Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a goal?

[amp-qld]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

I don't go out of my way to accumulate points or make any advance plans but we (retired couple) travel and spend enough that we get a reasonable number of points and can usually find seats when we want. My wife doesn't like to fly more than about 9 hours without at least a night's stopover. Where we fly during the day, we're happy with economy so our main points spend is on business for nighttime sectors. That means that we often have separate tickets for different sectors, which makes it easy to use points on only those sectors. As regular readers may have seen, I try to avoid Qantas and my main schemes have been SQ and VA. I refused to link my credit cards to only Qantas so build up very little with QF. In the last few years, SQ fees etc (especially fuel surcharges) have made it expensive to use them so we use SQ points on other airlines (NZ & SA recently). We've now joined EK FF to give access to One World.

 

[bismarck]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

We've now joined EK FF to give access to One World.

But EK isn't in oneworld?

 

[amp-qld]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

But EK isn't in oneworld?

Apologies, that shows how rusty I am about One World. With QF and EK being so intertwined, I assumed that EK was in One World.

 

[defurax]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

I always need points! I earn around 500,000 points/year and I burn 500,000 points/year on Y to J upgrades. Most of my work travel has to be booked in Y...and somehow I prefer flying J

 

[clazman]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

What are your thoughts on the Bellagio? looking to stay there April next year

 

[defurax]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

What are your thoughts on the Bellagio? looking to stay there April next year

Staying at the Bellagio with QFF points?

Edit: Just found the Bellagio reference in geoffs post...

 

[cove]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

Bellagio is ok but Caesars has better shopping.

 

[benjy]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

I've worked out that I ~should~ have 100,000 points by the end of year, as a single, full-time worker, self funded fly only for leisure flyer, I'm really happy with this.

I'm going to aim for 150,000 points for end of June then after that decide what I want to do with them after that.

 

[jxv]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

Having a goal makes all the difference!

This thread seems the be a good opportunity to write a first post.

About 18 months ago I changed the earning on my J* MC from "J* Dollars" to QF points. When I was still semi-retired the $200 J* vouchers came in handy because I used to regularly fly AVV-SYD-DBO for work, but after fully retiring they seemed to come up at times that I had difficulty using them. Then about a year ago I discovered AFF. I found out how to use FF points to maximum advantage and decided on the goal of two OW J 280k awards. I started to chase points. I changed banks, took out another CC, mainly because of the sign-up bonuses. I bought QF gift vouchers with 10x points bonus last Christmas and will do so again this year. The list goes on...

Mrs jxv and I also make a couple of overseas and domestic trips each year, but flying is no longer our main earner. The QFF program seems to be biased against earning from flying: last month AMS-LHR on BA discountY netted a whole 58 points, while staying at a random motel in central Victoria added 495 points to the total.

With the travel we have booked, some bonuses and the expected earn from CCs we will have enough points to book the frist leg of the OW 280k awards around May next year for April 2016. A rough plan for 2016 is: get to Europe on a $700 Y airfare which comes with a Mediterranean cruise we have already booked, travel around Spain and Portugal before the cruise and start the award itinerary afterwards in IST. Fly IST-xDOH-CPT, make our own way through South Africa to JNB and return to MEL via SYD. Mid-year we plan on SYD-KUL-PEN-SIN-MEL, actually staying in KUL and PEN. Then later in the year to Europe again, this time via a HKG stopover to MUC or FRA for a driving holiday through southern Germany and Austria. Eventually returning to MEL with the homeward leg of the cruise airfare from FRA. As I have to add the mileage from FRA to the starting point IST this all comes very close to 35000 miles and I have to be careful with the rules on transits, stop-overs and land segments. I probably have to buy some short segments separately, like SYD-MEL or KUL-PEN-SIN.

I am sure that when it comes to the detailed planning AFF experts will be able to help!

 

[JohnK]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

My goal has been to collect as many QFF points as possible. Relatively easy to do and the plan was to use them on Oneworld awards when I stopped working. Career and Qantas have put a spanner in the works.

I have been using the QFF points on business class redemptions to Asia where possible but I will still collect QFF points as they are much easier to earn that Velocity points and I have no need or desire to travel to USA or Europe point to point.

Hopefully I will still be able to use the QFF points on a meaningful Oneworld award sometime in the near future.

 

[cove]

Re: Are you ‘better’ at collecting FF points/managing your account when you have a go

Well last night my son turned up to book his next trip to the US around the middle of 2015 with strict dates for travel due to work approved leave. What I found was Virgin Saver and Qantas were unavailable and so it went to Kris miles redemption despite the fuel and taxes being a bit hexy. I think he will enjoy Suites for 91,375 miles on Saver with SQ between LAX and SIN.