Best Use of FlyBuys points!

[Ekka]

I've been a member of FlyBuys ever since it began a couple of decades ago, since before many of the current fifty-a-week AFF contributors were born, and long before the smug Platinum members - who affect to term themselves something else, such as WPP- sheesh. How exclusive - or pathetic - can one be? These people seem to forget that other people have been paying for their business-class seats.

FlyBuys is no longer what it was, a means of getting free flights for family-members, and I managed to get several of those for sons and daughters. Now, if I used every multiplying-the-points-voucher they sent me I'd have gone cross-eyed long ago.

The only real value of FlyBuys points is as Virgin Australia points, by conversion, and the only really useful use of them is to convert them to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points - unless you want to go to the USA, in which case you'd be a complete mug not to use your VA points and go via Honolulu with Hawaiian Airlines.

As VA has such aeroplanes as it has for its limited international presence, for most Australians (who do not live in Sydney, CEOs) the best use for VA points, from FlyBuys points, is to convert them to SIA points, even at the quite-poor conversion rate.

Qantas and Virgin both used to be based in Brisbane, and, earlier Qantas in Longreach. Now the CEOs of both are rarely - if at all -seen anywhere but Sydney.

Is it any wonder that Queenslanders are unimpressed with Joyce, an Irishman, and Borghetti, an Italian, both of whom live in Sydney yet the airlines they head both began in Queensland?

 

[SydneySwan]

I've been a member of FlyBuys ever since it began a couple of decades ago, since before many of the current fifty-a-week AFF contributors were born, and long before the smug Platinum members - who affect to term themselves something else, such as WPP- sheesh. How exclusive - or pathetic - can one be? These people seem to forget that other people have been paying for their business-class seats.

FlyBuys is no longer what it was, a means of getting free flights for family-members, and I managed to get several of those for sons and daughters. Now, if I used every multiplying-the-points-voucher they sent me I'd have gone cross-eyed long ago.

The only real value of FlyBuys points is as Virgin Australia points, by conversion, and the only really useful use of them is to convert them to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer points - unless you want to go to the USA, in which case you'd be a complete mug not to use your VA points and go via Honolulu with Hawaiian Airlines.

As VA has such aeroplanes as it has for its limited international presence, for most Australians (who do not live in Sydney, CEOs) the best use for VA points, from FlyBuys points, is to convert them to SIA points, even at the quite-poor conversion rate.

Qantas and Virgin both used to be based in Brisbane, and, earlier Qantas in Longreach. Now the CEOs of both are rarely - if at all -seen anywhere but Sydney.

Is it any wonder that Queenslanders are unimpressed with Joyce, an Irishman, and Borghetti, an Italian, both of whom live in Sydney yet the airlines they head both began in Queensland?

Interesting rant, but what has it got to do with the title '2017 - Your Flybuys Points in Review'?

 

[serfty]

I've been a FB member since they began and have quite some good redemptions.

Back in the 9o's I booked MEL-BNE-MEL on Qantas and was able to use upgrade certificates to travel in Business class.

A toaster (Yes!!), cordless phone twin set are amongst the other ones.

 

[Denali]

....., since before many of the current fifty-a-week AFF contributors were born, and long before the smug Platinum members - who affect to term themselves something else, such as WPP- sheesh. How exclusive - or pathetic - can one be?....

 

[andye]

I'll bite
The big collectors of Flybuys all have significant amounts of bonus points so if you can't stand the double vision, you are cutting your own nose off to spite your face.
Until very recently you could transfer Flybuys to Etihad: CNS-SYD and HTI-MEL being examples of great bang for buck even in Y
You can also occasionally find good value redeeming for Gold Coast theme parks when there is a 'double points' offer on.
Redeeming on SQ (with VF or SQ points) works out a pretty good use of Flybuys in premium cabins- at least as good as the Woolworths alternative I've found

 

[mannej]

Am I the only one who finds it ironic you talk about smug status members, yet you come across as elite due to the fact you have been a Flybuys member since Dinosaurs roamed the earth?

