Qantas unveils the biggest changes to status in program history

[oz_mark]

Well hopefully QF share the details soon so we can factor this into future plans and also guarantee they honour all DSC CR bookings made in the last 2 offers which are yet to be flown, as these were booked in good faith before this announcement.

Id like to see the ability to earn SCs on CR tied to status i.e:

• CL/WP1,WP earn 100% SCs
• SG earn 80% SC
• PS earn 60% SC
• NB earn 40% SC

Seems a bit complicated.

 

[Aeryn]

Seems a bit complicated.

Not at all, very simple and aligns with fact that points earn on flights is also determined by status.

If anything very consistent and encourages QFFs to use their points on QF rather than partners, and rewards actual flyers (the most engaged members) ahead of points whales.

 

[oz_mark]

Where is this new home? Considering the incentive to chase for 150k points a year diseapear, could make sense it s a new credit card benefit? My bet. Give us a hint please

In a way it makes sense to make it a credit card benefit. Could be tied to anything though.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

Well hopefully QF share the details soon so we can factor this into future plans and also guarantee they honour all DSC CR bookings made in the last 2 offers which are yet to be flown, as these were booked in good faith before this announcement.

Id like to see the ability to earn SCs on CR tied to status i.e:

• CL/WP1,WP earn 100% SCs
• SG earn 80% SC
• PS earn 60% SC
• NB earn 40% SC

Why?
Makes no sense from a business point of view, it effectively disincentivises The people on the cusp of getting locked in, and rewards those who are, and just makes anyone who isn't WP/P1 feel like they're being treated as second class citizens. The whole point of status is to lock people in primarily by warm-fuzzy feelings and a few trinkets.
It's also needlessly complicated.

 

[andye]

Why?
Makes no sense from a business point of view, it effectively disincentivises The people on the cusp of getting locked in, and rewards those who are, and just makes anyone who isn't WP/P1 feel like they're being treated as second class citizens. The whole point of status is to lock people in primarily by warm-fuzzy feelings and a few trinkets.
It's also needlessly complicated.

And at those levels non-viable for revenue

 

[Aeryn]

Ive explained why above. And i disagree most NB and even PS dont even pay attention to SCs. Engagement with SCs only really kicks in if you are within striking distance of SG.

Ive always been in the you need to do BIS flying to earn SCs, not a fan of OTG SCs.

The cancellation of PC and PC+ indicates these werent needed to drive engagement with points earning cards.

 

[oz_mark]

Ive explained why above. And i disagree most NB and even PS dont even pay attention to SCs. Engagement with SCs only really kicks in if you are within striking distance of SG.

Ive always been in the you need to do BIS flying to earn SCs, not a fan of OTG SCs.

The cancellation of PC and PC+ indicates these werent needed to drive engagement with points earning cards.

Although, most PC/PC+ members probably got there through a credit card. That may be either by bonus, or by spending $$$. On that basis, it would make some sort of sense to tie SC earn back to holding a credit card. That said, we have to wait and see what will trigger it - I suspect something else.

 

[downgraded]

actual flyers (the most engaged members)

Really? I reckon the points earning warriors would be the most engaged members.

 

[justinbrett]

Personally don’t like it.
Prefer a level playing field giving all FF an equal opportunity to climb the Status Tier.

I think the purpose of points club, and the status credits for CRs, was to reward people who don’t fly as often but spend a lot of money in the QF ecosystem.

IMO the benefit has to stay linked to ground partners otherwise it makes no sense to keep it.

Don’t forget you can be WP with just 40 QF SCs (4 flights).

 

[oz_mark]

I think the purpose of points club, and the status credits for CRs, was to reward people who don’t fly as often but spend a lot of money in the QF ecosystem.

IMO the benefit has to stay linked to ground partners otherwise it makes no sense to keep it.

Don’t forget you can be WP with just 40 QF SCs (4 flights).

Maybe they could tie it to the one the ground earning thing that's coming in. Get 6 out of the ten categories, or something like that.....

 

[Aeryn]

IMO the benefit has to stay linked to ground partners otherwise it makes no sense to keep it.

Disagree they used to allow SC earn on awards flights (JASA) long before there ever was OTG promos.

I would prefer some link to BIS (Bum in Seat) flying on QF over having to hit all OTG categories especially since some of the categories are impossible for those who don't have need of a car or live in states/overseas where utilities are not an option.

Tying to minimum point earn in a year is fine too, but then that is just PC by another name - which is why I dont think it will be tied to OTG spend.

