Loyalty Bonus Changes: November 30 Draws Near

[whughes3]

Keep in mind that the calculation will also need to include the uplift in the loyalty points awarded as you reach each hurdle compared to before.

Indeed..you now get 16 points/SC instead of just 11 previously, which in pretty well all cases will more than cancel out any loss of "spare" SC's at the end of your membership year. In my case I used to get 10K or 15K extra points/year; I will now get a minimum of 16K and 24K in most cases.

 

[simongr]

Will definitely factor that in.

 

[ozmille]

I have done some very very very basic calculations assuming you do the same nr of SCs every year for 3 years starting at 0. Left column rolls over right resets every year,

 

[dfcatch]

Again I agree with the majority of what you have said and it could be considered to be a reward for loyalty for less frequent fliers - we do have to recognise QF have done research showing that it wasnt a factor for a lot of people. It might be a vehicle that could reward loyalty but it seems (in QF's opinion) most people weren't on that bus or knew it existed.



I will take issue with this though - wasn't the loyalty bonus a replacement for upgrade credits? I thought is what drove the amount - 5000 points being the equivalent of a short sector upgrade. I wouldnt say that upgrade credits are that much of an incentive for a less frequent flier. Yes they would be a nice bonus but not much use given the lack of frequent travel?

Well I wasn't the person that originally came up with the concept of the Loyalty Bonus (which IIRC only got that name when it changed from Upgrade Credits).

Given that it was the one thing that didn't expire - was a reward for coughulative Qantas patronage (other than lifetime status), it clearly was to induce loyalty from all flyers.

My argument is simply that the marginal benefit of the Loyalty Bonus to high status (and therefore "Frequent" flyers) is marginal. Hence the results of QF's "research". And of course it is this particular segment whom is researched all the time.

OTOH the marginal benefit to less frequent flyers is much higher (and the cost lower), therefore provides a positive inducement.

I would have been much more supportive had they put a 24 month expiry on Loyalty status credits. Then they could have reduced their liability whilst still actually maintaining some incentive.

As it stands now - many Silver FFs will never ever achieve a loyalty bonus yet could be Silver status for 10 years running.

And you can't accuse a Silver Frequent Flyer of not being a Frequent Flyer!!

(QF may never have made a conscious decision to reward occasional flyers - but it's a good idea, should have been promoted better, and is madness to take it away IMHO).

 

[fresherbill]

many Silver FFs will never ever achieve a loyalty bonus yet could be Silver status for 10 years running.

I'm kind of in that basket. Having only come to QFFF a couple of years ago I was looking forward to getting a nice little bonus at the end of this year, but that's never going to happen now, or likely ever. I only do enough travelling to just get PS every year, so the ongoing bonus that was previously a nice long-term incentive is never going to eventuate. Lifetime PS is not even on the horizon for a new QFFF like me.

I would've thought that a long-term FF was the most valuable type of FF (regardless of status level). With VA now tying up with SQ, there's very little keeping me from getting active with my old Krisflyer account again; at least they know I've been with them a long time. *end rant*

 

[nonpop]

As someone else said ... the Bronze members are the WP's of tomorrow. We all had to start somewhere.
For me, when I was Bronze, the loyalty reward did keep me flying Qantas and we'd even pay a premium for it.
And for end of year holidays, we also attempted to fly Qantas.

So then as I began to travel for work, we had choice.
And I selected Qantas.
Then in time I also selected QFF points credit cards (which is very a profitable business for QF).
Plus along the way I met my significant other. She used to fly 'other' carriers. And we moved her to QF as we used to slowly collect the loyalty bonus then do a pool of points and use them every now and again. Then she migrated to becoming a PS following me around on the odd holiday.

So for us ... the moral to this flyers tale ... the loyalty scheme of old created a WP, a PS and a shed-load of direct sweep points into the QFF scheme coffers.
But without it, this may have been a very different.

I wonder how may other families have a WP and then pool the points from the rest of the tribe.

And QF need to also keep in mind their off-spring called J*. I'm sure there are QF members that pick J* into holiday destinations due to the SC / point earn as well.
This would also mean that the very profitable J* may have less QF flyers on them especially during the family holiday times.

Sadly, this would have had no real cost to QF, yet it may have actually driven 'demand' for QF seats without QF having to work too hard for it.

 

[yo yo ma]

You're a WP with 1500 SC, earning a 100% points bonus on every flight, on top of the base points, cabin bonus points, and your annual CC points haul....... Are you (generally speaking) seriously going to change your carrier choice for the next 500 SC because of a measly 8000 points ???

Well - you might . But the average J corporate flyer isn't.

If the average corporate flyer isn't going to change their carrier choice for 8k points, then they won't change for 5k.

 

[yo yo ma]

The 'breakage' of my daughters accumulated 390 odd loyalty count simply sucks! I'm sure there a bean counter looking forward to spending up on the performance bonus boost they gained from her and all those in similar circumstance.

My wife and 3 kids all will have ~350 s/c expire shortly without getting the loyalty bonus. They don't even know the loyalty bonus exists so it won't change their flying patterns.

 

[serfty]

My wife and 3 kids all will have ~350 s/c expire shortly without getting the loyalty bonus. They don't even know the loyalty bonus exists so it won't change their flying patterns.

