SC run by 30 June

[SnowYeti]

I am 370 SC short of SG, but with the current promo (double SCs) this is only 185 required.

Tossing up if I should do this or not, because I already have QC for the next 2 years. (Would be nice to freeze it again if I become SG again).

Flight SC With Bonus Cost
SYD-CBR-SYD (J) 80 160 $652.00
SYD-CBR-SYD (J) 80 160 $652.00
SYD-CBR (Y) 20 40 $229.00
CBR-SYD (Y Disc) 10 20 $90.00

This is just 10 SC over ... total of 380.

Roughly $1700 with all the credit card fees! Surely there has to be another cheaper way of doing this, but being based out at SYD I think this is the cheapest I can find?

QF sent me a letter saying I did not requalify for PS, but they sent it a month before my anniversary ... and saying they extended it (Even though I'm now over what was required to requalify for PS). However since I'm this close being 185 SCs, .... am I nuts?

Status reassessment will occur: 30 Jun 2010
Status credits earned from 01 Jul 2008: 330
Additional Status credits required by 30 Jun 2009 to attain Gold: 370

 

[docjames]

Try seeing how it prices SYD-CBR-MEL-CBR-SYD as you could probably do it cheaper than 2x SYD-CBR-SYD as you're basically buying close to the price of 2x SYD-MEL but getting the CBR stop included and neting 320SCs (160x2)

 

[samh004]

I can't recall if Jetstar flights qualified for the double SC's, but you could move your home address to NZ (keep shipping and/or work as Australia for your new card), register for the Qantas-Jetstar-NZ-SC promotion and add some low cost fares into the mix. You'd at least get the minimum SC then for the economy shorter flights.

 

[SnowYeti]

Please no more jetstar sam .... tried it once and hated it :shock:

 

[sng1971]

I must be out of the loop. What is the current promo for double status credits? I'm 130 SC short of Gold (I've got til the end of June) and wasn't going to bother, but it might be worth it if I can get double SC.

 

[SnowYeti]

I must be out of the loop. What is the current promo for double status credits? I'm 130 SC short of Gold (I've got til the end of June) and wasn't going to bother, but it might be worth it if I can get double SC.

There was a targeted promotion. If you didn't get the email then your not eligible to apply ...

 

[Cyclogenesis]

There was a targeted promotion. If you didn't get the email then your not eligible to apply ...

Doh! Well that sucks!

How is it targeted (just out of interest)

 

[SnowYeti]

Doh! Well that sucks!

How is it targeted (just out of interest)

I think it was for people that didn't look like they were going to re-qualify for current status and about 3 months before reassessment date..

 

[Cyclogenesis]

Makes commercial sense...

Since I am NB I would be a poor target

 

[SnowYeti]

Try seeing how it prices SYD-CBR-MEL-CBR-SYD as you could probably do it cheaper than 2x SYD-CBR-SYD as you're basically buying close to the price of 2x SYD-MEL but getting the CBR stop included and neting 320SCs (160x2)

SYD-CBR $326
CBR-MEL $448
MEL-CBR $448
CBR-SYD $326

Approx $1555 with CC ... not looking good for a same day return though due to CBR's limited 737

 

[Standby]

SYD-CBR $326
CBR-MEL $448
MEL-CBR $448
CBR-SYD $326

Approx $1555 with CC ... not looking good for a same day return though due to CBR's limited 737

A quick look at Sun14th looks do-able
0815 ex SYD 1015 ex CBR,1320 Ex MEL and 1655 ex CBR to SYD
If you dont mind the "lounge Time" those prices looked avail
cheers

 

[Alanslegal]

Spending at least $1,555 on a few flights in the space of a day, for no reason other than earning SC's and qualify for SG/WP is something I would never do / recommend (unless of course you have too much spare cash to play with).

I know QF status is advantageous but money is what makes the world go round!

Save the $1,555 or more that you will spend flying 4 boring J domestic flights and forgo requal SG this time around, That $1,555 can one day soon be the difference between flying round the world in Business versus round the world in First.

 

[winfred]

I can't agree more with Alanslegal. I got SG status for 2 years now and travel international more than 15 times a year + many domestic trips. I found SG status not that much useful apart from business baggage tags when not flying business.

If you really want to get SC, then take some time off work and do a RTW trip in J for just over $10k. With careful planning there should be enough SC for WP.

 

[straitman]

If you really want to get SC, then take some time off work and do a RTW trip in J for just over $10k. With careful planning there should be enough SC for WP.

