Booking Outward and Inward on separate Reward Bookings

[Craig O'Brien]

Hi All

I have a query I want to ask everyone.
I am planning on going to Europe Next year. I want to book the flights as early as possible to try and get a Premium seat. I am using the Qantas site, but the cities I am going to are not on Qantas's route map, so it will most likely be with Emirates.

My question is if I try and book the outward flight as early as possible on one booking, and then book the inward later when they become available on another, is there any disadvantage to this.

I have done some dummy tests and the points appear to be the same. However because I don't have enough points to full book the flight, I can't tell if the fee/taxes will be any different

Also I am planning on arriving in a different city to the one I depart from, so I am not sure if that will make any difference.

Any advise would be great..

 

[cjd600]

Taxes are often much greater when departing TO Australia on a one-way than that same leg as part of a return award ticket out of Australia.......on QF flights anyway.....that's the thing you'd have to check.
Share the route and class and I can try a dummy booking at let you know

 

[burmans]

Points and taxes should be the same. Personally I think booking separately has advantages in this situation.

 

[cjd600]

Points and taxes should be the same. Personally I think booking separately has advantages in this situation.

Hmmm.

Like I said, the $$ charges can vary between the two options, so do your checking. Obviously points will be the same.

By way of example
BNE-LAX-BNE as one ticket = charges of AUD868
As two tickets
BNE-LAX = AUD471
LAX-BNE = USD437 = about AUD570
So total charges on 2 x one way is AUD1041 vs AUD868 for one return booking

Edit:above is for J Classic award on QF

 

[JohnM]

My experience is that the charges are greater when coming back to Australia. It's a factor that you need to consider in making an award booking: wait until the return date bookings open an d run the risk of not getting the outbound redemption you may have seen earlier.

I tend not to take the risk and accept the higher fees to be sure of getting exactly what I want - or I may not have yet chosen my return date. YMMV.

For example, a few weeks ago I booked a J redemption using QF points on EK PER-xDXB-SCL in order to be in Chile close to a date important to me. At that stage, my planning for what was to follow was still undefined.

I subsequently decided to find my own way to Buenos Aires and a couple of days ago I started looking at how to get home. I spotted a lonely QR J redemption EZE-xDOH-PER around a date that suited, so I grabbed it. When the fees were converted from USD to AUD, the cost was about 30% greater (although the city pairs were not the same, my experience of fees on separately-booked award flights DXB-PER compared with PER-DXB.) I just sucked it up as a penalty for getting what I wanted (the mix of EK and QR on the itinerary was one appealing factor). I still got >4x value from points+fees than buying a J ticket, so I'm happy.

IME, fees are the same for F & J bookings, but less for whY (ie. there is no premium in fees for F over J). That may have an influence on your value calculation.

Bear in mind that in booking the return redemption, you will be notified that you are being redirected to the site in the country where the flight originates and the booking is subject to that countries' Ts&Cs. Fees will usually be in USD in that case.

 

[dajop]

Fees will usually be in USD in that case.

No, usually in local currency for Qantas served destinations anyway. SIN = SGD, LHR = GBP, HKG = HKD, MNL = PHP, CGK = IDR, etc

 

[cjd600]

I tend not to take the risk and accept the higher fees to be sure of getting exactly what I want - or I may not have yet chosen my return date. YMMV..

Or can just add it to the first leg and cough up the 5k points booking change fee if the $$ saved are worth more to you than the 5k points....

 

[JohnM]

No, usually in local currency for Qantas served destinations anyway. SIN = SGD, LHR = GBP, HKG = HKD, MNL = PHP, CGK = IDR, etc

Hmmm - the Argentinian site had it in USD (unless my failing memory is playing its usual tricks). In any event, it appeared as USD on the booking confirmation.

Edit: Of course, QF doesn't fly to Argentina.

 

[ozjuice]

I've always booked a reward flight as 2 x one ways otherwise it's very difficult to get the booking.

 

[JohnM]

Or can just add it to the first leg and cough up the 5k points booking change fee if the $$ saved are worth more to you than the 5k points....

