Should I go for Platinum again with Qantas?

[serfty]

... I've got lots of FF points, and unless I settle for economy flights (international), I can't use them (minimal flight allocations for FF premium economy or business).

There's that theme again - you need to look ahead as already discussed. (Last wekend I redeemed 120,000 QFF points for a Business class return trip to Hong Kong next January.)

 

[Tonkatough]

I know Qantas doesn't do upgrade for WP and there are lots people out there with P1

Upgrades do happen with SG, even NB. See recently posted: Family Business Upgrade (sorry, can't link yet)

 

[oliverd]

Upgrades do happen with SG, even NB. See recently posted: Family Business Upgrade (sorry, can't link yet)

That's another reason I'm more keen to retain Platinum with VA, where I've been upgraded twice in 18months (since they offered the QF status-match) at the risk of losing my QF WP status. In two years of WP with QF and at least 3 years as SG, I've never been upgraded (and even with points upgrades my success rate's about 1 out ot 5 on long haul.) Not that I expect any upgrades, but to get back "on post" I don't regard WP as offering any advantages over SG with QF.

 

[TonyHancock]

There's that theme again - you need to look ahead as already discussed. (Last wekend I redeemed 120,000 QFF points for a Business class return trip to Hong Kong next January.)

shhh my raison d'etre is the FASA/JASA no need to encourage others

 

[Fishhead]

QF has so seriously downgraded Platinum I am letting it drop this year for the first time in ten years. I will maintain Gold and a Velocity Gold. This adds flexibility, especialy as I do most of my flying in economy to overseas destinations. QF has downgraded lounge access priveleges and Jetstar tickets don't get you in many lounges anyway. QF has lost about $20 000 in travel as a result. The most irritating is the empty exit row seats which used to be a freebie for Platinum flyers. Anyway, I've filled in the surveys, written letters (including the chairman of the board) and decided that the only way I can keep myself satisfied is to withdraw my money and get what I want elsewhere. In terms of the question about life versus a 'status run', for me Platinum is a waste of time. If you have to travel look at Gold priveleges and how best to achieve the quiet, relaxing service that such a mebership can bring (as opposed to the 'outside')

 

[Skyring]

I'm inevitably reminded of "Up in the Air". A lot of us must have looked at George Clooney's character and said "That's my life!"

His life was full of travel and lounges and wide seats. A pile of elite cards. An encyclopaedic knowledge of perks and tips and inside info. He knew all the terminals and their layouts. He got to the front of the line everywhere.

But, and there's a big but here, his life was arid. Totally centered on one person. He had no baggage in any sense of the word. His own residence was so uncluttered it resembled a chain hotel room, and the only personalisation we ever saw was a menu from a fast-food joint stuck on the fridge.

The romantic interest in his life had a better handle on things. Her home had a partner and kids and all the trappings that go with it. When she was traveling, she switched gears, but she always had a good grasp of what mattered and could dispense the relationship advice that Ryan Bingham struggled with.

What's really important to us? A wad of shiney plastic cards? A few drinks in a lounge?

I was there. Chasing status, spending money, missing birthdays. One evening I stood on top of a building in Manhattan and seriously considered throwing myself off.

Yeah, that was fun.

I'm back in the game now, but my travel is centered around other people. My friends around the world. A hug from someone on a chat group whose ups and downs I've shared. A cuddle with kids I knew since they were determined gleams in their mother's eye. Their father switched faiths to marry and when that family eats kosher, I eat kosher. Another friend is vegetarian, and though I love a good steak, I'll match meals with her.

One status run a year, and I'm aiming to make the annual holiday with my wife a pleasure for her. She likes the massages in the Flounge, the priority lanes, the upgrades, and she likes the way that I can help make the hassles of travel go away with a platinum card. Her smile is worth more to me than anything else in the world, and I'd lose my travel wallet full of chain cards, a full passport, and the next itinerary in a heartbeat, rather than lose her.

Travel is a hobby, but like other hobbies, if you are spending every evening in the garage commanding armies of metal elves and hussars, or online talking about wine or coffee or airline perks instead of doing the dishes and sharing the day's deeds with wife and kids, you need to think about where you are heading.

Do you really want to get to the end of your life, think back and sum it up, "Geez, I missed it?"

I'm not sure how it happened, but just when I'm contemplating going to Johannesburg for the sole purpose of getting a cheap airfare, I find that I've been handed a fundraising responsibility for a school in Durban. I suspect that I may find myself a bit further out of the terminal than I really intended, and instead of just a carryon bag, it may be two big ports crammed with books.

