Could not agree more. CX and SQ's morning flight back to Sydney from HK and SG respectively are great options, not so great it you want to stick with QF for loyalty purposes. Lately, i've been moving to the CX or SQ alternatives.

Was looking at reasons to switch back to Velocity, i guess that's another reason not to switch. This was a really handy perk. 

I got approved for Plus Club after a follow up email as well. I see you can earn miles with qantas, does that give lounge access too? 

Topbonus are now saying "Unfortunately this offer is only available for German, Austrian and Swiss members". https://www.airberlin.com/de/site/landingpages/tb_aktionen.php?aktion=matchstatus&promotionCode=TEE4 Spewing!!!! 

Agreed, however in Aus you can get the Diners Club Card with a MasterCard "companion" - costs a bit extra but near guarentees acceptance of the account with the benefits of diners (inc. lounge access). Amex is better, i'll say that, but for a fraction of the annual fee, Diners with the MasterCard...