Buy the cheap flights then

[jbc]

After ten years of silver and gold ststus, work changes reduced my flying considerably but I am now back in the weekly Mel-Syd drudge. I contacted Customer Service to inquire about any leeway in achieving Silver before my year ends, (I'll be 40 to 60 SCs short).

No cant do anything she tells me. So i indicated I would use price and not loyalty to make my decisions.

She actually advised me to buy the cheap seats on Jetstar or Virgin, because Silver isnt worth much anyway???

Nothing changes.

 

[Flashback]

I would think that if you want to keep the status it is reasonable to expect to have to make the flights, but agree PS is worth nothing; especially given you mainly do MEL-SYD vv. I would think priority check-in would not be a huge benefit that would go missing anyway.

 

[2muchplastic]

There are a few benefits of Silver that are worth having, such as check-in at the QC/Business counters and enhanced luggage allowance. But it is Gold really, where the benefits start improving dramatically (I'm talking about QC membership).

If you don't fly enough to make Gold, then perhaps the cheap seats on JQ and DJ are the way to go.

 

[N860CR]

That said, it's hardly a good move by a QF "Customer Service" rep to specifically tell you to fly with another airline. A better approach would be "sorry, we can't bump you up to silver, however if you do fly a few extra Qantas sectors next year, then hopefully you'll make it on your own."

Sounds like cutting off ones nose to spite their face... however the QF call centre does seem to employ people who have limited regard for their customers (or their company).

 

[pauly7]

Sounds like cutting off ones nose to spite their face... however the QF call centre does seem to employ people who have limited regard for their customers (or their company).

In your opinion and thats a pretty sweeping generalisation.

On this occasion it sounds pretty bad but overall I find QF call centre helpful and polite (as an SG, not sure how much that has to do with it).

 

[Dave Noble]

That said, it's hardly a good move by a QF "Customer Service" rep to specifically tell you to fly with another airline. A better approach would be "sorry, we can't bump you up to silver, however if you do fly a few extra Qantas sectors next year, then hopefully you'll make it on your own."

Sounds like cutting off ones nose to spite their face... however the QF call centre does seem to employ people who have limited regard for their customers (or their company).

Actually seems an a reasonable response to me given the description

Bronze member calls and asks to be given silver status even though only expecting to have around 290SCs and the request is quite reasonably declined. ( does imply that current SC count must still be short of 290 )

Bronze member then continues to say that if they won't do it , then he'll won't fly with QF unless they are the cheapest and so they still say no and they also , fairly accurately, point out that silver status isn't worth much.

They didn't tell him to fly another airline, he had already told the QF staff that he was going to fly another airline

Dave

 

[harvyk]

Considering that if your still 60 SC away (more than 10%) then you wouldn't have even acheived enough SC's to re-qualify for silver. If your short, consider doing a status run on some cheap airfares. Discount Y tickets on QF can be had for as little as $70 from SYD. Do some SYD - CBR or SYD - MEL runs, you'll make up the missing SC's very easily. If you where only 10sc's away, and had been a big spending customer until then, then they would have probably given you the extra points. But keep in mind that at 290sc's your not exactly a big spender.

Just consider if silver is really worth it, and if you wouldn't be better spending the money on a QP membership instead. Similar benefits as Silver (except for bonus points, which if your flying SYD - MEL's your not going to see anyway) and you'll get QP access which can be nice. (especially around beer o'clock)

 

[Commuter]

I think the response from the customer service agent was pretty reasonable given the circumstance, although if the CSA named the competitor, it may not have been quite a good business practice to do so.

 

[v8Statesman]

Silver isnt worth much anyway???

IMHO PS (silver) is only advantageous for domestic sectors ex PER. ie long enough flight for the 25% bonus to kick in. Also, I am sure JohnK will also point out that you will be sitting further up the aircraft than him, so that is a benefit.

International flights, you see priority checkin with all OW airlines a benefit.

 

[djfuzz]

Sounds like the CSA actually offered rational advice in the circumstances, but perhaps didn't deliver it in the most professional manner (that being the manner most advantageous to QF).

Noting that there was nothing particularly advantageous for the OP about PS was sound advice, but rather than stating the also rational fact that choosing the cheapest fare was the way to go, they might have done something along the lines of harvyk's suggestion of outlining ways in which to achieve status now or in the future - given that the OP's concern seems to be how to achieve status on QF.

 

[medhead]

I can see you point really, despite some of the other views being quite resonable. Along with the double SC promo, this just seems to be a case of misplace priorities by QF (yes, IMO).

Someone who si short of gold or platinum gets qantas throwing all sorts of offers at them to help them requalify. But these are people who do fly a lot and who might have alreafy switch some flights to to competition dur to the GFC, hence they are having trouble requalify their status. Qantas' answer is to give them benefits.

Compare that to someone like me and maybe you, who will spend the money with qantas on every flight we take without checking the competition, but we are only bronze. Qantas tells us to POQ; tells us to fly elsewhere. It is just a bit frustrating that people who are already switching business are more valuable than people who spend all of there mearge flying money with qantas. In my case 20 SC short of Silver, looking to my normal 2 yearly europe trip and qantas can't offer me any incentitive to stay with them because I'm only bronze.

Fair enough, it is their choice, but then emirates does have a nice ad on the TV.

 

[Dave Noble]

Compare that to someone like me and maybe you, who will spend the money with qantas on every flight we take without checking the competition, but we are only bronze. Qantas tells us to POQ

The obvious question would be on why you are not checking the competition; there could be good savings to be had. May not get QF FF miles, but if the price is good, jam today is better than some jam tomorrow

Dave

 

[harvyk]

The problem is that QF looks at total spend. If your a WP, then even if you also fly DJ, your worth more to them than a NB who only flys with QF, QF only care about the total spend you have with them, not the total spend you have with all airlines.

