QF P1 - is it worth it?

I'd love to hear from Platinums who've experienced Platinum One. Have you seen any real tangible benefits other than getting the first 2 rows economy on a B737 released sooner?

Also, why do Qantas insist on 3,600 SCs of which only 2,700 are QF/JQ? Why not just say 3,000 on QF/JQ without the extra 600? I don't understand what's in it for QF if one were to earn an additional 900SCs with none of that revenue going to QF.

Can someone please try and explain, in a least sarcastic way.

Skoffman, I'm P rather than P1 and the benefits are clear and I presume more reliable at P1. Points upgrades probably close to assured; In cabin surprise upgrades more frequent; seating further forward; upgrades announced further out; negligible wait on call centres; more generous waivers of fees etc. The status credit thing is probably driven by one world rules. If you earn them on other carriers they should count to something and 650 seems a bit stingy given we all have to fly non QF flights such as AA, BA, Cathay Dragon etc which may not have QF codeshares, from time-to-time.

Thanks Patrick. I'd still like to know if these benefits you suggest do actually happen, with some reliability. I'm about to hit P1 this year, a year in which I'll get some breathing space to maintain as I have a kid.

Having been P1 for 6 years I can say overall it is noticeably different to Plat, however there is a ‘but'.

If you're expecting the red carpet to be rolled out, or any special treatment onboard then you'll be disappointed. There isn't any.

If you consistently travel a lot, and by this I mean year after year then it is extremely valuable.

Over time, you'll get to know the dedicated P1 special service team on a first name basis, and they can do extraordinary things. Particularly when you're travelling and flights get disrupted / cancelled or things go wrong.

When requesting classic reward flights, being P1 means that the Qantas Premium Reservations team have a bit more authority to request additional seats to be ‘unlocked'. It's by no means a guarantee, but it does work a lot.

If you put in a points upgrade request on a booking, you are higher up the queue than most - but not the top. You're chances are pretty good most of the time.

My final point would be this. If you're scraping into P1 for the first time, then manage any expectations you've got around fireworks going off. They don't.

The answer to your question is no.

Here is the real, honest truth. The customers that Qantas REALLY cares about have already received their invite-only Chairman's Lounge status. Platinum One is basically a watered down version of that. Those that drive a considerable amount of revenue to Qantas, but is not enough in the airline's eyes to give you exclusive treatment. Thus, expect it to be Platinum + with a more dedicated team. You won't really notice the difference normally but in times of trouble, the personalised team will do whatever it takes for you, and that's where the status shines compared to a 'lowly' platinum.

Six consecutive years, wow. Don't you get the urge to try other carriers, like SQ, EY etc? I ask because I travel so much internationally, fortunately mostly in premium cabins. Once I've hit my QF Platinum I switch to EY, where I'm also Platinum. Gives me options and both with decent amount of service. I feel I can play them off against each other a bit, rather than be bound just to QF and then disappointed if they can't or won't do something.

I tend to agree with djtech. I was P1 with Qantas for 5 years but back to Platinum again for the past few years. There are a few nice perks along the way but considering my spend with Qantas it wasn't all that much to be honest. However, when flights were cancelled or other disruptions then that's where the dedicated P1 service team were very helpful. If you get to P1 through your regular travel all good but I would not go out of your way to chase it.

I don't think the incremental benefits offered at P1 level over P justify the monumental additional spend required.

Of course, if you're already travelling that frequently and happen to qualify for P1 naturally then that's all fine, but I certainly wouldn't go over and above what I'd normally spend to qualify.

That seems to be the consensus. Hardly a 'fall' back to just Platinum

I agree with the posts above. I have been P1 for two years. To get to that tier, I have to plan carefully and put in quite a bit of effort. Is it worth it? It's a bit exciting when you first achieve that level - but as pointed out above, don't expect a red carpet treatment. Apart from a slightly more vociferous 'welcome back', I don't notice any different treatment by QANTAS staff. I am slipping back to platinum this year. I will miss being able to select any seat on the plane (within the class of booking) and also being able to email the P1 with requests/changes etc. They will do just about anything to help within reason. The service if something goes wrong is also very good. It once looked like I was going to miss my connection with QF1 in Singapore and I was automatically re-booked on Singapore Airlines. The bottle of Champagne at Xmas is also nice. Going back to my original question: Is it worth it? If you are already doing those sort of miles, then it's a nice bonus. However, I don't think it's worth chasing. I'm no longer slavishly flying with QANTAS and fly with Japan Airlines and BA - and am really enjoying the diversity.

The SST makes ALL the difference. As P1 I was stuck multiple times due to flight disruption and the SST went above and beyond to get me home. A service you don't get with P or gold. For example on my last trip from SIN the QF flight got cancelled. SST called me and arranged an alternative immediately. As I told them I need to be back home by X o'clock - they have put me on the next SQ flight and send an apology email next day.

If you plan to fly a lot with QF, especially internationally, you are usually on a tight schedule and changes come up frequently, then I would 100% recommend P1. The service is world's apart compared to P. Especially when things go out of plan.

If things go per schedule, you fly on other OW carriers, or if you fly more domestically then there won't be much difference to P.