ATO (tax office) payments by credit card

[prozac]

Just transfer to SQ only as many points as you need for the award redemption leaving points warehoused in Altitude.

 

[get me outta here]

Sorry, right OT, but what's left to buy in Aus that won't have similar probs....

Good luck getting parts in future. My Berlina wagon was rear-ended by a texting woman. I am about to get a new tailgate fitted after a wait of 3 months for that panel to be supplied from Holden. Apologies for thread creep.

 

[Jack_OC]

So I take it you just transfer your Altitude Points en masse direct to the Kris membership number? I tried booking flights directly through the Altitude redemption and gave up with the low value. Tx.

Yep. You can transfer to KrisFlyer any time you like - points usually appear within 1-2 days. Added bonus is no expiry while warehoused with Altitude, and of course you can also choose to transfer to several other programs if that presents a better option for whatever you're booking. I'm generally splitting mine between KF and Velocity.

 

[cove]

js appears to have won over quite a number of folks and then those folks have turned fiendish in their need for more ATO bills.
Lucky there is no contest for running up the most points in a year.
Thank goodness the ATO has room to bank early payments from this group where cycling funds is needed.
We both received 10,000 AA elite miles last night plus Admirals Club membership using our US Citi Exec cards for you know who. We can now fly on the BA/AA first class sleeper between LAX and LHR and use SQ Suites for the big legs.
Five years of thoughts are in this thread so yes reading it all can be quite worthwhile.
I do love receiving the credit card statements where the computer has worked out that if I made the minimum payments monthly I would be debt free well before my 200th birthday.
Of course it is just a game.

 

[Isochronous]

NAB Platinum Amex 1.5FF points is OK if you are happy to wear the ATO fees. NAB Plat Visa earns less FF points (0.5 to 0.625) than the Black Westpac MC's.

And the CC fees would be deductible in the next year's tax return!

 

[asg29e]

.....I do love receiving the credit card statements where the computer has worked out that if I made the minimum payments monthly I would be debt free well before my 200th birthday.
Of course it is just a game.

Cove, what is your record for longest theoretical repayment time? After a recent tax payment on Westpac Earth Black my statement said with minimum payments it would be all done and dusted in 133 yrs and 7 months. Just a blink of an eye really.

 

[cove]

It seems to run to a maximum of 133 years and 10 months for me. I did leave about $250k on the free days and that is a lovely feature of the CC system.
I can run to higher numbers but I don't think it changes the years.
Has anyone cracked the $100,000 credit limit to pay you know who?

 

[drross]

I can run to higher numbers but I don't think it changes the years.
Has anyone cracked the $100,000 credit limit to pay you know who?

not yet.

 

[albyd]

Has anyone cracked the $100,000 credit limit to pay you know who?

I have. Just back from Europe and want to go back already. Expecting to make a few more contributions before my 3 months is up then back to "normal" earn. Am keeping it maxxed out and topping it up as I need to spend more $$ to maximise 0% funding. Haven't received first statement so not sure how many centuries will take to pay mine off.

Have your sons ended up refreshing their Black cards Cove?

I do enjoy flying on QF in J using my Woolies EDRCC points so much we are heading for Melbourne Friday afternoon then then I go to the Gold Coast for work.

I’m based in Sydney & only fly short haul domestic - mostly to MEL and sometimes to Brisbane and usually with Virgin so don’t really have any status with QFF. I’m mostly interested in long haul international which sounds like it’s become more difficult to redeem in J with QFF or not? Would lack of status be an impediment to using more cheaply acquired QFF points on a 1:1 (42c/pt) Visa for international flights?


I wonder whether Macquarie will have the same policies as HSBC on the EDRCC & if can do a product switch from an existing card (prob too early to tell).

 

[Pukka]

I have. Just back from Europe and want to go back already. Expecting to make a few more contributions before my 3 months is up then back to "normal" earn. Am keeping it maxxed out and topping it up as I need to spend more $$ to maximise 0% funding. Haven't received first statement so not sure how many centuries will take to pay mine off.

Have your sons ended up refreshing their Black cards Cove?





I’m based in Sydney & only fly short haul domestic - mostly to MEL and sometimes to Brisbane and usually with Virgin so don’t really have any status with QFF. I’m mostly interested in long haul international which sounds like it’s become more difficult to redeem in J with QFF or not? Would lack of status be an impediment to using more cheaply acquired QFF points on a 1:1 (42c/pt) Visa for international flights?


I wonder whether Macquarie will have the same policies as HSBC on the EDRCC & if can do a product switch from an existing card (prob too early to tell).

I've always found QF availability ok ( not great) I'm going SYD-LAX in July with my son in QF first courtesy of the ATO & this thread

 

[Jack_OC]

It seems to run to a maximum of 133 years and 10 months for me. I did leave about $250k on the free days and that is a lovely feature of the CC system.
I can run to higher numbers but I don't think it changes the years.

