I'm new to this forum but haven't been lazy as I had a scan through previous posts but cannot find my answer.
So, I have points accumulated whilst living in Australia for many years but recently emigrated to Thailand and not having an income and needing to travel around Asia and to/from UK, I thought it time to utilise my points.
I have the following:
Westpac Black Card = 250,000 points
NAB Platinum Visa = 80,000 points (looking to cancel this card before March 2018 as annual fee is due....will I lose points if I cancel prior to spending?)
Qantas = 11,800 points
Virgin Velocity = 23,530 points
Thai Airways = one return flight BKK to LHR
Any advice as to what scheme to convert the credit card points into for maximum benefits? These points have taken me years to accumulate and I'm not wanting to make a regretful decision when converting/spending them.
I'm happy to start a new frequent flyer programme that flies to/from Asia and Europe.
Any recommendations/advice would be appreciated and I'm happy to research a little further, I need some initial pointers though.
Where and how often do you do paid flights around Asia and UK, and who do you fly with?
I've only been in Thailand for 6 months and so far I've been to Phuket (AirAsia), Hong Kong (HK Express) and Laos (NOK Air) so all budget local flights.
When I go to UK which I think will be every 6-9 months (parents are old) I will fly any major airline based upon $$$, Thai was the cheapest of the 'big' airlines back in November when I flew that route.
There's no absolute right or wrong way to do this, and there may be several different ways to get the most out of your points, depending on where and when you travel.
First things first: you must transfer your NAB points before you close the account, or you will lose them all. NAB points can be transferred into Airpoints, Asia Miles and Velocity. I personally would choose Velocity because of its affiliation with Singapore Airlines and the easy transfer of points into KrisFlyer miles if you choose to do so at a later date.
You need to do some research on Oneworld and Star Alliance and decide whether you want to focus on accumulating points that can be used on each programme. To further complicate matters, Qantas points can be used on Emirates flights as well as Oneworld flights. In the same way, Velocity points can be used on Etihad.
Not knowing your specific situation, I would personally choose Star Alliance for two reasons: Thai is a Star Alliance airline, and the easy transfer of Velocity Points into the Star Alliance universe via KrisFlyer. However, I'm sure some readers of this forum would disagree, and they may be right -- only YOU know your personal situation.
So one possible course of action for you is to transfer all your points into KrisFlyer (either directly, in the case of your Westpac points, or via Velocity in the case of your NAB points). Your KrisFlyer points can then be used with Thai, Singapore and a whole lot of other airlines.
There are other options. For example, you could keep some or all of your Velocity points and use them to fly Virgin Atlantic from Hong Kong to the UK.
This is complex. Take your time to decide what to do. But get those points out of NAB rewards before you cancel!
Your Westpac Altitude points are best transferred to Velocity as you get a 2:1 transfer rate vs 2.5-1 to the other programs. So 125K Velocity points
NAB points to transfer them out before you close the card so you don't lose the points. Not familiar with that cards transfer rates but...
Your Qantas points won't get you very far.
Thanks for the suggestion.
If I throw all the points from Westpac & NAB (just checked I get 2-1, so 41k points) onto Velocity then that poses the question can I use them on flights not commencing out of Australia?
I just checked my NAB Rewards and if I use them via Webjet link on the credit card website, the 82k points = $413 flight tickets......good deal or not?
I have transferred my NAB to Velocity and got 41k and a bonus $20 went to charity. I'll give it a week and then cancel the card to avoid the annual fee.
So, now I'll transfer the Westpac points and I'll have 189k Velocity Points in total.
New queston....do they expire? If so, what should I do to keep them? For instance, will one activity keep all points intact or will they expire on a rolling time period, oldest expire first no matter whether I have activity on my account or not?
I just checked the Velocity website and I can use them from HK to LHR but not BKK to LHR??
That's fine as there are cheap HK Express flights to HK.
I will also look into the KrisFlyer option suggested :)
Velocity points don't expire as long as you either add, or use, points at least once every 24 months. One activity will keep all points intact. (As opposed to KrisFlyer, whose points expire on a rolling time period).
