When do you start spending your FF points? Is there a number above which you “worry” and start spending them on flights etc?
Vast majority of my travel is for business (and i fly in business) and i have been accumulating points on both virgin and qantas. I would like to know from AusBT readers, at what point do you consider using those points (above 1 million, 10million?)
No way I would wait until I rake up a million points. Essentially, as soon as I earn em, I start planning to burn em. That doesn't mean you randomly take off to nowhere, sans planning or purpose. But if you take quarterly holidays, then you probably should never stare down the 'devaluation' barrel. If you have a family to take along, those points wouldn't last beyond a few quarters anyway, particularly if you fly premium cabins exclusively.
After I got over 280,000 QF points (that being the amount for round-the-world in J) I stopped worrying.
As it turns out, the real barrier is having an opportunity to spend them - I'm up to over 450,000 QF points now, and will have 550,000 soon after my latest credit card bonus lands. I'd like to spend them, but instead I've just spent all my Amex points on a trip next year and I won't have any leave left over for a while!
My biggest issues is spending the points i.e. finding reward flights when I want them. Maybe it's my imagination, or my reward flight booking strategy, but it seems in the last couple of years that QF reward flights in J to Europe or even Asia are harder to find.
Slightly off-topic, but related to this, is that the number of QF partners available in online reward flight searches seems to be less than what the QF rewards contact centre can see despite Qantas' recent assertion, twice, that I can see online if searching myself everything the contact centre can see if I book over the phone.
As pointed out by parties to this site, getting o/s flights with points only is very difficult. Points plus Pay is another good option from experience. I use my points to fly or upgrade family members when flying in Aus and pay for my own to maintain SCs. The longer you retain them you risk not being able to enjoy using them.
As pointed out by parties to this site, getting o/s flights with points only is very difficult. Points plus Pay is another good option from experience. I use my points to fly or upgrade family members when flying in Aus and pay for my own to maintain SCs. The longer you retain them you risk not being able to enjoy using them.
Not if you use a travel agent. Mine got us bussiness class return tickets using point on SIA to the upcoming Abu Dhabi F1 back to sydney . Oh yer !!!! cant wait - also cant wait for the new first class suites !! awesome Singapore Airlines & Virgin Aust..
I use the as soon as I have enough to get flights, earlier in 2017 I went business class from Gold Coast to Sydney to Bangkok to Dubai to Barcelona and back the same way. Had to book them as multi-city itinerary but when the stopover is less than 24 hours it doesn't increase the miles you need. Cost about 280,000 points as I did stop In Bangkok for 5 days. Got all the inclusions, chauffer and the Dubai overnight stay at the Le Meridien Hotel. Have a similar trip in business class for next May into Paris and out if Amsterdam. Fairly easy to get flights on Emirates operated flights but virtually impossible to get on Qantas planes.
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FF Points Fear
mspcooper
mspcooper
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 09 May 2013
Total posts 442
When do you start spending your FF points? Is there a number above which you “worry” and start spending them on flights etc?
Rohit
Rohit
Member since 06 Jul 2017
Total posts 17
No way I would wait until I rake up a million points. Essentially, as soon as I earn em, I start planning to burn em. That doesn't mean you randomly take off to nowhere, sans planning or purpose. But if you take quarterly holidays, then you probably should never stare down the 'devaluation' barrel. If you have a family to take along, those points wouldn't last beyond a few quarters anyway, particularly if you fly premium cabins exclusively.
ajd
ajd
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 27 Nov 2014
Total posts 24
After I got over 280,000 QF points (that being the amount for round-the-world in J) I stopped worrying.
As it turns out, the real barrier is having an opportunity to spend them - I'm up to over 450,000 QF points now, and will have 550,000 soon after my latest credit card bonus lands. I'd like to spend them, but instead I've just spent all my Amex points on a trip next year and I won't have any leave left over for a while!
Andrew Barkery
Andrew Barkery
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 21 Mar 2011
Total posts 433
You really need to plan a what if.
I used my last 60,000 (AN) Ansett points for a J return on SQ (ADL - SIN) in the weeks before they went kaput.
They were amassed from credit card and flights.
Still feel a bit bad that maybe I helped AN go dry financially.
Flew to Singapore end of Sep 2001, and back early Oct that same year, few weeks before AN mark 1 went belly up.
These days, once I hit 5,000 Qpoints or enough VFF for a P+P and have a flight plan in mind, I use the points for each program ASAP.
My brother lost at least 150,000 AN points as he didn't get the chance to utilise them.
JakeDrake
JakeDrake
Member since 13 Mar 2014
Total posts 20
My biggest issues is spending the points i.e. finding reward flights when I want them. Maybe it's my imagination, or my reward flight booking strategy, but it seems in the last couple of years that QF reward flights in J to Europe or even Asia are harder to find.
Slightly off-topic, but related to this, is that the number of QF partners available in online reward flight searches seems to be less than what the QF rewards contact centre can see despite Qantas' recent assertion, twice, that I can see online if searching myself everything the contact centre can see if I book over the phone.
DAREng
DAREng
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 18 Jul 2017
Total posts 15
MSPC
Paully
Paully
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 02 Feb 2015
Total posts 22
Not if you use a travel agent. Mine got us bussiness class return tickets using point on SIA to the upcoming Abu Dhabi F1 back to sydney . Oh yer !!!! cant wait - also cant wait for the new first class suites !! awesome Singapore Airlines & Virgin Aust..
jgb59
jgb59
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 16 Mar 2016
Total posts 12
I use the as soon as I have enough to get flights, earlier in 2017 I went business class from Gold Coast to Sydney to Bangkok to Dubai to Barcelona and back the same way. Had to book them as multi-city itinerary but when the stopover is less than 24 hours it doesn't increase the miles you need. Cost about 280,000 points as I did stop In Bangkok for 5 days. Got all the inclusions, chauffer and the Dubai overnight stay at the Le Meridien Hotel. Have a similar trip in business class for next May into Paris and out if Amsterdam. Fairly easy to get flights on Emirates operated flights but virtually impossible to get on Qantas planes.