Pausing Qantas Club if Solely Taking Business Class Flights?

[Jet L]

I am currently on a contract with a gym (EMF Harbour Town) and I have put my membership on hold for 6 weeks for other reasons so there can be some leniency for some cases in my experience

 

[RichardMEL]

I am currently on a contract with a gym (EMF Harbour Town) and I have put my membership on hold for 6 weeks for other reasons so there can be some leniency for some cases in my experience

This suggests to me that, without trying to assume or pry, that you can't use the gym during that time. And it probably isn't because you're out of town, but some other reason that would limit your ability to use the gym and they seem to be being generous about it (which is great, and yes I am making a bit of an assumption).

to me what the OP is asking for is more something like:
"I'm using your partner gym next door which has the really good looking people and better equipment... so can you put my membership here on pause while I go do that?"

 

[sudoer]

to me what the OP is asking for is more something like:
"I'm using your partner gym next door which has the really good looking people and better equipment... so can you put my membership here on pause while I go do that?"

or "I have a one year contract, but I'm also buying a 7 day pass which gives me the same entitlements - extend my one year membership by a week please!"

 

[samh004]

I am currently on a contract with a gym (EMF Harbour Town) and I have put my membership on hold for 6 weeks for other reasons so there can be some leniency for some cases in my experience

I can do so with my gym membership too, but it's a case of same same but different.

If you were able to use that gym because you say, bought a coffee next door, so you said to them every time you bought a coffee you wanted an extension of a day/to put your membership on hold for a day... I think we know what they'd say there's also generally a limit to how many weeks you can hold your membership a year.

Overall, this is similar, but not the same, to maternity leave and having memberships paused for that.

 

[sudoer]

Qantas club allows you to guest someone into the lounge, whereas flying business with no status/no QC means no guest.

I don't think this is correct? Lounge access rules show..

Domestic Business: One guest allowed and does not need to be travelling.
International Business: One guest allowed and must be travelling with the member on the same flight.

 

[Jet L]

This suggests to me that, without trying to assume or pry, that you can't use the gym during that time. And it probably isn't because you're out of town, but some other reason that would limit your ability to use the gym and they seem to be being generous about it (which is great, and yes I am making a bit of an assumption).

I'm not agreeing with the OP I think that it is a ridiculous notion to ask qantas to pause QP membership because of a business flight, and yes I am unable to make it to the gym so they have been very generous to pause the membership due to an injury.

Just posing my experience as a gym membership was brought up earlier.

there's also generally a limit to how many weeks you can hold your membership a year.

They were generous enough to allow this even after I already used my holiday pause allowance of 4 weeks over Christmas.

 

[RichardMEL]

They were generous enough to allow this even after I already used my holiday pause allowance of 4 weeks over Christmas.

and that's clearly a published benefit of the gym membership (which seems like a really great idea and let's face it common sense)

QC has no such (that I am aware of, anyway) policy. (and totally different beasts.... irony is you'd possibly use the QC membership while on holiday from your gym membership! )

 

[Austman]

But why?

Not that I don't see what you're suggesting but there seems no real reason to do this.

They already do in other circumstances. Why have the Qantas Club hold at all? Why have status hold at all?

One reason to implement a lounge credit system might be to encourage Qantas Club members to fly in a higher class. Qantas Club memberships are now clearly aimed to those primarily flying in economy class, so it might be an added enticement in the decision to fly business or first class.

I must admit that in the early days of my Qantas Club membership, I thought I was giving Qantas a free kick on the times I didn't needed it due to flying in business class.

I doubt Qantas will implement anything but I at least see the OP's point.

 

[RichardMEL]

They already do in other circumstances. Why have the Qantas Club hold at all? Why have status hold at all?

What "other circumstances" do you mean?

QF Hold for status is different, as discussed above (in my view anyway). Agree that in theory they do not have to do this at all and is pretty generous (again as I posted earlier) but I see it as a status benefit/reward for the loyalty (business)

And the Parental Status Hold is a different thing, and a really nice idea I think.

I could see argument for a Parental QC hold along similar lines but that's VERY different (imo) to what the OP is requesting.

and of course QC members don't need to be flying IIRC......

 

[Pushka]

The only time I've been offered it (with no questions asked) was a gym membership outside contract, because they'd rather me suspend than cancel.

Also Qantas' parental Status Hold, which although I don't plan to take advantage of anytime soon, I think is a very nice gesture.

That parental thing came in just after I was unable to fly for a few months due to DVT. I was a bit cranky as I had to cancel the last flight that would have seen me maintain SG for 12 months and Qantas didn't even bother to respond to my request.

 

[cmon0005]

I don't think this is correct? Lounge access rules show..

Domestic Business: One guest allowed and does not need to be travelling.
International Business: One guest allowed and must be travelling with the member on the same flight.

Sorry I misread, in the lounge rules it has emirates business directly underneath with No guest, I read it as No guest for QF J.

International Business

Qantas International Business Next onward flight that day must be a Qantas marketed flight. (QF flight number) One guest allowed and must be travelling with the member on the same flight. Emirates International Business Next onward flight that day must be operated by Qantas or Emirates with an EK flight number. No guest permitted.