The program has evolved from just being for free flights (heck I even remember the days of mystery flights), to being one that is quite good at enticing customer behaviour (just look at the flybuys pages on FB to see what people will do to get bonus points).

What really irks me is when people mention the nationality of someone as if it is an insult. It is boorish and shows that you can only play the man, and not the performance...

 

[JohnK]

I'm still undecided on what is best value for Flybuys points.

I'm not a big earner. I have just over 46,000 points in 6 months. The $230 could take care of shopping for 1 month.

Or if redeeming those for Velocity points it is marginal if I can get that much value out of Velocity. The Velocity SCs could be ok but with only $200-$250 spend per month that's not a lot of SCs.

I find international Velocity redemptions close to impossible for what I need and converting to KrisFlyer could be a better option but it would take a long time to get anything useful.

 

[prozac]

...
I'm not a big earner. I have just over 46,000 points in 6 months. The $230 could take care of shopping for 1 month.

Or if redeeming those for Velocity points it is marginal if I can get that much value out of Velocity. The Velocity SCs could be ok but with only $200-$250 spend per month that's not a lot of SCs.

I find international Velocity redemptions close to impossible for what I need and converting to KrisFlyer could be a better option but it would take a long time to get anything useful.

46,000pts is alot in 6 months of spending just $250/month John! It's taken me around 3 years and most of my points come from bonuses. What are you doing that I am not?

I gather you are discussing transferring flybuys-Virgin-SQ and not flybuys-SQ direct?

 

[JohnK]

46,000pts is alot in 6 months of spending just $250/month John! It's taken me around 3 years and most of my points come from bonuses. What are you doing that I am not?

They keep sending me the 4 week offers of $xx spend for 10,000 bonus points. I'm in week 3 of another one right now.

I gather you are discussing transferring flybuys-Virgin-SQ and not flybuys-SQ direct?

Correct. I'd transfer via Virgin to get to SQ.

 

[prozac]

Thanks John.
I'm in middle of 10,000/4 also. Had to open and ignore a couple of higher value emails to learn them up first.

Have received an offer to transfer some or all flybuys to Virgin to receive 20% bonus. Have until end May. Thought this might be good use of funds as I think I read somewhere a return flight via Virgin SYD-LAX in Y is about 40,000pts? Not that I'd use points to book Y.

 

[JohnK]

Have received an offer to transfer some or all flybuys to Virgin to receive 20% bonus. Have until end May. Thought this might be good use of funds as I think I read somewhere a return flight via Virgin SYD-LAX in Y is about 40,000pts? Not that I'd use points to book Y.

That doesn't sound right. I think it's 92,000 points return but there was some sort of promotion recently.

I'm not sure of this Flybyus/Velocity tie in. The bonus points are nice but Velocity/SQ awards are generally expensive.

I recently spent 14,000 QFF points for a BNE-HKG award during promotion. The other day I transferred 37,800 Velocity points to Kris Flyer to book a SYD-SIN-CNX one way in economy and taxes were ~AUD100. That's a lot of points. Sure the surcharges to BKK on QF (can't get to CNX on QF award) would have been higher but it required less points.

The good thing about the SQ redemption was finding availability around Christmas. QF is booked out 2 weeks prior and almost 2 weeks after.

I now have 60,000+ Flybuys points which would be $300 off shopping. Transferred to Velocity with 20% bonus is only 31,320 Velocity which is not even enough for a one way award SYD-SIN-BKK/CNX. But those points could be useful for peak travel where airfares are quite expensive but probably still only break even on the cash discount.

Yes I know premium travel would be better but I don't earn fast enough to make it worthwhile.

 

[Ausbt]

I've seriously only got 8K Flybuys points, but I reckon about 15 SCs have come in this year. That's one less golden triangle domestic I need to do and it all helps, particulary as I'll only just scrape in as a 'pathetic, smug WPPPPsheesh' again Besides that, I prefer Coles anyway.

