The famous Australian icon should change it’s familiar Kangaroo logo to an Ostrich with it’s head stuck in the sand. Communication is NOT Qantas strong point. After many many decades - the now infamous Qantas has forgotten how to communicate with its life blood - it’s customers.
I’ve been a Frequent Flyer member for decades not once dipping into my points accrual now close to 500,000. For the first time trying to use my points for a family holiday, Qantas Frequent Flyer office refuse to answer my requests for assistance. I’ve made numerous phone calls waiting on once for over 6 hours before hanging up. I’ve sent numerous emails to them - even their famous globe trotting Irish CEO - again no replies. Qantas keep their long time customers like mushrooms, in the dark. s the famous Jan once said: “Not happy” Qantas. Not happy.
Once upon a time I was in a similar situation with Ansett. ‘Puff’ all gone.
There after life leaned towards Qantas. As the points increased the prospect of a many points loomed. Of course the options for using points were much more limited until Virgin pushed Qantas hard.
My reality today.
Points are never assured.
Points don’t do as far as they used to.
It’s not the long ago on my timeline that 500,000 points would buy a round the world for one business class with plenty left over.
I now use points as far as practical as they accrue. Similar to using the accrued credits on the shops at Woolies giving 4c/l off petrol or a $10 reward of a shop.
I having a lot of difficulty claiming points for international flights taken on partner airline Emirates & with Qantas itself.
First I t did the online claim to be told electronically that the flights could not be identified. I sent and email to Qantas querying this given pretty much all our boarding passes were printed on qantas cards! I sent copies of all my and my husband’s boarding cards (so glad airports insisted on printing them instead of accepting our phone versions & that we kept the printed cards)
Then I was told Qantas FF could not match our FF identifies to the flights, and asked for our passport info (copy of picture page)…now silence.
Today I nearly lost the will to live sitting on the phone trying to speak to someone at FF program.
It really makes me wonder about the quality of their record keeping, and how I managed to even check in to flights!
I have now lodged a complaint with Qantas and wait…
Am I alone with this problem? Any suggestions on how to wrestle points out of Qantas would be gratefully accepted.
Hi @Sketchergirl. I have moved your post to an existing topic to do with Qantas FF issues.
As you may be aware, Choice has awarded Qantas an ignominious shonky award for their less than sterling performance recently.
There has been much discussion here in the Community forum about the significant issues people are having with the significant decline in Qantas’ service. More topics on Qantas’ poor service can be found if you use the magnifying glass in the blue bar at the top and search for ‘Qantas’.
Do you know if your ticket class on the Emirates flight were eligible for QFF points. The Qantas website states…
- Qantas Points and Status Credits (where applicable) are earned on Eligible Flights with a Qantas or applicable one world® Member Airline or Airline Partner flight number on your ticket. Qantas Points and Status Credits may not be earned on some fare types and booking classes. For full details see the Qantas Frequent Flyer program Terms and Conditions and Airline Earning Tables.
This suggests that for some fares and booking classes, QFF and Status Credits aren’t earned through their codeshare partner. You may need to confirm that your booking and fares qualify for points/status credits.
Also, did you nominate your QFF membership number when making the booking? If you did, Qantas/Emirates will know this is the case and won’t process another claim for points separately.
I would hope premium economy seats would qualify, they were as about as expensive as past business class seats were!
And alas the travel agent did not use our FF numbers despite us providing them. Wasn’t worried as normally I can claim points post flight - I’ve had no hassles before.
Thanks. Yes I knew abuot the shonky awards. Apart from this tho’ my experience from Qantas has been fine. Mind you all Australian airlines and airports could learn a thing or two from the overseas operators.
I’ve just tried to get points and status credited to my account from a flight with a Qantas Partner (Japan Airlines). It has become one of the labours of Hercules to get Qantas to reach out to JAL to get the info.
The claim status credits flow is clearly broken and Qantas don’t seem to be interested in fixing it.
The QANTAS Frequent Flyer Operation is a separate QANTAS operated business, and with some 15 million members and the owning Airline, offering so few Frequent Flyer Seats on Flights, time is overdue to recognise the scheme for what it is, a con on it’s members.
Far better to make your buying decisions on the basis of Price/ Value for money than chase points that have a value of 1/2 cent each, and are impossible to use for the original purpose of Flying.
