Qantas unveils the biggest changes to status in program history

[kangarooflyer88]

Removal of lower retain tier is a deval.

if you think about it though, this is to make things simpler and fairer. Hmm where did I hear that before?

 

[XavierP]

Im not happy about the points club changes, but from a confusing point of view, it was definitely confusing for the masses. Lots of confusion around having a progress bar with points on it and a date (will i lose my points after the date, whay does it say one number here and my total is different).

That's probably because you fly way way too much @elanshin !

 

[33kft]

Thinking about this more, possibly the only thing this incentivises me to do right now is burn points (in the form of CRs) instead of booking rev flights for the current DSC. I was actually going to do the opposite, but I may as well earn SCs while the PC sun shines.

 

[aweingar]

As I was reading through I got the impression that on the whole the changes are positive.
That is until I got to the retain devaluation, which is a massive backward step for me.
Retaining plat will mean an increase of 17% (similar for gold and even more for silver). So it's questionable whether I will get there at all, let alone having any SCs to roll over.
Time to move to a different program?

 

[DejaBrew]

Curious....

Status Credit roll over
Get a head start on retaining your tier or reaching the next one with the ability to carry up to 50% of any excess Status Credits into your new Membership Year, based on your tier. This new feature is designed to give you an extra boost toward more benefits and will replace the existing Loyalty Bonus.

From the Program Changes FAQs -:

Will the Status Credits I earn on the ground contribute towards Lifetime Status?
Yes, the Status Credits you earn on the ground will count towards Lifetime Status.
They will, however, not count towards Loyalty Bonus, Platinum Bonus Reward, Platinum One Bonus Reward and Status Accelerator/Challenge earn requirements.

So Loyalty Bonus is being replaced by Status Credit roll over, but Loyalty Bonuses etc will be available (but not triggered by Status Credits On The Ground)?

 

[kermatu]

Improving the onboard food / lead chef partnership might encourage people to fly with them more. Wonder if anyone has suggested that?

 

[RooFlyer]

Time to move to a different program?

I’ve just updated my spreadsheet on Qantas earn and Qatar earn to reflect the new QFF Plat retain and the quantum of rollover.

On present bookings through to November, my scenario hasn’t changed. Still retaining QFF platinum and QRPC gold to Feb ‘27, but with fewer surplus QFF SCs that might’ve either being rolled over or put over to QRPC to go for platinum. So the net effect for me is negative.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Curious....


From the Program Changes FAQs -:


So Loyalty Bonus is being replaced by Status Credit roll over, but Loyalty Bonuses etc will be available (but not triggered by Status Credits On The Ground)?

That’s not a change. You have always had to earn the 2500 SC on BIS flying on QF codes for the 50K/ Gold etc. No DSC, no SC on the ground.

EDIT: I think the second part is just reflecting what happens currently.

 

[DejaBrew]

EDIT: I think the second part is just reflecting what happens currently.

Yeah, I suspect it's this ^ but just poorly-worded / explained. Just reads as being somewhat contradictory.

 

[jimmy hutspah]

As I was reading through I got the impression that on the whole the changes are positive.
That is until I got to the retain devaluation, which is a massive backward step for me.
Retaining plat will mean an increase of 17% (similar for gold and even more for silver). So it's questionable whether I will get there at all, let alone having any SCs to roll over.
Time to move to a different program?

yeah it all seemed pretty good and positive until that - that seems like a strange decision which will decrease loyalty for a lot.

 

[QFFHntrGthr]

That’s not a change. You have always had to earn the 2500 SC on BIS flying on QF codes for the 50K/ Gold etc. No DSC, no SC on the ground.

EDIT: I think the second part is just reflecting what happens currently.

That's right. It's strictly from flying QF/JQ base sc earn. However the Plat bonus is at 2400sc for the 50k/comp gold not 2500. The P1 bonus does kick in at 5000sc though. Minor point but thought I'd clear it up for anyone going through angst of thinking they need an extra 100sc for the Plat bonus.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

One thing worth flagging here is the following from their FAQ on these enhancements:

Is the number of Status Credits required to attain my status changing?

No, the number of Status Credits needed to attain Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One status as well as Lifetime Silver, Lifetime Gold and Lifetime Platinum are not changing.

So that means that at least for the next year or so we shouldn't see any surprise hike in the number of status credits to earn status.

As I was reading through I got the impression that on the whole the changes are positive.
That is until I got to the retain devaluation, which is a massive backward step for me.
Retaining plat will mean an increase of 17% (similar for gold and even more for silver). So it's questionable whether I will get there at all, let alone having any SCs to roll over.

The rollover bit is nice but yes I have to agree that this will make things trickier for people who just slip by. Last program year I earned exactly the 600 status credits required to keep QF Gold status and that was after taking a trip to INV from FRA in BA J.

On the other hand an argument could be made that eliminating the reduced status credit requirement to retain status is an improvement on the Lifetime status program since it now means you get closer to lifetime Silver/Gold every year you go for status. Then again, one wonders why they have rollover if their aim is to incentivize people to earn lifetime status.

Time to move to a different program?

If you think the grass is greener elsewhere, I'd encourage you to consider those alternatives before you pull the trigger. I think what you will see is many of the other frequent flyer programs are considerably less attractive than that of Qantas. Just look at Virgin where status is not only tied to $$$ spent on Virgin Australia flights but also the bulk of your flights must be through them too! And don't get me started with Delta, United or British Airways where you are going to have to shell out considerable bucks before you get any semblance of reasonable status. There is a reason why I, who am now based in Germany have sought to keep my Qantas Gold status even if it means figuring out a way to take those 4 QF flights every year!

-RooFlyer88

 

[Princess Fiona]

That's right. It's strictly from flying QF/JQ base sc earn. However the Plat bonus is at 2400sc for the 50k/comp gold not 2500. The P1 bonus does kick in at 5000sc though. Minor point but thought I'd clear it up for anyone going through angst of thinking they need an extra 100sc for the Plat bonus.

Thank you

 

[mviy]

The banked years of Platinum is a creative way to try to stop people having too many years of LTP.

 

[mviy]

Then again, one wonders why they have rollover if their aim is to incentivize people to earn lifetime status.

They want people to still aim for lifetime status, but take longer to get it or not reach it at all.

 

[jimmy hutspah]

Improving the onboard food / lead chef partnership might encourage people to fly with them more. Wonder if anyone has suggested that?

Neil Perry is like a coughroach, he'll never go!

 

[clifford]

Time to move to a different program?

So which one would you go for?

 

[clifford]

Well, I've just requalified for PC+ until Sep 2027. Seems that it's down the gurgler now. Thanks Qantas. Talk about stringing people along.

 

[jase05]

So which one would you go for?

I guess everyone’s situation is different. I honestly don’t think any program is perfect but you need to consider your travel/spend patterns and weigh up the pros and cons. I closed my QF account and went to BAEC but their changes hurt big time so I’m currently QRPC and that works but is far from perfect

 

[11sjw]

Thinking about this more, possibly the only thing this incentivises me to do right now is burn points (in the form of CRs) instead of booking rev flights for the current DSC. I was actually going to do the opposite, but I may as well earn SCs while the PC sun shines.

Yes, I'm hoping it shines until the end of August!