Why chase status credits?

[sjd]

I have turned flights that I would otherwise have just booked the cheapest fare into JASA status runs. Cash outlay similar, up the front of the bus and it will tip me over the SC line to requalify for WP for another year. The bulk of the SCs I earn are for work related flights which was more than enough to get me to WP last year but wont quite be enough (without a few JASAs) to do it again this year. Also it is one of the most value for point ways to spend the accumulated.

 

[a330j]

Depends on the real cost of getting those SCs and the return on that investment. The OP mentioned all the benefits of status can be bought by buying a higher class fare, that is simply not the case.

Higher status is not just about lounges and baggage, its also about getting 2x the miles for the same flight you normally get 1x, for instance a WP on the Brazil special to SIN will earn 18000 miles for an outlay of circa $400. If one were to do this one weekend every month for a year in order to build up their duty free scotch collection ( a noble cause :mrgreen: ) they would be earning an extra 100000 points compared to no status travel,while having the luxury of using the F lounge, preferred seating and priority boarding, for an all up cost equal to a single J fare which would not even get you into the F lounge. Those extra points could be used to requalify WP if you get a double SC offer or SG if not, you might need a drink after all that travel, hopefully the scotch collection is intact!

I take your point re boosting your points earning ability, and other noble causes

 

[Steelo]

Obviously the amount of travel you do each year is a factor. But with careful planning you can gain and maintain your status and the benefits that come along with it. I have helped my children plan their travel so they gain the benefits of status - and many of their friends spend similar amounts on travel but do not gain the benefits. I have seen friends do a lot more travel than me, but gain no status out of it because they are not strategic about how they use their points. The same friends tell me that they do not need any more enhancements - but when I am sitting around enjoying free champagne or laying back in the business class seat I only paid a Y price for - I think they are kidding themselves. Besides, customer loyalty does pay off in the long term - and makes the travel experience worthwhile. And there are always the unexpected benefits - like gaining a complimentary renewal of your Gold Status when you did not reach the qualifying credits - or getting an unexpected upgrade to J. Having experienced a couple of years when I had gone back to a NB - sitting on hard chairs and paying ridiculous price for airport food, drink and wi fi - I think the effort is certainly worthwhile. It does take an effort to gain it - and it is a lot easier to maintain it. But then again if you do not enjoy travel and the possibilities that come with it - it may not be for you.

 

[drewbles]

There must be something in the air in June. On my way there this morning via HKG/PVG/DXB/AMM/LHR/PHL/etc... only a slight detour, right?

Well my Status Run isn't really; I wanted to spend a few days down here in the Caribbean, and it happened to work out nicely for my SC balance, whilst getting to enjoy 6 segments on AA in F (well, an excuse for F!).

Must be June as you say

 

[ReLoad]

The biggest benefit of status is simply when things go wrong. As a WP when things go pear shaped im at the front of the queue and well looked after. When you fly often, thing go pear shaped more often.
The next biggest benefit is the extra luggage, I always travel with a lot of luggage for work and it has saved me hundreds of dollars in excess baggage (in fact are suggest thousands) so no doubt it has paid for itself right there too.
Then of course there is better seats on board and the better booze & food!

 

[legroom]

Let's say two people are paying for their own J seats.

A NB could only choose seats at the back of the bus next to the lav while a higher status pax could go all the way into the Emerald City.

If you value extra peace, privacy and faster /better service (i.e. head of the queue, more luggage allowance), then status is worth it for you.

Sure, if you are an occasional traveller, then it does mot matter much.

But for more than infrequent travels, it helps to plan (and occasionally supplement your tally with a run or two) to qualify and retain a higher status.

Instead of flying direct, for example, I have stopover of say 60 min. It costs me nothing in $$ terms but gains an extra 70 SCs essentially for free.

Repeat that planning a few times and you could go somewhere towards a better status.

 

[a330j]

Thanks for the responses. A number of interesting points and views. I could certainly get used to the idea of it as a hobby. Have always loved travel and flying.
Agree with Steelo that you need to be strategic about gaining SCs and using points. I have a couple of trips that I need to make in the second half of the year to CBR and later to Perth (from BNE) flying VA. Am now looking at increasing the potential SC haul from both.

 

[casanovawa]

I think some people's egos do eventually get caught up in the colour of the card in their wallet, or how many high status program cards they have been able to achieve through status matches and what not...

Being an infrequent flyer that i pay for all myself, i have thought about a bit of chasing but just don't think i can get the sums to add up... Any money spent chasing is actually using up the the holiday funds to the point when i attained the status, there wouldn't be much travelling left to be done... Plus the idea of using my own money to help out in work travel might be a bit of a sticking point with me... Plus flying out of Perth with no J or F lounges the rewards again are lessened...

Easier for me to buy the AA/USDM miles and do a bit a bit slow accummulation of QF points i think and get the lounge access etc that way while sometimes slumming it down the back with the rest of the unwashed... Everyone is different though and there are plenty of good tips on here...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

status is good for a few things... it's great for the usa where lounge access doesn't necessarily come with class of service. it's also good for priority when it comes to things like accommodating passengers due to delays and cancellations. it's useful for lounge access for a flight on jetstar when there is no other oneworld carrier available.

unfortunately status is also good for things IT SHOULDN'T be necessary for. status for example gets you quick attention when calling the qantas call-centre. but honestly, if I'd paid $10k for a qantas business class airfare I shouldn't have to wait 30 minutes in a queue to get answered. I shouldn't have to have a platinum card to be guaranteed to speak to an agent who knows what they're doing and will actually work to help me.

and then of course status is useless for some things such as priority baggage where your 'priority' bag may well come out last.

