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

 

[Captain Halliday]

Can anyone recommend a reliable way to have 30k QFF points credit in a specific two day window that's not an EDR transfer?

Context:
Mrs H has PC until 30 June.

We could have her requalify before that date.

However, given the looming changes I'm thinking about letting her PC lapse and then have her requalify in her new membership to lock in almost two years of the relevant benefits.

The reason for very specific timing is because we have two CR flights in J on 3 July for which SCs would be a good start to Mrs H retaining status next year.

To make this work she would need to earn the 150K QF points on either 1 or 2 July.

We can transfer 120K from EDR.

Is there a method that pays reliably enough to get the remaining 30K to post on those specific days?

 

[hugamuga]

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

I think the problem with silver tier is the primary benefits are for not travelling on Qantas. If you fly frequently on Australian domestic flights you get very little.

The oneworld benefits are really good though, priority boarding, better seats. I did one AA award redemption with my family on a domestic flight in US and saved about $450aud on baggage.

Increasing the domestic benefits and requirements for silver, and creating a lower tier that doesn't give oneworld ruby but has some benefits on Qantas I think would make the progression a bit more balanced.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Can anyone recommend a reliable way to have 30k QFF points credit in a specific two day window that's not an EDR transfer?

Context:
Mrs H has PC until 30 June.

We could have her requalify before that date.

However, given the looming changes I'm thinking about letting her PC lapse and then have her requalify in her new membership to lock in almost two years of the relevant benefits.

The reason for very specific timing is because we have two CR flights in J on 3 July for which SCs would be a good start to Mrs H retaining status next year.

To make this work she would need to earn the 150K QF points on either 1 or 2 July.

We can transfer 120K from EDR.

Is there a method that pays reliably enough to get the remaining 30K to post on those specific days?

Do you have points with Qantas Business Rewards? Of course that would only be 20,000 so you would need to find another 10,000 somewhere else. Maybe QF wine; usually the points post within a day or two IME but no guarantees.

 

[markis10]

there a method that pays reliably enough to get the remaining 30K to post on those specific days?

Methinks the answer is already in your avatar assuming the two days are in the working week

 

[Captain Halliday]

Do you have points with Qantas Business Rewards? Of course that would only be 20,000 so you would need to find another 10,000 somewhere else. Maybe QF wine; usually the points post within a day or two IME but no guarantees.

I do, but Mrs H doesn't.

Wine was my first thought... perhaps combined with some GCs via Qantas shopping.

But I'm wary that the two day window does carry some risk that they won't post in time.

 

[QFFHntrGthr]

I do, but Mrs H doesn't.

Wine was my first thought... perhaps combined with some GCs via Qantas shopping.

But I'm wary that the two day window does carry some risk that they won't post in time.

You could also transfer the 120k from EDR early in the morning (or even just after midnight) and once posted, change your EDR earn to QF points and spend big at Big W or groceries at Woolies making full use of all the bonus points on offer including EDR+ for double points if not already a member. You already know EDR earn posts straight away to QF, the date then is totally under your control. Remember EG petrol posts are not instant.

 

[SYD]

I do, but Mrs H doesn't.

Pretty sure you can transfer out of QBR to anyone linked to the account.

I’ve never transferred out but will be soon for myself and SYD+1 to get PC+ for 100 SCs.

Wine was my first thought... perhaps combined with some GCs via Qantas shopping.

But I'm wary that the two day window does carry some risk that they won't post in time.

and also Murphy’s law is there won’t be particularly good value bonus offers.

Another option, maybe last resort is Buy QFF points. There’s no limit to the amount that counts towards PC, but it’s generally poor value to buy points (that don’t come with wine).

With a bit of planning, QF Hotel points post exactly 4 wks after check-in.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Pretty sure you can transfer out of QBR to anyone linked to the account.

I’ve never transferred out but will be soon for myself and SYD+1 to get PC+ for 100 SCs.

This would be a very useful and straightforward solution if I can transfer my QBR to Mrs H.

If your transfer is imminent, would you mind posting how quickly they credit for SYD+1 please?