Travel is fun, no doubt about it. But there's more to life than fun.

 

[Simo]

Pursuing a quality and happy personal life far outweighs any chasing of elite status.

Yep exactly what I was thinking.

 

[ReLoad]

If you are of a mathematical mindset I recommend you use this old AFF chestnut:

Is WP Worth it Calculator
(Downloadable - Excel spreadsheet)

There is a few variables to fill out, but it factors in pretty much everything and ends up with a hard $ yes or no answer.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Like a few others have said; if you don't feel that Platinum is worth the time and effort to achieve it then don't do it. Did you think that everyone here would tell you that you should push towards platinum again at the expense of family, friends, time and money.

I have the same problem as a few others, I will most likely achieve 600SCs this year almost 600SCS short of requalifying platinum, unless Qantas do 2 things, give me a Double Status Credit offer, a little run north should cover me or comp me. If I receive neither then I think Gold will be ok, I remember using that is WP worth it and I came back with the answer of no it wasn't.

I'm inevitably reminded of "Up in the Air". A lot of us must have looked at George Clooney's character and said "That's my life!"

His life was full of travel and lounges and wide seats. A pile of elite cards. An encyclopaedic knowledge of perks and tips and inside info. He knew all the terminals and their layouts. He got to the front of the line everywhere.

But, and there's a big but here, his life was arid. Totally centered on one person. He had no baggage in any sense of the word. His own residence was so uncluttered it resembled a chain hotel room, and the only personalisation we ever saw was a menu from a fast-food joint stuck on the fridge.

The romantic interest in his life had a better handle on things. Her home had a partner and kids and all the trappings that go with it. When she was traveling, she switched gears, but she always had a good grasp of what mattered and could dispense the relationship advice that Ryan Bingham struggled with.

What's really important to us? A wad of shiney plastic cards? A few drinks in a lounge?

I was there. Chasing status, spending money, missing birthdays. One evening I stood on top of a building in Manhattan and seriously considered throwing myself off.

Yeah, that was fun.

I'm back in the game now, but my travel is centered around other people. My friends around the world. A hug from someone on a chat group whose ups and downs I've shared. A cuddle with kids I knew since they were determined gleams in their mother's eye. Their father switched faiths to marry and when that family eats kosher, I eat kosher. Another friend is vegetarian, and though I love a good steak, I'll match meals with her.

One status run a year, and I'm aiming to make the annual holiday with my wife a pleasure for her. She likes the massages in the Flounge, the priority lanes, the upgrades, and she likes the way that I can help make the hassles of travel go away with a platinum card. Her smile is worth more to me than anything else in the world, and I'd lose my travel wallet full of chain cards, a full passport, and the next itinerary in a heartbeat, rather than lose her.

Travel is a hobby, but like other hobbies, if you are spending every evening in the garage commanding armies of metal elves and hussars, or online talking about wine or coffee or airline perks instead of doing the dishes and sharing the day's deeds with wife and kids, you need to think about where you are heading.

Do you really want to get to the end of your life, think back and sum it up, "Geez, I missed it?"

Travel is fun, no doubt about it. But there's more to life than fun.

I think everyone needs to find their own balance point, after reading this post I went and watched Up In The Air.

I am not convinced that Alex had a better balance on things, hers was more that she enjoyed the perks from travel and was able to have a bit of fun on the side but was always able to go back to her family, for her to go and have a weekend with Ryan was not a good idea, lets have a bit of fun on the side without commitment, I am sure a few of us may have done something like that in the past.

So for me reaching Platinum was fun, I am glad I achieved it, and I will miss the visits to the F lounge if I don't re-qualify, but I am sure my bank balance will be better for staying closer to home.

 

[jenib]

I am WP and LTG. I've never had an op up and haven't ever done a status run. J class travel for work has kept me in WP for the last few years and probably will for a while longer. The only real advantages that I can see of WP over Gold are access to the first class (international) and business (domestic) lounges and seats in emerald city on long haul. The experience is not really that much better that I would spend a lot of money maintaining WP. I have been thinking lately that 2 hours in a F class lounge compared to QC and 15 or 25 hours in the same J class seat in a smaller cabin isn't as important as spending my money on a higher end experience for a couple of weeks at my destination (eg sailing in a grand suite with concierge service rather than a standard balcony cabin on a cruise ship for 2 weeks). The difference between the grand suite and the balcony cabin is also cheaper than the difference between economy and J class for the trip there and back.

 

[ashleyn]

Thanks all for the advice

I have decided to use those points to redeem for international travel with my partner, instead of using them for status run... at least that will make up for some lost time and enjoy the benefits!!! No lounge is more comfortable than your own home!!! (I only realised that after 2 years of on the road...)

