QF SMS Login Verification
Jul 16, 2019, 4:40 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Brisbane AU, Planet X
Programs: QC Life, QFF Gold, VA Gold, HH nothing,IHG Gold
Posts: 1,605
QF SMS Login Verification
Looks like QF turned on 2FA
Now when you log into your Qantas Frequent Flyer page you will need to receive a code via text.
Going to make it hard for those who look after our parents frequent Flyer accounts.
Also makes it tough for those who might use a 2nd sim card when traveling.
Next Qantas will just send all the boarding passes to your mobile phone.
Now when you log into your Qantas Frequent Flyer page you will need to receive a code via text.
Going to make it hard for those who look after our parents frequent Flyer accounts.
Also makes it tough for those who might use a 2nd sim card when traveling.
Next Qantas will just send all the boarding passes to your mobile phone.
Jul 16, 2019, 2:37 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Melbourne
Programs: ►QFWP/LTG►VA WP►HyattExpl.►HiltonGold►ALL Silver
Posts: 21,993
This has been coming for some time and I set up some other accounts I manage so I would receive the code some time ago.
Aug 19, 2019, 12:34 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
I have never get received any kind of 2FA challenge when logging into the app and via the mobile website to manage bookings
however I seem to have a regular stream of text messages with authentication codes- the times don’t particularly align with when i’ve been trying to do anything
I know work has been tinkering with various flights due to schedule changes but assumed QBT would not be doing things in such a way as to generate a 2FA challenge
i find it a bit hard to believe anyone is trying to get into the account illegitimately, especially considering i’m not even being challenged when I log into my own
i also don’t want to phone qantas unless I have to (single runway ops in SYD, I expect they will be busy)
anyone have any insight?
however I seem to have a regular stream of text messages with authentication codes- the times don’t particularly align with when i’ve been trying to do anything
I know work has been tinkering with various flights due to schedule changes but assumed QBT would not be doing things in such a way as to generate a 2FA challenge
i find it a bit hard to believe anyone is trying to get into the account illegitimately, especially considering i’m not even being challenged when I log into my own
i also don’t want to phone qantas unless I have to (single runway ops in SYD, I expect they will be busy)
anyone have any insight?
Aug 19, 2019, 4:13 am
#7
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
The SMS for MFA happens when a new device accesses your QFF account for the first time, so you don't get it for "normal" activity (except every few months). So your unexpected SMS indicate a logon attempt from another device, perhaps automation, perhaps your friend checking on your QFF balance 
Obvioiusly unsuccessful as they dont have the code. I'd try to find out what it is before you get a denial of service attack.
Obvioiusly unsuccessful as they dont have the code. I'd try to find out what it is before you get a denial of service attack.
Aug 19, 2019, 4:22 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,644
On the basis that one should not necessarily attribute to malice that which could be explained by incompetence, two other possible reasons come to mind. One is that someone has mistaken your QFFF number for theirs, so is accidentally trying and failing to log in to your account. The other is that they are trying to log into their own account, but they have accidentally stored the wrong phone number (ie yours) in that account.
Aug 19, 2019, 9:19 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
Aug 19, 2019, 2:30 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Melbourne
Programs: ►QFWP/LTG►VA WP►HyattExpl.►HiltonGold►ALL Silver
Posts: 21,993
You need to set up challenge questions for your QFF account and register them with Awardwallet.
The Qantas login has a 'plan b' in case the SMS is not available - something like "Did not receive SMS" which invokes the challenge question access logic; Awardwallet follows that.
(FWIW, I have 4 QFF accounts monitored by Award wallet and recieve these SMS's frequently.)
The Qantas login has a 'plan b' in case the SMS is not available - something like "Did not receive SMS" which invokes the challenge question access logic; Awardwallet follows that.
(FWIW, I have 4 QFF accounts monitored by Award wallet and recieve these SMS's frequently.)
Aug 19, 2019, 8:59 pm
#12
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
Programs: QF Plat (Life Gold), SQ PPS
Posts: 1,072
A possible cause of spurious 2FA messages relates to the fact that QFF numbers do not contain any redundancy: it appears that amost any integer in the range 1 to 13 million or so is a valid FF#.. So if you accidentally mistype your FF# when logging in, you are probably not entering an invalid number: you are entering a valid number belonging to someone else, who will presumably get the 2FA SMS!
By contrast, for example, SQ KF numbers are 10 digits long, so a mistyped number has only a 1/1000 chance of being valid.
By contrast, for example, SQ KF numbers are 10 digits long, so a mistyped number has only a 1/1000 chance of being valid.
Aug 19, 2019, 9:35 pm
#13
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SYD
Programs: QF LTG, VASG, NZ*S, OZD, IHG SpireAMB, HHD
Posts: 1,421
serfty's response is the correct one here. AwardWallet sends me these text messages every time it checks my QF account. You just learn to ignore them (or repeatedly delete them).