 

[Austman]

What "other circumstances" do you mean?

...

and of course QC members don't need to be flying IIRC......

The ones I mention directly after. They might be different but they are about the same type of thing - an "on hold" extension of Qantas Club or status.

I don't think Qantas would put Qantas Club "on hold" when flying business or first (or see how they could even do it) but they sure could give a Qantas Club access credit in those situations if they wanted to.

Qantas Club members do need to be flying to access Qantas Clubs, but their guest don't need to be (domestic Qantas Clubs).

 

[RichardMEL]

The ones I mention directly after. They might be different but they are about the same type of thing - an "on hold" extension of Qantas Club or status.

I don't think Qantas could put Qantas Club "on hold" when flying business or first (or see how they could even do it) but they sure could give a Qantas Club access credit in those situations if they wanted to.

but these ARE different.

Parental hold for status is specifically a goodwill gesture for those who won't be flying due to new parental duties.... and it's a defined period.

the only one that comes close is the Gold+ Status membership hold. Again, this is for the membership year(s) that higher status is attained.. it's a defined period and again it's a pretty generous gesture from QF IMHO because there's no reason they HAVE to do this in my view.

In my view just because you fly a Class of service that includes access to the lounge that's NO reason to provide extra credit or guest passes or something.

However everyone's entitled to their opinion about what's valid until QF says it isn't

Qantas Club members do need to be flying to access Qantas Clubs, but their guest don't need to be (domestic Qantas Clubs).

oh OK must have changed at some point to my memory. Thanks for the clarification

 

[Happy Trails]

Qantas club allows you to guest someone into the lounge, whereas flying business with no status/no QC means no guest

I don't think this is correct? Lounge access rules show..

Domestic Business: One guest allowed and does not need to be travelling.
International Business: One guest allowed and must be travelling with the member on the same flight.

Sorry I misread, in the lounge rules it has emirates business directly underneath with No guest, I read it as No guest for QF J.

In fairness to cmon005, I believe it did use to be the the case that Dom J did not have guesting rights, but I'm not sure when it changed.
Though I stand to be corrected on that.

 

[equus]

Re: Discounted Qantas Club membership

car insurer to put your insurance on hold because you won't be driving for 6 weeks.

Another real one that can be done. If you have a salary sacrificed car and car park at work premises and have FBT costs passed on to your package, if you leave the car parked at the car park (i.e. at the business) whilst you are away, there is no FBT payable for the period - as it is not available for private use. If the system allows it, this can end up credited back to the package.

It was some years ago that I did this (and much cheaper than parking at the airport - and the taxi from work to airport was way less than from home - so win all round).

 

[serfty]

In fairness to cmon005, I believe it did use to be the the case that Dom J did not have guesting rights, but I'm not sure when it changed.
Though I stand to be corrected on that.

No, you are correct - ISTR it is relatively recent that Business PAX had guest entitlements on QF flights.

Back in the 90's and for large parts of the 00's, Domestic business travel did not provide domestic lounge access. Only domestic First received such access before it went the way of the dodo.

 

[samh004]

I think roomer has a valid idea.

The way it could be implemented is that for every eligible flight sector where Qantas Club access was possible, Qantas allocates a single entry, non-transferable Qantas Club voucher with a validity of say 5 years to paid Qantas Club members flying in Qantas business or first class.

In other words a credit system, that recognises that due to your ticket class, your Qantas Club membership was not needed this time.

I'm not sure on the idea, but yes, it's one way that it could work.

It's a shame that with good debate often comes harshness and jumping on others ideas, but I thank the OP for the idea as it is an interesting question, and would affect a great many services in the world.

 

[RichardMEL]

While I think the notion of a credit system is coughbersome and the like (though QF did have, back in the day, the much loved Upgrade Credits so it would be kind of back to the future) it occurs to me that some airlines have digital club passes (UA is one, for example) so in theory I suppose if they had such a system you could then add a digital pass for a visit per flight sector.

As I wrote earlier (harshly) I don't see the notion that it would be something that is deserved just because one acquires a J ticket during the period of a paid membership, but considering the notion from a practical point of view I'd say the idea of a credit system for access passes would possibly work better than a hold for X weeks or days. After all if the thought is that the paid membership is "wasted" when on J flights then it seems reasonable to offer a pass for entry in lieu rather than a period of time.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Re: Discounted Qantas Club membership

haha really? I don't care enough tbh. It might even be less than a year.. I can't remember

don't let the facts get in the way of my attempted funny

I got mine back but then it was 2.5 years membership left, as I had taken out a 4 year membership when we didn't fly after Mr FM got very sick and then we started flying much sooner than I thought and basically stayed Platinum. I am very much of the opinion that you look after the pennies so you can spend the pounds on travel

 

[oz_mark]

I'm not sure on the idea, but yes, it's one way that it could work.

There are probably a whole range of ideas that could work. But one thing that occurs to me is that in pricing Qantas Club memberhsip, Qantas probably make a number of assumptions about how often the average member actually uses the lounge and so on. It seems to me that having the ability to put holds on memberships qould place upward pressure on prices - as the aim of a hold would be to increase the number of visits that could be made....