Has anyone had success with the call-up "Marginal" xASA's?

[dairyfloss]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I had a complicated route to get to a decision point on a YASA a little earlier today... Thanks to the advice here, I had basically settled on the fact that Classic Award was probably better, simpler, etc. than bothering with a YASA, but I thought I would try and ring through and see if there was only a few bucks in it to get some points and SCs added. I should have just stuck with what was suggested!

Found the Classic Award SYD-MEL-SYD flights I wanted x 2 online for 32,000 Pts and $139.88 all in. I then rang the 1300 number and used all of the best, most knowingest spiel that I could from the various guides, menus and exercises on AFF, and was immediately told "I believe you can just book those online, Mr dairyfloss". Staying calm, I asked the agent (forgot her name ) to check with a supervisor about what I was after (again it was described). After about 5 minutes she came back and said "OK, it seems you can do this - give me the flight details". She gathered flight details and put me on hold another 5 mins. After coming off hold I was quoted 32K pts EACH for the flights (vs. 16K each for a classic return), plus Award booking fee, and so I asked her to confirm they were in the 'X' fare bucket, and to reduce the co-pay to the Classic Award Amount of 16K pts return for each ticket and let me know what the co-pay amount was - oh, and I told her that they cannot charge the award booking fee, as there is no ability to book these fares online. More holding. Came back and said It was 32K pts all up, plus $289 co-pay. We discussed. I declined.

I had been expecting more like 1.3-1.5x the Classic taxes based on what I've been reading here with the JASAs, and was probably willing to pay up to about $200, but it was a bit rich at >2x the Classic 'taxes' and so I let it go. I indicated that if I had been able to do this online, we would have both saved ourselves about 25 minutes [of confusion, frustration & disappointment] - she agreed. Classic Award flights were subsequent booked in a rather more efficient 1.33 minutes online afterwards.

Cheers.

 

[JessicaTam]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Dairyfloss, I would have said that "about" double the cost was "about" right. YMMV

 

[legroom]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I had a complicated route to get to a decision point on a YASA a little earlier today... Thanks to the advice here, I had basically settled on the fact that Classic Award was probably better, simpler, etc. than bothering with a YASA, but I thought I would try and ring through and see if there was only a few bucks in it to get some points and SCs added. I should have just stuck with what was suggested!

Found the Classic Award SYD-MEL-SYD flights I wanted x 2 online for 32,000 Pts and $139.88 all in. I then rang the 1300 number and used all of the best, most knowingest spiel that I could from the various guides, menus and exercises on AFF, and was immediately told "I believe you can just book those online, Mr dairyfloss". Staying calm, I asked the agent (forgot her name ) to check with a supervisor about what I was after (again it was described). After about 5 minutes she came back and said "OK, it seems you can do this - give me the flight details". She gathered flight details and put me on hold another 5 mins. After coming off hold I was quoted 32K pts EACH for the flights (vs. 16K each for a classic return), plus Award booking fee, and so I asked her to confirm they were in the 'X' fare bucket, and to reduce the co-pay to the Classic Award Amount of 16K pts return for each ticket and let me know what the co-pay amount was - oh, and I told her that they cannot charge the award booking fee, as there is no ability to book these fares online. More holding. Came back and said It was 32K pts all up, plus $289 co-pay. We discussed. I declined.

I had been expecting more like 1.3-1.5x the Classic taxes based on what I've been reading here with the JASAs, and was probably willing to pay up to about $200, but it was a bit rich at >2x the Classic 'taxes' and so I let it go. I indicated that if I had been able to do this online, we would have both saved ourselves about 25 minutes [of confusion, frustration & disappointment] - she agreed. Classic Award flights were subsequent booked in a rather more efficient 1.33 minutes online afterwards.

Cheers.

Data point only

JASA SYD MEL (April 2013): 32,000 pts + $169

You're now saying for YASA, it is 32,000 pts + $200 ?

Did you mean to write JASA ?

