Qantas unveils the biggest changes to status in program history

[transpactraveller]

I currently have 1,900 SC's and my new year starts on 1 July. Did they give an indication of what "later in 2026" meant for the rollover? I'm hoping I'd be able to bank the 250 excess credits (but not counting on it).

Similar position as you but mine starts 1 September.

Hoping that's "late 2026" enough for me to start my new membership year with a rollover, but possibly will just miss out on that.

I guess they would link the rollover start to the same time that they increase the SC required to retain. Otherwise a double blow for people who don't get the rollover to help soften that blow.

 

[Johnxx]

I agree as well. I think the reduced earn is a perfectly reasonable way to reward 'loyal' frequent flyers and removing this is straight up a slap in the face. Qantas has definitely removed our incentive to continually retain platinum, particularly as we're close to lifetime gold. This is yet another 'enhancement' from QF that's driving us to BFOD with other carriers. We burn around 2 million points a year on award flights - if the ability to earn Status Credits on Classic Reward flights is not reinstated after PC+ is closed, it'll be hasta la vista Qantas for us.

I believe they want to reward the frequent flyer who casually earns 1800-2000 and can then rollover 300 than the person who aims for 1200 every year and stops

 

[wandering_fred]

The ten categories:

• Credit Cards
• Banking & Home Loans
• Insurance
• Car
• Home Utilities
• Hotels & Accomodation
• Holidays & Experiences
• Everyday Shopping
• Retail & Lifestyle
• Sustainability

Has anyone determined how many of those will be "unavailable" in Western Australia?
Home utilities seems "iffy" to me. More Sydney-centric marketing?
But am I out of bounds with that wandering
Fred

 

[ayebee]

Interesting reading all the analyses of the higher flyers than I am ... Maybe a different perspective ?

I travelled enough with work to reach LT Silver, but now being retired and 2900 SCs short of LTG, SCs are of little interest. Our focus has been on points.
Regular spend etc provides enough for PC and an international reward flight per year, mostly on other OW airlines (Finnair, Cathay). Otherwise, we book on other airlines according to value and schedule.
The extra lounge passes from PC were nice for the occasional QF flight or as give aways.
March is my member rollover, and PC will provide 2 passes, plus the usual 1 from Silver. So, OK for another year, but maybe devalued a bit after that.

 

[burneracc]

2900 SCs short of LTG, SCs are of little interest. Our focus has been on points.

LTG is seen as the grail on here - surprised you aren't focusing on SCs and waiting until 14k LTG to focus on points.

 

[Aeryn]

LTG is seen as the grail on here - surprised you aren't focusing on SCs and waiting until 14k LTG to focus on points.

Especially since 2900SCs is just 2 years of platinum and 1 year of Silver (or 5 years of Gold) needed to get there.

 

[ayebee]

LTG is seen as the grail on here - surprised you aren't focusing on SCs and waiting until 14k LTG to focus on points.

LTG is certainly the holy grail, but unattainable.

we only travel once or twice a year for leisure. I got 200 SC this last year mainly because we got some SCs on reward flights from PC, and I have no intention of spending the $$ on 2900 SCs worth of status runs.

 

[clifford]

LTG is seen as the grail on here - surprised you aren't focusing on SCs and waiting until 14k LTG to focus on points.

Well, as I'm 1,800 SC's away from LTG and also interested in maintaining WP, I'm still focussing on SC's for the next couple of years.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I'd love to get there myself and am almost young enough that it might happen naturally eventually, and if I get closer, I might feel more incentivised to do it. I also fund at least 50-75% of my own travel so there's that too.

I've sat down several times to try to plot out the actual value of even just the extra effort to get to Plat from year to year and every time I just can't make it make sense even with DSCs. If I allocated the extra needless spend across my travels for the year, I might as well just fly the cabins I want to on carriers I prefer. But we're all our own anecdotes.

That said, QF still manages to suck me in at least enough for Gold each year, so, a dash of rational and a dash of irrational goes I.

 

[CaptJCool]

LTG only works if you got the ways and means to fund the spending

Ie your boss pays for it (govt, FIFO, management roles)
Your business
Your government (special carve-outs)
Yourself (most likely via higher income professional jobs)

Part of the reason the Qantas analytics focussed on north shore & Point Piper (Double Bay) Sydney …..

 

[Flyerwin]

I believe they want to reward the frequent flyer who casually earns 1800-2000 and can then rollover 300 than the person who aims for 1200 every year and stops

I feel personally targeted.

 

[LondonAussie]

I've sat down several times to try to plot out the actual value of even just the extra effort to get to Plat from year to year and every time I just can't make it make sense even with DSCs. If I allocated the extra needless spend across my travels for the year, I might as well just fly the cabins I want to on carriers I prefer.

That’s exactly where I got to as well. Certainly not worth dropping $2k to waste 2 days on a trip to NZ where you never leave the airport. Or bouncing around Australian domestic terminals with unnecessary stopovers - that’s just insanity to me. But as you say, everyone’s different and some may be able to rationalise that behaviour!

 

[Aeryn]

Certainly not worth dropping $2k to waste 2 days on a trip to NZ where you never leave the airport.

Agree with this, pure status run seems a waste to me.

When I do go to NZ on DSC fares I stay a 2-3 nights to catch up with AKL or WLG based friends or play tourist somewhere i haven't been before or for a long time. I always go away on long weekends, and its usually quicker and cheaper to go to anywhere in NZ than it is to the other side of Australia.

As a self funded WP I decide well ahead where I'm going throughout the year, so can leverage DSCs when they come up.

Or bouncing around Australian domestic terminals with unnecessary stopovers

I don't mind adding an extra east coast domestic leg (especially if cost is negligible) as long as I have lounge access and there are plenty of later flights should there be a misconnect. But 3 flights in 24hours in my max. I enjoy flying, gives me a chance to disconnect.

 

[transpactraveller]

Yeah I've done extra domestic stops when connecting to or from an international flight, but mostly because it was actually cheaper to do that than flying direct, and overall it didn't make the trip too much longer (eg added an extra 2-3 hours on a 15 hour trip).

But I wouldn't ever do something like flying Sydney to Melbourne via Brisbane for example.

 

[CaptJCool]

But I wouldn't ever do something like flying Sydney to Melbourne via Brisbane for example.

Many years back
I was in Canberra for work and the cheapest return home was
Canberra to Brisbane to Adelaide with VA.
WHEN I mentioned this to my boss that it was BFOD Best fare of the Day, which BTW we were required to take

I was told “don’t be silly” and was not allowed to book it.
There’s always one exception to the rule.
Would also have been one of the most “scenic” trips

Last year, I managed a Griffith, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth classic rewards trip cause it was the cheapest points trip - the cheapest revenue fare was around $1,000 one way!
And that’s cause I’m loving the flying and didn’t need to be in Perth in a hurry!