Besides, QF already gives the option to get "gold" like privledges without flying much, it's called a qantas club membership, and it costs less that a fully flexible Y return SYD - MEL ticket.

Seriously, silver is only worth it if you fly OS (extra points, and J checkin on OW \ security express passes in the US).

For east coast runs (which would be what a lot of NB's and PS's do) there is next to no different (bar priority tags, but I've lost count at how many times my "priority" bags have come out after half a planes worth of normal bags.

 

[medhead]

The obvious question would be on why you are not checking the competition; there could be good savings to be had. May not get QF FF miles, but if the price is good, jam today is better than some jam tomorrow

Dave

A simple answer is that if I find a fare that I'm willing to pay on Qantas then it used to be that I won't bother checking other airlines. In the days when operating on the idea that qantas valued some loyality. Not any more.

As for qantas chasing the people who spend the most. Umm of course this gets all complex and I don't want to list out the various pros and cons. Just that on balance, I thought qantas valued more then just cash. Obviously not and that is there choice. The consequence of their choice is that I reconsider my choices. I think that OP has also raised one of these issues that influences my choices when dealing with (or not dealing with) qantas.

 

[djfuzz]

A simple answer is that if I find a fare that I'm willing to pay on Qantas then it used to be that I won't bother checking other airlines. In the days when operating on the idea that qantas valued some loyality. Not any more.

As for qantas chasing the people who spend the most. Umm of course this gets all complex and I don't want to list out the various pros and cons. Just that on balance, I thought qantas valued more then just cash. Obviously not and that is there choice. The consequence of their choice is that I reconsider my choices. I think that OP has also raised one of these issues that influences my choices when dealing with (or not dealing with) qantas.

I'll bite - what would any airline (or for that matter, any corporation) value more than cash? What good is loyalty if it doesn't ultimately result in more cash?

Surely you wouldn't disagree that the undivided loyalty of an infrequent flyer is worth less to them than the patronage of a very frequent flyer who spreads a much larger total spend across different airlines? If they lose the former, they lose a small, irregular flow of cash, whereas if they lose the latter they miss out on a torrent of cash that flows in larger quantities but into many buckets (excuse the hydro analogy).

Having said that, forums like this spill some very efficient ways to get status on airlines without insanely large spends, so surely if one were so inclined, one may have various ways in which to convince an airline that one appears to be a customer worth keeping and showering with loyalty benefits even with a relatively smaller spend.

 

[Dave Noble]

A simple answer is that if I find a fare that I'm willing to pay on Qantas then it used to be that I won't bother checking other airlines. In the days when operating on the idea that qantas valued some loyality. Not any more.

Im a bit confused. In what ways did you think that Qantas valued your loyalty. I can understand booking Qantas based in that way if you just prefer Qantas's service if the price is right, but lost to think what you would otherwise have expected

All this thread seems to have shown is that if you stop travelling and lose status, that Qantas will expect you to earn it back by earning the requisite SCs

Dave

 

[dajop]

Important to get some perspective here.

At least Qantas (as in Qantas the airline, not necessarily the overall company) do reward loyalty of even the smallest spenders in some shape or form. That rewards starts with the awarding of points, and if a small spender buys enough red e-deals over the course of their membership year they may end up with some status for further recognition of loyalty.

Take a couple of examples, one with a much loved rolleyes QF subsidiary, and the other with one of their competitors.

Passenger one flies fortnightly between Sydney and Gold Coast on JQ, on discount fares averaging around $160 return. Passenger two flies every three weeks between Sydney and Brisbane, on QF red e-deals averaging around $240. Passenger one gets nothing. No points, no status. Nothing. Will have spent $4,160. Passenger two will just get to Silver, will get 35,000 FF points and will have spent $4,200.

Passenger three has availed himself of fares on SQ between Mel and SIN in the latest sales, $650 AUD return. Has bought 12 return fares. Any recognition of loyalty or the $7,800 spent? Nothing, no points, no status. Zero - as those fares don't earn points. Passenger four has bought herself same fares on QF , she gets upwards of 90,000 pts and
enough to achieve gold status.

So I think Qantas, whilst they maintain status and points earnings on all fares they are indeed rewarding loyalty from even the small spenders.

 

[Commuter]

So I think Qantas, whilst they maintain status and points earnings on all fares they are indeed rewarding loyalty from even the small spenders.

I agree, they do reward loyalty of small spenders in a reasonable manner in my opinion.

Even in good (?) old days when I barely flew, I did get points and got some 'free' flights from those.

 

[harvyk]

Just that on balance, I thought qantas valued more then just cash. Obviously not and that is there choice. The consequence of their choice is that I reconsider my choices. I think that OP has also raised one of these issues that influences my choices when dealing with (or not dealing with) qantas.

As a business why would they value something else over cash? Loyalty is only worth promoting if it means increasing your cash.

Now I'm one of those FF's who take sale \ red-e-deals, and QF rewards me each time I go on the plane, with SC's \ points \ free flights in J etc... My spend is certainly less than say a WP, but even as a PS I am not made to feel like my business does not matter to them.

 

[straitman]

As a business why would they value something else over cash? Loyalty is only worth promoting if it means increasing your cash.

Now I'm one of those FF's who take sale \ red-e-deals, and QF rewards me each time I go on the plane, with SC's \ points \ free flights in J etc... My spend is certainly less than say a WP, but even as a PS I am not made to feel like my business does not matter to them.

harvyk,

Well put and not just simply stating the obvious, as though everyone else are idiots, like one or two others here repeatedly do.

What you say is absolutely correct.

Your business does matter to them. It just does not matter as much as that of someone who spends more dollars with them than you do :!: