So much of our attention is focussed on
acquiring frequent flyer points, that we often forget about Status
Credits - the other frequent flyer "currency". We do this at our
peril because a healthy Status Credit balance has lots of benefits.
Like every thing else in the frequent flyer world, there are tricks
which those "in the know" use to maximise their Status Credits and reap
the rewards.
For the purpose of this discussion, we will
limit ourselves to the Qantas program, but the concepts can be applied
to all airline frequent flyer programs.
There are four levels of Qantas Frequent Flyer membership
(Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum). The membership level of a
particular member is determined by the number of Status Credits that
person has accumulated.
The higher the Frequent Flyer membership level, the
more frequent flyer points earned on a particular flight and the greater
the privileges. Privileges such as: complimentary Qantas Club entry/ membership; priority telephone reservation service, waitlist and check-in; extra baggage allowances; preferred seating;
and on-departure upgrades.
Unlike frequent flyer points which can be earned
with many types of transactions, Status Credits can only be earned by
flying Qantas (or its airline partners).
The number of Status Credits earned is determined by
flight miles and the type of ticket purchased: from 10
points for a short flight (upto 1,000 miles) on a discount economy
ticket to 320 credits for a long flight (over 8,000 miles) in first
class.
Work the Flight Mile tier structure.
Status Credits are awarded not by actual distance flown, but rather
by Flight Mile tier. A flight which falls into the next tier earns
more credits, even if the actual extra distance travelled is just one
mile! Probably the best domestic flight for earning
cheap Status Credits is the Adelaide-Brisbane trip. The
distance is 1006 km so it exceeds the magical 1,000 km limit and puts
you in the 2nd tier (you get
double the number of credits as compared to a flight under 1,000 km).
As there is much competition on this route, prices are heavily
discounted - a $139 red e-deal can get you 20 Status Credits.
Pick a routing which has two flight numbers.
A flight is considered to be a one way trip with a single flight number. If the flight number changes during
a journey, it is considered to be two flights, and you earn Status
Credits for each "flight". For example: Melbourne to Sydney via
Canberra on a flight with different flight numbers for each sector will
earn double credits!
Do a Mileage Run. This involves
taking a flight just to get the Status Credits. It may we worth
spending a few hundred bucks to get enough credits to take you to the
next Frequent Flyer membership level. A cost effective way to earn heaps
of Status Credits is from Round the World trips. Frequent Flyer junkies
have turned this into an art: read about the adventures on an
enterprising Scotsman at
www.rtwman.co.uk.
For more tips read our
Discussion Board
or join the Frequent Flyer Club for a personalised
advice.