Questions.....QLD Border + QF SC Rollover

[RedSMS]

Hi All,

Hope everybody has had an enjoyable weekend.

I have the following 2 questions and would be appreciative if anyone could take the time to reply

I understand that the content of these 2 questions has been discussed somewhere within the AFF community, as such I apologize in advance if this is the incorrect place to be seeking clarity on these issues. That being said, I do not apologize for living in Victoria

1. I have desperately wanted (due to health issues) to travel to FNQ, but due to the rolling border restrictions and hotspot declarations I haven't felt confident enough to book anything. As VIC are no longer taking INTL pax (for the time being,) and the fact that we have 0 community transmission gives me enough courage to book some flights for early march. Adding to this boost of courage is that our cases have all been isolated. Based on the current information, when do you think QLD will relax restrictions for Victorian pax to arrive without having to HQ or test on arrival and isolate until results are received?



Restrictions regarding entry into Queensland is as follows -



Have you been in Victoria in the last 14 days?

Border pass requirement​

From 1am AEST Saturday 13 February 2021, anyone entering Queensland who has been anywhere in Victoria in the last 14 days will need to apply for a border pass before entering Queensland.

Anyone entering Queensland from Greater Melbourne​

From 1am AEST Saturday 13 February:

• 36 Victoria local government areas (LGAs) that make up Greater Melbourne will be declared a COVID-19 hotspot.
• If you enter Queensland and have been in any of those LGAs on or since 7 February, you will have to:
  • complete a border pass
  • enter Queensland by air
  • quarantine in government-arranged accommodation for 14 days.

The only hint at a possible date that I have come across is a portion of an article published by Escape.com.au :

QUEENSLAND​

The Queensland border has been closed to arrivals from Melbourne since 1am Saturday (February 13).

Today (Wednesday February 17) Queensland health authorities announced they will not reopen the state’s border to Melbourne before 10 days have passed.

Based on that timeline, the border will not reopen until at least February 27. This is subject to Greater Melbourne recording no more unlinked, locally acquired cases before then.

Would it be safe to assume that as long as the current situation in Vic continues throughout next week that there might be an announcement regarding the relaxation of these prohibitive restrictions?


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2.

Qantas Status Credit Rollover

I am weighing up whether to book with QF or VA and I am stuck with an interesting conundrum. Like many, I was granted a 3 month "Discover Gold" match by VA.

I've been up and back to SYD twice and have earned 36/80 SC required to meet VA Status Challenge, so if I were to book a mixture of elevate/freedom fares, I would end up meeting the requirements of the challenge.

BUT

Would I be better of booking an indirect QF fare (60 SC rtn if I purchase Red-e-Deal MEL-BNE BNE-CNS | CNS-BNE BNE-MEL) ?

I am Gold QFF and my anniversary is 31 Jul 21, so would I be correct in presuming that those 60 SC's get rolled over to the following year?... IE I would only need to earn 540 SC's between Aug1 2021 and JUL31 2022 in order to retain QF Gold for 2023?



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Thanks for taking the time to read through this. I look forward to a few responses

 

[serfty]

Q1: Your answer is here:

Based on that timeline, the border will not reopen until at least February 27. This is subject to Greater Melbourne recording no more unlinked, locally acquired cases before then.

However, who knows what will happen between now and Saturday.

Q2: You would indeed have a 60 SC head start with your new "year" . That would still leave you with 44 VA SC for your discover challenge. (Note that a Flex VA booking one-way MEL-CBR/SYD-OOL or v.v. in Freedom for~$300 will earn 50 SC's.)


How much time do you have to complete your Discover Challenge?

 

[RedSMS]

Q1: Your answer is here:

However, who knows what will happen between now and Saturday.

Q2: You would indeed have a 60 SC head start with your new "year" . That would still leave you with 44 VA SC for your discover challenge. (Note that a Flex VA booking one-way MEL-CBR/SYD-OOL or v.v. in Freedom for~$300 will earn 50 SC's.)


How much time do you have to complete your Discover Challenge?

I applied for the Discover Gold on the last day of the offer, so end of March.

Cheers

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I’d book based on your confidence of refund ability of each airline.

In my case I’m considering booking a QF fully refundable classic rewards flight for the outbound interstate flight and only after arriving there booking the return leg using my covid flight credits which I found out has poor change conditions.

If you felt about the same of VA and QF in terms of refund/change conditions, why not decide based on lounge availability or do one leg with each airline?

 

[RedSMS]

I’d book based on your confidence of refund ability of each airline.

In my case I’m considering booking a QF fully refundable classic rewards flight for the outbound interstate flight and only after arriving there booking the return leg using my covid flight credits which I found out has poor change conditions.

If you felt about the same of VA and QF in terms of refund/change conditions, why not decide based on lounge availability or do one leg with each airline?

I have considered the one leg each option and you have raised an interesting point actually.

Which carrier has a better refund policiy?

If I book a Red-e-deal and I can't travel because of another Vuc lockdown, what are my options?

I thought the QF policy stated that you are able to make one change to your booking at no cost. I would assume this includes cancellation?

I'm not as familiar with the VA rules as I'm a relative newcomer...