Complimentary Qantas Frequent Flyer Membership

[kiwial]

Just received an email offering free QF FF membership:

Become a Qantas Frequent Flyer without paying the joining fee
As a valued Red e-Mail subscriber, we’d like to let you know about a limited time offer for complimentary Qantas Frequent Flyer membership*.

If you are a credit or charge card customer and transfer your credit card points^ to your new Qantas Frequent Flyer account before 31 March 2009, you will receive complimentary membership usually valued at A$82.50. You must join using the button provided below and terms and conditions apply (available once you click through).

As well as the many benefits of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, as a member you will also enjoy even more benefits at qantas.com:

- Book Qantas & Partner Classic Awards using points.
- Book Qantas & Jetstar Any Seat Awards using points or Points Plus Pay.
- Upgrade your flight using points.
- Earn points on other travel products including travel insurance and car hire.
- Login to Qantas Travel Insider to share your travel experiences.
- Shop at the Qantas Frequent Flyer Store.
- Purchase Top-up points.
- View your points balance.
- Update your profile.

Find out more about the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

Take advantage of this complimentary membership offer and start earning points today!
https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/joinffp?code=REDEMAIL&alt_cam=au:ff:membership:3mar09:dom:joinbutton:hthttp://edm.qantas.net.au/cts/click?q=27;33973;0gN2o2r7AV0pZ33paSnjdO9uRfH3hJPy

Important Information
*Offer available until 31 March 2009 only. After 31 March 2009, some credit and charge card reward programs will no longer offer Qantas Frequent Flyer points as a reward option. Not all card reward programs are affected, but for those that are, points will not be able to be transferred after 31 March (or the date specified by the applicable card provider). For more information visit qantas.com/choose. To take advantage of the complimentary membership offer, you must transfer points from a participating credit card reward program before 31 March 2009.
^ ‘Credit card points’ refers to existing points in a participating credit or charge card reward program that offers Qantas Frequent Flyer points as a reward option. Transfer of points is subject to the terms and conditions of the card provider. Refer to your card provider for details. Read the terms and conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

 

[NM]

Well Qantas really are trying their hardest to get as many points transferred out of credit cards as they can.

 

[futaris]

No plastic card, until you actually take a flight:

If you take up this offer you will instantly receive a printable card on the confirmation page with your Qantas Frequent Flyer number. We will send you a plastic Frequent Flyer card when your Qantas Frequent Flyer account is credited with one or more points or Status credits by 31 March 2009.

 

[JohnK]

A rather small sweetener in the grand scheme of things.

Well Qantas really are trying their hardest to get as many points transferred out of credit cards as they can.

They would not have a need to try very hard to have a continuing stream of points transferred if they kept their partnership with the credit card providers instead of moving to direct sweep.

 

[Flashback]

Well, we all knew they were talking about a "deal sweetener" sometime close to D-Day... I guess this is their first step?

 

[geoffl]

Not sure why QF bother, still, I am waiting for the complaints on April 1st, when points can no longer be transferred across and we see and hear the inevitable, "I didn't know I would lose the points people come out from under their rock"!!

 

[futaris]

Got the same offer via Hertz #1 Gold:

https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/joinffp?code=HERTZ

 

[docjames]

Got the same offer via Hertz #1 Gold:

https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/joinffp?code=HERTZ

+1 i got one too from Hertz.

QF really upping the ante now

 

[2muchplastic]

Really smacks of desperation. "Come and join us, even though you might never have flown with us before. Just bring your CC points...."

 

[Flashback]

Just had a call from AMEX, asking whether I received the letter in the mail last week telling me about the QFF changes etc. and gave me the spiel about how there's "57 other airlines you can redeem on" etc... interesting!

Oh, and .. "you can still redeem the points for QF through our partners such as Harvey World Travel, etc."

 

[PLANT]

Bugger just joined Earth Card to get QFF program!
They reckon they have had it since 12 Feb Pigs A**!
Anyways another bad market ploy by QF!

How about bonus points for the more points you transfer into QFF?