It should make a bit of a difference, but not much, as the length of time it would take to clear the balance doesn't increase in proportion with the size of your balance. For example, it would take over 83 years to clear a balance of $10k on Altitude Black but "only" an extra 50 years to clear a balance of $100k, and only another 50 years on top of that to clear a balance of $1 million.

It all comes down to the fact that for most of the time you would be paying 2% of your balance each month, so as the balance decreases, so too does the amount you're paying. Interestingly, if you only ever paid 2% of the balance each month, it would make no difference what your balance was - you'd never pay it off, even if you lived forever!! Hence you're forced to pay a fixed amount once your balance is below a certain level (e.g. $10 on any balance of $500 or less), rather than a percentage.

PS I realise this is a pointless post, if you forgive the pun!

 

[penegal]

Of course if you really wanted to you could just go along to an AFF get together and maybe buy Cove a glass of 1998 Vintage Dom and he will probably gladly fill you in!

A glass bottle to share with his friends?

Not many establishments sell the '98 Dom by the glass

 

[amaroo]

I've always found QF availability ok ( not great) I'm going SYD-LAX in July with my son in QF first courtesy of the ATO & this thread

Same here. If you can be bothered to plan ahead F & J seats are available. SWMBO & I are all set for the 100th Anzac Day Dawn Service at Gallipoli via the ATO and QF SYD-LHR-SYD in first

Besides QF there are easy seats for BA F ex-SYD (doing that in Oct) and CX to HKG & beyond (also OCT)......don't forget the first class upgrade trick - 4 of us used this on QF11 SYD-LAX to move from J to F just before x-mas

 

[albyd]

Hi amaroo,

What's the first class upgrade trick? How far ahead of travel date should we be looking to book? Is it just as easy booking on BA/CX as booking directly (apart from the premium QFF charges?).

I might take another look at QFF then.

 

[amaroo]

Hi amaroo,

What's the first class upgrade trick?

QFF upgrade lottery via points. Status is key here! Without doubt the best ROI with QFF.

The upgrades work like this.....
J>F
PE/whY>J
whY>PE

NB - some whY tickets are not upgradable.

Need to cash purchase your ticket and then submit the point upgrade request. For our SYD-LAX upgrade we purchased QF J via their companion sale and then won the lottery into F x 4 Pretty rare to secure 4 F seats and at 45,000 each it's the best use of points.

far ahead of travel date should we be looking to book? Is it just as easy booking on BA/CX as booking directly (apart from the premium QFF charges?).

I might take another look at QFF then.

Best to book the day the seats are released - around the 350 day mark. Start experimenting with dummy dates on QFF to get a feel for the best days. FWIW, I've found Tuesday has the lowest hanging fruit.

BA (SIN) and CX (HKG) are plentiful at short notice, 1-3 weeks out. I've taken the family (4 of us) on holidays via F & J for the past 10 years doing this - flexibility is the key for these two. Sorry, no way around the QFF charges.

 

[cove]

My two sons head off to Los Angeles later this week and it will be their first SQ Suites ride from Singapore to Narita and then Los Angeles which out of Perth involves no backwards flying. When they get back from Brazil and they are in Perth I will follow up the Westpac 3 month doubler on Altitude Black seeing October is convenient for running up two commas in points for each of them and they will be doing it themselves.
If I get this done I will be happy.

 

[The Rok]

My two sons head off to Los Angeles later this week and it will be their first SQ Suites ride from Singapore to Narita and then Los Angeles which out of Perth involves no backwards flying. When they get back from Brazil and they are in Perth I will follow up the Westpac 3 month doubler on Altitude Black seeing October is convenient for running up two commas in points for each of them and they will be doing it themselves.
If I get this done I will be happy.

Sometimes I really hate you and your family!

 

[Mark3000]

When they get back from Brazil and they are in Perth I will follow up the Westpac 3 month doubler on Altitude Black seeing October is convenient for running up two commas in points for each of them.

Hi cove, You probably know this already, but I'm just double checking you knew they must apply before June 22

Special promotions are available on new cards only and must apply between 1 April and 22 June 2014
​

So you'll only have until Sep 22 at the latest to make the most of the double points. Maybe you can plan to pay October's a bit earlier
Hope this helps,
Cheers, Mark

 

[cove]

One of my sons is getting a work transfer back to Perth so he should be quite independent and has been learning some life skills like cooking and cleaning.
The eldest son has been "fast tracking " his way out of home over the last 3 years. After Brazil I think he will be out of our home within 3 months of returning.
I have been covering their ATO bills and they have both been using our points. 2014-15 should be the year where they do it all themselves. That will be known as Plan A.
Boys might stay until they are 40 and that would require Plan B where we leave home.
Don't worry The Rok you will get a chance at Plan A and Plan B if you have sons.

 

[cove]

Thanks Mark3000 for that date.