With a little careful planning you can do it for a whole lot cheaper than that :!:

 

[SnowYeti]

Save the $1,555 or more that you will spend flying 4 boring J domestic flights and forgo requal SG this time around, That $1,555 can one day soon be the difference between flying round the world in Business versus round the world in First.

I think you are right Maybe I was going nuts !

I can't agree more with Alanslegal. I got SG status for 2 years now and travel international more than 15 times a year + many domestic trips. I found SG status not that much useful apart from business baggage tags when not flying business.

If you really want to get SC, then take some time off work and do a RTW trip in J for just over $10k. With careful planning there should be enough SC for WP.

Not working at the moment, but don't have money for a RTW holiday, with all the things I'd like to see and hotels I'm sure it would cost at least triple! Will consider WP for next RTW trip

Thanks everyone! I will just hang onto QC and maybe one day get WP with future travel.

 

[anat0l]

How desperate are you?

I assume that the double SC only works on QF flights (not sure about QF metal, but the principle still holds).

One way to get it (and this would be an overshoot) would be to use an award to get to AKL (18000 QFF pts + AUD 81 taxes/charges, or ~20000 points if you book using Amex Membership Rewards Travel, not including your "payback" in points when you fly the route) or a cheap Y ticket on LAN (~AUD 150 from last checking, only one flight per day SYD-AKL at around 1045h, no flight on Friday).

Then, taking advantage of the current TT fares, use qantas.co.nz to book AKL-SYD-AKL in Business Saver for ~NZD 1041 (which is ~AUD 823). Once back in AKL, book LA AKL-SYD in Business for around ~AUD 300 (OMG o'clock flight).

As of writing this message, availability is present for all aforementioned flights and classes. This gives you:

• Award flight SYD-AKL: Nothing
• AKL-SYD-AKL in J-saver: 80 SC per one-way sector, 160 SC total, 320 SC with 2xSC
• LA AKL-SYD in J: 80 SC

Total of 400 SC, which is above your target.

Total cost is just over AUD 1100 with a few thousand points thrown back (gives you a bit for your award flight). Not bad for that number of SCs (very good rate $/SC, although really only because you have the double SC promotion), but still considerable for SG. You can get a few years of QC membership for that price, or, as Alanslegal said, it is almost the difference between a J RTW and F RTW, or at least will scoop up your taxes/charges on the said ticket. Had you had some WP ambitions in mind, that might not be a bad scratch (but it's too close to the end of your year unless you can find and wish to pay for a YUPP/KUPP run).

Also, timing is a bit of an issue. Most "comfortable" way would be to fly out to AKL on Saturday (preferably first or second flight), take a AKL-SYD on Saturday (so you can be at home), then SYD-AKL on Sunday (preferably early, then you can sleep most of the day before the OMG o'clock flight) and AKL-SYD on Monday, which arrives at 0730h which gives you a bit of time to skip off to work. Still, with all that flying, your SO may or may not stop short of sending you to the looney house (or disown you, not sure).......

EDIT: Gah, just saw that samh004 has scooped me on this idea, just on another thread...

 

[samh004]

EDIT: Gah, just saw that samh004 has scooped me on this idea, just on another thread...

Didn't get it as cheap as you, but I like your thinking. Those NZ prices are so much cheaper

 

[Dave Noble]

With having QC membership , I would say that even $1000 is well past the incremental value of Gold over Silver. That would pay for another few years of QC membership

The Gold will only really provide any benefit when travelling on other OW carriers, so unless there is a lot of other OW travel planned, save the $1000 to spend on something else

Dave

 

[Evan]

And if you are flying other carriers a lot get Priority pass membership and you also get acces when not eevn flying OW.

I would not do it for that many $$ unless i was also going for a holiday and it was the difference between business and economy or a different routing.

 

[JohnK]

Spending at least $1,555 on a few flights in the space of a day, for no reason other than earning SC's and qualify for SG/WP is something I would never do / recommend (unless of course you have too much spare cash to play with).

I agree that it is a lot of money to spend at once just for the sake of getting status when one already has Qantas Club membership.

A few years back I did a few Finnair tag flights BKK-SIN and BKK-HKG to get Gold status one year and then Platinum status the next year and it was a no brainer as they were relatively cheap flights, I was already in Thailand on holiday and I wanted top tier status as it was the "right" thing to do.

To achieve status in this way forces you to fly even more to maintain status. I am not so sure I want to spend that much money just to get status unless I was already flying enough to get very close in which case I would schedule a few diversions through the year so that I do not need a lot of SCs with a few weeks to go.