re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?
My experience:
QFF status: WP
Phoned: number given by RedRoo
Asked for: Any seat award (ADL return Melbourne) at classic rates
and can I go indirect (ADL/SYD/MEL)? I had checked classic availability, at cheapish rates for this routing........... 32,000 plus $79.76 for direct and 48,000 points plus $138.87 for indirect
CSR: (premium desk) "J" (on reflection I'm not sure that naming CSOs is such a good idea, but YMMV)
Initial response: "No problems" with first request and "I don't think so" on the second......"but let's give it a try to be sure"
Result: JASA
direct ADL MEL return. The choices of price points were 32,000 points and $218.76, 50,000 and $65 and 40,000 and $157. Note that the call confirmed that there seems to be no slider and I just had to give a points figure and a cash component was spat out by the computer. As previously noted.
All up time: less than ten minutes
Comments:
J was totally across the issue. Seems to have done it before: "I know some of you like to go those indirect routes to get the status credits".
confirms legroom's post that the wonderful cheap indirect JASAs are possibly gone. J's explanation, which fits with legroom's post is that now ASAs have to conform to "commercial fare rules" with sector charges, and that there isn't a correlation between what is cheap on classic
indirect and ASAs.
Overall I'm happy. I've come to like J domestic (used to think it was only for Ws). I don't mind the cost. I like the SCs and points gained
Hence I intend to spend as many of my QFF points as I can on ASAs before they disappear. Hopefully I can snaffle an international one or two
Of course others may have different experiences and I'd love to continue to hear them
edit to add, (and some will know exactly what I'm talking about
): I just found out that debit card payments attract a much lower fee than credit cards