Qantas Reward Seat booking

[mrsterryn]

Fortune to have a few points .
Wondering if people when booking reward seats via the Qantas site, book a seat and then a few days later find a better deal and book that and cancel previous?

Having a general look it appears the oneworld airlines release at varying dates
Just thinking booking first available and then monitoring is the way to go?
I am aware of the cancellation points fee
Thanks

 

[goldenhorn]

If you don't care about the loss of points, why not?

I do this on Booking.com all the time with hotels. Book with free cancellation, then keep monitoring the hotel prices. If they drop I rebook and cancel the original booking with no consequences.

 

[mrsterryn]

Yep very true

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes i do it sometimes. Just pay the points fine

 

[Quickstatus]

And if you have enough points-
Keep the original award booking even after you manage to find a better one for as long as you can. This means you have some flexibility because plans could change again. Cancel one not less than 24hrs prior to its departure. This way, the points fine becomes the cost of this flexibility, rather than the cost of cancellation which is more palatable.

I currently have Miss QS on Award JNB-SYD QF64 on 2 different dates in November. She will tell me closer to each departure which she prefers.

I understand that this means that some other punter would be missing out as I am holding an award ticket which I will never trigger, and when the award seat returns to the airline, its usually not going to be sold as an award ticket, but in a much higher revenue fare bucket. Good for airline not so good for a punter looking for an award.

 

[mrsterryn]

Thanks @Quickstatus that is an excellent idea

 

[goldenhorn]

And if you have enough points-
Keep the original award booking even after you manage to find a better one for as long as you can. This means you have some flexibility because plans could change again. Cancel one not less than 24hrs prior to its departure. This way, the points fine becomes the cost of this flexibility, rather than the cost of cancellation which is more palatable.

I currently have Miss QS on Award JNB-SYD QF64 on 2 different dates in November. She will tell me closer to each departure which she prefers.

I understand that this means that some other punter would be missing out as I am holding an award ticket which I will never trigger, and when the award seat returns to the airline, its usually not going to be sold as an award ticket, but in a much higher revenue fare bucket. Good for airline not so good for a punter looking for an award.

Great strategy!

 

[Quickstatus]

Around these parts of the woods its de rigeur.

 

[Franky]

Great strategy!

In a way it is, but imagine that if 1000 people did that, it means another 1000 people may not be able to get an award booking at all.

 

[goldenhorn]

T

In a way it is, but imagine that if 1000 people did that, it means another 1000 people may not be able to get an award booking at all.

Good point

 

[Happy Trails]

Cancel one not less than 24hrs prior to its departure.

Award bookings can be cancelled within 24 hours - just has to be before commencement of travel.

 

[JohnK]

Not very often but I book award flights for daughter and if plans change I can cancel and still get something back.

Earlier this year I had a HKG-SYD award booked at 25% off and as plans changed slightly I ended up cancelling and rebooking HKG-SYD-BNE at 50% off and only lost 2,500 QFF points.