Status Credits - a WARNING for travellers

If you collect Qantas Status Credits, here's a warning. Learn from my mistake and avoid missing out status upgrades. Today's vlog covers what happened, and my tips to avoid the issue.
I'm sure this applies to many airlines, but as I'm a loyal Qantas Frequent Flyer I can only talk from my experience with them. I hope this helps other travellers avoid missing out on status credits. When you book a flight specifically to get status credits from a bonus offer and they never come through, or come through much later than expected, it's annoying. I want you to avoid that hassle and learn from my mistake.
🎵Music 🎵
'500 Miles' and 'New Keys' by G-Wiz g-wiz1.bandcamp.com/
Other audio by Epidemic Sounds.
Filmed on a Canon 80D and sometimes my iPhone.

[@nsw72]

Always good for a chuckle :) Absolutely love your relaxed style and presentation, Stef. Keep up the great work!

[@StefanDrury]

Ha, thanks nsw72, that's great to hear. Thanks for the support, Stef 👍

[@yverose8355]

Really clear info, thanks 😁 and huge congrats to your daughter on her success!! 🏆

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Yve, I appreciate that! 🏅

[@hugelavalava]

Hey Stef, another cool video mate. Congrats for the swimming & looking forward to the next videos " my flying friend" haha. Cheers😄

[@StefanDrury]

Ha, thanks hugelaho! I appreciate that mate, Stef 👍

[@quinng4827]

Your vids a super informative and very polished. Deserves more subs!

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Quinn, thank you that's really nice to hear. Glad you're enjoying the videos mate, cheers, Stef 👍

[@foxiedogitchypaws7141]

Adorable! Remember, education is priceless. It cost money to have such a fantastic demonstration;)

[@JapanesePiano1]

Even when your not flying your an amazing at vloging! Also, thanks for the warning! Also, also. Congrats that your Daughter got 4th!

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Jack, I appreciate that mate. I do enjoy vlogging, it's great fun making these videos and it means so much to know they're being enjoyed. Thanks again for the kind words, cheers, Stef 👍

[@haydeneberle]

Great videos! Any updates on if your wife got those status credits? I am curious because I have had a lower frequency of flights this year. So I deliberately picked business class through Sydney on my way to GC from Melbs this Friday to maintain status (given the stopover and biz adds extra points). Add to that, Friday is the last day of my ff year! I am thinking I might have stuffed up on all parts?

[@gammalite]

Appreciated and really well explained.

[@jojio4613]

One of the reasons why I enjoy your videos is because I live near Melbourne and I’m nearly always up there and I can relate to the sights I see in your flying videos 👌🏼

[@StefanDrury]

It’s such a cool city to use as a backdrop hey? I think I want to do more filming around Melbourne, I do love this city. Thanks for watching jojicobrien 👍

[@travellertoo]

Thank you, this is the only cogent explanation of the link between 'status credits' and 'frequent flier points' I've encountered. I'm coming to the whole air travel business late in life and highlighting these linkages has saved me a lot of head scratching, and there's insufficient thatch there already, trying to decipher Terms and Conditions to simple English. Should you ever update this story, another aspect of the frequent flier points is using discounted fares (e.g. Red-E-fares) which result in discounted status credit points and frequent flier points. Thanks again

[@kadenaviation9887]

How often do double status credit points happen a year?

[@christinenebril9951]

Hi Stefan, how long did Qantas give the status credit to your wife? I have 30 days to go before my membership restart and was thinking if I should book a flight to try and achieve the gold status since qantas just released the double sc promo. Would that be enough time?

[@LukeCrisp]

Thanks for the tip!

[@InflightAviation]

Really good video Stefan!

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Inflight Aviation 👍

[@spiro5327]

I think status credits should be given immediately after a flight no matter what tier you are on and if enough people winge/complain about this situation the rules might change. Great work from your daughter and don't forget the life jacket and ELT. Thank you Stef.

[@markmcculfor6113]

Bring back the flying friends!

[@StefanDrury]

Haha, cheers Mark. Ok maybe I can drop that in to some future videos... Thanks for watching, cheers, Stef 👍

[@markmcculfor6113]

Stefan Drury thanks for being one of my favorite youtubers!

[@davidmartin3828]

Do you think Status or points matter if you fly business class whenever you fly? Or does the purchases of business class seats mean more to the airlines to ensure you are treated well?

[@SpaceShipDee]

Status matters because you earn more points on top of the already better rates on business class.

