Qantas Club Life Membership Expiry!?

[Unhappy Member]

I purchased Qantas Life Membership in the late seventies, so will be approaching 50 years in the next few. Qantas has implied that the membership expires after 50 years - which is news to me. When I was issued Life Membership originally it contained many benefits that over the years has been eroded without any consultation with me. I do not think it is legally allowable to vary a pre-paid lifetime agreement without there being mutual consent to the changes. Qantas cannot produce for me the terms and conditions I signed up for at the time. It included PRIORITY LUGGAGE locally, also PRIORITY BOARDING RIGHTS which has vanished over time, it also allowed EXTRA LUGGAGE at no extra cost to the cardholder and there was no segregation at the time between Business and First-Class lounges and Life Members. We all know that it's not the airline it was then, and had we predicted what it would become you certainly would not have taken up Life Membership. Incidentally, Life Membership at my golf club runs out when you stop breathing.!
I am just waiting for a formal notice of termination of my membership, and I am going to create more trouble than it's worth to Qantas.

 

[SydneySwan]

How much did you pay back in the 70s?

 

[Warragul]

Was there such a thing in the 70's? Genuine question, no Frequent Flyer or Qantas Club. Business class didn't start till 1979.

 

[opusman]

Where was this expiry implied anyway? More information is needed, otherwise this just sounds like rage bait.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Was there such a thing in the 70's? Genuine question, no Frequent Flyer or Qantas Club. Business class didn't start till 1979.

Almost.

TAA’s Flight Deck was the early 80s (like late 82j.

I remember Lifetime membership at $440 in around 1985/6? which at the time was quite a lot of money!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I purchased Qantas Life Membership in the late seventies, so will be approaching 50 years in the next few. Qantas has implied that the membership expires after 50 years - which is news to me. When I was issued Life Membership originally it contained many benefits that over the years has been eroded without any consultation with me. I do not think it is legally allowable to vary a pre-paid lifetime agreement without there being mutual consent to the changes. Qantas cannot produce for me the terms and conditions I signed up for at the time. It included PRIORITY LUGGAGE locally, also PRIORITY BOARDING RIGHTS which has vanished over time, it also allowed EXTRA LUGGAGE at no extra cost to the cardholder and there was no segregation at the time between Business and First-Class lounges and Life Members. We all know that it's not the airline it was then, and had we predicted what it would become you certainly would not have taken up Life Membership. Incidentally, Life Membership at my golf club runs out when you stop breathing.!
I am just waiting for a formal notice of termination of my membership, and I am going to create more trouble than it's worth to Qantas.

I’m pretty sure the main thing people were buying was membership to access the lounges. There were some other benefits that came with that, as you mention.

Priority luggage has gone, as has priority boarding… but you still get separate check-in, and the extra baggage allowance. Plus, of course, access to lounges when flying Qantas, domestic jetstar, and American Airlines. I don’t think the original Flight Deck membership came with access to Qantas international lounges?… which you do now get… arguably a huge benefit over the original domestic offering.

The terms and conditions do say that membership benefits can change over time. The core benefit is lounge access. If that got taken away i think there’d be a good case for compensation.

 

[sudoer]

Where was this expiry implied anyway? More information is needed, otherwise this just sounds like rage bait.

It has showed up in QFF My Account on and off for the past few years. There have been thread about this previously.

 

[oz_mark]

Is this some rehash of the other post that came back to life today?

B

Thread 'Qantas Club Lifetime Membership Benefits Removal'

May 27, 2019

Hello folks,

I am hoping someone can help me. I purchase a Qantas Club Lifetime Membership around 2001. At the time, the benefits included priority baggage. The last three times I have travelled domestically and internationally I did not get priority baggage. When I contacted the airline about this, I was informed that my membership did not include priority baggage. I tried to have the matter escalated and was met with stony silence of course. I persevered and was eventually told to 'contact frequent flyer'. I have to say the corporate customer is the worst I have ever...

