So true. Hard as the reality is for some, I think this is something that is so often overlooked by many. With 10 million QFF members, how many are actually frequent flyers and truly loyal to the program, I wonder?

Now earning points to claim for flights, accomodation, wine and other 'free' goodies is all well and jolly good. But really, when it comes down to it, the QFF program was designed to reward their most frequent and loyal customers. Speaking objectively, why should they bother to reward the least of these who rarely do business with them?

Even I am not that regular a QF flyer. I do consider myself loyal to the brand, however, and all that it represents. I value my points, because I know what I can get and where they could take me. However, it is so easy to take them for granted. FF miles, or points, are, in essence, a luxury. They are an added bonus earned for what we already do; fly and spend with that brand.

Of course, some folks go out of their way to earn more points with said airline. In which case, the more they spend, the more they earn and hence the more they save It's no secret to know that FF programs are actually a valuable business asset for airlines and global hotel chains; they do not lose money from these schemes.

All said, perhaps this is a gentle (in some cases not so gentle) reminder for us to all go check our inboxes and QFF accounts and look at the fine print...

Some years ago I flew a bunch of LH flights within the space of a few months, and then again a year later. These flights earned me 6000 points, however I then returned to Australia and haven't left the country on a LH or LH-codeshare flight since, since QF is my preferred loyalty program given my location and pick of regular destinations. Needless to say, my points expired before I found a use for them (should have tried to gift them to someone, actually). Sure, it was certainly a pity. But then, that was about 3 years after any LH expenditure whatsoever, so completely understandable on their part.