Advice for a newbie

[fjh79]

Hi all, I'm looking for some advice on making the most of QFF membership. I am currently a gold member with over 160000 FF points in my account. First bit of advice I'm looking for is how to build up my FF points ie. what's credit card for gaining points and any other ways of gaining points. Also I'm travelling to Ireland for a wedding in October and was wondering what is the best way to use my points. My QFF year ends on October 31st so my status credits will go back to zero for my flight back. Is there any way to upgrade my tickets and still get status credits or will I simply receive the status credits for the original booking?
Apologies if these are questions that are covered in other threads previously but theres so many threads here and I've already spent a couple of hours looking for this info so any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Limewood]

Welcome fjh79.

Obtain a CC with 1.5 points to each $ spent, use card whenever you can even pay tax with it.

No any seat awards that gave status point about to be wiped from the slate and upgrading with points give no more points than the original booking.

Best to book long way out these days, if your status is Q Plat quite often seats can be opened up.

Your best bet at this stage may be going via HKG to Ireland if wanting J seat or above.

Good idea to have your location and status in side bar info makes it easier to answer at times.

 

[RooFlyer]

Its a popular view that the best use of QFF points is to use them for long haul upgrades (eg Y or PE to J) or to get a J award ticket. If you upgrade, you get the status credits of the original booked fare. But you will only know whether or not you have the upgrade until shortly before the flight.

As Limewood said, if wanting a J award seat (or even an upgrade) with 'only' 4 months notice, you will have to hunt around a bit; but start NOW and be prepared for it not to be wholly convenient. If you want two seats, don't count on it at all.

I believe the Qantas search engine won't give you all the possible combinations of partner airlines - but others may have more to say on that. Going to Ireland - you can use QFF points on Emirates - they may have a direct flight from Dubai? Emirates flights are on the Qantas search engine.

Y award tickets are bad value, mainly because Qantas will charge 'fuel fines' and other charges to the 'free ticket' to such an extent that they almost cover the cost of a Y ticket!

I hope some-one pitches in and gives a succinct explanation of 'mASA' s, as I've lost track of them over time. they keep getting 'enhanced' (meaning down-graded in AFF lingo).

 

[ketsuzei]

I'd probably pay cash for a one-way fare and slum it in Y going over (somewhere in the order of $1,200), and then come back in style with an Emirates award flight in J or F. Availability is still decent.

The other way around might be harder psychologically, but I guess you could earn some status credits for your new year if you did it on (say) Emirates flights with QF flight numbers.

My main advice would be to burn points sooner rather than later, and not get too sucked into the whole QFF nonsense.

 

[BD1959]

How I'd look at this:

You'll be lucky to get a J award this late. I'd try my best to get one for the return - there's 1 seat SIN-SYD (assuming SYD as there's nothing in your profile) a couple of days in the first 14 days of November. I'd get on the phone to QF *now* and let them find anything else but looking at BA.COM, I can only see Y+ HKG-SYD for that fortnight. Make sure you get an agent who will check *everything*: not just the standard QF/EK via DXB but *all* OW combinations: BA via the US; anything down from Asia and then combinations of BA/CX/AY/RJ/QR to get you to that gateway point.

The reason I'd look at J for the inbound: you'll still have SG for the outbound; that will at least give you Lounge Access and priority boarding on OW if you fly outbound in Y. Then use the "comforts" of your J award inbound.

Given the lack of Classic Award, (and I know they're not always linked, but ...) I wouldn't even gamble on an upgrade: best use your points for a confirmed J ... if you can get one.

Good Luck!!

Regards,

BD