• Blackie67
• qantas club
• Replies: 92
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

 

[oz_mark]

It has showed up in QFF My Account on and off for the past few years. There have been thread about this previously.

It started appearing shortly after Qantas migrated the FF program onto its current platform. I've always thought it was a limitation of the migration/new system.

 

[AuSammy]

I have no idea what formula was applied when they migrated platforms to put a notional expiry date on the card, but I purchased late nineties and mine shows expiry 2102. I can assure AFFers I won't be using it at age 152.

 

[kallinch]

Systems (loyalty management systems) often required a specific expiry date. It’s part of these “life tiers” being able to coexist with the rest of tier levels that routinely expire. Not uncommon for “life membership” to be random expiry in future that generally higher than life expectancy ie date of purchase + 100years. I believe VA life gold tier similar back end expiry coding +100

 

[SYD]

I remember Lifetime membership at $440 in around 1985/6? which at the time was quite a lot of money!

That was a bargain! I paid the princely sum of $150 for only three years using a CoA rate in 1999 - some of which is still technically owed to me after becoming LTG in 2015…

 

[drron]

The interesting thing about this new life membership is that on. My LTQP card the expiry. date has gone from from 2042 to 2044. You beauty might still make 100!

 

[Mwenenzi]

I purchased Qantas Life Membership in the late seventies, so will be approaching 50 years in the next few. Qantas has implied that the membership expires after 50 years - which is news to me. When I was issued Life Membership originally it contained many benefits that over the years has been eroded without any consultation with me. I do not think it is legally allowable to vary a pre-paid lifetime agreement without there being mutual consent to the changes. Qantas cannot produce for me the terms and conditions I signed up for at the time. It included PRIORITY LUGGAGE locally, also PRIORITY BOARDING RIGHTS which has vanished over time, it also allowed EXTRA LUGGAGE at no extra cost to the cardholder and there was no segregation at the time between Business and First-Class lounges and Life Members. We all know that it's not the airline it was then, and had we predicted what it would become you certainly would not have taken up Life Membership. Incidentally, Life Membership at my golf club runs out when you stop breathing.!
I am just waiting for a formal notice of termination of my membership, and I am going to create more trouble than it's worth to Qantas.

QF (international) and TAA (domestic) were separate airlines until 1992
Did you buy QF or TAA life membership?
If TAA getting QF international is big increase in original offering
Always worth keeping documentation.

Trans Australia Airlines - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Branding) project, the entire airline was rebranded Qantas about a year later with tickets stating in small print "Australian Airlines Limited trading as Qantas Airways Limited" until the adoption of a single Air Operator Certificate a few years later. At that point, the entire airline was officially renamed "Qantas Airways Limited" continuing the name and livery of the parent company with the only change being the change of by-line from "The Spirit of Australia" to "The Australian Airline" under the window line with the existing "Qantas" title appearing above.

OPs other post 3 Dec 2023

U

Post in thread 'Qantas Club Lifetime Membership Benefits Removal'

Dec 3, 2023

Closing a lounge is not the only reason for a refund. They also allow a refund for changes "that deprives the Member substantially of the intended use of the membership". Up to the OP if this change substantially changes their intended use.

How long is a lifetime?

I can tell you how long "a lifetime" is. I took out one of the original LIFE memberships issued in about 1980 or so. Naturally I did not keep the set of T&C's that prevailed at the time, but I was informed recently that my membership with lapse after 50 years. This will happen in the next few years.!

• Unhappy Member

• 

I can tell you how long "a lifetime" is. I took out one of the original LIFE memberships issued in about 1980 or so. Naturally I did not keep the set of T&C's that prevailed at the time, but I was informed recently that my membership with lapse after 50 years. This will happen in the next few years.!

 

[Mr_Tee]

I'm not buying this story at all.

 

[Dmac59]

I'm not buying this story at all.

Neither am I.

Qantas has implied that the membership expires after 50 years

No mention of how QF has done this?