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You are absolutely correct in saying that if the flights are more expensive via AmEx, you should not book them via AmEx! When I've used my travel credits to book flights, I've generally used them for Virgin Australia domestic flights, for which there is no mark-up (in fact via the Platinum card...

Case in point: it costs 90,000 Avios to fly to Europe one-way in Business Class on Qatar. This is lower than on any other programme that you can easily earn points with in Australia. But, for the past two years, Qatar has removed all award availability to Europe at that price over the European...

Great questions, but there's one other factor to consider other than "the most efficient use of points" and "what uses less points"; namely, what strategy gives you the best chance of actually finding available flights to get to the UK. Currently (and things do change, sometimes quickly), the...

I have Tripit Pro and so I'm wondering whether it's worth getting Flighty Pro as well, or whether Tripit Pro basically covers most of what Flighty Pro would cover. Alternatively should I ditch Tripit Pro if Flighty Pro is better?

Last year the offer came out on February 12. I haven’t kept an exact record of the date of the 2023 offer but from memory it was the first half of February also. So if the same offer were to be repeated this year, one would think that it would be imminent. On the other hand it’s also reasonable...

I'm absolutely certain that I voted for double SC's to help me requalify for Platinum ... but the email I received is offering me double points!

To answer your questions... 1. Yes, it makes perfect sense to spend $3500 on your flights, which would then mean that you only have to spend another $500 to get the sign-up bonus. 2. Why not use the $400 travel credit to offset the cost of your flights (assuming the flights cost the same if...

Actually I still think I'm on a bit of a high from my trip ... ! Yes, I had a stash of 30 x US$1 bills in my wallet when I arrived (I also had a smaller stash of $5s). I'd picked them up from the currency exchange booth at my local Westfield a few days before I left. I figured that I wanted to...

Wow -- you own a piece of meteorite! Definitely a family heirloom. I'm glad you enjoyed bingeing on the TR ... I must admit to have binged on it a couple of times myself since I got back!

Welcome to AFF @NSE123 ! I must sheepishly admit that I've never done the above course but I'm certain that it will contain a wealth of great information and advice. My only advice would be to lean towards flexible points currencies (ie. credit card points which can be transferred into one of...

The Qantas NAB Signature card has a sign-up bonus of 120,000 Qantas points (90,000 in the first year and the other 30,000 if you keep your card for a year). There are currently no Velocity or NAB Rewards sign-up bonuses on the card but I would be very surprised if that situation were...

I use the Rex lounges in SYD and MEL as fall-backs when the Virgin lounges are standing room only. This seems to occur (when I fly, at least) more often in Sydney than in Melbourne. I fully agree that, all things being equal, the Virgin lounges are far superior. But when the VA lounges are...

Wow. I’d be interested to know what you’d choose to do if/when you find yourself unexpectedly out of money/points. Would you (re?) learn to enjoy less-than-luxury or would you forsake travel altogether? I suppose I’m asking what do you mean by “at all cost”? Is this simply a bit of hyperbole...

Yes -- the key to low EK surcharges is to fly one of their fifth-freedom routes. In the Australian context, SIN-MEL has very low surcharges (though the route will be cancelled as of March 30) as does SYD-CHC (although the relatively high Australian departure tax means that the surcharge will...

Got a supplementary card for my daughter a couple of weeks ago. Card approved on Sunday and received on Wednesday.

You don't know what you're missing! Mind you, that's exactly what many of my friends said to me when they found out that I went to the USA and didn't attend a single NBA game. ;) And thanks for the kind words about the TR -- it was a lot of fun to write.

I remember trying to make a redemption for my family using Asiana points on Air NZ some years ago. Before allowing me to redeem points for my wife and children, Asiana made me fill out and send a paper form for each family member, along with copies of my family members' passports. Then I had to...

I am a very strong believer in accumulating flexible points currencies where possible -- ie. points that can be converted into a number of different FF programmes. This has two clear benefits: You have the luxury of converting your points into the FF programme that has the availability you...

Just transfer to Hawaiian and then transfer to Alaskan at a 1:1 rate.

I've had my Platinum card for several years now and there are never any rumours or warnings of what's coming up "on the horizon". AmEx seems to run a pretty tight ship and announcements are made about these things when they're good and ready. So speculation about what's coming up is just that...