So where do I put 3.5 million points????

[lovetravellingoz]

So where do I put 3.5 million points????

Your thought would be greatly appreciated as there is a lot of knowledge and expertise on this board.

BACKGROUND

Ok, firstly thanks to the Everyday Promo in particular, but also other Point Running activities, I am in a nice points position at present.

Amex: 2500K
SQ: 600K
QF: . 220K
Citibank 70K
BMI: 42K
Altitude 43K (after diving by 2 and so is at numbers of points that would arrive in QF)
AA 2K

I also have discounted QC membership, and am Melbourne based.

However the upcoming Points Transfer deadline of March 31 provides an initial constraint and need for an early decision and so I am interested in your feedback .

In particular as:
1/ My redeeming points for Business Travel is limited to domestic and is quite outdated as it was a back when I was a Platinum with Ansett.
2/ I have not redeemed rooms with hotels at all.

REDEMPTIONS –Flights

Some tempting choices and point costs are:

SQ Savers to Europe in J = 127 K, but destinations on Savers are getting more limited..
*A via SQ to Europe in J is 150K
*A to North America in J 125K
*A via SQ allows some regional bargains like Tahiti in J for only 35k

With QF, Oneworld RTW are ok value too RTW in J = 280K and economy 140K. However by and large most other international destinations are not as attractive as *A and in particular when comparing travel in J.

UPGRADES

As I have no status pursuing upgrades on paid tickets would seem likely to end up in disappointment, or at least in planning to do so as a way of achieving travel in J.

CONVERT TO AA

I could convert to AA enough points to get the status that comes with one million points. Unfortunately going through SPG means that those will swallow up over 2 million points.

However I am not sure this status will gain me much as for the next several years my paid flights will be minimal (ie say 8-10 domestic flights per year) and my paid will hopefully be in J(ie gets status benefit on the flight).

It would also lead to less flights than compared with redeeming two million plus points on *A.


REDEMPTIONS- Hotels

Basically I have not redeemed for Hotels before. So I need to have a look at this more closely. However a quick skim seems to indicate that if one can get it that travel in J is better value. However some ways maybe there for good value redemptions in expensive locations like New York?? I am a babe in the woods here, so your thoughts would be welcome.

CONSTRAINTS

1/ Time is the big one. With the GFC in full swing now is not the time to just throw in ones job for a year or two of great travel as tempting as it may be.

2/ So that makes 4 weeks per year, boosted to say 5weeks by leveraging Public Holidays…plus maybe a week here or there of unpaid leave. This limits the ability make the most outof a RTW.

3/ Most redemptions would be for family travel (mainly likely to be 4 rather than 5 now), though we might mix in some for just my wife and I.

4/ Given the age of my kids, most travel will need to be in School Holidays for the next several years. However I may gift some flights to my eldest daughter who is now 18.

5/ While J would now be my flight preference. How realistic is it for 4 at once?
* In particular as I would mainly be looking at School Holiday Windows, though the Xmas window has flexibility of Dec 10-ish to Jan 31?
* I have done some dummy bookings and one can sometimes get 4 on SQ….but so far these have not been for very popular times such as school holidays commencing. Can one get 4 J tickets on *A Partner Awards with no staus??

* Do I perhaps compromise and either redeem for:
** 2 in J and 2 in economy (or PE if available)?
** 2 in J on consecutive days where I cannot nab 4 in J., though this adds complexity and removes the fun of flying together. It also increase cost for taxis etc.

RISK & OPPORTUNITY


While pushing all the points through SQ would currently appear to be best, it does also concentrate the risk.

However my CC currently has a number of Airline Partners so who knows what opportunities might bob up?

However transferring some points to QF to top up to achieve 2 or 4 RTW J Awards might spread the risk, as well as having a good balance if “specials” arise.


J REDEMPTIONS FOR 4

As mentioned above this is desired….but is this just an unrealistic pipedream?

LIKELY TIME FRAME FOR REDEMPTIONS

• This Xmas my kids have a committment the first two weeks in January, and so Xmas this year is probably out...though a opportunity may present for a 1 or 2 week trip.
• 2010 Easter 1-2 weeks.
• 3 weeks in July 2010 (School Holidays)- Europe
• Xmas 2010..say 4 -6 weeks from Dec 10 to Jan 31 Window. Europe. Possible RTW.
• 2010 A quick trip to Tahiti, possibly san-kids.
• 2011 July, 2/3 weeks
• 2011 Xmas/3/4 weeks,

etc...



CURRENT INCLINATION


My current inclination is to just leave all my current points with the credit cards for future use with SQ or *A Partner Awards, and possibly for some hotel stays if I can find good value.

However I am tempted to put a portion into QF for future Oneworld RTW redemptions in order to spread the risk, and also to increase the pool of destinations. But am not sure whether to top up enough for 2 or 4 RTW in J.

Your thoughts, comments and advice on where I should put my points, and what they should be redeemed for would be greatly appreciated (and I am sure also of value to others who are considering the QF direct sweep, or who have gained goodly balances via the Everday promo) ???


Thanks.