[@JodelFlyer]

Never worry about being proud of your children, that's what a good parent should be. Well done to your daughter on her swimming and visual aids consultancy! 😀

[@StefanDrury]

Haha thanks Tim, I'll pass that on 😀

[@paulpeters1473]

Great video. I thought if you miss SC in a year to retain say gold you just drop to silver. Is that wrong ? Cheers

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Paul, no that's right. So when you earn a level, you have that level for a year. But I was trying to get across that your status credits reset to zero each year, so you have to work hard again to build them up. If that was confusing I blame my daughter who was distracting me with the plane on a stick! Thanks for watching, cheers, Stef 👍

[@irimaximustv]

07:50 😂 I just spat on the lens lol! Informative video thanks! When does qantas usually do the bonus status runs promos?

[@StefanDrury]

Haha well I like to show the bad as well as the good side of vlogging... 😜I reckon I get a bonus status credit promo about once a year. They did one in January to all customers, sometimes you get an individual one if you're getting close to a new status tier so you're encouraged to book a flight and go up a level. But on average, I reckon once a year is about what I see. Thank for watching One-off maximus, Stef 👍

[@raifecrayford2990]

Hey Stefan, love your videos. Definitely going to blow up sooner or later. What camera do you use? Your quality is brilliant !

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Puppy Pilot, comments like this really encourage me to keep making and sharing the videos, so thanks again. I’ve recently switched cameras from an EOS M6 to an 80D, so I’m glad you’ve noticed a quality difference. I was thinking of doing a camera comparison video if people are interested in that side of things. I’ve used Canon cameras for decades now, so I’ve learned a thing or two about using them for video which I could share. Cheers, Stef 👍

[@raifecrayford2990]

Please do, I am going though my CPL currently and they are very helpful. Especially the one of GAF's. The comparison video is a great idea. Keep it up!

[@redbikerdude]

Also to add, when you reach 500 status credits, you get a loyalty bonus of either 50 status credits or 8000 points. Caveat: The bonus credits earned from the double status credits promo, doesn't count toward the loyalty bonus threshold. It is useful toward the retention or attainment of the gold status. Eg. book 300 status credits worth of flights. get a bonus of 600 status credits. You'll need another 200 credits for the loyalty bonus (though only 50 to attain gold tier)

[@stevetravelsaus]

Hi Stefan, QF Status Credits (SC) will most likely be backdated to give your wife the bump to the next level. One other little nugget of info is try to get to the next level as soon as possible, as then you get to enjoy the benefits immediately. e.g. if you are QF Gold (700 SC to acquire, 600 to retain) & your anniversary date is 31 December, try to get to Platinum (1,400 SC to acquire & 1,200 SC to retain) as you will be given Platinum privileges as soon as the SCs hit your account. So if you were to hit Platinum by mid June, you will earn the extra QFF Points, have International First Lounge access, etc from the remainder of your current year & the year following. Also, for every 500 SC you earn (some restrictions do apply), you will also earn either 8,000 QFF Points or 50 of the more valuable QF SCs. P.S. Bring back 'Hello, Flying Friends'.

[@denn10sw]

Great music-chipmunks? PPM played fast? Sound hound can’t figure it out. Thanks!

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks Dennis, that track is ‘500 Miles’ by the awesome G-Wiz. His music is here: g-wiz1.bandcamp.com/

[@geoffreytbh]

Say you reach silver.......and you don’t fly for a while....do they move you back to bronze again? Or when you hit a new level you stay at that level. Flew my first international flight last April and it was with Qantas from Canada to Adelaide..... I got lots of miles but I see the status credits have gone. I guess I need to come into some money so I can fly more. I’d love for one day to get into a lounge. They invited me to pay to get into the one in Sydney but I had less than a 2 hour layover and they also invited me to the one in Adelaide but I had the first flight out in the AM so no time for it either lol.

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Geoffrey, if you attain a level above bronze, you hold that for the remainder of your current year and all next year. You can retain the higher level by flying in the next year, but if you don’t fly enough to retain then yes you will drop back to bronze (or whatever level you flew to).

[@mongkoktakeaway]

Was in Sri Lanka for a month in October, if you need some hints/tips let me know!

[@StefanDrury]

Always keen to get fellow travellers tips. We're only in Colombo for a few nights on this occasion, but any top tips for places to go would be awesome. HMU on Twitter (@stef747) or Facebook (also stef747). Thanks, Stef 👍

[@JaydenWong]

Awesome video Stef! I thought Qantas would automatically put the late status credits into previous year.. Anyway, thanks for the tips 👍🏻

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks OWF, yeah we were kinda hoping the same thing. Still no update, but I'll share what happens when we find out... Cheers mate, Stef 👍

[@opecyna]

Still no update mate?

