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khull

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#160526 9-Jan-2015 21:54
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Airpoints are useless to me as they run into the 4 digits easily with plenty of options to earn them (credit cards/transfer partners etc)

Instead, this is an open discussion about the 'best' way to retain status tier levels (status points). The whole obvious statement of "flying more" still applies but given that Air NZ have revised their earn rate for status tiers since March last year, the earning power is lower as they now reward people with what the industry terms as 'mileage runners' over people who actually do travel at a specific time slot and likely paying more.

Thus, the burn rate of a flexible time person who travels on the cheapest return flight (without checked in luggage) will earn more status points per dollar spent over someone who has to travel at a specific time slot (with checked in luggage). 

Trans tasman, to slightly lesser extent, favouring mileage running. A more expensive direct flight to OZ can earn LESS status points per dollar spent over a cheaper 1 hour stopover flight (with a longer duration).

In short, it is better to book two cheap return trips (and include a stop over) than to book just one return leg (direct) while spending close to the same amount of money.

To add insult, using Airpoints earned and subsequently spent don't count towards the status points.

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Batman
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  #1211451 9-Jan-2015 22:56
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unless you fly round the world thrice over a year don't think about gold status with air NZ



gmball
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  #1211452 9-Jan-2015 22:57
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Isn't the new airpoints and status point earning rates the complete opposite to what you have mentioned?

They used to favour people you refer to as 'mileage runners', but now favour people who spend the most on their ticket. Higher ticket price paid on any given sector = more airpoints dollars earned and more status points earned.

A quick check of the Air NZ website confirms this, on a tasman fare, a one way fare to MEL of $266 will earn 21 status points, vs 23 status points for a $291 fare vs 26 status points for a $321 fare. Thats an additional 2 status points for every $30 more spent on a ticket.

It might pay for you to look more closely at the current airpoints program as I believe your comments relate to the way the program was run some years back.

khull

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  #1211465 9-Jan-2015 23:33
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gmball: Isn't the new airpoints and status point earning rates the complete opposite to what you have mentioned?

They used to favour people you refer to as 'mileage runners', but now favour people who spend the most on their ticket. Higher ticket price paid on any given sector = more airpoints dollars earned and more status points earned.

A quick check of the Air NZ website confirms this, on a tasman fare, a one way fare to MEL of $266 will earn 21 status points, vs 23 status points for a $291 fare vs 26 status points for a $321 fare. Thats an additional 2 status points for every $30 more spent on a ticket.

It might pay for you to look more closely at the current airpoints program as I believe your comments relate to the way the program was run some years back.


I believe you are correct with the assumption of the same departure destination + time slot but differing between booking class, however I am suggesting that if one is flexible in departure/arrival times or even flight duration + destination, it may worthwhile do a mileage run to get the status points.

Example, by simply relying on the Air NZ published "but now favour people who spend the most on their ticket" logic then on the Tasman fare , the logic falls over if I compare a Auckland/Wellington domestic fare of $269 earning 23 status points which works out cheaper than $291 for your MEL example.

Which is exactly what they wanted you to believe that if you spend more = more points if you are looking at the same destination + time slot

Coming back mileage running is no longer "distance / price paid" combination. In many instances, for the same (or close to) money spent, mileage running between Auckland/Wellington/Christchurch leg is much better than say Auckland/Sydney for amount spent being constant (NB. you could do this previously too but now, it is harder to compare)

EDIT: I think we are discussing over the same thing - just to define mileage running in my original post means any trip made solely to accrue status points (With intention to compare dollar spent, flight duration, destination) to achieve that goal. Agree that changes were made to discourage such practices but it hasn't been eliminated (or close to that)





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  #1211471 10-Jan-2015 00:02
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NZ - London Economy : 140 pts
NZ - London Discount Economy : 110 pts
Points to Gold (from Silver) : 900 pts

khull

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  #1211474 10-Jan-2015 00:30
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joker97: NZ - London Economy : 140 pts
NZ - London Discount Economy : 110 pts
Points to Gold (from Silver) : 900 pts



Hmm....NZ / London for the 27-30 hour flight time would be approx $1400 spent

Perhaps one could sit on a plane between Auckland/Wellington for 10 return trips (assuming $140 per return flight which is realistic) plus the 10-15 hours total flight time, that will return 160 points (assuming 8 points each way min). Less travel time, more points = mileage run ftw



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  #1211486 10-Jan-2015 06:45
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what's the point of this discussion? to get 140 points?