Your's might not ... mine does ...

 

[dfcatch]

If the average corporate flyer isn't going to change their carrier choice for 8k points, then they won't change for 5k.

I have absolutely no idea where you're going with your point......

But I agree with what you have written

 

[TonyHancock]

Somewhat predictably I had misunderstood this change. I believed that my SC's, for loyalty bonus earn, would be reset to zero, but it appears that only those SC's earned in previous membership year were wiped. (Yes I know everyone else had worked that out....I'm just a bit on the slow side!!!) The impact in this membership year will be positive for me. (57,000 points as opposed to 50,000)

If my travel patterns, including choice of carrier, remain the same in my next year this change will cost me 18,000 points. Not insubstantial, but not enough to change my plans. (There are quite a few other factors that will influence my carrier selection.)

Overall it seems a bit rough on the NB's, PS's and SG's.

 

[Moody]

I lost quite a few qualifing SCs this time and being a borderline Gold each year I will be 50/50 with getting the bonus in future.

Obviously some bean counter has run the numbers and presented to management that this will reduce the Qantas points liability without annoying the more valuable frequesnt flyers. I guess that is what Qantas is all about these days - they appear to be in a race to the bottom with their own customers in the loyalty stakes. But maybe we started it ......

 

[Ansett]

This actually works out better for me as a Platinum usually earn around 1400 s/c per annum this would equate to 3 loyalty bonuses of 500= 15000 I will make sure that i get to 1500 sc which is easy just change routes on a few flights this would give me 3 x 8000 = 24000 so much better off for a change

 

[proskyneo]

Having found myself forced to fly on short notice, I was saddened to find the cheapest flight in the next week to be $385 BNE-HBA in Y. At a cheeky glance, I looked at a JASA and found it was a breezy 24k points and a mere $100 in taxes (Points + Pay).

To bring this on topic: I just happened to book it on 30th November, pushing me over the old loyalty bonus at 455 lifetime SC, earning my my first loyalty bonus (and pushing me into silver as well). I only realised this afterwards, so the JASA only cost 16k points and $100 for 100 SC woot. Not bad since I would've been forced to pay $385 for a Y seat anyway

Not to mention I managed to wrangle the front cabin on QF 8 BNE-SYD - just to try the old first class seats on this sector and got J PJ's as well so cheeky.

So I for one have just managed to make the old system work for me, as there would have been no way for me to reach the next loyalty bonus without lifetime SCs.

 

[Jacques Vert]

This actually works out better for me as a Platinum usually earn around 1400 s/c per annum this would equate to 3 loyalty bonuses of 500= 15000 I will make sure that i get to 1500 sc which is easy just change routes on a few flights this would give me 3 x 8000 = 24000 so much better off for a change

It is often said on this forum that everyone's flying patterns are different so what works for one doesn't work so well for another.

I'm in a similar boat (sorry plane) to you; at first I thought I would be worse off but then I did the maths.

Over the last three years I have scraped into WP with an average of 1,285 SCs. Under the old system that was an average of LB 14,278 points per year (1285/450 = 2.86 x 5000 = 14,278). Under the new system I loose 285 SCs at the end of each membership year but I receive 2 x 8,000 LBs = 16,000 points per year. And there is always the chance of making 1,500 one year for an extra 8,000.

We are all different and as they say: it is an ill wind....

JV

 

[Ansett]

I am fortunate in that I still have another Return to London In F and then return in J between now and xmas which will earn me 700 status credits and at the moment I have 320 excess status credits so an extra 16000 points will be very nice so will only loose 20 s/c so gets better for a change

 

[JohnK]

I believe the calculation is correct for me. I now have 135 SCs before next loyalty bonus by end of May 2012.

I am sure everyone does their own calculations but if you are a Platinum and earn 2,700 SCs in a membership year then you should/will be better off under the new changes.

 

[travelislife]

To bring this on topic: I just happened to book it on 30th November, pushing me over the old loyalty bonus at 455 lifetime SC, earning my my first loyalty bonus (and pushing me into silver as well). I only realised this afterwards, so the JASA only cost 16k points and $100 for 100 SC woot. Not bad since I would've been forced to pay $385 for a Y seat anyway

Sounds like you got a good JASA. But how did booking it on the 30th November help your cause? You actually have to fly on the flight BIS to get the SC's which from reading you weren't doing till after the reset on Dec 1st, am I missing something here?

Otherwise what you are saying would have helped me, I had 4 flights over the weekend which would have hit my bonus, but unfortunately has now blown back out to about 250SC with my year ending March 31st.

 

[proskyneo]

Sounds like you got a good JASA. But how did booking it on the 30th November help your cause? You actually have to fly on the flight BIS to get the SC's which from reading you weren't doing till after the reset on Dec 1st, am I missing something here?

Otherwise what you are saying would have helped me, I had 4 flights over the weekend which would have hit my bonus, but unfortunately has now blown back out to about 250SC with my year ending March 31st.

Booked to fly on November 30th, booked it the Friday previous - 25th November.

 

[travelislife]

Booked to fly on November 30th, booked it the Friday previous - 25th November.

Ah, makes sense now, thanks for the clarification, well done on getting it in right on the buzzer!