[@sachakoffman]

Just a clarifying point, if you don't retain eg Gold in a year, you fall to Silver (one level down), not to "zero" which your video implies

[@nesadcruz7840]

Good Tips. Airlines keep changing the rules. If you have any ‘ updated’ tips to share on this topic please do a video

[@cherieg-johns1650]

Good work daughter ☺️👍

[@ansettproductions]

I've been stuck with Bronze since 2017. But last year I received a exclusive invitation from Qantas Club last year in 2022.

[@TsMexi_]

Are you traveling with Sri Lankan Airlines?? I'm a check-in agent for them

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Taylor, I sure am! My first time flying Sri Lankan - I'm looking forward to it. I'll definitely be bringing my camera, any thoughts on things I can cover in the vlog? Shoot me a DM here or Twitter (@stef747) if you want to chat. Stef 👍

[@AmuthanVethanayagam]

Were you flying business? How many status credits did you get from Melbourne to Colombo for your QFF?

[@jonathanmcfeat3958]

Interesting counterpoint- I recently took advantage of a similar VA promotion as a silver FF, and had 1 final flight to reach gold. Upon checking in for this flight, I was instantly bumped upt to gold and a new boarding pass was printed.

[@StefanDrury]

Now THAT's what I'm talking about. I wish SCs and FF miles could be applied to your account the moment the flight lands (or in your case before you got onboard!). I don't know why it can take weeks before they appear, even if it's on a partner airline. With technology these days, it should be instant. Thanks for sharing that Jonathan.

[@jonathanmcfeat3958]

no problems! One of the reasons I'm focusing on VA now, along with their rolling status credits system. Keep up the great content!

[@Chicken_3475]

actually, you can still stay at your level, gold, silver etc but after a year if you haven't got sufficient points it goes back to zero

[@TheNthbeach]

As someone who isn't chasing the status credits, I was planning a trip to Vancouver, and the first flight I have is 3 days from my end of year. For me, I watch 120 status credits go bye-bye 3 days later, with my return clocking a similar number. I'm travelling premium economy because of my size. I'm a bronze member, and don't fly often anyway. On the other hand, I quietly build status credits with my VFF just by doing some shopping at Coles. In the end, because of the promixity, I was fortunate enough to find a classic award on the day I fly, and will be burning up points at the pointy end instead :) The 12 months auto-nuke is kind frustrating for the irregular fliers, but I guess the lifetime continues to build.

[@StefanDrury]

Thanks for sharing that Samuel. Yes building lifetime status credits is a good incentive to keep collecting, even if it’s only a few per year. But starting early is the key there.

[@peterlanders3900]

@@StefanDrury So how do you get this life time status credits? I am only Bronze & like a lot of people commenting I lose my Status. Do you lose your status if you get to Silver like you do with bronze?

[@SpaceShipDee]

@@peterlanders3900Attained status credits reset every year. If you're Gold, you'll drop to Silver. Silver to Bronze. Behind all of that, every status credits you earn is logged on a counter towards "lifetime" status. Once you hit 7000 status credits since you joined QFF, you earn lifetime Silver. Similarly, once you hit 14,000 status credits - you earn lifetime Gold.

[@peterlanders3900]

@@SpaceShipDeeThanks for that. Is there a way to find out what your lifetime status is? My FF account doesnt show me lifetime (that I can see)

[@SpaceShipDee]

@@peterlanders3900 Yup, log into your account. In the middle box where it says "You need XX more status credits for Silver/Gold/plat" click on "See all status activity". This will bring you to a page of the benefits of the tier you are on and how many points you need for the next one. If you scroll down, you will see a section that says "lifetime membership".

[@Kishshey]

Are you serious! I am actually from Colombo. Next door to the Colombo Airport. And I will be moving to Moorabbin this April!

[@StefanDrury]

I am serious, and don't call me Shirley... ✈️😁 Any tips for Colombo? I'm only there a few nights but I'm really looking forward to visiting, I hear Sri Lanka is a beautiful place with lovely people.

[@Kishshey]

Colombo has many things to offer. Depends on your tastes. If you like high altitude(I mean obviously), there are quite a few rooftop bars. Sri Lanka, in particular, is a fairly small country. So you can cover most of it within a week. Going down from Colombo through the coastline, there are so many beautiful beaches. Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, Mirissa to name a few most popular ones. Go further down and you have a couple of National Parks, Udawalawa and Yala. There is also an open zoo; Ridiyagama Safari Park. Around that area you can also visit the "world's lonliest International Airport"; VCRI/Mattala Rajapakse Intl. If you go to the east coast of Sri Lanka, you have thee most bbeautiful beaches of the country. Move inland and you have rain forests, tea estates, plains and all that green goodness. Perhaps shoot me a message and I should be able to give much more detail than this.

