Agreed. I suspect the main aim is to give LTG members pause for thought when it comes to straying across to other programs and alliances. They don't want to be too generous, but at the same time, they're trying to amend the status quo of "I've hit LTG but have zero chance of ever reaching LTP, so why bother doing anything with more with QF?"
QF have messed it up. The logic they're using is data-driven, but the issue is that status is almost entirely an emotional attachment.
So QF looks at it and thinks, how do we keep semi/dis-enaged LTG members going...
The correct question is, how do we keep these members spending on QF in premium cabins, as they are historically the highest yield members.
The answer is super simple - make LTG "Gold Plus", and give these members QF F lounge access so long as they're on a PE/Biz class ticket.
This encourages spend-up to keep yield high, provides recognition of the lifetime achievement, engages non-Australian based LTG memebers.
Versus:
1 year of free Plat for every 10,000 status credits above an already high threshold- devalues Platinum by giving it for "free" (noting that LTG members have previously been Platinum or higher at some stage in their life so they know what you get with it, and have deliberately not tried to earn platinum because the juice aint worth the squeeze), so shelling out a free year of plat, while logical if you're a McKinsey consultant who is about to lose their job to AI doing whatever you can to desperately hold on to your consutling gig with QF Loyalt --- is not an emotional draw
And thus, the +1 year free platinum, will most likely achieve the opposite of what QF want it to do.
People will not fly more and will not spend more.
Instead, they will use it for the benefits just like they do today.
Great job Qantas.
It blows my mind that people have Qantas points balances in the millions.
Blows my mind too.
If you're not churning 100% of your points every 2 years; you're either:
1) Foolish
2) Collecting too many points/collecting into the wrong program
Airline points are not investments.
Spend them frequently.
well you can't use them as Bronze. I did get some Fiji Airway J to the US a few years ago and that's it
I've gotten them mainly from trying to qualify for PC+ every second year since it's inception
As a bronze without large points earning capacity, there's a very real argument that you shouldn't even bother trying to earn QF points.
One of my credit cards auto redeems points for cashback. Points are worth nothing if you can't use them for what you want. Infact it might be negative value if you factor in time going out of your way to collect/understand changes/search for flights...
