Life Time Gold - The [Realistic] Holy Grail

[CaptJCool]

I've already decided to just settle in at the LTG base camp

I’m with you on this one

If it took 23 years to make 14,000 then LTP is a pipe dream

Those cheap reward JQ are the “bus of the future” free food and champagne and Chivas Regal to get through the 1-2 hour flight ex Adelaide
(And before the pile-on, I got “trained” into loving the QC seeing there’s only been a QC in ADELAIDE until May this year

 

[Wing Nut]

I’m with you on this one

If it took 23 years to make 14,000 then LTP is a pipe dream

Those cheap reward JQ are the “bus of the future” free food and champagne and Chivas Regal to get through the 1-2 hour flight ex Adelaide
(And before the pile-on, I got “trained” into loving the QC seeing there’s only been a QC in ADELAIDE until May this year

Took me 24 years to reach LTS and even then, only got across the line from a recent burst of international flex J fares for work. When I had a couple of SG runs over the years, getting to LTS was not even on the radar. I'm happy though, no more economy check-in ques when travelling One World!

 

[Beano]

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread but someone stated that I could claim the unused portion of a QC membership when I achieved LTG. I've looked into it and found that Qantas don't keep records far enough back to resolve this. So no luck on my part. That was 2011 when I had been Gold for a few years. 2013 was when I started WP.

 

[VPS]

I'm not sure if this is the correct thread but someone stated that I could claim the unused portion of a QC membership when I achieved LTG. I've looked into it and found that Qantas don't keep records far enough back to resolve this. So no luck on my part. That was 2011 when I had been Gold for a few years. 2013 was when I started WP.

I call BS on that because mine was well before that and I got my refund. HUACA?

 

[DejaBrew]

@Beano - I think this is the thread you're after....

Thread 'Unused QC pro-rata refund?'

Mar 22, 2023

I've had ~22 months of paid Qantas Club membership 'parked' since 2010 when courtesy of a DONE4 I jumped from NB to WP in a couple of months (and, a couple of years of SG notwithstanding, have remained there). A couple of years ago, just prior to the pandemic, I achieved LTG. So the QC membership is now redundant to me. I have read over the years (though nothing for a long time) of people receiving a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the QC membership. I figured asking QF for money during the pandemic was probably not wise timing, however now that they are back into big...

• tuapekastar
• qantas club round the world
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

 

[Beano]

@Beano - I think this is the thread you're after....

Thread 'Unused QC pro-rata refund?'

Mar 22, 2023

I've had ~22 months of paid Qantas Club membership 'parked' since 2010 when courtesy of a DONE4 I jumped from NB to WP in a couple of months (and, a couple of years of SG notwithstanding, have remained there). A couple of years ago, just prior to the pandemic, I achieved LTG. So the QC membership is now redundant to me. I have read over the years (though nothing for a long time) of people receiving a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the QC membership. I figured asking QF for money during the pandemic was probably not wise timing, however now that they are back into big...

• tuapekastar
• qantas club round the world
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

Thanks

I call BS on that because mine was well before that and I got my refund. HUACA?

Thanks, will give it another go. Perhaps from my company end.

 

[Q Class Plebeian]

@Beano - I think this is the thread you're after....

Thread 'Unused QC pro-rata refund?'

Mar 22, 2023

I've had ~22 months of paid Qantas Club membership 'parked' since 2010 when courtesy of a DONE4 I jumped from NB to WP in a couple of months (and, a couple of years of SG notwithstanding, have remained there). A couple of years ago, just prior to the pandemic, I achieved LTG. So the QC membership is now redundant to me. I have read over the years (though nothing for a long time) of people receiving a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the QC membership. I figured asking QF for money during the pandemic was probably not wise timing, however now that they are back into big...

• tuapekastar
• qantas club round the world
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

I had about 12 months of paid QC which they honoured in my slow fall from Platinum , Gold and then LFS. I was self funding and changed jobs in 2003 then spent a lot of the next decade travelling .Slowed down after I left that job and then COVID came .Even through I still travelled a few times OS I did in on Etihad, so hit gold with Virgin, When my QFF gold ran out they automatically extended my QC access and sent me an email advising me of such. I went to LTS after that for about 5 years and now as work and personal travel has returned ( though not to pre-covid levels ) , I hit LTG. I might get back to platinum but no rush, LTG works.

 

[Beano]

@Beano - I think this is the thread you're after....

Thread 'Unused QC pro-rata refund?'

Mar 22, 2023

I've had ~22 months of paid Qantas Club membership 'parked' since 2010 when courtesy of a DONE4 I jumped from NB to WP in a couple of months (and, a couple of years of SG notwithstanding, have remained there). A couple of years ago, just prior to the pandemic, I achieved LTG. So the QC membership is now redundant to me. I have read over the years (though nothing for a long time) of people receiving a pro-rata refund for the unused portion of the QC membership. I figured asking QF for money during the pandemic was probably not wise timing, however now that they are back into big...

• tuapekastar
• qantas club round the world
• Replies: 21
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

Thanks. I will look into it further.

 

[Q Class Plebeian]

I see where Qantas in December is upping the fees on the Q Club .Even though with my varying and labile status I haven't had to pay Q Club fees for well over a decade and a half , it's a hefty rise.
Well ,I guess there is some benefit in reaching LTG after all.

Redirect Notice

 

[aaa99]

Half way there after a big push last year since shifting loyalties to Qantas in mid 2023.

Will keep chugging along and hope the goal posts don't change too soon

 

[patrickk]

Thats great Boomy Congrats on getting LTG, I myself am 85 sc's off LTG so in a few weeks it'll be mine too.