 

[JessicaTam]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

2 x 8,000 MEL-SYD return = 32,000

 

[dairyfloss]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Data point only

JASA SYD MEL (April 2013): 32,000 pts + $169

You're now saying for YASA, it is 32,000 pts + $200 ?

Did you mean to write JASA ?

Sorry - it's for 2 passengers... all in whY (the 'X' fare bucket was what I was targeting)

Classic Award(s) were 16K pts EACH for total 32K pts + 139.88 (for 2 x SYD-MEL-SYD)
Marginal (Y)ASA over the phone was going to be 16K pts EACH for total 32K pts + 289 co-pay (for 2 x SYD-MEL-SYD)

Not worth the additional $75 per person for a few SCs/points.

 

[markis10]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Sorry - it's for 2 passengers... all in whY (the 'X' fare bucket was what I was targeting)

Classic Award(s) were 16K pts EACH for total 32K pts + 139.88 (for 2 x SYD-MEL-SYD)
Marginal (Y)ASA over the phone was going to be 16K pts EACH for total 32K pts + 289 co-pay (for 2 x SYD-MEL-SYD)

Not worth the additional $75 per person for a few SCs/points.

A marginal J return and paying cash for the other flight in would not have been that different!

 

[dairyfloss]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

A marginal J return and paying cash for the other flight in would not have been that different!

Hmmm.... I don't think I could have dealt with that process again so patiently... maybe next time, when it's back online! :?:

 

[Newk]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Adelaide to Melbourne business one way 16,000 points and $109. The classic award was 16,000 and $79.76
Simple as pie. The CSO knew EXACTLY what she was doing...indeed she was so quick that I doubted her when original quote was 28,000 points. Then I remembered to ask for the minimum points and got the above.
Maybe eight minutes on the phone...some of which was waiting for the whirring of computers, and an unexplained referral to supervisor
Terms and conditions were quoted to me unprompted and were correct as we understand them.
An experience that exceeded my expectations. Still, I must add, not as easy as on-line.

(and I haven't worked out any ratios or quotients or whatever sorry....it doesn't matter to me because I need to do the flight, it's simply a lark getting the points and SCs back)

edit to correct the cash component of the paid ASA and to make a couple of things clearer

 

[pagingjoan]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch....
Or back on the QF website, we have the increasingly familiar:
"Some sections are temporarily unavailable ... Please continue to book and manage flights with confidence."

 

[Deleted User]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Perhaps OT but when did the option for a classic award, to pay the taxes with points, disappear...?

Not going to do one, but thought it was an option...?

 

[legroom]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Adelaide to Melbourne business one way 16,000 points and $109. The classic award was 16,000 and $79.76
Simple as pie. The CSO knew EXACTLY what she was doing...indeed she was so quick that I doubted her when original quote was 28,000 points. Then I remembered to ask for the minimum points and got the above.
Maybe eight minutes on the phone...some of which was waiting for the whirring of computers, and an unexplained referral to supervisor
Terms and conditions were quoted to me unprompted and were correct as we understand them.
An experience that exceeded my expectations. Still, I must add, not as easy as on-line.

(and I haven't worked out any ratios or quotients or whatever sorry....it doesn't matter to me because I need to do the flight, it's simply a lark getting the points and SCs back)

edit to correct the cash component of the paid ASA and to make a couple of things clearer

Newk,

Nothing wrong with a non-frivolous flight where MASA score does not apply.

$$ co-payment seems perfect !

 

[hossein_au]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

Quick question guys: I'm still not quite sure about the mASA thingie;
1) I understand we need to call the 1300 number to make the booking,
2) I also understand we need to check classic awards availability and ask the CSO to book the ASA in the U fare bucket,
3) I understand classic awards are based on distance travelled per leg, but ASA is based on the great circle distance.

Now here's the question:
4) Let's say I want to book CBR-MEL-CBR,
5) I check online and classic awards are available for the dates I want and are priced at 16,000 points (plus the usual QF taxes) per leg, so the return trip will be 32,000 points plus some cash
6) I want to book the mASA as CBR-SYD-MEL//MEL-SYD-CBR
7) But if I choose that in the online system, it adds them up to 64,000 points plus cash.

