best way to use points to EU

[tomee]

ok so im new to flyer points but i had a credit card which has accumulated QFF points. I'm only a Bronze

the wife has planned a trip to Europe next year most likely landing in London.
I have about 140,000 points and want to travel Business as i've always said if i were to ever to go to Europe i want to fly Business as im not a good flyer.

checking Qantas site says if purchase a premium economy ticket i can then use my points to upgrade which is enough only for me return(I might leave the wife in cattle )

Is this the best way to use them up?

 

[DAC1]

ok so im new to flyer points but i had a credit card which has accumulated QFF points. I'm only a Bronze

the wife has planned a trip to Europe next year most likely landing in London.
I have about 140,000 points and want to travel Business as i've always said if i were to ever to go to Europe i want to fly Business as im not a good flyer.

checking Qantas site says if purchase a premium economy ticket i can then use my points to upgrade which is enough only for me return(I might leave the wife in cattle )

Is this the best way to use them up?

International upgrades as a bronze aren't such a good idea. They go in order of status so by the time you came in the pecking order, you may find that all upgrades have been processed. If you want to fly J as a bronze your best bet is to get a confirmed ticket (whether by purchasing or with points).

 

[tomee]

International upgrades as a bronze aren't such a good idea. They go in order of status so by the time you came in the pecking order, you may find that all upgrades have been processed. If you want to fly J as a bronze your best bet is to get a confirmed ticket (whether by purchasing or with points).

thanks for the info.
does the status still matter if you book early enough?

Can you explain a confirmed ticket. Do you mean purchase business outright with points?

 

[casanovawa]

Well the higher status people can book the lower tickets and then put in an upgrade request, these often aren't decided until a day or a couple of days before the flight, so really doesn't matter how early you book, the upgrades get allocated just before the flight and go by status...

And either pay outright, use points to book a classic award seat in J, or a better use of points if you can get them an Any Seat Award at classic award points level (earns points and SCs if your interested in these things)... There's a whole thread on how to book these over the phone that you may have seen, but those three would all lock in a J seat...

 

[grussellt]

You may want to consider the American Airlines (AAdvantage) buy miles programme. Lots of info in the relevant threads. This is probably the cheapest way to use cash for a J fare to Europe as long as you buy when there are bonus miles on offer. 60000 each miles gets you to London. Then you'll still have enough QFF points to come home in Y (which will seem somewhat inferior to your outbound trip)

 

[tomee]

good info thanks.
would it be cheaper if i flew to an Asian destination in economy as a stop over then Business to EU?

 

[knightman7]

good info thanks.
would it be cheaper if i flew to an Asian destination in economy as a stop over then Business to EU?

Yes. Definitely, although it depends how dedicated you are in positioning for the EU flight. You can get some return EU flights in J from places like Colombo or Taipei for under 3k sometimes, but they do require you to get there first. Have a play around with several airline sites. I would try CX first though That way you will get points and status credits on your QFF account.

 

[tomee]

Yes. Definitely, although it depends how dedicated you are in positioning for the EU flight. You can get some return EU flights in J from places like Colombo or Taipei for under 3k sometimes, but they do require you to get there first. Have a play around with several airline sites. I would try CX first though That way you will get points and status credits on your QFF account.

how do you get points from Cathay to QFF? Is there an option when you book from the airline sites?
shows you how much I travel

 

[knightman7]

Just put your QFF number into the booking and it will credit the points across.

 

[amaroo]

I've found Cathy pretty easy to secure award seats.