Advice please: To redeem or not to redeem....

[creeno]

Hi guys,

After your advice please

I am planning to travel from Sydney to Bangkok 09 May with a friend....and have the following options:

1. Redeem points via Amex TravelKey....47000 points per person return flying BA (so 94000 points plus approx $700 taxes). Booked in BA O class.

2. Book the BA valentines special....approx $850 per person incl tax (total $1700). Assuming QF frequent flyer points would be earnt for this travel....9368 points each.

3. Redeem QF points....60000 points per person flying QF or BA (120000 points plus approx $700 taxes)

I have pretty much discarded option 3 above.

Based on the above....is option 1 good value from a points perspective? Have never redeemed points, so not really too sure.

Also, has anyone here redeemed any of these TravelKey flights....being booked in O class, I am curious to know if you would be awarded frequent flyer points for the travel?

Thanks in advance for your feedback and advice

Cheers....

 

[Evan]

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions

Normally BA 'O' fare code earns 0.25 points per mile. (and you will get discount economy status credits)

but since this is a JSA flight SYD-BKK you will get 1 point per mile

*Exception: Travel in Discount Economy between:
- Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney and London or Frankfurt via Bangkok or Singapore
- Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney and Bangkok or Singapore
- London or Frankfurt and Bangkok or Singapore
will earn a Base Rate of 1.

E

 

[creeno]

Thanks Evan. Was hoping that would be the case! Great

 

[Travel Guru]

I don't know much about travelkey points, but if you can purchase a QF/BA airfare for $850 inc taxes, i'd be grabbing it, because the cheapest I can see for that time is $968 plus $351.88 taxes per person, and i'm a TA so i've got access to all fares bar private deals.

I'd be flying QF if you were going to purchase one though, BA in Y is horrid.

TG

 

[Travel Guru]

Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions

Normally BA 'O' fare code earns 0.25 points per mile. (and you will get discount economy status credits)

but since this is a JSA flight SYD-BKK you will get 1 point per mile



E

Anything on the Kangaroo Route from AU-LON (via SIN and BKK only I think it is) earns 1 point per dollar.

TG

 

[creeno]

the BA fare stems from an email I received from them early February. Serfty posted the details here:

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/cheap-international-airfares/ba-specials-bkk-826-a-12263.html

Certainly a very good deal when one has to fork out the $$! Unfortunately though, I believe it is valid for BA flights only....

Thank goodness I can kick the journey off with time in the QP...

 

[Travel Guru]

the BA fare stems from an email I received from them early February. Serfty posted the details here:

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/cheap-international-airfares/ba-specials-bkk-826-a-12263.html

Certainly a very good deal when one has to fork out the $$! Unfortunately though, I believe it is valid for BA flights only....

Thank goodness I can kick the journey off with time in the QP...

I'd take that option and take the 1pt/mile as well..its a really cheap deal if its incl taxes.

I guess I should have said BA arent my first preference (slightly more diplomatic!!)

At least its only 9hrs, could be worse, i've done the 22hrs st8 each way on BA in years gone by and i'd rather have my finger nails removed than do that again.

Have a great trip, the QP in BKK is nice.

TG

 

[Evan]

Anything on the Kangaroo Route from AU-LON (via SIN and BKK only I think it is) earns 1 point per dollar.

TG

Correct, but i thought it also used to include either LHR-HKG or was it HKG-MEL/SYD/BNE etc. But maybe now it really only is to/from LHR via SIN/BKK.

Its a nice perk, since my trip to MEL was booked BA7310 since i could not get a seat on QF10 (i was waitlisted), i have no idea why BA would see a seat by QF would not... very odd.

E

 

[Travel Guru]

It may well be via HKG also, i'm not 100% sure on that one.

Who can ever explain the secret society that is the QF and BA yield department.

TG

 

[serfty]

Last year I flew in May on a similar special MEL-SYD-BKK-SYD-MEL; between MEL & SYD I was on QF with BA codeshare flight numbers e.g. BA7451.

I received 110 base points and 110 status bonus, giving a total of 220 QFF points for each of those two segments. If I had been on the QF flight numbers it would have been 1000 each. So cnx flights are not part of the JSA!