Good idea! I must admit I hadn't thought of that . Noted for future reference .

 

[Mattg]

Or can just add it to the first leg and cough up the 5k points booking change fee if the $$ saved are worth more to you than the 5k points....

Yes, this! You usually end up saving several hundred dollars by "changing" the original booking and paying the taxes for the return flight in AUD if it's a round-trip booking to the USA. But the price difference will vary by class of travel, country etc. If it's a return booking to somewhere like Hong Kong or Manila, then of course you'd do the opposite and book the return separately to avoid paying Australian YQ.

 

[JohnM]

Yes, this! You usually end up saving several hundred dollars by "changing" the original booking and paying the taxes for the return flight in AUD if it's a round-trip booking to the USA. But the price difference will vary by class of travel, country etc. If it's a return booking to somewhere like Hong Kong or Manila, then of course you'd do the opposite and book the return separately to avoid paying Australian YQ.

Is there a way of figuring out in advance the better option?

 

[Mattg]

Is there a way of figuring out in advance the better option?

You'd have to make a dummy booking.

 

[cjd600]

Yes, this! You usually end up saving several hundred dollars by "changing" the original booking and paying the taxes for the return flight in AUD if it's a round-trip booking to the USA. But the price difference will vary by class of travel, country etc. If it's a return booking to somewhere like Hong Kong or Manila, then of course you'd do the opposite and book the return separately to avoid paying Australian YQ.

Yes, mine are usually AUS-USA-AUS and shopping for 4, so 4 times the cost reduction is easily worth my 20k point change fee on the initial booking

 

[BenSQ380]

My question is if I try and book the outward flight as early as possible on one booking, and then book the inward later when they become available on another, is there any disadvantage to this.

It's not really a disadvantage but something to be aware of: when travelling on separate bookings keep your return booking handy when checking in, clearing immigration etc so that interested parties can see that you do have a return booked.

 

[travelislife]

Just a point to note, the taxes will be identical regardless of how it’s booked. It’s how the fuel surcharges are loaded and applied that cause the extra cost disparity.

I generally book all award tickets as one way. Also easier if you ever have to make a change, you don’t give the agent an opportunity to ruin a whole booking!

 

[Pushka]

For me it’s about availability. I grab the first award seats I can as soon as I know dates. Then sort out the return later. Am doing it for my current trip and have started doing it for my one to US next year. I might look at the option of the change fee this time though.

 

[burmans]

Just a point to note, the taxes will be identical regardless of how it’s booked. It’s how the fuel surcharges are loaded and applied that cause the extra cost disparity.

Thanks, I must admit that I was somewhat surprised by the suggestion that taxes were different because they are all government mandated set fees which don't take whether you are on a return flight into account but YQ, well yes the airline can charge just about what they want it seems.

 

[madrooster]

Just a point to note, the taxes will be identical regardless of how it’s booked. It’s how the fuel surcharges are loaded and applied that cause the extra cost disparity.

That's quite incorrect. Fuel fines are loaded based on point of origin and fuel fines originating elsewhere can be more expensive than AU fuel fines. The UK is a good example... it's notably cheaper to do SYD-LHR-SYD as an award, than it is to do SYD-LHR + LHR-SYD.

Similarly, having an award starting in AU on JL eg. SYD-NRT-JFK and back, incurs almost nil fuel fines. Whereas if you book this as SYD-NRT-JFK + JFK-NRT-SYD you would get hit with much more notable fuel fines.

 

[Craig O'Brien]

Thanks for all the info. I think however I might not be able to do it anyway. My plans were to fly MEL-Prague outward, and return Malta - MEL inward.

When I do it as a multi city booking, there is no issues, I can select it all correctly. However I can't select Malta - Mel as a return flight.
I am not sure if it something to do with Qantas not flying there, but the strange thing is i can do a return flight from Vienna and Prague which Qantas don't fly to either.

If I wanted to do that, would I have to call up and spend a full day on the phone.