[@Kishshey]

"and don't call me Shiley" haha literally laughed out loud

[@melaniebrown9783]

Lmao Sri Lanka is a shit hole

[@r08800]

Casey (Neistadt?) Did a similar explanation video and he confused the hell out of me. Yours was much better. Just tell Jack' you'll be at 7000ft and even if you're only half way across the Cirrus will still be in gliding distance of either side 👍🏼😉👍🏼

[@StefanDrury]

Haha thanks Robbo, I'll keep that gliding tip in my back pocket in case she asks!

[@HM-wu3gh]

Bring “flying friends” back 👍🏻 agree with what you said as well.

[@StefanDrury]

Haha, thanks Harris. Ok I might setup a vote, but that's +1 for YES. Thanks mate, Stef 👍

[@timelapsed1650]

I hope Qantas honour those credits in your wife's previous year and she gets the status. If she's a long time ff I think they will. I was bronze flyer for over a decade and when my circumstances changed I got to silver and was then 50 status credits short of Gold. I threw out a flippant tweet about just missing out on Gold, not asking for anything, and they responded saying they would "look into it". Less than a week later I logged into my ff account to find I was Gold! They know the good will is invaluable and it will only encourage you to fly more! Good luck!

[@StefanDrury]

Yeah I have found the Qantas customer service has always been great. They're still looking into it for us, but fingers crossed she gets those credits, it'll mean a lot to her. You're right the goodwill from stuff like that really encourages loyalty. Thanks for sharing that, cheers, Stef 👍

[@gary64au]

@@StefanDrury Hi Stefan - I will be facing a similar dilemma soon where to retain Platinium my double status points flight is 3 days before the anniversary date where points reset. I have found that double status points are generaly credited to my account 24-48 hours of the given flight. Was Qantas obliging by honouring your wife's SC points to retain her status when the point arrived in the account too late?

[@GeneralKenobi-mz9ig]

I live in Melbourne! Can you take me up for a fly one your Cirus?

[@r08800]

Luke Dunk get in line buddy hahahaha

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Luke, I really appreciate the request but as you can imagine I get asked that question a fair bit. So much so, that your comment made me realise I need an FAQs section to help answer great requests like this! So I've put that on my Facebook page here: facebook.com/notes/stefan-drury/some-frequently-asked-questions/483949825340274/ Hope that helps, and thanks again for the request, it really means a lot. Stef 👍

[@kaimalcolm]

Hey Stefan, First of all, I am not paid or asked to do this, it is just a video suggestion. I went to the Tyabb air show a few years ago and I loved it. This year, I am volunteering there and since I probably won't get to see much (I've got croud control) I would really like it if you could come and make a video about it. Thanks!

[@kaimalcolm]

Also would love to meet you in person!

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Kai, when is the Tyabb Airshow? Always keen to meet and work with fellow aviation lovers. Stef 👍

[@kaimalcolm]

Stefan Drury It's the 11th of March at Tyabb airport YTYA. Check out www.tyabbairshow.com for more

[@brettknowles3582]

Thanks mate, but cant believe you put texter on a WAC chart !!

[@themightyangustma2753]

Brett Knowles 🤣

[@erichserrano5695]

Just to give you an update regarding claiming double status credits promotion you should register first before you book a flight and make sure all to read the terms and condition a friendly reminder

[@CozmoNz]

Unless your a fifo worker and qantas give you gold as part of a "transfer to us" deal :D

[@s3087735]

this is Casey Neistat 2013 all over again...

[@Chicken_3475]

why is it spelled platimun?!

[@StefanDrury]

Typo - it was permanent marker so I ran with it 😁

[@dereksanders7905]

Bring back 'flying friends' Stefan!

[@StefanDrury]

Haha, I think based on responses so far that might have to happen! Thanks Derek 👍

[@priyantpratap8253]

Sadly you can't call us Flying Friends at the moment :(

[@dragsink9776]

What’s your nationality

[@StefanDrury]

Hey Dragisa. I'm originally from the UK, been in Australia for almost 20 years though.

[@Chicken_3475]

er you can get free access with business class

[@kevinbao5731]

i lost 2 first class seat on Qantas because of the restart

[@kevinbao5731]

my dad

[@Dreamer10888]

Before covid

[@markskid9942]

Nice video about a first world problem 😀

[@StefanDrury]

Hey David, yes definitely a first world problem! But one that I thought is of interest to the viewers on this channel. Hopefully the information here can help other travellers not get into the same situation we did.

[@mustafaelhasuni6467]

Come to malta plz we can fly together with DA-40 it will be my pleasure..

[@747Sean]

Platimun

[@Chicken_3475]

its pronounced meldives

[@bradwell1749]

Hello flying friends sounds lame!!!