Are loyalty perks getting harder to earn?
25% Wild About Travel
25% View from the Wing
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Loyalty programs are indeed becoming tougher to crack, with airlines tightening the rules around earning and redeeming perks.
Higher Spending and Credit Requirements
- Virgin Australia’s 2025 overhaul cuts frequent‑flyer points by 20% (unless you hold a co‑branded card) and shifts status qualification from miles to dollars, demanding roughly $9,600 to keep Platinum and $4,800 for Gold Wild About Travel .
- Qantas will raise the annual Status Credit thresholds for all tiers starting in 2027 (e.g., Silver from 250 to 300 credits, Gold from 600 to 700 credits) and retire the “Loyalty Bonus,” meaning you’ll need to spend about $2,000 more each year to make up the shortfall Wild About Travel .
Favoring High‑Value Customers
- American Airlines and other carriers are eliminating mileage earnings on Basic Economy tickets, pushing occasional travelers toward higher‑fare cabins to preserve elite benefits BaldThoughts ATXJetsetter .
- United’s overhaul makes credit‑card ownership essential for earning miles efficiently, slashing point accrual by up to 40 percent for non‑cardholders and raising award costs for them The Bulkhead Seat View from the Wing .
Premium Redemptions Becoming More Expensive
- Qantas has made Emirates First Class award seats harder to obtain, reflecting a broader trend of reserving premium redemptions for top‑tier elites Live and Let’s Fly .
What This Means for Frequent Flyers
- You’ll need to plan travel more strategically, focusing on partner flights, credit‑card promotions, and higher‑spending thresholds to maintain status.
- Monitoring airline promotions (like American’s limited‑time bonus Loyalty Points) can help offset the tougher baseline requirements View from the Wing .
Overall, the industry is shifting toward rewarding higher‑spending, card‑holding customers while making it increasingly difficult for occasional or lower‑tier flyers to earn the same perks.
Chasing Frequent Flyer Status in a Stacked System
For context: I’m a frequent flyer who maintains status across multiple programs: primarily Virgin Australia Platinum, Qantas Platinum, and Star Alliance Gold. This isn’t unique. Many frequent flyers play multiple programs to maximise coverage and benefits. Are you one of them? Virgin Australia has been one of my “main homes” for 13 years because it operates an extensive domestic network and international routes across the Asia/Pacific region. Virgin has reinvented itself three times: as a low-cost carrier, a full-service carrier, and now a hybrid. Throughout, they’ve been my preferred option for Australian domestic travel, alongside Qantas. They
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