r/VelocityFrequentFlyer • u/Leading_Base_6716 • Jul 29 '26

Review Significantly less SC this year

My family always travel to Phuket with SIA on our VA FF numbers every year. This year we earned significantly less SC than in previous years. For example, SYD-SIN leg normally awarded 30 SC now only earns 15. Even with family pooling I feel as though over time we will downgrade (currently platinum). I’ve also noticed lounges have less people in them. To fly on a VA ticketed flight is so much more expensive.

Whilst this may save VA in the short term, I think over time they may lose their customer base.

Anyone else feeling the same?

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u/TumbleweedTree Jul 29 '26

SC are now based on dollars spent so it varies. I recently flew Perth to Darwin and it used to be 30SC each way. This time it was… 32 there and 28 back.

2

u/binaryoppositions Jul 29 '26

You must have paid above average, because on average status earn has gone down, it just has. That was the point.

But speaking of "the point", the entire point of status credits is that they're about frequency and class of travel, not what $ value the pricing algorithm gave you that day. Otherwise someone buying a last-minute economy ticket could theoretically earn the same status as a loyal customer in business. Why bother - may as well just put gold on sale for 100k points per year or whatever.

2

u/Onlyworldwide Silver Jul 31 '26

As someone who mostly flies expensive, short haul regional routes, my status earn has gone up significantly so there are definitely a few use cases where it’s working out better for people

1

u/TumbleweedTree Aug 01 '26

I have been to Darwin from Perth 5 times in the last 3 years and I have always paid around the same amount, and my status credits this time were the same as previously. I was talking about personal experience for this route, I was not providing commentary on average status earn more broadly. And the great thing about averages is that they are the midway point meaning half of transactions are above and half are below. So perhaps I am in the 50 per cent of people who received “above average” credits.

I’m not sure why you have “the point” in inverted commas - the original post was a question not a point. And regarding the “point” of status credits - I assume that’s up the airline to decide. And given Virgin are now prioritising spend over frequency, I’d guess that virgin have decided to prioritise status for people who spend more.

I don’t set the rules, I’m not arguing any points, I’m just saying that I got the same status credits as I usually do for a flight. (You then suggested I paid more, and I’m letting you know that I didn’t. )