Family pooling

[ddd]

I live at home with my parents and sister. I fly a moderate amount, and they all fly maybe once a year at most. In an ideal world I'd have family pooling set up so all their status credits get sent to me (they have no real need for them), but obviously you can only set it up with one adult account contributing. They'll all be flying a few trips this year individually and I'd like their status credits.

Am I able to add my mum before her trip, then remove her, then add my sister for her trip etc? I feel like I'm gaming the system, but I can't find anything in the T&C's against it.

Also, I only really care about status (I've flown enough in the last year to just scrape gold, but I'll be struggling to retain it this year without their help) and not points. I can't see an option to only pool status credits, so is my best bet to set up points+status pooling and then transfer back the points to them after the fact?

Finally, they don't get any benefit from my status unless I'm flying with them, right? I'm trying to sweeten the deal for them as much as possible to retain that sweet, sweet gold status - I may have to transfer them 1.5x as many points as they earn or something

 

[MarkD]

I live at home with my parents and sister. I fly a moderate amount, and they all fly maybe once a year at most. In an ideal world I'd have family pooling set up so all their status credits get sent to me (they have no real need for them), but obviously you can only set it up with one adult account contributing. They'll all be flying a few trips this year individually and I'd like their status credits.

Am I able to add my mum before her trip, then remove her, then add my sister for her trip etc? I feel like I'm gaming the system, but I can't find anything in the T&C's against it.

Also, I only really care about status (I've flown enough in the last year to just scrape gold, but I'll be struggling to retain it this year without their help) and not points. I can't see an option to only pool status credits, so is my best bet to set up points+status pooling and then transfer back the points to them after the fact?

Finally, they don't get any benefit from my status unless I'm flying with them, right? I'm trying to sweeten the deal for them as much as possible to retain that sweet, sweet gold status - I may have to transfer them 1.5x as many points as they earn or something

You can change as many times as you like. I did read of people getting memberships cancelled for similar matters though so do it at your own peril. It is a membership based program and they can cancel your membership whenever they like

 

[Denali]

Get a hand full of Flybuy cards/give them to the family and link them to your account so you get their status credits.

Why transfer the points to them? Keep the points and then redeem for flights ect, as they want them. Less attention you draw to yourself, the better. Edit: As you live at the same address, youre not doing anything wrong.

 

[clipped_wings]

I do this as well. Our family pool is a dynamic that changes according to flight schedules. It takes a bit of effort, but I manage to ensure each precious SC and point is funneled to my husbands account. Our older girls fly sporadically as well, and as they're over 18 - I have to pay attention to who is pooling to who. It was so much easier when they were all kids and flying everywhere we went!

 

[Saltywings]

I live at home with my parents and sister. I fly a moderate amount, and they all fly maybe once a year at most. In an ideal world I'd have family pooling set up so all their status credits get sent to me (they have no real need for them), but obviously you can only set it up with one adult account contributing. They'll all be flying a few trips this year individually and I'd like their status credits.

Am I able to add my mum before her trip, then remove her, then add my sister for her trip etc? I feel like I'm gaming the system, but I can't find anything in the T&C's against it.

Also, I only really care about status (I've flown enough in the last year to just scrape gold, but I'll be struggling to retain it this year without their help) and not points. I can't see an option to only pool status credits, so is my best bet to set up points+status pooling and then transfer back the points to them after the fact?

Finally, they don't get any benefit from my status unless I'm flying with them, right? I'm trying to sweeten the deal for them as much as possible to retain that sweet, sweet gold status - I may have to transfer them 1.5x as many points as they earn or something

Yes, this works - I am an example of almost your exact situation. My parents fly maybe twice a year internationally at best. They take paid J trips to China via Hainan which credit to velocity. Sometimes they don't fly at the same time, so I switch the family pooling source to whoever is taking the next flight. Each return J trip nets 320SCs, it's how I became VA WP despite never having flown long haul or paid J fares with them . Nobody has to feel bad either, as you get pretty much all the benefits of status when you fly J anyway. Not like VA has a F lounge that makes QF WP desirable *hint hint*

As for your last Q, there are some benefits that you can bestow on them if you end up making VA WP such as the companion SG/WP membership and the Y reward seat guarantee for an annual family trip. But AFAIK the best family perk I'd want - to upgrade your fam with the same priority as your [WP] status (while not travelling yourself) doesn't exist, which QF has *again hint hint*.

Also what Denali said - just keep the points to yourself and treat them to the occasional J reward flight. They'd appreciate that more than having unusable bags of points gathering dust in their accounts individually.

 

[andye]

T&Cs say you can only have 5 separate accounts pooling to you each year but this is not a problem for you. You can change as many times as you like.

Agree about Flybuys, though will only be able to pool one other adult's account with you at a time-you could maximise this by mum dad and sister all using the same Flybuys card (assuming they dont spend > $1k a month)

I find buying free reward flights (even in Y) is more than enough to encourage people to help

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I did what you were planning, my mum and dad flew ADL - BNE for 1700 return, each and the SC earnt. and I had put my mum into the family pooling long ago, the system allowed her points and SC to me, but then tried my dad, but no go, its that one to one only per adult rule.
I even tried to put wink wink, my dad to my mum to me, but that didn't work either.
My dad won't be flying anymore, too old he says, but mum's points do go up via FB at Coles. So I have lost a 1700 VFF point gain, and the SC linked to it.
Most likely, or only way now in your case, is to wait till all of them get to 5000 VFF points, then that is another way open to move points.
But under 5000 VFF points, in accounts, transfer of points between family does not work.
So my mum's VFF account for points and SC are empty, as they move to me as soon as FB transactions appear, but as in your mum and dad's case, you porbably have to wait till the points get to 5000 each, and the try to move one to the other and then to you.
Up above, I had tried it under the FB sytem, and also the direct VFF system, it would not allow my dad's 1700 VFF points and 20 SC will get stuck, as he does not fly that often.
Sorry for the waffle.

 

[andye]

I did what you were planning, my mum and dad flew ADL - BNE for 1700 return, each and the SC earnt. and I had put my mum into the family pooling long ago, the system allowed her points and SC to me, but then tried my dad, but no go, its that one to one only per adult rule.
I even tried to put wink wink, my dad to my mum to me, but that didn't work either.
My dad won't be flying anymore, too old he says, but mum's points do go up via FB at Coles. So I have lost a 1700 VFF point gain, and the SC linked to it.
Most likely, or only way now in your case, is to wait till all of them get to 5000 VFF points, then that is another way open to move points.
But under 5000 VFF points, in accounts, transfer of points between family does not work.
So my mum's VFF account for points and SC are empty, as they move to me as soon as FB transactions appear, but as in your mum and dad's case, you porbably have to wait till the points get to 5000 each, and the try to move one to the other and then to you.
Up above, I had tried it under the FB sytem, and also the direct VFF system, it would not allow my dad's 1700 VFF points and 20 SC will get stuck, as he does not fly that often.
Sorry for the waffle.

Suggest you transfer 3300 points to Dad and then he transfers 5000 to Pooch. You could put your Mum in middle of the chain if she had any points.

 

[Muppet501st]

there is a limit on how many times you can transfer points in a calender year

 

[andye]

there is a limit on how many times you can transfer points in a calender year

Yes should have mentioned that. The 'chain' method limits the number of transfers if you have more than one donor account

 

[Hvr]

The 'chain' method limits the number of transfers if you have more than one donor account

If you do a chain collection once a year it is only one transfer each year from/to each account with the final account only having one receipt of points and no transfer counted against them.

A-> B-> C-> D and so on.