Etihad flies from BKK to LHR so you should be able to use your Velocity points to book with them -- if you can't do so via the website, you might need to do it via telephone.
Your Westpac Altitude points are best transferred to Velocity as you get a 2:1 transfer rate vs 2.5-1 to the other programs. So 125K Velocity points
NAB points to transfer them out before you close the card so you don't lose the points. Not familiar with that cards transfer rates but...
Your Qantas points won't get you very far.
Thanks for the suggestion.
If I throw all the points from Westpac & NAB (just checked I get 2-1, so 41k points) onto Velocity then that poses the question can I use them on flights not commencing out of Australia?
I just checked my NAB Rewards and if I use them via Webjet link on the credit card website, the 82k points = $413 flight tickets......good deal or not?
Not a good deal! Say you transferred the 82k to velocity at 3:1.5 you would have 41k points. eg Sydney to Perth business is 35k points that's a $1000+ fair so much better than a $413. Im sure you can find even better uses for the points thats just one I have done.
Yes I have used velocity to book flights not commencing (but returning to )Australia. You can do this on the web site. For partner rewards like Etihad booking you have to call up but it can be done.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on
How to use all my points??
Braithwaite
Braithwaite
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 03 Feb 2018
Total posts 4
Hi,
sid
sid
Member since 07 Jan 2011
Total posts 205
Where and how often do you do paid flights around Asia and UK, and who do you fly with?
Joseph
Joseph
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 05 Sep 2013
Total posts 28
Your Westpac Altitude points are best transferred to Velocity as you get a 2:1 transfer rate vs 2.5-1 to the other programs. So 125K Velocity points
Braithwaite
Braithwaite
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 03 Feb 2018
Total posts 4
I've only been in Thailand for 6 months and so far I've been to Phuket (AirAsia), Hong Kong (HK Express) and Laos (NOK Air) so all budget local flights.
Sibelius
Sibelius
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 06 Aug 2017
Total posts 181
There's no absolute right or wrong way to do this, and there may be several different ways to get the most out of your points, depending on where and when you travel.
First things first: you must transfer your NAB points before you close the account, or you will lose them all. NAB points can be transferred into Airpoints, Asia Miles and Velocity. I personally would choose Velocity because of its affiliation with Singapore Airlines and the easy transfer of points into KrisFlyer miles if you choose to do so at a later date.
You need to do some research on Oneworld and Star Alliance and decide whether you want to focus on accumulating points that can be used on each programme. To further complicate matters, Qantas points can be used on Emirates flights as well as Oneworld flights. In the same way, Velocity points can be used on Etihad.
Not knowing your specific situation, I would personally choose Star Alliance for two reasons: Thai is a Star Alliance airline, and the easy transfer of Velocity Points into the Star Alliance universe via KrisFlyer. However, I'm sure some readers of this forum would disagree, and they may be right -- only YOU know your personal situation.
So one possible course of action for you is to transfer all your points into KrisFlyer (either directly, in the case of your Westpac points, or via Velocity in the case of your NAB points). Your KrisFlyer points can then be used with Thai, Singapore and a whole lot of other airlines.
There are other options. For example, you could keep some or all of your Velocity points and use them to fly Virgin Atlantic from Hong Kong to the UK.
This is complex. Take your time to decide what to do. But get those points out of NAB rewards before you cancel!
Braithwaite
Braithwaite
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 03 Feb 2018
Total posts 4
Thanks for the suggestion.
Braithwaite
Braithwaite
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 03 Feb 2018
Total posts 4
Thank you very much all responders.
Sibelius
Sibelius
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
Member since 06 Aug 2017
Total posts 181
Velocity points don't expire as long as you either add, or use, points at least once every 24 months. One activity will keep all points intact. (As opposed to KrisFlyer, whose points expire on a rolling time period).
Joseph
Joseph
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 05 Sep 2013
Total posts 28
Thanks for the suggestion.
Not a good deal! Say you transferred the 82k to velocity at 3:1.5 you would have 41k points. eg Sydney to Perth business is 35k points that's a $1000+ fair so much better than a $413. Im sure you can find even better uses for the points thats just one I have done.