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Most efficient way to use Velocity points getting to Europe

6 replies
gorstrom

gorstrom

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gorstrom

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 23 Jul 2018

Total posts 5

Hi all, my partner and I are thinking of booking a holiday to London in December. We're aiming to leave on the 15th and return a month later (unsure of the exact date yet). We can view flight prices for 15th December, but January 2020 prices don't seem to be available on most airlines just yet.


I was hoping for some advice on the best and most efficient way of utilising my existing Velocity points and status to get to London. I know I can use the points to offset the cost of flights, but I was thinking it may be better to convert the points to KrisFlyer miles and use them for upgrades on SA flights.

At this point in time, I have around 55k points and my status is Gold (expiring Jan / Feb 2020). By the time December arrives, I should have built up to around 65k points.

As I'm flying from Hobart, there's an additional consideration in the best route to take as well; generally when we travel overseas, we book our outbound flights from Melbourne or Sydney and then book the Hobart legs separately later on. But I know that prices for flights to London vary depending on the departing city, so we have to also consider which city will have the cheapest flights to Europe.

Any help or advice is appreciated :)

Sibelius

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Sibelius

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 06 Aug 2017

Total posts 181

At best, you'll have enough points for no more than one one-way Economy redemption or upgrade to PE/Business. You also need to take into consideration the time of year -- it's unlikely that you'll be able to find a flight redemption for December/January as that is a peak period. My advice would be that you pay for your flights this time around, and save your points for later.

djtech

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djtech

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

Member since 02 Sep 2018

Total posts 375

65k is not a whole lot. Best case is to get you Business class ticket to Hong Kong and from there book a flight to London. In this case, I would quickly acquire more points through credit card sign-ups if you were planning to use your points to fund the trip.


It is bad value to transfer to Singapore Krisflyer and you should only do so if you have no other choice. Keep in mind that a points upgrade is not garanteed and if you have no status with Singapore itself, it is very likely to be unsuccessful.

Generally, flying from Hobart is quite expensive so I would defnitely start your booking from Sydney or Melbourne. You could use your points to hop on the Hobart to SYD/MEL leg if you want and if the cash price is excessive.

If looking to utilise your Gold status, you should consider booking Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airline flights. Depending on which you prefer. They all get you in to a lounge and have priority benefits but I think Virgin AUS and Atlantic have much better lounge offerings.

bagpuss

bagpuss

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bagpuss

Member since 18 Jan 2017

Total posts 28

As others have mentioned you maybe best to pay for the flights.

A consideration maybe to add on a trip to the US and purchase a Virgin "Round the World" fare which could be cheaper than a return flight.

Examples can be found here:

Brett77

Brett77

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Brett77

QF

Member since 25 Feb 2014

Total posts 6

Yeh - This really is a tricky one and does highlight the issues faced when an airline you have all your loyalty and points with is not an equal partner with a global alliance.

Both SQ and EY are no longer good value for DJ points due to current financial issues at both airlines.
I would save the points you have with DJ and use them for upgrades opportunities around the AUS/NZ/LAX/HK network as this will bring the best value. (and also look for any status match deals that QF may offer)
Your trip is still a quite a while away and as a general rule fares are released 350 days prior.
I would forget the points for now and just focus on getting the best fare for your needs.
Departing HBA on a seperate ticket is also tricky, if the fare is not on the same PNR then you lose quite a few protections. Eg - You book HBA to MEL separately from your MEL-LHR ticket. Let's say the flight to London leaves Melbourne at 4pm, and you book the Hobart to Melbourne sector to arrive into Melbourne at 1pm. This is not an interline so you will have to collect your luggage in Melbourne and then check-in for the LHR flight.
Lets say though that your flight from HBA is cancelled - The airline only has an obligation to get you to MEL on the next available flight (with no regard to your onward journey as they are not connected fares on the same PNR) Which will then invalidate any insurance claims and you will be left stuck as the MEL-LHR sector will be considered a no-show.
The best bet is to look out for early bird deals, especially with Cathay Pacific in premium economy. I have seen them offer a HBA departure to Melbourne for only $100 more and for safety sake, that's a small price to pay.
But if you do have the budget for business or first, then just go nuts and pay whatever!
Also - Dec is a mixed fare time to travel. Look for departures prior to 15DEC for best value.
All the best for your travels and as an Aussie living in London i can honestly say - Winter in London is AMAZING!
B


gorstrom

gorstrom

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gorstrom

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

Member since 23 Jul 2018

Total posts 5

Thanks all for the very helpful replies and advice! I really appreciate the assistance.

What we've decided to do now is a little different from the initial plan; we're flying from Melbourne to Dublin via Qatar Airways, leaving 12-Dec, and then flying back from Paris to Melbourne via Qatar again on 17-Jan (as a multi-city "open jaw" booking). Flights for 17-Jan should be available within the next few days as I can see 16-Jan at the moment.


I chose Qatar primarily because the price is the lowest when compared against Emirates and Etihad, and it seems they get better reviews overall. As a silver lining, I can get QFF points and status credits (I'll be Silver by then).

We'd like to book ASAP so we can have the certainty of booked flights to organise the rest of the trip around, but also being conscious of price. Flights for 12-Dec / 16-Jan are around $1800 return for two adults at the moment, so I'm hoping this is decent value.

Jazzop

Jazzop

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Jazzop

Member since 02 Dec 2016

Total posts 114

Did you look at Virgin Atlantic?

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