 

[Keith009]

42K BD miles:
- one way cash and miles J redemption to or from Europe (37.5K miles + cash)

- return cash and miles J redemption to most of Asia, ie z7 and z8 (37.5K miles + cash)

- top up with 8000 miles and you can get return cash and miles in F to z7 and z8 (50k miles + cash)

- SPN (Northern Marinara Islands) is counted as South Pacific. z9-z9 is 30k + cash return in F, or 22.5k + cash in J. However no *A carrier flies to SPN other than OZ.

Remember to book before May 1st to avoid the enhanced FCL rates.

 

[futaris]

However transferring some points to QF to top up to achieve 2 or 4 RTW J Awards might spread the risk, as well as having a good balance if “specials” arise.

However I am tempted to put a portion into QF for future Oneworld RTW redemptions in order to spread the risk, and also to increase the pool of destinations. But am not sure whether to top up enough for 2 or 4 RTW in J.

If you're after RTW Awards on Oneworld, and you don't have enough points in QF you can always redeem for a RTW Award from AA, BA, CX, JL or LA's programs, and probably still fly on the same flights, assuming availability.

Doing a quick calculation on the longest RTWs (with everything in thousands (k) of points):

CX is direct at 4 MR : 3 CX | Award Chart | 150Y, 220J, 335F CX | 200Y, 294J, 447F MR
AA is via SPG, 1000 MR : 330 SPG, 20k SPG : 25k AA | Award Chart | 160Y, 220J, 330F AA | 391Y, 538J, 807F MR
BA is via SPG, 1000 MR : 330 SPG, 20k SPG : 25k BA | Award Chart | 160Y, 320C, 480F BA | 391Y, 782J, 1173F MR
JL is via SPG, 1000 MR : 330 SPG, 20k SPG : 25k JL | Award Chart | 160Y, 220C, 330F JL | 391Y, 538J, 807F MR
LA is via SPG, 1000 MR : 330 SPG, 20k SPG : 50k LAN | Award Chart | 190Y, 370J, 520F LA | 231Y, 452J, 635F MR

Oh, and for comparison QF:
QF direct | Award Chart | 142.5Y, 282.5J, 422.5F QF | 142.5Y, 282.5J, 422.5F MR

200k MR = 150k CX. 61k MR = 50k LA, i.e. 183k = 150k LA. 61k MR = 25k AA, BA, JL, etc.

So comparing the longest J RTW/Oneworld awards, the order in MR points are:
QF 282.5k MR
CX 294k MR
LA 452k MR
AA 538k MR
JL 538k MR
BA 782k MR

Don't forget LA is done in km, not miles.

AA is good as points will count towards lifetime. BA is a pain to register, as they don't accept Australian Addresses.

I would only top up to 1 or 2 RTWs on QF and transfer to another program (if needed). Leave your QF at a whole xx_,000 amount. It's only an extra 11.5k for a RTW from Asia Miles, and the CX reward is 35-50k miles, whereas QF is 19.2k-35k miles. If you want less than 35k miles RTW, then CX actually ends up being cheaper:

CX 20-25k RTW | 110Y, 160J, 235F CX | 147Y, 213J, 314F MR
CX 25-35k RTW | 130Y, 190J, 275F CX | 174Y, 224J, 367F MR

Feel free to complete the table, but I think that proves the point.

I've left out Mexicana as they aren't in Oneworld yet, but will be soon. No idea on what their redemption rates will be like.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thank you Futaris for that very detailed and educational post...and I am sure that others will find it likewise. I appreciate you taking the time to write it.

From what you have posted it would seem that leaving most of my point in Amex MR gains the best of both Alliances...as one can get to (at effective transfer rates) *A via SQ...and Oneworld via Cathay.

I might transfer the Altitude points to QF to get rid of points from a free card that I do not use any more, and then top it up with a small amount from MR.
Some points wil continue to accrue with QF from sources that cannot go elsewhere.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

If you're after RTW Awards on Oneworld, .

Well I am not specifically after a RTW..it is just that they can offer good value.

The challenge for me with a RTW is getting enough time off to take genuine advantage of it. There is not much point travelling to lots of destinations if one cannot spend much time at each destination.

So what I am after is to visit many countries hopefully in J at an attractive points burn (from Amex in the main) rate.

With QF....business redemptions are quite pricey in general, but with the Oneworld the point cost effectively drops...and so hence the attraction.

Given that I am restricted by annual leave....I might be best served by mainly return flights with say a stop-over, and some RTW travel where I have more short stays.

With your Cathay "solution" I can take my time to ponder more.

First major booking time is say Easter 2010 minus 330 days..

ith Cathay how many days in advance can one redeem?

 

[futaris]

First major booking time is say Easter 2010 minus 330 days..

With Cathay how many days in advance can one redeem?

Actually it's the date of your last flight minus 355 days on QFF. No holds of flights allowed, so if someone takes the seats that you wanted/needed for your RTW, you'll have to find an alternative.

With AAdvantage, you can hold for up to 5-14 days, and generally only book the last segment 330 days before.

