QFF Status more important than Points?

[AustraliaPoochie]

To me, FF points these days are passe.
What you now need, and its of most importance is SC earn or status credit earn.
SC earn will help you climb the ladder to more benefits.
FF earn means absolutely nothing.
If you have accumulated 10,000 QF FF points by flying, over 10 years, lets say, but not up to 300 SC per year, or 700 SC per year, you are not getting to PS/SG. SG is where the real benefits start, PS is a taste test.
If you fly 10,000 QF points per year, and have got 300 SC in that year, then you are in the goodie basket. Even better if you flew 20,000 points per year and got 700 QF SC.
Edit: I too thought you were a young "sprat", didnt realise you were around in the AN days.
So, er, you would have had SC earnings already down pat.

 

[serfty]

Re: Thanks, AFF

To me, FF points these days are passe.
What you now need, and its of most importance is SC earn or status credit earn. ...

I disagree; FF points can be quite useful, especially in lots of 100000 - at those levels they are rather more useful than SC's can be (although status bonuses can accelerate earn).

I can normally generate 3 to 4 hundred thousand per year.

Also some FF points are more valuable than others - I personally value a Velocity point at roughly twice that of a Qantas point in relation to the ways I use them.

 

[medhead]

Re: Thanks, AFF

To me, FF points these days are passe.
What you now need, and its of most importance is SC earn or status credit earn.
SC earn will help you climb the ladder to more benefits.
FF earn means absolutely nothing.

Points allow people to buy the benefits of status levels without having status. That may be passé to you. But points earn remains very important regardless of your views.

 

[cove]

Re: Thanks, AFF

Points and miles are my second favourite commodities. I collect them. Of course cash is king but once you have enough the fun game is collecting points and miles.

 

[coriander]

Re: Thanks, AFF

What you now need, and its of most importance is SC earn or status credit earn.
SC earn will help you climb the ladder to more benefits.
FF earn means absolutely nothing.

Hmm... SC and FF are mutually exclusive, aren't they?
If I'm not mistaken, I earn SC by flying on a ticket for which I've paid some money. I earn FF by flights and purchases but then put them to use to redeem awards such as upgrades on international flights, but I don't earn extra SC using my FF points; eg if I fly MEL-LAX in PE and use 45,000 FF to (hopefully) upgrade to J, I still only earn 90 SCs not 180 SC. I am current at SG. So it seems to me that there needs to be a balance between FF usage and SC earn. I understand the benefits of SG which is why I'm tempted to do an SR when I'm in the US in November to maintain SG.

As I said before, I was guilty of using FF points to buy gift cards and because I didn't need anything recently, I actually hadn't being paying too much attention to my accumulated FF points. Overnight I did a tally - approximately 280k QFF, 290k Amex, 380k DinersClub. I'm now looking at how to best use those points for non-business travel (which is why I'm here on AFF).

I too thought you were a young "sprat", didnt realise you were around in the AN days.
So, er, you would have had SC earnings already down pat.

Interesting..... my kids don't think I post like an old bloke either ! As I said, I bought a (cheap) lifetime GW membership in the 80s, used it for monthly MEL-SYD flights for a couple of years, then dropped out of committees due to terrace house renovation and then children (build a nest, then fill it) - so didn't use my GWing or fly at all in the 90s. Only started flying again in the mid 00s as the kids were old enough to start travelling. In 2007, my wife's company sent her to NY for a world-wide marketing meeting flying her J MEL-LAX-JFK. That ruined her for flying down the back and she "forced" me to fly J to LAX a year or so later, ruining me as well.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Re: Thanks, AFF

Nope, not ever equal/of equal value in my books.
I have flown ADL - SYD - KUL many years ago with QF, when they still flew to KUL.
The points were earnt, and then used up, the only value to me now, that QF does not fly to KUL, is the how many SC they add to my points towards LTS.
Same for my ADL - PER - SIN flight with QF when they flew the 330 across from PER - SIN, the value to me is the SC earnt towards LTS.
Years ago, during the AN days, I had a lot of points, even got a reward of ADL - SIN return in J. AN died, I had quite a sum of points that died too.
If I had flown many QF flights then, I would have added to tally towards QF LTS.
I had and still have two back paws in both QF and VA. But SC amassment rules, ... to me anyway.
Aim to retain QF PS this year. 110/250 SC already on the asset side of my SC balance sheet. All booking from Aug 15.
EDIT: ok, take a look at it this way.
Chances of int upgrades for NB/PS are low, SG have more chances, and WP/WP1 have the most chances of successfully getting an upgrade. This is one of the perks of status.
Your QF FF points tally might be a million points, earnt from flying over many years, and from credit cards, but if you dont have status, or lowly, your chances on high demand flights for upgrades are slim.
I have had some perks as a QF SG, which I know would be nowt if I was QF NB/QF PS.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Re: Thanks, AFF