I feel the same about LTG, great feeling being so close to getting it, but as you say well, whats next..... Great way of celebrating getting LTG too, love it & again well done.

Lifetime Gold is really about when you retire and have no one to give you lounge access and queue jumping at check in and boarding.

 

[mviy]

Half way there after a big push last year since shifting loyalties to Qantas in mid 2023.

Will keep chugging along and hope the goal posts don't change too soon

Well done! LifeTime Silver doesn’t give a lot, but is better than Bronze.

I hope the goalposts don’t move soon.

Though if QF does something such as DSC that doesn’t count to Lifetime status and doesn’t backflip on that, that would be moving the goalposts for me, essentially doubling the time to get there. I am close enough that I should still reach LTG if they did that.

Many people chasing BA LTG (similar to QF LTP) that were well over half way, were left with nothing when they changed the goalposts moving it out of reach. Glad I have stuck with chasing QF LTG rather than switching to BA as Lifetime status with them is out of reach.

 

[mviy]

Lifetime Gold is really about when you retire and have no one to give you lounge access and queue jumping at check in and boarding.

That may be true for most or for what it’s intended for. However, I plan to get LTG many years before retirement and as an almost entirely self funded traveller expect I will use it for many domestic economy flights as well as International economy/premium economy.

My plan was to pivot after getting LTG to flying J/F return to LHR on points instead of revenue DSC Y flights, but it’s next to impossible to find those points seats so if I stop maintaining WP after reaching LTG, I guess I won’t be doing too many trips in classic rewards J/F unless availability improves significantly, and instead I’ll be doing a lot of my international flights in economy or with points upgrades to Business.

 

[NSun]

I officially hit LTG today in an anti-climatic way as I instantly saw how far I've got to go until Lifetime Platinum. And I got it by receiving 10 retroactive SCs from an intra-NZ JQ flight from earlier this week. I either would've liked to have got them prior to the J flight back home yesterday or had them withheld until tomorrow so I could've landed knowing I earned it but...

...made it. Since 2016 I took over 400 Qantas flights, I've flown on every A380, A330-200 in the fleet, 65 of the 737s, 29 of the 30 Dash 8 Q400s (excluding WestJet ones) and every 787 but ZNG.

I'm only 30 and a half so hitting LTP someday isn't entirely beyond the realm of possibility as it would be if I was older. But now I do face the dilemma of whether or not I go for it or become a 'free agent' within the oneworld alliance.

 

[Flyerwin]

I'm only 30

Well done hitting LTG so young.

 

[ScottM]

Lifetime Gold is really about when you retire

I tend to agree. I'm LTG and 50. Not retired but I now live in the USA and fly United now. It did help get lounge access and baggage, though, when we visited family in Australia recently, despite not having flown QF for 5 years.

Why not fly American Airlines? Houston is a major hub for United (they merged with Continental which was Houston based) and I'm not Gold FF with them and get lounge access through a United credit card.

 

[RSD]

Well done! LifeTime Silver doesn’t give a lot, but is better than Bronze.

I hope the goalposts don’t move soon.

Though if QF does something such as DSC that doesn’t count to Lifetime status and doesn’t backflip on that, that would be moving the goalposts for me, essentially doubling the time to get there. I am close enough that I should still reach LTG if they did that.

Many people chasing BA LTG (similar to QF LTP) that were well over half way, were left with nothing when they changed the goalposts moving it out of reach. Glad I have stuck with chasing QF LTG rather than switching to BA as Lifetime status with them is out of reach.

Changing the goal posts is something that I fear, and also the loss of the QF/EK alliance - as that is really helpful to me. If RJ came to Australia it would help but it seems unlikely.

 

[Kangol]

Many people chasing BA LTG (similar to QF LTP) that were well over half way, were left with nothing when they changed the goalposts moving it out of reach. Glad I have stuck with chasing QF LTG rather than switching to BA as Lifetime status with them is out of reach.

I had to look up what you meant by BA changing the goalposts.
Previous requirement: 35k TP
New requirement: 550k TP
Almost 16 times the amount. Unbelievable!

 

[33kft]

Almost 16 times the amount. Unbelievable!

They changed the system fundamentally (revenue based, different multiplier, pro-rated progress) but the outcome is that 1 TP = £1 so someone starting today would need to spend on the realm of £550K to get there

 

[Cessna 180]

I have just ticked over 13000 SC, since starting in 2010. so at the current rate by this time next year I will be close to LTG.

As a 95% domestic traveler on 737/dash8 and occasional 330. I have been thinking a lot about what happens when or if I get to LTG. Having just scraped in to maintaining WP since 2014 with a bit of help from status keeper through covid, it may be a bit of an anti-climax.

I am not sure if I will keep traveling for work like I have been, but if I do, I like being Platinum. So it almost feels like a big part of the game will be over. Already this year I am just shy of 1200 with five months to go, thanks to QF giving credits away and a few extra sectors coinciding with DSC, part of the thrill is gone for this year. What I am saying is that in any given year more than 1200 seems a waste and so I am thinking if I reach LTG then the domestic shuttle shoved in a tiny cramped seat will seem less interesting. The club lounges in MEL and BNE are far less appealing compared to the J as well.

Then if I change jobs and stop traveling, even J points redemption's for overseas travel will not give me access to the F lounge at MEL or HKG. Such a tiny thing I know, but I really still get excited for my occasional visits there.

In summation, I clearly have been doing this too long. As it seems only a few short years ago when I would have been grateful to access any lounge, let alone J lounges.

Traveling for 15 years has been a privilege but also in some ways a curse, as I have become used to certain things that I do not wish to cede.

QF and to a lesser extent VA have done a great job of keeping people mediumly happy to donate to their coffers with these FF programs.