Qantas Classic Plus devaluation

[Flyingwombat]

They are playing with fire… loyalty division is their golden goose. They are printing money… but mess around with the rewards too much and punters will disengage. There are plenty of other options for credit cards like cashback. And other partners offer alternatives like money off your shopping. I’ve had a good run with QFF with great redemptions to Europe and Asia in premium cabins but I’m close to giving up. One more devaluation and I won’t be anywhere near as engaged.

 

[shak151]

From my perspective it was launched and clearly advertised that a Classic Plus Reward would be based on a certain cents per point value. That value was materially changed with no notice and brushed under the carpet like so many shortcomings of Qantas. If I had a mortgage product with a bank and the interest rate on that product changed, I expect and receive communication of that rate change.

Qantas never published a conversion rate from points to cents for Classic Plus. All the conversion rates were mentioned by media outlets with their own calculations. There is nothing on the Qantas website, so no one knows how the points for Classic Plus are calculated, and this gives Qantas the advantage of doing devaluation without any notice.

 

[wicks21]

It looks like the Joyce template still exists

 

[RooFlyer]

It looks like the Joyce template still exists

all the management chain was put in place during his tenure

 

[Portsoft]

Very disappointed that Qantas has already devalued Classic Plus, just a year after launch!

For those who aren’t aware, 1 point now = 1.25 cents for redemptions in international premium cabins, down from 1.5 cents previously.

It’s really poor form making this devaluation so quickly. It shakes your confidence in the program and makes you wonder how soon they’ll do another deval.

I was one of the more optimistic people about CR+ in this thread (and in fact am in LA right now on a CR+ booking - as discussed in the previous post), and I was planning to ramp up my Qantas Points earn, but now I’m seriously having second thoughts.

I could probably get the same value using Amex Membership Rewards points to pay for flights in lieu of cash with other (cheaper) oneworld airlines and still earn Qantas SCs.

So annoyed, Qantas!

Why is it surprising that Qantas is only interested in making more profit in what ever way they can ?

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Starting to make the rounds. On reflection, they probably should have just done this and owned up to it a week before their results and tried to distract everyone with "loyalty" bonuses.

"Well aKShUaLLy we never promised the better value we were offering in practice" as an excuse won't land well. Then again, it doesn't matter in our duopoly system and they'll get the media back on-side with a free advertisement 'news report' in J to [somewhere] soon enough.

 

[Aeryn]

Yep its in the Australian too, quoting Matt Graham

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-increases-degree-of-difficulty-for-frequent-flyer-members-seeking-free-seats/news-story/969c98a6f6b92ce2a596570fb5a45058

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Yep its int he Australian too quoting Matt Graham

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-increases-degree-of-difficulty-for-frequent-flyer-members-seeking-free-seats/news-story/969c98a6f6b92ce2a596570fb5a45058

And comments section is precisely as expected. Again, not that it matters.

 

[AuSammy]

From my perspective it was launched and clearly advertised that a Classic Plus Reward would be based on a certain cents per point value. That value was materially changed with no notice and brushed under the carpet like so many shortcomings of Qantas. If I had a mortgage product with a bank and the interest rate on that product changed, I expect and receive communication of that rate change.

Id be keen to see where if indeed QF advertised the points ratio for CR+.

I certainly can’t recall QF making any such announcement or declaring any such value. Indeed QF often say points have no material value. Many pundits did the calculations and posted about their calculations and assumptions.

 

[JYK]

I am convinced the availability of Classic Rewards stock has diminished almost to oblivion even at off peak periods. I’m looking at PER to east coast/NZ. This is disgusting by Qantas and when Classic Plus was rolled out, I’m recall we were told that the CR availability would be maintained.

Also, with other OW airlines preferentially opening seats to their loyalty program members, a bit hard to justify continuing QF loyalty after many years of Platinum.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I am convinced the availability of Classic Rewards stock has diminished almost to oblivion even at off peak periods.

There on marketing paper; not in reality. At least for premium cabins.