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  #1211487 10-Jan-2015 06:52
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It took my wife 2.5 months to achieve Gold, she is now 30 points from Elite which she will do this month, that is 4 months to Elite.

 
 
 

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  #1211489 10-Jan-2015 06:55
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business class long haul or very expensive ultimate price domestic tickets are the only way. unless you fly return london 3 times or wtg akl 100 times.

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  #1211501 10-Jan-2015 08:48
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My wife made Silver this year flying weekly up and down Auckland/Wellington for 6 months. She won't keep it unless it takes us a long time to sell our house and move up to Auckland. Even then she'll never get to Gold as international flights on ANZ are almost always too expensive when we fly, so we end up using another carrier.

If you fly Business long haul, you're in with a chance but who wants to pay that bill out of their own pocket? I do not know if it's common here yet but in the UK when you fly for business, most large corporates have a travel policy that says any airports earned belong to them not you because they paid.





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  #1211504 10-Jan-2015 08:54
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This discussion reminds me of a blog post about this very issue I've still got to finish.

Air NZ's new scheme is so confusing the rumours are even Stephen Hawking can't work it out. Air NZ certainly can't even build the booking system to match what you should probably earn under the new system and there are scenarios where SP earn still doesn't match what it's supposed to do. I don't think it's possible to create a more complex system if you tried, as there are up to (and in some situations there could be more than) 16 different SP earn rates on a single plane.

Air NZ tried to move from a loyalty based system to a revenue based system. The concept was the more you spent, the more SP you earned. This means somebody who is takes 50 return flights per year domestically is considered as loyal as a customer who takes 1 return business class flight to London.

Despite the move to equate SP to $ spend, it's not exactly how the model is based. SP earn also factors in the yield on a route and who it's operated by, ie you could spend $329 for example on a main trunk jet service between Wellington and Auckland and get 29 SP, but book a $338 flight from Whangarei to Wellington and you'll get 17 SP.

SP earn also excludes tax, so flights to AU have a much reduced earn rate from the old model because tax starts to make up 50% of the fare once you start getting down to $169 fares.

As for flights booked with reward points not earning SP - this is something I do agree with. You shouldn't really be rewarded with SP for booking reward flights, but when the model was changed to equate 1APD with 1 NZ$ I can see the point of view from people who believe they should earn SP.

I've had Gold for the last couple of years and based upon my predictions for travel before October this year I will hopefully requalify for this again. Last year I flew somewhere around 40 flights on Air NZ.






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  #1211505 10-Jan-2015 08:57
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My wife made three trips to China, two with AirNZ none flying business class and she is gold moving towards elite. Her domestic has been Auckland, Napier, Tauranga, Christchurch, Dunedin, Taupo

rayonline
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  #1211511 10-Jan-2015 09:32
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I just use the APD system for my credit card for the occasional fare to AKL or SYD.  I use a overseas programme for rewards easier and for gold easier too like Aegean or Asiana.  Only requires 1.5x return to Asia and back or 1x to further North America I think per year on average (for Gold).  Asiana does it each 2yr cycle though.  The best thing for me is to go for grabaeast fares primarily for 60% off fares like $699 Tokyo return even thou earns no APD, does earn SP but bugger all.  Pay my own money for that.  I'm not getting a Plat card and pay the higher annual fee for SP earing on the card - wont' get enough.

rayonline
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  #1211512 10-Jan-2015 09:41
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KiwiNZ: My wife made three trips to China, two with AirNZ none flying business class and she is gold moving towards elite. Her domestic has been Auckland, Napier, Tauranga, Christchurch, Dunedin, Taupo


Even on economy class it depends on the price class fare. 

Prem economy could earn 100-151 SP each way or up to 302 for the return trip.
The average NZder would probably get a $1,800-2,000 fare and that only earns 112 for the return trip.  An example when my parents flew to HKG to see family.  W class fare I think it is what they were on or global savers fare. 

http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/earning-on-air-new-zealand-flights

nathan
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  #1211525 10-Jan-2015 10:40
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Geekzone turning into Flyertalk forums ;)

johnr
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#1211531 10-Jan-2015 11:14
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nathan: Geekzone turning into Flyertalk forums ;)


Woot :)

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