My daughter was recently stripped, without warning, of 96000 points all earned by flying with QANTAS, and it is impossible to speak to anyone in QANTAS about this. When one adds the dubious practice of gouging and short changing passengers on credits and refunds due to Covid cancelled Flights, we have come to the conclusion to give QANTAS the flick and in future fly ABQ ( Anyone But QANTAS - or Jetstar)
Would that be because there was no account activity for 18 months?
However, she should have received something although not in an ‘in your face format’.
You can check your last activity any time in your online points activity statement. At 60 days before expiry, your Activity Statement will show that you have Qantas Points due to expire.
If you have opted in to the Frequent Flyer eNewsletter, your eNewsletter will include a notice in the month that your points are due to expire and the month prior to your points expiry.
While that is how the QF program operates, I share your ‘love’ for QF as it is one of the stingier FF programs out there as well as an expensive airline to fly with. I always buy something at least every 6 months from Qantas Shopping to keep my account alive when I have no other activity. Some fly regularly, some use accommodation that gives QF points, and others have credit cards awarding QF points.
A trap of sorts needs to be added, that many sources of points do not credit them for up to 3 months, so when one sees ‘the notice of expiry’ there might be very few ways to get points in time to preserve the account but transfers from other reward programs to QF (when available) can often be done timely enough.
When I first joined QANTAS Frequent Flyer some 35 years ago their points didn’t expire, it was a selling point, and they were earned by Flying with QANTAS. The company in those days was under the leadership of Geoff Dixon, and was rightly among the best Airlines in the World.
The rot set in under subsequent management when the Airline’s rewards system morphed into a marketing tool for Credit cards and just about anything else that could climb aboard the scheme.
My buying practice is that I am loyal to NO Company, I always go for best value for my money, coupled quality and with what best meets my needs. One finds you generally come out well ahead with this approach. Remember there is no such thing as a free meal, someone always pays, you don’t get something for nothing
Just to be a bit pedantic, 35 years ago John Ward was head of Qantas, then still Gov owned. Then came James Strong who saw it into privatisation. Then came Geoff Dixon 24 years ago. Then the leprechaun.
You’ll find that actually all airlines globally have taken that path, they have admitted that what has become a problem for them is rewards redemptions particularly for lounges has become unsustainable due to the mass partner earning of once a year travellers.
But they also admit they do the on ground partnerships because people typically now chose airline through brokers like webjet and have no loyalty unless the brand recognition is maintained in everyday activities.
I Use primarily Webjet, but when booking, I will have quite a few tabs open so I can do multiple price comparisons, I am Loyal only to my Wallet, I don’t waste time with Frequent Flyer Schemes, they are a bad joke if one is looking for the best price, and best ignored if one is looking for the best value for money.
If one is after great Service, Singapore, Cathay and Emirates, and Air New Zealand are quite good, but generally pricier. My daughter got burned by QANTAS and I have not had any experiences from them recently that would encourage me to use QANTAS, I prefer anybody but QANTAS, and haven’t seen or heard of anything to lead me to believe they have improved - more negative news than positive, which is a bloody shame because in Geoff Dixon’s time they were among the best.
For infrequent fliers one answer.
Is it different for those who fly often? One can still accrue added value with most airlines by joining up. Even if one purchases airfares as suggested based on the best value up front price.
For us the main benefit is using accrued points to offset the cost of planned flights. How effectively varies. It pays to look to the options. Rewards seats are something we’ve not often chosen. Availability or lack of is one concern. The cost in points often very poor value compared to using in other ways. YMMV.
The greatest incentive for very frequent travellers can be the lifetime membership upgrades. These can boost points earned and add to status credits more rapidly. Whether it’s fair or not on other paying customers, the higher tiered frequent fliers appear to find themselves more often moved up a class to fill empty seats, in addition to the benefits of increased luggage allowances, boarding and lounge access.
As someone who now flies only several times a year, with who ever is the least expensive (time of day of flight considered). I’ll settle for only using the FF points when it saves real money. The FF membership supposedly makes checking in etc simpler using an App or card. I remain to be convinced given the automation fails more often than the convenience offered.
I am not a flyer these days, as a spectator the combination of poor value FF and poor service seems to raise blood pressure a lot. For any loyalty scheme to be worth it you have to actually want to use the service again.
I suspect those amongst us who are less frequent fliers need only one or two not so good experiences with any of the 3 major domestic carriers (or international) to bias perceptions. Fairly or just unfortunate on the day.
Until one has multiple personal experiences of the alternative carriers, how does one know which one might want to use again?
Looking to how the retail options align the choice is to not belong to any. If not two?
Is Qantas FF any better or worse than the other!