With making it much harder to keep status by upping the criteria it makes more sense to therefore have increased SC earn on CRs if you are higher status. PS only need to earn 50SCs more than now, SG only 100 more that is a lot easier than the extra 200 WP now need.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

Ive explained why above. And i disagree most NB and even PS dont even pay attention to SCs. Engagement with SCs only really kicks in if you are within striking distance of SG.

Ive always been in the you need to do BIS flying to earn SCs, not a fan of OTG SCs.

The cancellation of PC and PC+ indicates these werent needed to drive engagement with points earning cards.

The issue is from the airlines point of view, giving full SC to WP/P1 is only loss for them, the people who will milk the freebie flights the most. The people that it will drive engagement from just are those at the upper end of silver and gold who are just short of the mark, and it will help them flop over the line.
The current system with 90% SC for everyone is simple and efficient. I suspect what we see replace Points Club will end up looking very similar to Points Club. Probably something like the outgoing loyalty bonus, but points based i.e hit 100k get a lounge entry, hit 150k points and unlock SC earn, hit 200k get something else etc.

The thing I found most telling with PC was my wife just flopped over the 150k mark last year, and her congratulations email says she was in the top 10% of earners. 90% of QFF members aren't earning 150k points a year. PC was designed as a program primarily to entice businesses to buy QFF points, if the level of engagement (customer spend with partner businesses) is that low that 90% of eligible members don't even meet the basic tier they can point to, I suspect you'll see lower on-the-ground tiers/milestones.

 

[CaptJCool]

It’s a Frequent Flyer program

If it’s BIS and % of wallet,

then

credit card signup bonuses ought not themselves “qualify” for status.
They are after all doing quite the reverse rewarding non-loyalty. Pays to shop around versus be loyal to us….

 

[jamesatfish]

I think people on fora like these vastly overestimate the number of people who actually try to accrue status, and exactly how much time/effort/cost they put into it. The idea that people will just hit gold and start booking virgin is really only likely to apply to a miniscule handful of people who hang around websites like this one.

I see this in my staff (many of whom are in their 20s and early 30s) when we organise travel for work.

We booked a trip to the US for one person during a DSC promotion and they opted for double points rather than status credits. The logic was simple - with one return flight to the US in Discount Economy plus a handful of domestic flights each year they'd be lucky to crack 200 SCs even with double status credits, but another 10K points in their account might be useful for an almost-free holiday flight sometime down the track.

Another I had to actively push to even sign up for a free QFF account for a trip that scored them 15,000 points. Even after pointing out that's $75 in free gift cards if they do absolutely nothing else but fill out the QFF application form and redeem the points when they get back they still thought it was too much hassle.

Most of the time the only status-related perk they value when they travel is lounge access (which we cover with Qantas Club membership if they travel often enough) so with that sorted there's zero reason for them to chase any kind of status.

 

[justinbrett]

Disagree they used to allow SC earn on awards flights (JASA) long before there ever was OTG promos.

Back in the day…

It’s 2026, things have moved on, airlines earn more money on the ground than the air. I can’t see QF leaving this cohort abandoned.

 

[CaptJCool]

Back in the day…

It’s 2026, things have moved on, airlines earn more money on the ground than the air. I can’t see QF leaving this cohort abandoned.

Back in the day

On the ground spend was not included. Clearly BIS spend is 3,5,7,10% of income so share of wallet can rapidly access the remaining 96%

 

[Laptop Jockey]

It’s a Frequent Flyer program

If it’s BIS and % of wallet,

then

credit card signup bonuses ought not themselves “qualify” for status.
They are after all doing quite the reverse rewarding non-loyalty. Pays to shop around versus be loyal to us….

The problem is it isn't a frequent flyer program anymore. It is effectively a crypto currency pyramid scheme, the flights are just the bait on the hook for consumers.
QF look at it as revenue regardless where it comes from, and it's a lot easier and much lower risk to sell monopoly money to other businesses in the hope punters will shop with them to earn said monopoly money. PC was just closing the loop and bridging the gap between the two operations, adding an extra layer that (theoretically) would further incentivise people to shop with said businesses, which then buy more monopoly money from Qantas, while the punters get a boost to the tiers that actually lock them into engagement with the airline operations and flying.

 

[Seat0B]

I'm hearing that Qantas has decided on a new home for the much-loved ability to earn status credits on Classic Rewards after Points Club is retired.

So, this feature will definitely be sticking around, just the way in which you can qualify for this benefit will change.

oh what a teaser!! But that sounds like it will be something to look out for. Any whispers about when we might know what's happening?