You do earn SC on using points, or on rewards flights, if you don't tick that box under your prespective date of travel on the QF booking page. P+P where you use majority cash and some points, do earn you QF FF points and SC on that ticket.
Once you tick the "search for rewards flight box", where you use majority points and cash for taxes, yes, those are no points seats, where you get X class.
I have used P+P for J across the pond, and have successfully got QF FF points and QF SC.

 

[david1]

Re: Thanks, AFF

But the points cost of P+P is so much more than the points cost of a classic award. For a random MEL-LAX flight, P+P is 3 times the number of points required for an award ticket in Y, and it's nearly 9 times as much in J. I guess availability isn't an issue for P+P and you earn points and SC's, but I don't know, it doesn't seem like that good a deal.

I think the points vs SC's is interesting. I am not a terribly frequent flyer, maybe 15-20 sectors a year at the moment, which is barely enough to make silver without a decent international trip or trying a bit harder (given the benefits of silver, I'm not too fussed about it anyway). So I don't mind a whole lot about SC's. I don't earn a whole heap of points either (more since joining AFF though!), so an international J award seems a bit unattainable, or at least only possible quite infrequently. Instead, I have started to use smaller amounts of points to upgrade to or redeem J flights. Flying in J seems to come along with most of the perks of SG on the day of flying, (and since I haven't done much J flying at all it's still exciting just to be up the front ). I guess as my flying starts to pick up SG could become achievable for me, in which case I think there is value going for it. But for the time being I'm happy trying to maximise the points coming in, and using them to where I think they'll give me the most benefit.

 

[eminere]

Re: Thanks, AFF

FF earn means absolutely nothing.

In your opinion. Points can absolutely be useful.

 

[eminere]

Re: Thanks, AFF

But the points cost of P+P is so much more than the points cost of a classic award. For a random MEL-LAX flight, P+P is 3 times the number of points required for an award ticket in Y, and it's nearly 9 times as much in J. I guess availability isn't an issue for P+P and you earn points and SC's, but I don't know, it doesn't seem like that good a deal.

I agree with you, it's not a cost-effective use of points.

 

[Alanslegal]

Re: Thanks, AFF

To me, FF points these days are passe.
What you now need, and its of most importance is SC earn or status credit earn.
SC earn will help you climb the ladder to more benefits.

I am a Qantas Nothing/Nobody/Nil/Naught/Not-Even-Worth-Mentioning Bronze frequent flyer member and will happily use my points to fly in premium long haul cabins. My confirmed seat gives me everything that a Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer and higher frequent flyers will enjoy. Sadly though, that's where it ends because that Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer will still have to walk past my confirmed seat in row 1 on the A330 as they make their way to economy, or better yet if we are on the A380 together, they will have to give right of way to me as I depart my 5A seat You see, points will buy you all that, elite status won't

 

[boomy]

Thanks, AFF

I am a Qantas Nothing/Nobody/Nil/Naught/Not-Even-Worth-Mentioning Bronze frequent flyer member and will happily use my points to fly in premium long haul cabins. My confirmed seat gives me everything that a Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer and higher frequent flyers will enjoy. Sadly though, that's where it ends because that Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer will still have to walk past my confirmed seat in row 1 on the A330 as they make their way to economy, or better yet if we are on the A380 together, they will have to give right of way to me as I depart my 5A seat You see, points will buy you all that, elite status won't

On some routes it's almost impossible to score award seats if you're not high status holder with QF.
Even as P1 I can still count a number of denied award seats and I don't request them very often (usually prefer to use other airlines for my international long haul flights).

 

[drron]

Re: Thanks, AFF

Points are indeed very useful.We have flown TG F without ever earning a status point,Also SQ J without ever paying for an SQ flight.Doesn't matter how many SCs I have they wont get me those flights.Of course QFF points wont do it either.
Loyalty is no longer a 2 way street.

 

[serfty]

Nope, not ever equal/of equal value in my books.
...

That's ok and enjoy your "books"; the books I read are different to yours obviously.