So, when I call the 1300 number to book the mASA, should I be aiming to match the 32,000 points (as the mASA is based on the great circle distance)? If so, if the CSO checks the classic awards availability and sees it is 64,000 points, how should I convince him/her that mASA should be calculated based on the based on the great circle distance not per sector?

Thanks in advance for the help. Cheers.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

I think you'll find that the indirect routings have been removed and you get charged the points for each leg thus foxing many of the fruitful SC runs.

 

[ketsuzei]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

I think you'll find that the indirect routings have been removed and you get charged the points for each leg thus foxing many of the fruitful SC runs.

Since when? Many have been booked to date, including at sub-classic points.

In hossein.au's example, my guess would be that the points for CBR-SYD-MEL//MEL-SYD-CBR will still be reduceable to 32,000, but that the co-pay will be quite high, maybe $600 or so.

(My most recent datapoint for a CBR-SYD-MEL JASA is a June 2012 booking for December 2012: 16,000 points + $291.33 including card fee.)

 

[ketsuzei]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

4) Let's say I want to book CBR-MEL-CBR,
5) I check online and classic awards are available for the dates I want and are priced at 16,000 points (plus the usual QF taxes) per leg, so the return trip will be 32,000 points plus some cash
6) I want to book the mASA as CBR-SYD-MEL//MEL-SYD-CBR
7) But if I choose that in the online system, it adds them up to 64,000 points plus cash.

I get where you're going with the example, but CBR-SYD-MEL is also 16,000 points as a Classic (unless you're overnighting).

CBR-ADL-MEL would be 24,000 as a Classic, theoretically 16,000 as a JASA, but it's not one I ever saw during those good ol' online days. That could be a good test case for the new system.

I'm yet to be convinced that options that were available before are no longer available. They're just harder to get at.

 

[Happy Trails]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

.....

So, when I call the 1300 number to book the mASA, should I be aiming to match the 32,000 points (as the mASA is based on the great circle distance)? If so, if the CSO checks the classic awards availability and sees it is 64,000 points, how should I convince him/her that mASA should be calculated based on the based on the great circle distance not per sector?.....

Thanks for asking this question. I'd been wondering the same thing myself, but was too lazy to post.

 

[LadyC]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

Just tried to book a mASA in J MEL-PER return for mid September for 2 people. Pricing per classic awards for 2 people - 144,000 points plus $158.56 co-payment. Called up and went through the process no problem but co-payment required went up to $900! So just hang up and try again I suppose.........

 

[Princess Fiona]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

Just tried to book a mASA in J MEL-PER return for mid September for 2 people. Pricing per classic awards for 2 people - 144,000 points plus $158.56 co-payment. Called up and went through the process no problem but co-payment required went up to $900! So just hang up and try again I suppose.........

That's the correct co-payment.
It's ~$450 per person. I booked a JASA from SYD-PER the night before they were removed from online bookings.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

Since when? Many have been booked to date, including at sub-classic points.

In hossein.au's example, my guess would be that the points for CBR-SYD-MEL//MEL-SYD-CBR will still be reduceable to 32,000, but that the co-pay will be quite high, maybe $600 or so.

(My most recent datapoint for a CBR-SYD-MEL JASA is a June 2012 booking for December 2012: 16,000 points + $291.33 including card fee.)

I was talking post 26th June 2013. I thought that when calling the 1300 number, only point to point xASAs could be reduced to classic points level. The more obscure routings were being charged per leg....... I'm sure I've seen that reported somewhere in one of these threads about xASAs.

 

[legroom]

Re: First Ever Status Run !!

That's the correct co-payment.
It's ~$450 per person. I booked a JASA from SYD-PER the night before they were removed from online bookings.

Post June MASA

SYD xMEL PER rtn

$520 (incl. CC charges) for one pax