How Does Parental Status Hold Work?
Nov 2, 2025 | 2:24 pm
#16
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: NZ
Posts: 248
Can confirm it’s basically a free year without being issued a fresh round of recognition upgrades and valet vouchers. Unused recognition upgrades can be used until original expiry (and valet). Ive done it twice now (3 years apart) and for all intents and purposes, you will not know the difference vs. being non-parental elite when booking/seat selection/on board. Boarding pass still shows *G on partner flights and lounge access unchanged. Might have been a glitch in the matrix but my elite partner also got extended to match status hold.
All earnt status points whilst on hold still count up and if you hit enough to requalify Elite, the hold automatically ends. Anything below that just gets wiped at the end of the 12m hold and you start fresh with 0 (but a full year at Elite). All airpoints dollars earnt while on hold still accrue the normal way and are kept after the hold.
It’s exactly what it says it is on the tin and a bloody good benefit for anyone that is eligible!
All earnt status points whilst on hold still count up and if you hit enough to requalify Elite, the hold automatically ends. Anything below that just gets wiped at the end of the 12m hold and you start fresh with 0 (but a full year at Elite). All airpoints dollars earnt while on hold still accrue the normal way and are kept after the hold.
It’s exactly what it says it is on the tin and a bloody good benefit for anyone that is eligible!
But fully agree this is a great perk for parents who choose to use it, very (perhaps overly) generous policy
Nov 3, 2025 | 2:01 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2022
Programs: Airpoints Elite
Posts: 226
I was told by the live chat agent that in the 'hold' year any SP earned don't count (so, for example, I'm flying to Sydney tomorrow for a night and that flight is earning SP but the SP won't count for anything).
That seems pretty fair as the system gives you a guaranteed second full year of Elite in which to requalify normally thereafter. Would be far too generous if it allowed you to bank up over effectively two years what everyone else has to do in one.
That seems pretty fair as the system gives you a guaranteed second full year of Elite in which to requalify normally thereafter. Would be far too generous if it allowed you to bank up over effectively two years what everyone else has to do in one.
Feb 13, 2026 | 1:38 am
#18
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 386
Just have my Gold hold approved today. And like you samjaynz I am beyond confused.
Nz8 So my current membership year runs from 1st Feb 26 till 31st Jan 27 and I am actually already close to requalifying. So are you saying that despite the retention counter disappearing from my app, the SP is still being tracked for requalification? And say if I actually requalified between now and when my status hold ends on 28th Feb 27, I actually lose out because my status hold will end at that point and I go straight into another year of requal? That seems like giving me all the perverse incentive to not fly AirNZ!
Nz8 So my current membership year runs from 1st Feb 26 till 31st Jan 27 and I am actually already close to requalifying. So are you saying that despite the retention counter disappearing from my app, the SP is still being tracked for requalification? And say if I actually requalified between now and when my status hold ends on 28th Feb 27, I actually lose out because my status hold will end at that point and I go straight into another year of requal? That seems like giving me all the perverse incentive to not fly AirNZ!
Feb 13, 2026 | 1:42 am
#19
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 3,559
Just have my Gold hold approved today. And like you samjaynz I am beyond confused.
Nz8 So my current membership year runs from 1st Feb 26 till 31st Jan 27 and I am actually already close to requalifying. So are you saying that despite the retention counter disappearing from my app, the SP is still being tracked for requalification? And say if I actually requalified between now and when my status hold ends on 28th Feb 27, I actually lose out because my status hold will end at that point and I go straight into another year of requal? That seems like giving me all the perverse incentive to not fly AirNZ!
Nz8 So my current membership year runs from 1st Feb 26 till 31st Jan 27 and I am actually already close to requalifying. So are you saying that despite the retention counter disappearing from my app, the SP is still being tracked for requalification? And say if I actually requalified between now and when my status hold ends on 28th Feb 27, I actually lose out because my status hold will end at that point and I go straight into another year of requal? That seems like giving me all the perverse incentive to not fly AirNZ!
Feb 14, 2026 | 3:38 am
#20
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 386
Honestly not sure how much I will get to travel 2nd half of the year so thought this was a safer bet. But reading this thread makes me feel that I may have made a mistake.