Sure, points can have relatively poor value when redeemed on short flights, especially in economy.

It's generally when they are redeemed for long flights in premium cabins that their value is maximised.

... EDIT: ok, take a look at it this way.
Chances of int upgrades for NB/PS are low, SG have more chances, and WP/WP1 have the most chances of successfully getting an upgrade. This is one of the perks of status.
Your QF FF points tally might be a million points, earnt from flying over many years, and from credit cards, but if you dont have status, or lowly, your chances on high demand flights for upgrades are slim. ...

Again your analysis is generally flawed ... if you have those million points you book in those premium cabins using points strait out. As the upgrade lottery is eliminated, status becomes irrelevant in the upgrade pecking order.

 

[serfty]

Dont get me wrong, status is useful, but not as relevant to me as points.

I should know, having a life time tally of nearly 30,000 - it would be more if the 240+ eligible sectors I took before September 1998 were included.

FWIW, this year I have redeemed 240000 QFF points on three long haul business class bookings - no amount of status would have enabled that ...

 

[opusman]

Domestically, I tend to use points for outright J redemptions. Flying J domestically you get practically all the useful benefits of status anyway, so for me personally being WP is more or less meaningless domestically. Sure, the occasional time I'm in Y I can get into the J lounge (if there is one), but there's not really that much difference between that and the QP which I have a lifetime membership of anyway.

Internationally, I tend to use my points to upgrade from J->F and it's here I find status most useful, because of the lottery system. If I had no points, or no status, I'd still be in J, so for me they're both equal in importance internationally.

 

[kpc]

Re: Thanks, AFF

I am a Qantas Nothing/Nobody/Nil/Naught/Not-Even-Worth-Mentioning Bronze frequent flyer member and will happily use my points to fly in premium long haul cabins. My confirmed seat gives me everything that a Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer and higher frequent flyers will enjoy. Sadly though, that's where it ends because that Super-Dooper Status Gold Frequent Flyer will still have to walk past my confirmed seat in row 1 on the A330 as they make their way to economy, or better yet if we are on the A380 together, they will have to give right of way to me as I depart my 5A seat You see, points will buy you all that, elite status won't

Agree with you to a point. ...but it is Plat status that allows me to request premium awards that are not available online. ..Some recent successes include 1x J award Syd-Lhr and 2x J awards Syd-Hnd so the 4 of us are flying in the J cabin. Also status puts you higher on the ladder for points upgrades eg J-F Lhr- Syd for 60K points. ..but at the end of the day, you still need QF points to pay for these...

 

[cove]

Re: Thanks, AFF

With 50,000 QF points to go SYD-AKL one way with $62 cash on Emirates First Class I still think points are important.

 

[kpc]

Re: Thanks, AFF

With 50,000 QF points to go SYD-AKL one way with $62 cash on Emirates First Class I still think points are important.

Better to do Akl-Syd cove as the flight is 30 mins longer but why would you do that?! What a waste of 50000k pts....I could have flown Syd-Sin return albeit in Y for 60000 pts!

 

[Alanslegal]

Re: Thanks, AFF

On some routes it's almost impossible to score award seats if you're not high status holder with QF.
Even as P1 I can still count a number of denied award seats and I don't request them very often (usually prefer to use other airlines for my international long haul flights).

Then would it be safe to say that your choice to choose other airlines for long haul makes your P1 status negligible to a NB, unless the P1s have access to 'more' partner inventory that we don't know about.

Agree with you to a point. ...but it is Plat status that allows me to request premium awards that are not available online. ..Some recent successes include 1x J award Syd-Lhr and 2x J awards Syd-Hnd so the 4 of us are flying in the J cabin. Also status puts you higher on the ladder for points upgrades eg J-F Lhr- Syd for 60K points. ..but at the end of the day, you still need QF points to pay for these...

A WP being able to 'request' the release of a QF seat is still an unpublished benefit and although have been around for a while, it can also become obsolete (or maybe not) at anytime. I have used that benefit once for QF to open up a J SYD-SCL back in 2012. Sure status helps in the upgrade lottery but hopefully the points (and no status person ie me) have booked a J or F award and thus not needing to worry about whether your status will push you over the line to be upgraded.

With 50,000 QF points to go SYD-AKL one way with $62 cash on Emirates First Class I still think points are important.

I agree, if someone offered me 1M Qantas Points OR LTG, I would be taking the points. LTG will be useless for me as I hope to always book into J/F long haul anyway.