Qantas unveils the biggest changes to status in program history

[LionKing]

So just business as usual for Qantas then, make it harder to accumulate points, while never having reward seat availability for the points you did manage to accumulate.

20 years has been a good run, maybe it's time to chase those Velocity points instead.

Was it really never having reward seat availability for the points you did manage to accumulate?

I can leave Australia for Asia this weekend on Business Class on points, and Qantas reward seats were readily available for trans-Atlantic, intra-Europe and Asia services.

Perhaps they should introduce more partners such as China Southern, Starlux, Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, otherwise I cannot see why Qantas points are useless.

Rather than chasing Velocity Points, perhaps you should have been chasing after Krisflyer Miles, which is more useful, or maybe Air China phoenix miles and 1 million kilometer mileage for a lifetime Star Alliance Gold.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I would love to know fhe proportion of WP’s that just scrape by every year vs. those that have a use for rollovers. With the exception of last year, my prior five years (excluding COVID) were remarkably consistent. Can’t help but feel the bean counters felt there was a little juice left to squeeze…

There are significant groups of QF elites who hold their status solely because of DSC.
QF is forced to run DSC so that members can retain status on merit.

I suspect the changes, in some ways, are designed as a stepping stone so that QF can begin to stop running free-for-all DSC promos.
(Increased thresholds, more non-air earning...)

 

[LionKing]

As per @Mattg ’s article, they’re still pondering what might replace (if anything) some of those PC/PC+ perks. So letting those of us with it run down as Grandfathered status probably isn’t a biggy?

They won’t be losing money if I lurch over the PC+ line and leave my comp QP membership swinging in the breeze (as an existing WP/LTG…)..

I suppose they can do things like extra points for Qantas Hotels for Gold and Platinum flyers?
And perhaps $100 Qantas hotel voucher for every 200 SC earned?
One thing I was not sure is I booked through Viator and never got Qantas points, so how can they partner to earn SCs for experiences? Perhaps they should enter into partnership with trip.com, KKDay or Klook for better connection and allow us to earn Qantas points and status whilst enjoying a buffet dinner in HK?

 

[dairyfloss]

There are significant groups of QF elites who hold their status solely because of DSC.

 

[turffy]

FF points have virtually no connection with an airline "loyalty program" - the airlines have coughised them - 100,000 for a credit card sign up, for a home loan, for hiring a car, purchases on your credit card etc. FFP - (poorly named really)
FFP have become a currency - we pay a premium some times on credit card purchases, on business payments to collect points. Nothing to do with loyalty to an airline - just a potential method of paying for a flight.
Status Points were the last measure of loyalty of 'flying with an airline'
So, let's coughise that by earning status points for things other than flights - was it Virgin who gave out status points for shopping at Coles at one stage??
The hypocrisy of giving status points for non-flight activities but not giving recognition of taking a flight on the airline and giving you status points because you paid for it with FFP is ludicrous in my opinion - and wrong. Why do Qantas and Virgin associate themselves with credit cards???? They clearly see a business benefit out of it - so if i follow their prompts and use a branded credit card, pay the surcharges on many points - aren't i being loyal to their brand and wishes?? If i then use the points (which in one way or another i have paid for) to fly on their airline aren't i again being loyal to their brand and actually flying- which is their business.
IMHO - every flight, whether paid for with cash or points, should be entitled to status points.
Further, i believe it should be the only way you can earn status points - put your bum on the seat!!
Surely, this is the only way to run a loyalty scheme.

 

[PineappleSkip]

if you only reach gold each year, it will take you over 15 years to reach this milestone

There are such people. Mrs Pineapple achieved LTG without ever reaching WP.
On the other hand...

There are significant groups of QF elites who hold their status solely because of DSC.

Pineapple has been such since he retired and took up DSCs as a hobby.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Why do Qantas and Virgin associate themselves with credit cards????

They want to become financial servie providers. Finance and banking makes a heck of a lot of money, probably far more than just flying planes can make.

IMHO - every flight, whether paid for with cash or points, should be entitled to status points

It is (still) a Frequent Flyer Program, not a Frequent Convert-Shopping-to-a-quasi-currency-with-variable-exchange-rates-determined-purely-by-the-party-that-benefits-by-biasing-the-exchange-to-their-favour program.

 

[kpc]

My analysis of the changes:

I will need 200 SCs more to retain Plat and as Points Club is cancelled, I wont get SCs on award flights. Also lose the 50 SCs for loss of loyalty bonus...so overall will need 250SCs more ie an increase of 20%

The positive: when I get to 25K LT SCs (still 2K short), I will get one year of Plat to be used at anytime!