Koru member... worth a status point run to reach Gold?
 

Hi all, long time reader, first time poster.

I'm currently 22 status points off Air NZ Gold, and have a CHC-DUD-CHC status point run booked in for this weekend (at cost of $266, fully flexi).

However - just found out today that work has paid for a Koru membership through to 31 July 2020.

Question - do you think it is worth taking the status point run this weekend to hit Gold? I'm due to have about 70 status points expire in August so this is likely the closest I'll get to Gold for a while. I'm unlikely to be travelling outside NZ/Aus/Pacific in the next year, so not sure that Gold will add anything that Koru wont already provide.

If work is paying for Koru. And you aren't going to use the RUs or *A lounges there is most probably little benefit. Only one I can think of is that Gold gives you a higher priority if weather cancellation or simlar.

Will work pay for Koru in the following year (ie could you defer the work-paid membership?) In that case it might be useful to attain Gold first and have a year of Koru second. If not, the advice above sounds good.

I assume there are tax implications to a work provided Koru membership? FBT?

Domestically there is very little difference. The real benefits of Gold are when you fly internationally, either to utilize your RUs or to utilize Star Alliance Gold.

Is a status point run worth it for the RUs? Ehhh. Most people don't fly internationally more than once a year, so that doesn't give you many chances to play the RU lottery. The lottery has extremely good odds when you are Elite, when you are Gold they definitely go down. I have heard mixed results from Golds.

I think that for me, if I was just doing at most one international trip overseas, I'd not do the status point run.

​​​​​Besides Star Alliance Gold lounges, the real benefit to the status program compared to any Koru benefits is unlimited APD upgrades which only kick in at Elite.

and I wouldn't bother with Gold unless the international trips are long-haul and you can use the two RUs, Gold value Trans-Tasman or to the south Pacific is almost nil.

A different perspective