How to take SWMBO on a status run without her knowing

[ozbeachbabe]

Since I've been on AFF I've noticed quite a few (mostly male, but not always) contributors entertaining the thought of a status run but who seem almost petrified of the consquences as their SWMBO thinks the whole idea is frivolous or you've really lost the plot.

Similar to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings (won't use the acronym AA as could cause confusion) lines of "hi my name is "John" and I'm an alcoholic", here on AFF it's like "hi my name is (AFF handle) & I want to do a status run".....

Just wondering if you had considered ever doing a legitimate holiday with SWMBO in tow that just might involve a trip to the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America?

Some suggestions could be flying to Aruba for a few days R&R in this place of year round great weather and not in the hurricane belt. Alternatively possible a 7 night Caribbean cruise ex San Juan?

A word of warning before undertaking such an adventure, ensure SWMBO already has the 4 squiggle flights under the belt in the current membership year because if you start climbing the tier ladder of silver & gold during the trip and she's stuck on bronze you will be dead meat!

Just wondering if there are any success stories out there where we've had a doubting Thomas (SWMBO) who has previously thought of a status run as ridiculous but had a rethink once she's reached SG?

Any backlash or stories with a less than favourable outcome we need to be aware of?

 

[Buzzard]

Nothing exciting like the Caribbean but my SWMBO beat me to QF Silver. I then jumped her to Gold.
We went on a few trips together in Oz to get her to Gold, just mini breaks to places like TSV. Not only did these trips get +1 to Gold but we enjoyed our breaks.
+1 could not see the benefit at first but now she does. Much like she could not understand HH Diamond but after a few upgrades, Exec Lounge visits etc she is now on board.
Unfortunately with the demise of the ASA I can not see either of us getting to WP let alone retaining Gold as we are only leisure trippers.

 

[Joshua]

My girlfriend at the time got into it after flying a good dozen flights in J, no status runs but certainly status optimised travel. I think that is the key with convincing anyone is to experience the benefits firsthand. She got lucky with a double SC offer applying retrospectively back to when she was bronze, fast forward 3 months she was so close to platinum that she booked her own JASA run ADL-TSV r/t to get over the line. We certainly got treated very well there after as a young WP couple.

 

[UP4014]

This month both off to SFO in what started out as a short break to get some mid year SCs, before long it had changed from a short break to 3 weeks and "are you sure that's enough money for shopping" when I visited the bank today for USD5K cash.

When I do it alone it's money for tickets, a hotel maybe car rental. Now I have to stay somewhere decent, get a bigger car and have shopping money.

Matt

 

[juddles]

Based in Colombia and a QFF member chasing LTG, am slyly working on taking the family to HNL - great SC/$ ratio

 

[ChasingDaylight]

Unrelated to thread OBB, but there's a DRW meet later this month if you're about (other have tried to PM you in the past but your inbox is/was full). There's a thread in meetings and social events sub forum.

 

[TomVexille]

No need. We both need the SC's

 

[Pushka]

How 'bout a HWMBO in a blind status run - pour moi?

My girlfriend at the time got into it after flying a good dozen flights in J, no status runs but certainly status optimised travel. I think that is the key with convincing anyone is to experience the benefits firsthand. She got lucky with a double SC offer applying retrospectively back to when she was bronze, fast forward 3 months she was so close to platinum that she booked her own JASA run ADL-TSV r/t to get over the line. We certainly got treated very well there after as a young WP couple.

One day I will get to meet you in RAdelaide.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

My girlfriend at the time got into it after flying a good dozen flights in J, no status runs but certainly status optimised travel. I think that is the key with convincing anyone is to experience the benefits firsthand.

Were the J tickets courtesy of a substantial taco seasoning and cat food purchase at Woollies by chance? :?:

 

[Joshua]

Were the J tickets courtesy of a substantial taco seasoning and cat food purchase at Woollies by chance? :?:

This was not long after that but no, we actually paid cash for most of it. e.g. at the time RJ had exVIE to KUL/HKG for around 1k AUD in J and we similarly used CX J ex-TPE and booked into an oversold flight to get op-ups. Later we did use some of those points and got a last minute hacked up JASA for 60k that booked into F back when QF flew F HKG-MEL. I had a double SC offer for HK bookings, she was NB at the time but got it the same offer 2 months later. Lucky for her it applied retrospective (and included the domestic connection).

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Later we did use some of those points and got a last minute hacked up JASA for 60k that booked into F back when QF flew F HKG-MEL.

Oh no, not the dreaded exclamation mark saying that HKG/MEL will be in First?!

 

[UP4014]

My advice is to take a couple of afternoons off work and do a couple of return domestic runs and no one will be any wiser and you'll save money by going alone.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

My advice is to take a couple of afternoons off work and do a couple of return domestic runs and no one will be any wiser and you'll save money by going alone.

I guess there are two scenarios here, the first being those who do status qualifying flying solo either domestically or overseas.

The second scenario are those people who are travelling overseas en famille where the opportunity presents itself for a quick status run.

What I was suggesting is that instead of having to abandon the family to do a quick sortie is to take them along for the ride. It may be a bit of a stretch to take the kids unless you're giving them a headstart in their quest for lifetime gold, however while your spouse may not embrace the idea of doing several flights in a row they may be partial to spending a couple of nights at the destination instead of turning around and coming straight back.

You can find ways of incorporating a 'status run' as a means of getting from A to B eg if going to Europe you could start flying ex Aust to HNL then do a KUPP HNL to Caribbean then an award ticket Caribbean to Europe then return via the Eastern Hemisphere. It could also be an alternative to 280K around the world award ticket.

We used IHG points for our recent stay at the Holiday Inn Aruba which cost 15,000 points plus USD70.00 as the rate for March (high season) was a pricey USD361.00. When we stayed there before in Nov 2013 the rate was around USD130.00.