 

[futaris]

https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do...TASNZ&alt_cam=nz:qf:edm:07Mar09:int:ffyler:ht

Complimentary Membership Offer for New Zealand Residents Only

 

[pauly7]

Bugger just joined Earth Card to get QFF program!
They reckon they have had it since 12 Feb Pigs A**!
Anyways another bad market ploy by QF!

How about bonus points for the more points you transfer into QFF?

I don't think its a bad marketing ploy by QF at all.

I do think though for most on this thread including myself it is an irrelevant / moot ploy though as we are all already members - definitely not targetted at the AFF haha...

Clearly its targetted at infrequent non/FF members who might be shopping around Jetstar, Virgin and Qantas -> Qantas are just trying to hook them into their world with a bit of a carrot to then get them to consider more than just price when they come to fly next.

+1 for your bonus point idea though! In another thread an apparent 'friend' of someone who works at QF has hinted at something like this... they are running out of time though as points transfers can take up to a week depending what provider you are with.....

 

[Mal]

No wonder Qantas is seeing people who have never transferred points before to Qantas transferring ... They may not have previously as they weren't a Qantas FF member and didn't want to pay to join.

Still a good marketing ploy.

 

[Mal]

If you are in NZ, things are a little easier:

https://www.qantas.com.au//fflyer/d...SNZ&alt_cam=nz:qf:edm:21Mar09:int:oneworld:tx

This offer is available only to applicants who:

* are not already Qantas Frequent Flyer members,
* join Qantas Frequent Flyer between 5 March and 31 March 2009,
* are individuals (companies and other entities cannot join Qantas Frequent Flyer),
* are New Zealand residents,
* provide a valid e-mail address to receive communications from Qantas Frequent Flyer, and
* accept the terms of this offer and the terms and conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.

 

[Flymethere]

Gotta say I'm a little p!ssed at the whole timing of it (personal reasons only). We had just got our QFF balance down to zero and were looking at our next trip and so I thought I would transfer 80,000 points to cover it. I did that and then found Singapore Airlines were a better option for the trip we had planned. So I thought 80,000 points in QFF, thats ok....I'll just top them up over the coming months and take a RTW trip. After that we will start transferring our points over to KrisFlyer and top those up for the following one.

It must have been the day or two after they announced the March deadline and I was and am p!ssed. Now I have 80,000 points sitting idle that need to be topped up with 60,000 to make them reasonably valuable but to do it I need to sign up to direct sweep (or take a Qantas flight). To be honest, the whole "force your hand" tactic by Qantas is just about enough to make me change airlines on principle alone.

As for the latest "never flown with us? We'll still con you to transfer your points to us" just adds fuel to the fire!

 

[NM]

... (or take a Qantas flight).

:mrgreen: an interesting concept for a Frequent Flyer program

To be honest, the whole "force your hand" tactic by Qantas is just about enough to make me change airlines on principle alone.

I am sure some already have made that decision.

As for the latest "never flown with us? We'll still con you to transfer your points to us" just adds fuel to the fire!

Those are the best type from Qantas' perspective. Once locked into QFF, if they do ever pay for a flight, guess who they are likely to use? And if they don't, then chances are they won't get to use those FF points either and Qantas has banked the cheque from the CC company long ago.

 

[straitman]

..... but to do it I need to sign up to direct sweep

No you don't :!:

There are still options out there that don't require direct sweep but require you to do a little research.

(or take a Qantas flight).

As NM said "an interesting concept for a Frequent Flyer program"

 

[Flymethere]

No you don't :!:

There are still options out there that don't require direct sweep but require you to do a little research.

As NM said "an interesting concept for a Frequent Flyer program"

hehehehe....I probably didn't make it clear what I meant. After this whole tactic by Qantas, I would not have transferred my points there in the first place if I knew this was going to happen (on principle alone). It will be interesting to see just how quickly the QFF program is sold after stacking it with the points.

 

[JohnK]

It will be interesting to see just how quickly the QFF program is sold after stacking it with the points.

Qantas has deferred the sale of the QFF program due to the current global financial crisis.