FlyBuys - Explore Gold offer

[williamsf1]

Received a offer that appears to be targeted...

We're inviting a very limited number of flybuys members to apply for Explore Gold, an exclusive three-month taste of Velocity Gold membership1. This is your exclusive opportunity to experience the very best of Virgin Australia's premium products and services for three months. Once approved you will receive:

• Access to over 150 lounges2
• A 75% Velocity Points bonus when flying Virgin Australia3
• Priority Check-in4
• Priority Boarding4 and more

To be eligible5 for this offer, all you will need to do is:

• Make sure you're the linked member in your flybuys household (check your flybuys My Account to confirm)
• Apply before 11:59 PM on Sunday 12th March, 2017

In accepting this invitation, you will also be placed on the fast-track to maintaining full Gold membership for a further twelve months6 if you complete reduced requirements of earning 80 Status Credits7 and fly at least one Eligible Sector8.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Received same offer earlier today.

 

[NZflygirl]

That's an awesome introductory offer with basically nothing required to be eligible!

 

[flyingfan]

Received it too. I wonder if it was triggered by the recent push for us to transfer FlyBuys points to VA for the chance to win flights in SQ J. I transferred about 16,000 FlyBuys points (not huge) so perhaps that signalled to them I might be a promising VA customer.

Anyway I'll definitely be taking it up - way better than the crazy status run I was contemplating just to hang onto silver!!

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I got it too. You have to ' apply ' with no guarantees

 

[kamchatsky]

I also have received the offer. It is perfect timing for me.

Whilst I haven't transferred any Flybuys points to VA yet, I have linked the account and have received about 10SCs from shopping so far.

My Etihad Gold will expire by end of March, and with no status matches recently, I would not be able to go to VA Lounges from April onwards if not for this offer.

I was actually flying VA last 5 months and have got 230 SCs so far, and I already have a flight booked in 2 weeks to push me to Silver (25SCs on SYD-CBR Freedom ticket). My flights are all short (SYD-CBR/MEL/ADL/HBA) so it does take a lot of time for me to get BIS SCs.

So hopefully they will give me Gold by the end of March, so I will continue to use the VA Lounge and SYD premium entry. I should be able to get 80SCs easily next 3 months especially with recent improvement of SCs for Elevate and Freedom fares (which I booked my flights on).

The question is, it seems that VA are regularly giving away these Explorer Gold, who in AFF has NOT received the offer but also member of Flybuys?

 

[neil37]

I am a recent member of both Flybuys and AFF but have not received the offer, more's the pity. Perhaps I'm still too much of a newbie.

 

[PPOW]

Would have loved to receive this offer Recently transferred 8k flybuys points but must not have met the offer "critera".

 

[oz_mark]

Would have loved to receive this offer Recently transferred 8k flybuys points but must not have met the offer "critera".

Well you never know. They ran it about 3 months ago, so probably this is the next batch. Maybe there will be another lot 3 months down the track

 

[twilsoncrow]

I received this invitation as well. With the requirement to earn 80sc to obtain gold. Can anyone clairfy if the sc have to be earnt via flying or it could be a Combo of shopping at Coles and flying?

 

[Jet L]

I received this invitation as well. With the requirement to earn 80sc to obtain gold. Can anyone clarify if the sc have to be earnt via flying or it could be a Combo of shopping at Coles and flying?

You need 80 SCs and 1 eligible sector so the 80 SCs can be earned on any VA partner airline and through flybuys but you must have at least one VA marketed flight within the Explore Gold period

[FONT=&quot]22.2.1 Where a Member travels on a flight where Virgin Australia is the Marketing Carrier (irrespective of whether the Journey consists of Virgin Australia Domestic, Virgin Australia International Short Haul or Virgin Australia International Long Haul Flight Sectors), each Flight Sector will be considered an Eligible Sector.[/FONT]

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Got it 3-4 months ago and will be down to Silver shortly.

 

[AnnaB]

Got this offer too... quite annoying as I just made silver. A week earlier and I would have maintained Gold for another year..

By my calculations I would have made Gold in July as I would have enough SC's by then. If I pick this offer up now, and I get Gold for three months it will be too early to maintain it with the flights I am taking in July... But will it mess up what I already have?

Would a status run in April be worth it? What is a good run for 80SC's flying out of Perth without costing a fortune?

 

[twiningb]

By my calculations I would have made Gold in July as I would have enough SC's by then. If I pick this offer up now, and I get Gold for three months it will be too early to maintain it with the flights I am taking in July... But will it mess up what I already have?

I have pretty much this exact question, too. Is anyone from Flybuys or Velocity able to answer? What happens to my existing status qualification if I take up Explore Gold?

I received this offer. I recently dropped back to Silver but have already well exceeded the status-credit threshold to renew Gold (I have nearly 700). I just need two eligible sectors, and I have four booked over the next four months. Taking this offer would give me bonus earn and full lounge access on my next two VA flights.

However, depending on when the three months start, I *should* also easily get one sector and 80 credits, but if the credits somehow fall short, would I still qualify on the regular rules? Do I jeopardise my standard qualification by taking up Explore Gold? For Explore Gold, do my family pool’s status credits still count? (I know their sectors don’t.)

 

[Mr He]

I got invited too, which kinda made my day. Yesterday I also received my newly applied Coles Rewards Platinum MasterCard. The invitation will surely encourage me to shop more with the Coles credit card and fly with Virgin Australia, rather than Qantas, in coming months. I linked my flybuys and Velocity accounts at the end of last year and have earned 59 status credits so far, so I guess my invitation is probably trigged by my frequent shopping at Coles during the past few months.

But I do have a question, though. Is there any chance that the lucky few who got invited turn out not so lucky in the end? 'Cause I noticed Virgin did say that "we will process your request within four weeks..." after I clicked the "Appy Now" button in the invitation email and did everything as instructed.

 

[Jet L]

I have pretty much this exact question, too. Is anyone from Flybuys or Velocity able to answer? What happens to my existing status qualification if I take up Explore Gold?

I received this offer. I recently dropped back to Silver but have already well exceeded the status-credit threshold to renew Gold (I have nearly 700). I just need two eligible sectors, and I have four booked over the next four months. Taking this offer would give me bonus earn and full lounge access on my next two VA flights.

However, depending on when the three months start, I *should* also easily get one sector and 80 credits, but if the credits somehow fall short, would I still qualify on the regular rules? Do I jeopardise my standard qualification by taking up Explore Gold? For Explore Gold, do my family pool’s status credits still count? (I know their sectors don’t.)

The regular status qualification won't change because status credits are valid for 12 months so if you didn't make explore gold but made regular gold later on then you would still get the regular gold

 

[Strategic Aviation]

Virgin did say that "we will process your request within four weeks..."

Not more than 4-5 days for me. But never got an email from them about it, just saw the status had updated when logging in one day.

 

[twilsoncrow]

Any experienced flyers know what the chance of having the gold status that can be achieved via this offer be matched by Qantas would be?

 

[Jet L]

Qantas will rarely status challenge and if they do they want flight history and membership statements, I would say you have no chance.

 

[twilsoncrow]

Thanks for that. I might have to pass on this offer of the gold status and hope that they will offer it to me again (I know I am dreaming on this). Just not placed to use the gold status especially with the trips I have just booked with Qantas and double SC. with nearly lifetime silver achieved at Qantas and most likely never to achieve gold Lifetime I might reevaluate my Qantas alliegence but that discussion and decision will have to wait till after I finish my PHD and are back in the world of of earning money.