I used to be platinum for many years. I don't miss it at all. I get all the benefits through class of service, and now have the freedom to often take direct flights on non-oneworld carriers instead of having to connect (via syd in the case of qf or via hkg in the case of cx). non-top flights save me more time and are more valuable to me than the limited benefits of status.

thankfully I have lifetime silver... I think not having to queue for check-in is probably one of the biggest benefits when the time comes that I might need it.

 

[Hvr]

It is fun and done well can be cheap. You meet the nicest people, present company specifically included.

You get to see places others may not even read about.

You get to fly aftter having a lovely massage in the F lounge.

Hvr in Auckland.

 

[kiwi2768]

I attained VA Gold in December 2011 and now I fear not getting enough SCs to maintain it. As we are going a trip to the USA this year I will just manage to get enough SCs to hang onto Gold until December next year. I like everything about Gold status. Doing status runs is pretty much out of the question because of where I live. The only place we can fly to is Perth and fares are sometimes more expensive than a PER-AKL fare.

 

[ShaneN]

Access to the best Y seats. Priority check in and express path through Immigration and Customs. Glass of better wine from PE while seated in Y (as I received LAX-SYD last week).

It is a game, and it is fun.

 

[bass_ke]

It is a game, and it is fun.

Absolutely, especially when you're a bit of an aviation nerd!

 

[Mark2up]

I am chasing Platinum status credits and was wondering how many you earn on this trip. I am currently Gold and have 400 to each platinum this year.

 

[a330j]

If you are referring to syd-lax, my info says 7490 miles one way which would earn you the following one way status credits on VA depending on class of travel:

Cattle 40, Flexi 80, PE 120 and Business 160

 

[Hvr]

I am chasing Platinum status credits and was wondering how many you earn on this trip. I am currently Gold and have 400 to each platinum this year.

If you're looking for Qantas earn rates use this link: https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/initialPointsEarned
Enter your start, intermediate and end points and it will tell you how many points ans SCs you'll earn.

Do note that if the trip is on one flight number, e.g. SYD-LHR then only enter the start and end destinations.

 

[samh004]

To answer the OP, it's a mix of reasons for me as to why I chase them. Certainly, I don't need to fly anywhere, I could just stay at home. But I have a passion for air travel, so when sales come up I do like to take advantage, I also have a passion for travel and seeing new places. I like to go to the places most others usually avoid, the outback, small towns etc.

Being a member of this site I've met quite a few other members, and this has brought me out of my shell and helped me socialise, though socialising usually happens in a lounge.

Obviously, I'd prefer not to sit in the terminal, travel tends to feel luxurious, even in economy, so lounge access needs to be earned (or bought). Then I can also socialise.

Finally, I may not always travel a lot, but in the future when I'm not travelling so much I'd like to still have lounge access. I could probably buy it at the time, but earning LTG would also be a way forward. Seems like an absurd goal, but would make later life a bit easier when travelling.

 

[HakT0r]

keeping inline with the discussion, Why chase, as many of you have noted, there are the perks, the peace and then its the pleasure of travel.

Q. What is the least amount of monies spent in today's $$$ can one get SC ball rolling. I have been looking at this for a long time. the bloody thing is I keep missing out each time I hit a certain level or I am not able to maintain it as some have noted. So I'd like to play the Status Run game, I want to be a SC chaser, and I want to go to the top. el chepo way...

I recall an attempt of mine a few years back of just doing BNE-ROK-BNE-PER-MEL-BNE, just so that I can break into the Gold and be there comfortably with JASA et' all it was quite reasonable.

 

[drewbles]

keeping inline with the discussion, Why chase, as many of you have noted, there are the perks, the peace and then its the pleasure of travel.

Q. What is the least amount of monies spent in today's $$$ can one get SC ball rolling. I have been looking at this for a long time. the bloody thing is I keep missing out each time I hit a certain level or I am not able to maintain it as some have noted. So I'd like to play the Status Run game, I want to be a SC chaser, and I want to go to the top. el chepo way...

I recall an attempt of mine a few years back of just doing BNE-ROK-BNE-PER-MEL-BNE, just so that I can break into the Gold and be there comfortably with JASA et' all it was quite reasonable.

Welcome to AFF, HakT0r!

I'd suggest you do a search on YUPP/KUPP fares on American Airlines. These are universally the cheapest $/SC you can get, of course you then need to get to the USA to do this, but if you can slum it in economy, your run will at least be in AA First (which is not anywhere near international business let alone first, but it's better than coach!).

There were WP flights for $1400 once upon a time, but these are largely gone. Still, it's quite easy to get one for under $2400 with some careful planning (not including the flights to/from the US nor the 4~'s you need on QF).

 

[ShaneN]

Q. What is the least amount of monies spent in today's $$$ can one get SC ball rolling. I have been looking at this for a long time. the bloody thing is I keep missing out each time I hit a certain level or I am not able to maintain it as some have noted. So I'd like to play the Status Run game, I want to be a SC chaser, and I want to go to the top. el chepo way...

This issue has been addressed in another thread - see http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../price-status-credits-has-anyone-41326-4.html. In that thread I calculated that it cost me $6248 plus net points cost of 61355 to achieve Qantas platinum.

There are cheaper status runs, but I flew to places I wanted to go at times I wanted to travel (although sometimes taking the long way there).