Qantas unveils the biggest changes to status in program history

[Invisible Monkey]

Will a few more lounge passes make Silvers fly more often, providing QF more revenue, and then getting them to Gold where they then have lounge access in any case, making the over-crowding a moot point?

That scenario would make overcrowding worse.

 

[oz_mark]

Status and their perks should be earned from flying and shouldn't be easily awarded based on non-flying achievements. Qantas is an airline first and foremost that has subsequently leveraged the immense QFF membership to boost their revenue via OTG spending and we are all suckers for Qantas points and they know it.

Flying is the traditional path to status, and for a lot of people that’s how airline loyalty should be measured. But I think it’s also worth looking at how Qantas’ business has evolved and why the program now rewards more than just time in the air.

QFF isn’t just a frequent flyer program anymore, it’s a major business in its own right. A huge portion of Qantas’ revenue comes from partnerships with banks, retailers, insurance, financial services, wine, and so on. That revenue helps fund the entire ecosystem that makes lounges, reward seats, and elite perks possible. Or, putting it another way, flying is important but it’s not the only way members contribute value.

Re your anecdote about Points Club perks, I would assume that many are in the same boat. But Qantas has the data across millions of members. If they’re restructuring rather than scrapping the concept entirely, it suggests the perks were meaningful to a decent portion of the base.

As for Silver members, they’re a huge cohort and Qantas may want them to fly more. Giving them a bit more recognition isn’t about devaluing Gold and above. It's about encouraging those silver members to move up a level.

 

[jonboixxx]

They’ve said if you attain PC before they axe it later this year, you keep it for the rest of your membership year and then the next membership year.

So for example, my year starts 01 April, if I can attain PC in 3-6 months, I will have it until end of March 2028. So plenty of time to transition to the new system.

I can confirm that. I was PC+ on the first day of my membership year and PC+ expiry is showing as Feb 2028.

 

[justinbrett]

I can confirm that. I was PC+ on the first day of my membership year and PC+ expiry is showing as Feb 2028.

That’s a lot of wine!

 

[SYD]

That’s a lot of wine!

Or just under 3x 120k pts transfers?…

 

[Johnxx]

Status and their perks should be earned from flying and shouldn't be easily awarded based on non-flying achievements.

Should even go one further and be flying paid for by a person's own money

 

[justinbrett]

Or just under 3x 120k pts transfers?…

Right now if you’re PC+, you can buy a OWA, get 14 cases of wine and re qualify for PC+ all for about 6.5K.

Not a bad deal really.

 

[Aeryn]

Should even go one further and be flying paid for by a person's own money

They would have no way to verify this.

I'm ok with people benefiting from work travel since they still do the hard yards and have to sit in that seat to fly. And I say this as someone who has only ever reached WP since I had to start paying for 100% of my travel myself.

Of course if you own a business then you get to double dip on points because you can get the flying points and the QBR points.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

Should even go one further and be flying paid for by a person's own money

Ideally would level the playing field, and refocus on travel loyalty, but totally unworkable in practise. The closest would be for government to treat status perks as a fringe benefit, but even that would be more pain than its worth to police.

But at the end of the day it comes back to these programs long since having evolved away from frequent flyer programs to businesses trading in the OG crypto-currency. Flying isn't their business anymore, they're financial lenders who lend their own fiat currency, and flying is one of the primary products people want to purchase with that currency. They don't care what product you're giving them money for (directly or indirectly) so long as the revenue is coming in.

 

[jonboixxx]

That’s a lot of wine!

20k QBR and 2x 125k+80k from AMEX all on 1 March. I wanted to see whether the PC+ would extend properly.

 

[tanahflyer]

The impression I get from their press release email is there will be a bit of effort to juice up silver and the sub-gold incentives. Right now silver is by far the weakest link in the QFF tiers, and a potentially lucrative market. The lack of credit cards offering complimentary lounge access, and relatively high price/low value of Qantas Club leave this cohort fairly underserved, and free from the loyalty trap.

"Status Credits on the ground
Earn Status Credits on the ground by collecting Qantas Points on everyday spend across cards and banking, utilities, hotels, fuel, shopping and more - getting you closer to the tier you want.
Launching late 2026
New tier benefits
Unlock more value across travel and program partners, with new vouchers and discounts for Silver tier and above and an extra lounge invitation for Silver members each year.
Launching 2027"

i’d argue that Silver is pretty decent when compared to *A and ST.

J check in and additional luggage allowances can be really helpful on international trips

 

[J-P]

i’d argue that Silver is pretty decent when compared to *A and ST.

J check in and additional luggage allowances can be really helpful on international trips

Combination of free bag & free seat selection can easily be worth $100 per flight, double that if you are travelling with a companion. It often makes Oneworld flights in Europe or America better value than even budget competitors