 

[prozac]

That doesn't sound right. I think it's 92,000 points return but there was some sort of promotion recently.

I'm not sure of this Flybyus/Velocity tie in. The bonus points are nice but Velocity/SQ awards are generally expensive.

I recently spent 14,000 QFF points for a BNE-HKG award during promotion. The other day I transferred 37,800 Velocity points to Kris Flyer to book a SYD-SIN-CNX one way in economy and taxes were ~AUD100. That's a lot of points. Sure the surcharges to BKK on QF (can't get to CNX on QF award) would have been higher but it required less points.

The good thing about the SQ redemption was finding availability around Christmas. QF is booked out 2 weeks prior and almost 2 weeks after.

I now have 60,000+ Flybuys points which would be $300 off shopping. Transferred to Velocity with 20% bonus is only 31,320 Velocity which is not even enough for a one way award SYD-SIN-BKK/CNX. But those points could be useful for peak travel where airfares are quite expensive but probably still only break even on the cash discount.

Yes I know premium travel would be better but I don't earn fast enough to make it worthwhile.

I must be dumb as a box of hammers, I forgot the points don't transfer 1:1! Just checked and it is 2,000 for 870 Velocity Points. Then you drop transferring to SQ. So in my case with about 60,000 flybuys + 20% = 72,000flybuys / = 31,320 Velocity. Transferring to Krisflyer = 31,200 / 1.35 = 23,200KF. Won't go very far on that.

What do you think is best use then? Gift card?

 

[andye]

I'd rather have 0.38 KF/$ at Coles than 0.44 QF/$ at WW (though the $ earn rate is of secondary importance to the bonus offers)

 

[JohnK]

What do you think is best use then? Gift card?

Most people would say premium travel but I could never earn enough to book for 3 people.

For me I would say take the cash discount for shopping unless faced like a situation I had this week trying to travel around Christmas and finding award availability on SQ.

It doesn't hurt to keep points in Flybuys.

 

[prozac]

It doesn't hurt to keep points in Flybuys.

I am a bit inclined this way also. I have quite a number of points in KF and concerned (as I have not traveled much last couple of years) about expiration dates etc.

 

[BudgetFly]

Yep I get plenty of Flybuys points from the 10,000 x 4 weeks deal which is $70 per week for me and I can buy phone recharges within that $70. I may have more time than others but I logon to my Flybuys account for all the offers noting that I have received different additional offers to my mobile. When I go shopping I have a list of the offered bonus products and will have a look to see if it's something I use, if they are reasonable or too expensive etc. It's easy to get sucked in by points offers for expensive goods that you normally wouldn't purchase. Also keep an eye out for Coles Express offers (the service station shop) I've been known to swing by there to pick up milk and bread without refuelling! There are fuel offers from time to time with up to 10c or more per litre off and 8x points but generally I have to give the fuel a miss as it's 13 - 14c more than competitors where I live.

 

[JohnK]

Was there ever a 5x bonus points offer when booking VA flights via Flybuys? I thought there was but can't find anything now.

Looking to use the Flybuys points to purchase VA flights.

 

[eddie 73]

I push all flybuys points to velocity, and redeem regular 10 off savings at BP, as fuelling a 6 litre V8 with 98 octane costs an arm and leg. By maximising bonus point offerings, the fuel discounts come around every 2 weeks. Save about $250 p.a. (Note; BP only, never any other)

 

[andye]

I push all flybuys points to velocity, and redeem regular 10 off savings at BP, as fuelling a 6 litre V8 with 98 octane costs an arm and leg. By maximising bonus point offerings, the fuel discounts come around every 2 weeks. Save about $250 p.a. (Note; BP only, never any other)

Conventional AFF wisdom would be that this is not the best way of extracting value from your VFF points at 0.6c per point.

Everyone's circumstances vary of course and if you have no need or opportunity to use them for flights, its better than them going to waste