Author: Matt Graham
Matt Graham
Matt was the editor of Australian Frequent Flyer from 2015 until 2025. His passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries - with a lot of help along the way from frequent flyer points! Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine. You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @Mattg.
Are Eurail Passes Worthwhile?
Trains are one of the fastest and most convenient ways to get around Europe. Frequent high-speed trains connect all of the major European cities. If you’re planning a trip to Europe, it can be tempting to purchase a Eurail Pass. These passes cover unlimited train travel within certain European countries for a fixed amount of time. … Continued
Accor Devalues Le Club Loyalty Program
Accor Hotels is making significant changes to its “Le Club” loyalty program. From next year, it will become much more difficult to earn and maintain status with the program. Le Club is the loyalty program of Accor-branded hotels including Novotel, Sofitel, Mercure, Ibis and Pullman. The major change is the way in which status is … Continued
No Cathay Pacific Lounge Access in San Francisco?
Qantas launched flights to San Francisco last year. As Qantas does not operate a lounge in San Francisco, eligible flyers are directed to use the Air France lounge. However, in our members’ experience, the lounge is too small and offers a sub-par experience. The AF lounge is now completely full so anyone coming in late is … Continued
Parental Status Pause: Qantas vs Virgin
New parents can now elect to pause their Qantas Frequent Flyer membership for up to 18 months. The family-friendly change has been welcomed by our members, but how does it compare to Virgin’s “Membership Pause” policy? Qantas’ new “Status Hold” is available to new parents, including foster parents, for up to 18 months. During the hold period, eligible members … Continued
Six Days of Luxury for $1,200!
Six days of ultimate luxury, involving First class flights and five-star hotels may sound like merely a dream. But this is exactly what one AFF member was recently lucky enough to experience. After flying from Australia to the UAE in First class on Etihad Airways, our member Moindardt spent three nights at a popular 5-star hotel in … Continued
New Restrictions on Qantas Award Availability?
It appears that Qantas is now severely restricting Classic Flight Reward seat access to Bronze frequent flyers, particularly in premium cabins. Members of oneworld and other partner airline programs wishing to redeem points for Qantas flights may also be affected. Our members have noticed a significant difference in the award availability seen on the Qantas website by … Continued
Macquarie Cuts Qantas Points
Macquarie is the latest Australian bank to slash the value of its credit card rewards offering. From next month, both of Macquarie’s Qantas Frequent Flyer-linked cards will see new caps on the number of Qantas points that can be earned at the full rate each month. Both the Macquarie Platinum and high-end Macquarie Black cards … Continued
Buying United Miles for Cheap First Class
United Airlines miles open up a world of opportunity when it comes to cheap Business and First class travel. United sells miles that can be redeemed for flights on any Star Alliance airline. With bonuses of up to 100% available from time to time, this makes it possible to fly to Asia in First Class … Continued
Qantas Downgrade Debacle
Following an involuntary downgrade from Business to Economy, one member is frustrated with Qantas’ refusal to offer any sort of refund or compensation. This member had originally booked a Business class ticket from Canberra to Singapore via Melbourne. But the domestic connection was later downgraded to Economy. Qantas offered no refund, and only begrudgingly agreed … Continued