With Asia Miles, I'm not sure when the earliest that you can redeem is. Probably best to search or ask on Flyertalk.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Actually it's the date of your last flight minus 355 days on QFF. No holds of flights allowed, so if someone takes the seats that you wanted/needed for your RTW, you'll have to find an alternative.

With AAdvantage, you can hold for up to 5-14 days, and generally only book the last segment 330 days before.

With Asia Miles, I'm not sure when the earliest that you can redeem is. Probably best to search or ask on Flyertalk.

Thanks for that & I understand what you say.

...but if I go Easter it would only be a quick trip. Not RTW. That would be over Xmas.

July might be 3 weeks in Europe..so just a return flight.

So both Easter (if I go) and July would most likely be booked on *A.

 

[somebol]

And if you still have points left... tis a good time to give

 

[lovetravellingoz]

And if you still have points left... tis a good time to give

Thanks for the suggestion, but I give both cash and time to charity...and also give time in a community group each week.

Donating points to me is an ineffective way to donate with the main beneficiary being the airline/ points program. But I can understand if people have points they will not use donating them. But each to their own.

 

[beardoc]

I would only top up to 1 or 2 RTWs on QF and transfer to another program (if needed). Leave your QF at a whole xx_,000 amount. It's only an extra 11.5k for a RTW from Asia Miles, and the CX reward is 35-50k miles, whereas QF is 19.2k-35k miles. If you want less than 35k miles RTW, then CX actually ends up being cheaper:

CX 20-25k RTW | 110Y, 160J, 235F CX | 147Y, 213J, 314F MR
CX 25-35k RTW | 130Y, 190J, 275F CX | 174Y, 224J, 367F MR

Feel free to complete the table, but I think that proves the point.

Thank you for suggesting Asia Miles for MR points - I hadn't previously thought of this, but looking at it, I can get a OW J award (RTW or otherwise) through Asia Miles for a LOT cheaper than through QF - albeit with the proviso that I have to travel on two OW airlines (not including CX).

I'll have to investigate how Asia Miles/CX is with their surcharges/taxes - but this might be a better option again than SQ. Especially since their open jaw policies are flexible as well (which I tend to take advantage of).

I would love to have a decent redemption option of MR to AA, but I think that obtaining WP status and then redeeming OW J RTWs through Asia Miles might be the go. No more points to QANTAS - yay!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thank you for suggesting Asia Miles for MR points - I hadn't previously thought of this,

That makes at least two of us that appreciate Futaris's post.

- albeit with the proviso that I have to travel on two OW airlines (not including CX).

Though redeeming a RTW Oneworld with QF essentially has the same proviso. ie QF plus at least two other OW airlines.

 

[beardoc]

Though redeeming a RTW Oneworld with QF essentially has the same proviso. ie QF plus at least two other OW airlines.

I think you've missed the point - you don't have to do a RTW on the OW Awards - you just need to have at least two OW Airlines that are not the "home" airline for your Frequent Flyer program. That means if your points are in Asia Miles, you can fly SYD-LAX-ATL and you'll be able to use the OW Awards redemption, because you're flying QF and AA (i.e. two OW Airlines that aren't QF) - you can choose to book one way and just pay on the miles you fly.

So you don't need to go RTW at all - the point being that it's all much more flexible with the OW Awards through CX.

 

[JohnK]

So you don't need to go RTW at all - the point being that it's all much more flexible with the OW Awards through CX.

Sorry you have lost me there! There is no difference with the Qantas Oneworld award except for the mileage zones used. You do not need to go RTW with the QF Oneworld award!

I have been playing around with the award booking engine for the past couple of weeks and as soon as you have QF and 2 other Oneworld airlines, stay under 35,000 miles, 16 sectors or less and 5 stopovers or less then it becomes a Oneworld award for 140,000 QFF points.

The latest itinerary I have as work in progress is SYD-(SFO)-DFW-(YYZ)-ORD-(IAD/DCA)-LHR-(ATH)-LHR-(HKG)-SYD. It turns into a Zone 10 Oneworld award when I get to HKG so in theory I can stop there and not continue onto SYD but the extra flight to SYD is essentially free as the Oneworld award is still valid at 140,000 QFF points....

 

[serfty]

This could be a Qantas oneworld award routing:

SYD-LAX-NRT-JFK-LAX-HKG-NRT-SYD

 

[beardoc]

Sorry you have lost me there! There is no difference with the Qantas Oneworld award except for the mileage zones used. You do not need to go RTW with the QF Oneworld award!

The point I was trying to make is that if you book flight, say, to the USA on QF and AA via QFF, you won't be able to access the OW Awards table as you're not using two airlines other than your "home" airline.

But if you send the points to CX Asia Miles and book the same flight, it'll be on the OW Awards table, as it's two airlines OTHER than your "home" airline (which in this case is CX).

It's a subtle thing, but it makes a big difference for me.

 

[somebol]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I give both cash and time to charity...and also give time in a community group each week.

Donating points to me is an ineffective way to donate with the main beneficiary being the airline/ points program. But I can understand if people have points they will not use donating them. But each to their own.

I meant giving them to me....