As long as I have CX gold, it should be okay Thanks again

Seems you had already made up your mind. Only you can answer this question as everyone has different priorities and drivers. If you are comfortable with your choice then well done, you have made the right one.

 

[yucciaff]

I have been talking to people at work about it. Most of us travel for work to gain status in hotels and airlines, so that we can use them for leisure travels later on with families. It was a shame that I only took my ex-partner with me for one trip to Port Douglas. Well, there are a lot more places i wanted to go.. but i lost sight of what's important. I never felt i had enough points (who does?!?!?), i can always do with more points. I set myself a goal and i kept increasing it. I only realised later that those points mean nothing if i am travelling alone. I have been travelling alone for work and that's certainly not something i would like to do for leisure travels. Don't get me wrong - QF first lounge was really nice, SPG suites and clubs are really nice. I used the word 'nice' as they don't impress me anymore after spending 2 years at the airport and hotels.

I remember the first date when I became Platinum with SPG and got upgraded to Westin Executive suite and have access to executive lounge. The excitement!! I wish I could have shared that moment with someone. (and it seems that I have forgot the days when i was nobody and sitting on the hard, cold plastic chair and waiting for flights...)

Now, i try to go to the airport as late as i can - nothing beats the comfort of your own home and spending time with loved ones.

So thanks everyone

 

[rhjames]

Most of us travel for work to gain status in hotels and airlines, so that we can use them for leisure travels later on with families.

Hopefully the only reason you travel for work is that there's no other way to do the job!!

 

[Pushka]

My partner has to travel a lot for work at the moment. He was Platinum a few years ago, and then his travel boosted me to Gold. Mostly now he stays at Gold, but his memory of Platinum is being able to board the plane at leisure, which for him, travelling with a brief case, means first, thereby snagging some overhead locker space before everyone else brings on everything including the kitchen sink (why don't they enforce the size/weight/number rule!). And of course, the occasional stay at the F Lounge in Sydney.

His travel has ramped up again, and so we have been vigilant at chasing those credits again - he has to travel anyway so why not get the benefits from it. By using that famous JASA thread, this has had the dual benefit of actually reducing our travel costs, AND he is flying business class at the moment, rather than simply paying for the flights. So he is travelling better, actually gets a decent meal on board (after work travel times) and he will romp platinum by the end of April. And he just received the double status credits offer too.

He is already platinum with the Hyatt so he's got that sorted too.

So for him, Platinum will simply make it easier for him to do the travel he has to do.

Like all things in life, it's all about balance.

 

[jaybeedee]

I stopped flying for business quite a few years ago (and Qantas left NZ) , and so I am stuck on LTS. My memory of the main benefit of being platinum was that I could ring the call centre and request 2 classic award return bookings to Paris on a specific date in Business class and within a couple of days someone would ring back and confirm them.

Am I right in thinking that those days are gone. I ask because I still have lots of unspent points and my impression is that trying to book J class award flights for 2 people with the itinerary we want will be very difficult. Which leads me to thinking about some sort of DONE4 or similar to crank me up to WP again (and LTG in the process) so we could then get the flights we want.

Does Platinum still actually get the benefit of seeing Business class award bookings which are not available ot other statuses ?

 

[rhjames]

Does Platinum still actually get the benefit of seeing Business class award bookings which are not available ot other statuses ?

I've never come across this one???

 

[Pushka]

I understand each level of loyalty opens up more award seat availability.

 

[rhjames]

I understand each level of loyalty opens up more award seat availability.

I was platinum for years, and am now lifetime gold. I've never seen evidence of this. Can anyone enlighten me? Normally I just go to the Qantas website, log in, and get the same list of seat availability as anyone else, with almost no sign of a business class award seat in sight on the main routes.

 

[Pushka]

I was platinum for years, and am now lifetime gold. I've never seen evidence of this. Can anyone enlighten me? Normally I just go to the Qantas website, log in, and get the same list of seat availability as anyone else, with almost no sign of a business class award seat in sight on the main routes.

But you wouldn't know what lower loyalties see when they log in because you can only see what you, as platinum or gold, are offered. I log in as silver and get less choice than my partner who is gold. It's just like seat pre selection.

 

[rhjames]

But you wouldn't know what lower loyalties see when they log in because you can only see what you, as platinum or gold, are offered. I log in as silver and get less choice than my partner who is gold. It's just like seat pre selection.

True - I could check to see if I have the same as my wife. Even so, I've never found business class seats available on long haul, unless it's about a year in advance.