call to ask them to change it. Booking QR it allowed me to put QF FF # into system. Sometimes agents may not get it right so doing it this way can avoid that.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Well - it would be interesting to know if anyone here credits VA or QF domestic/international to another FFP and why? Hopefully that should bring out the pro's and cons of partner FFP. I'm sort of looking at partner programs myself but more as an addition rather than in place of but haven't finished looking.

I would also be very interested to hear of what OS FFPs people credit domestic flights to. I will be temporarily relocating to the UK for around 18 months and am considering using this a catalyst to change FFPs. However, I still think QF is the most suitable OW program. BAEC is not bad but the benefits are not sufficiently better to make me make the switch and forego my lifetime SCs, albeit a very small tally. Additionally, I find it quite difficult to compare earn rates with QF uniquely using the SC model for tier qualifications.

As a side note, with my OW program known I am eager to start up A* status to provide more flexibility intra-Europe and North America, however, am unsure of which program is actually the best after hours of research noting that SQ and NZ would provide VA benefits.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Found this relevant post on a CC thread.

Have finished comparing AsiaMiles against QF with some interesting results:
- Both have similar charges with CX quoting in HK$ and QF the currency of departing country;
- QF cheaper for short domestic flights up to SYD-ADL distance (good saving on J golden triangle of 16K V 20K) with AsiaMiles significantly cheaper for longhaul flights;
- QF don't always show online all CX flight options, particularly return flights to HKG;
- QF have significantly more other airline options online including EK;
- QF points expiry issue is more readily manageable than CX’s mandatory usage.

I currently send and redeem points in rough order through SQ, VA, DL, HH and QF and will take this opportunity to reactivate my CX miles account that has been dormant in recent years.

Despite the looming end of September points haircut, the Business Altitude Platinum will continue to earn 1.5FF/$ to either QF or VA for Amex spend retaining great flexibility in points allocation. I therefore intend to renew this card in November.

Those not sure about their Altitude cards should seriously consider switching over to the Business Altitude for their Amex product making use of Westpac’s 12 months fee free offer and $295pa thereafter.

 

[Deleted member]

I credit to QFF, my reasons are as follows: 1. I have Life time Qantas club (courtesy of my Life time Australian Airlines flight deck) and when One day i slip down the pole to lesser status than my current WP, i will at least have that to fall back on 2. I do more domestic and TT than long haul international, this means my use of the local network is more relevant (see point 1 re Club access ) 3. I don't really fly often enough to justify membership of more than one FF program. 4. In conjunction with my LTQP, I have recently attained LTS, should I gain LTG (not likely in the near future) then my LT QP becomes redundant. So all in all, as I age, and my appetite for more frequent travel wanes, it will always be a matter of quality options for me, so unless I travel Premium cabin, then my fallback position is my safest bet

 

[NZflygirl]

Just had a breakthrough moment today I thought I'd share. I found a program to credit my favourite airlines to and redeem with - and that's AA! I had read comments about it being popular but I really did come to a conclusion that it's for me. Just need to find out the answers to a couple more questions but I'm sure they're buried in some of those 200 page long threads!

- points expiry 18mo but extendable another 18mo by activity with partner or flying them. So I'm sure a QF flight or rental car should count for activity or hopefully SPG transfer.
- Accrue QF, QR, EY and EK (EK via the QF codeshare eg QF ticketed, flight # ONLY) and any other OW partner to them. My dad's QR ticket wouldn't accrue to QF but does accrue a little something to AA so I signed him up.
- looks like you can share/transfer miles for a fee so you can effectively pool to a partners account for a reward.

I haven't looked into the ins and outs of the redemption side but I think this is the best single place to accrue and despite devaluations they accept partner fare classes that QF doesn't! So I think AA is going to be my OW accrual account really. I could send QF there but I actually prefer to keep some status with QF because I value the benefits - not enough to do crazy expensive status runs but enough to accrue here first then excess goes to AA. I have a feeling I may run into some issues with lounge access but I'll read more on that later. Maybe there won't be issues or there are work arounds

I'll keep VA/NZ lumped in with SQ for *A. May use some EY for VA.

I feel like I don't need to search for right programmes anymore. I've got a combination that fits my preferred airlines and it's not overly complicated!

Now I just need to read around SQ and AA so I can use them well..... then sort out the award/redemption search tricks and rules. AA is undergoing changes and I think some come into effect Jan 2017 but I think I'll roll with it

Hope this helps anyone else looking at a similar combination of airlines as to where you may credit. If you're after status I read you no longer need to fly the 4 AA sectors, there's some other complicated way of EQM EQD EQS - confusing.....but go for it if it suits.

 

[JohnK]

One huge problem with AAdvantage is that many cheap airfares from CX, UL, RJ do not earn in AAdvantage or earn very little to make it worthwhile.

But if you already pay for higher class airfares then AAdvantage could be ok.

 

[NZflygirl]

One huge problem with AAdvantage is that many cheap airfares from CX, UL, RJ do not earn in AAdvantage or earn very little to make it worthwhile.

But if you already pay for higher class airfares then AAdvantage could be ok.

I don't think there is a one size fits all FFP. It's possible but I think unlikely I'll end up on those airlines But the 5 airlines I'm likely to fly do credit even in the lower classes. Dad's Y ticket on QR doesn't credit to QF at all but will to AA. So all dad + partners flying will go there which isn't much but it's something and we can extend with rental car activity or something rather than hard expiry for points.

A significant amount of reading to be done still.