Taking the leap!

[Flashback]

Hi All,

I'm new on here - so please be nice!

After having done a fair bit of travel in recent times (I'm not a Business Class yuppy.. all economy for me, at this stage anyway! ), so found it prudent to line myself up with a lifetime QP membership. Hopefully it will pay itself off over the years!

A bit of background as to my travels.. I'm an IT Consultant, and I work for myself.. and generally travel around WA for clients, with the odd trip to Sydney or Melbourne. No "business" international trips.. but always on the look for new opportunities!

Anyway.... Hi, and just for the record my name's Dan

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Welcome to AFF Flashware

 

[coco50]

Hi All,

I'm new on here - so please be nice!

After having done a fair bit of travel in recent times (I'm not a Business Class yuppy.. all economy for me, at this stage anyway! ), so found it prudent to line myself up with a lifetime QP membership. Hopefully it will pay itself off over the years!

A bit of background as to my travels.. I'm an IT Consultant, and I work for myself.. and generally travel around WA for clients, with the odd trip to Sydney or Melbourne. No "business" international trips.. but always on the look for new opportunities!

Anyway.... Hi, and just for the record my name's Dan

Welcome to AFF. I am lucky enough to have been on "free" QP membership since March 2002 but the amount of big SC earning travel that I do is decreasing to the extent that I will not requal for Gold sometime in the future. I am investigating Senior Life membership for me and Partner membership for my wife. It will work out at about $3000, but I reckon its worth it when you balance out the amount of time that you necessarily must spend at an airport these days when travelling. I agree with you - it will pay off over the years

 

[bambbbam2]

I must admit it does look tempting..

Normally i'm sitting near the gate, crowded, with loud babies and screaming teenagers.. along come the QC people, looking refreshed, just in time to stroll onto the plane! :shock:

 

[Flashback]

Thanks guys

I must admit, I'm a youngin.. only 21 - so to me, still a lot of travelling to do so quite an investment (assuming all routes aren't taken over by JQ!).

 

[coco50]

Thanks guys

I must admit, I'm a youngin.. only 21 - so to me, still a lot of travelling to do so quite an investment (assuming all routes aren't taken over by JQ!).

Even if JQ take over the routes, the way things are at present, you can still use QP.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Even if JQ take over the routes, the way things are at present, you can still use QP.

For someone with 15+ year time horizon I would not count on things staying the way they are today.

 

[coco50]

Just a brief snapshot of how valuable QP membership can be. Last Wednesday I had to do a presentation in Maitland. So up at 0520 to catch QF2202 fro ABX at 0630. Arrived at SYD at 0750 with about 70 minutes before boarding Aeroduck OT5009 to NTL. Was able to have a decent breakfast in T2 QP, read the papers and process the overnight emails before the Aeroduck flight. On the way back the following day. was able to have a shower after a very hot day and then some cleansing ales and snacks of party pies and (innovation for T2 QP) mini pizzas, followed by some nice shiraz. Contrast this with the hectic scrum at NTL earlier that morning (0800 - 0910) A DJ flight arrived from BNE followed by JQ from BNE and then QF (Q300) from MEL with departures of those A/C on turnaround. People everywhere:!: :!: NTL has just had a very impressive terminal makeover - but no room for FF lounge. For the single traveller it was almost impossible to find a seat and purchase a long black. Thank god I'd had breakfast at the hotel in Newcastle. There used to be a lounge at NTL but alas no more. So despite some criticisms, I would rather travel with lounge availability than without it.

 

[coco50]

For someone with 15+ year time horizon I would not count on things staying the way they are today.

Yep:!: They may get better or they may get worse. 15 years ago, there was AN. Anyway - with regard to JQ some of the fringe perks that DJ offers (like the Lounge) may keep JQ honest. Hang in there, Flashware!

 

[kelpie]

Thanks guys

I must admit, I'm a youngin.. only 21 - so to me, still a lot of travelling to do so quite an investment (assuming all routes aren't taken over by JQ!).

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

 

[Maca44]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

Well, from one old fart to another, I disagree. I was a member of Qantas Flight Deck, then the Qantas Club as a Life Member after weighing up the cost of life membership to that of annual subscription. I think I have more than covered my initial outlay of Life and by doing so allowed me lounge access as I travelled around the world over the past 40 or so years. When you are younger you fly Y and don't have the benefit of QF lounge, checkin etc etc so, I think his decision to purchase life membership will be a good investment for his future travel.

 

[drron]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

Well here is another old fart that thinks life membership in QP is worth it.I joined up in 1992.For me it was less than $1000 then.Although I hardly travel on Qantas now it still helps on my travel.Gets me into the domestic AA lounges and free drinks which AA's own program doesnt get you.Also found another unpublished benefit on recent trip to Alaska-got me priority boarding on AS.Yes I know it shouldnt but only got questioned once and then said this is the same as Boardroom membership(AS's club lounge) was allowed on anyway.
In 15 years things will obviously be different.Life membership to the QP may well be $10000 and the $4000 of 2006 will probably look like a great bargain.

 

[aus_flyer]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

Apart from this comment (possibly) being rude, I certainly don't agree.
I purchased Qantas Club Life Membership when I was 18!
I say go for it - it is a good investment

 

[kelpie]

Well it would appear rude if you, for example, cut off the next paragraph containing the humour as well as the emoticon. Ahem.

 

[oz_mark]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

Surely points would be scored inviting a young backpacker into the QP as your guest?

 

[Flashback]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

Whose to say I'm not doing that as well? It's all about good money management

 

[coco50]

You're 21?

Well I can tell you that when I was 21 there were plenty of other things to spend that kind of money on, and surely not much has changed since then. Get a life.

$4000 would go a long way to paying for a brilliant overseas holiday full of chicks, booze and all the other good things a 21 year old should be into. Lounge access can wait until you are an old fart like the rest of us.

I disagree. If you're going to purchase a life membership and you have the wherewithall, why not buy it when you're young and write it off over a long period of time. There is a potential 60 years to write this one off on. With access to QP, there is no need to spend $4000 on booze and why splurge any of the money on high maintenance chicks. Anyway, theory suggests that satisfaction is maximised by allocating resources towards those goods and services from which an individual receives greatest utility. I can see that a lot of usefulness would be gained from a lifetime QP membership at the tender age of 21.

 

[JohnK]

.... and why splurge any of the money on high maintenance chicks.

Spending money anywhere other than high maintenance chicks is a good investment.... well almost always.

I can see that a lot of usefulness would be gained from a lifetime QP membership at the tender age of 21.

I don't disagree with the advice that has been given on this thread but again the decision depends on the situation of the individual. The OP plans to do a lot of travel so lifetime QP membership could be a worthwhile investment. On the other hand I didn't fly until I was 26 where I went on an overseas work trip and another overseas trip at 30. No other flying until I was 39.

So I would feel purchasing lifetime QP membership for me would have been a total waste of money. Investing that $1000 in Commonwealth Bank or Woolworths shares, with dividend reinvestment, would have meant more than $10,000 today or if lucky enough to invest in Cochlear shares then this would mean you have close to $20,000 today. How much is lifetime QP membership today?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Not many 21 year olds would invest $1000 over such priorities as drink, sex, family (if they already have one) or all three.

 

[Flashback]

Not many 21 year olds would invest $1000 over such priorities as drink, sex, family (if they already have one) or all three.

A "wise" (if you could call someone so young, wise?) 21 year old would use some on "entertainment" and some on investing

As they say.. make the money work for you..