My Status Plans For 2017

by Zac George
a runway with a large building in the background

Welcome to 2017! Tomorrow will be back to normal with 3 – 5 posts but I thought I’d write about my status plans for the new year.

Airline Status

Qantas Platinum

Luckily, I retained Qantas Platinum from American Airlines domestic flights earlier in the year but doing those runs aren’t near as valuable anymore as their F fares now earn J status credits. Qantas will be my main carrier for domestic flights this year, but that doesn’t mean I’m dropping Virgin. As I’m based in Brisbane, Qantas lounges (Domestically & Internationally) are far superior to what Virgin offer at the moment and I always love my time in the Sydney first lounge.

Virgin Australia Platinum

My review month is in October for Virgin, and I’m still thinking of what I’m going to do. The main reason I’m thinking of keeping Platinum is for the Etihad lounges and the four complimentary upgrades. I’ve also reached gold and close to platinum with Etihad, so I think I may switch to Etihad Guest and get platinum and maintain Velocity gold as it’s very easy to reach.

Hotels:

SPG – Gold / Platinum 

I wrote a while back about ditching Hilton and switching to SPG, and I’ve finally done it. My Hilton diamond ends in March, and I’ve started booking primarily SPG properties with the exception of a few Hyatt stays. SPG are starting to grow with more properties opening in Australia in the next few years which is great news. I also find SPG points to be 100% more valuable than Hilton points especially when redeeming for free nights and transferring to airlines.

What are your plans for status this year?

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5 comments

Michael Corrigan January 2, 2017 - 10:19 am

I am QF & VA plat, I am remaining VA plat for the great service from EY SQ & NZ. VA for me has gone downhill and I have been Plat since it’s inception (5 years).

Zac George January 2, 2017 - 11:04 am

Michael – I’m having similar experiences, the VA service has dropped, I do however find the recognition and service as a Plat much better on their long-haul routes.

Jetset Bart January 2, 2017 - 10:50 am

It seems that Hilton are going to be making improvements to HHonors – I received a Happy New Year email from them yesterday that included the following:

New year, new things coming! We have some new things in store for 2017 that we know you’ll love because we’re making the program more about you. Stay tuned for more soon!

Zac George January 2, 2017 - 11:06 am

Jetset Bart – Interesting, I’ll have to check my inbox. Hopefully some positive changes.

Drav January 6, 2017 - 3:39 pm

usually an ‘improvement’ in the loyalty industry really means a downgrade

Comments are closed.