Earning KrisFlyer miles

[Captain Halliday]

I'm around 110k KF miles short of a redemption I'd like to make next month (for travel Jan 2022).

Buying miles isn't economical, Velocity transfer remains suspended and I'm not sure I can get a credit card sign up bonus quick enough.

Before I abandon by SQ plans, am I missing any obvious options?

 

[lilkid28]

Amex signup bonus?

 

[NoName]

Amex Explorer signup currently 120k points (150k if you hold for 12 months) which will convert to 60k KF points. You could make the $3k required spend immediately on gift cards at woolies or something and you will receive the bonus straight away. You could potentially transfer to KF and cancel the card right after and avoid the annual fee completely. You may be too late to get the current 15% bonus for transfers to KF but if you applied today who knows, may get to you quick enough.

There is a referral thread below or if you’re feeling kind shoot me a private message and I’ll give you my link.

Amex Explorer Card - up to 150,000 bonus points

There's a new offer for the Amex Explorer Credit Card of up to 150,000 bonus points: That’s 120,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Points when you apply online by 27 January 2021, are approved and spend $3,000 on your new Card within the first 3 months. Plus, an additional 30,000 Bonus Membership...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Scr77]

Can you book part of the trip with VA using velocity points, so that you need less KF miles for the remainder of your booking?

 

[Mattg]

What's the route you'd like to book with KrisFlyer miles?

(I wonder if there are any obvious ways to save 110k miles by slightly changing the itinerary and/or supplementing points with another frequent flyer program currency.)

 

[Captain Halliday]

Can you book part of the trip with VA using velocity points, so that you need less KF miles for the remainder of your booking?

Good thought. My VA balance is empty, but Flybuys transfer would fix that.

What's the route you'd like to book with KrisFlyer miles?

(I wonder if there are any obvious ways to save 110k miles by slightly changing the itinerary and/or supplementing points with another frequent flyer program currency.)

Good question.

BNExSIN-NRT for 3 pax in J.

I doubt there’s a way to shorten it.

But your question has made me realise my maths was out.

Total cost 273k.

KF balance is 160k.

Amex balance is 100k so with the current 15% bonus would be about 57k when transferred.

So perhaps I’m just 56k short.

 

[Mattg]

Can you book part of the trip with VA using velocity points, so that you need less KF miles for the remainder of your booking?

Keep in mind that Velocity is blocking all partner airline redemptions at the moment (although this could change at some point), and also SQ has been blocking partner airline awards on its metal during 2020.

BNExSIN-NRT for 3 pax in J.

I doubt there’s a way to shorten it.

Hmm. Would flying with SQ BNE-xSIN-TPE instead be an option?

BNE-NRT is 91,000 KrisFlyer miles each in J (so 273k in total).
BNE-TPE is 65,000 KrisFlyer miles each in J (so 195k in total).

You wouldn't even have to transfer your whole Amex balance, and the flight time from Taipei to Tokyo is only around 3 hours (and it's relatively cheap to purchase separate tickets on that route).

 

[blacksultan]

I'm around 110k KF miles short of a redemption I'd like to make next month (for travel Jan 2022).

Buying miles isn't economical, Velocity transfer remains suspended and I'm not sure I can get a credit card sign up bonus quick enough.

Before I abandon by SQ plans, am I missing any obvious options?

Have you considered a US Amex ?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Have you considered a US Amex ?

That would be slower than an AU Amex wouldn’t it? But I’ll certainly look into it. Thanks

 

[kamchatsky]

Keep in mind that Velocity is blocking all partner airline redemptions at the moment (although this could change at some point), and also SQ has been blocking partner airline awards on its metal during 2020.


Hmm. Would flying with SQ BNE-xSIN-TPE instead be an option?

BNE-NRT is 91,000 KrisFlyer miles each in J (so 273k in total).
BNE-TPE is 65,000 KrisFlyer miles each in J (so 195k in total).

You wouldn't even have to transfer your whole Amex balance, and the flight time from Taipei to Tokyo is only around 3 hours (and it's relatively cheap to purchase separate tickets on that route).

Or if you have QFF points, you can use QFF points to redeem between NRT-TPE in JL, or even do NRT-HKG on JL or CX, as it is also 65K points for BNE-SIN-HKG.

 

[NoName]

Good thought. My VA balance is empty, but Flybuys transfer would fix that.


Good question.

BNExSIN-NRT for 3 pax in J.

I doubt there’s a way to shorten it.

But your question has made me realise my maths was out.

Total cost 273k.

KF balance is 160k.

Amex balance is 100k so with the current 15% bonus would be about 57k when transferred.

So perhaps I’m just 56k short.

Sounds like the Amex Explorer I mentioned above would be perfect then. Would get you just above what you need.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Or if you have QFF points, you can use QFF points to redeem between NRT-TPE in JL, or even do NRT-HKG on JL or CX, as it is also 65K points for BNE-SIN-HKG.

I’d suggest avoiding HKG for personal safety issues re new national security laws

 

[samh004]

I’d suggest avoiding HKG for personal safety issues re new national security laws

Unless you're planning to break the new law or loudly denounce the government while stopping over, you're not going to see an issue. Life goes on, as it does in many places, and you just have to tread lightly

 

[trippin_the_rift]

If I were a betting man, I'd put my stake on award flight prices reducing over the coming year, along with cash pricing, and thus, why lock in something so far in advance at "2019 peak pricing" with so much on your side as a traveller?

 

[CaptainCurtis]

If I were a betting man, I'd put my stake on award flight prices reducing over the coming year, along with cash pricing, and thus, why lock in something so far in advance at "2019 peak pricing" with so much on your side as a traveller?

Would be interested to hear why you think award flight prices will decrease?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Would be interested to hear why you think award flight prices will decrease?

Qantas & Virgin likely won't reduce pricing because they have a captive audience. Which is why I don't recommend putting ANY points into those programs (I'd go for cashback before QF/VA points).

Look at
Qatar
Jetblue
Malaysia
Air Asia
Air Canada

Just some of the airlines that have reduced award pricing in recent months.

Loyalty is the #1 mechanism that airlines have to pull themselves out of the economic nightmare once borders open up.
There is nothing more valuable than loyalty at the majority of airlines worldwide right now.

It's important to remember that airline pricing used to be based on demand forecasting using a bunch of historical data points. That's out the window now. Today's demand forecast (without history) is based largely on indicative consumer behaviours from non-travel data sources. Revenue Management and Loyalty teams are working closer than ever before - because Loyalty is the key driver of profitability for almost every airline in the world now. This provides loyalty with more control over pricing and inventory, and thus, it's becoming less about 'selling tickets at high yield', and more about 'customer lifetime value'.

With that in mind - if you're planning international redemptions - I'd be parking my points in a 'safe airline' (aka: Government backed airline) that will have an international network in 3 years from now and thus will be competing against other airlines for your lifetime value.

Singapore Airlines checks all of those boxes.

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Qantas & Virgin likely won't reduce pricing because they have a captive audience. Which is why I don't recommend putting ANY points into those programs (I'd go for cashback before QF/VA points).

Look at
Qatar
Jetblue
Malaysia
Air Asia
Air Canada

Just some of the airlines that have reduced award pricing in recent months.

Loyalty is the #1 mechanism that airlines have to pull themselves out of the economic nightmare once borders open up.
There is nothing more valuable than loyalty at the majority of airlines worldwide right now.

It's important to remember that airline pricing used to be based on demand forecasting using a bunch of historical data points. That's out the window now. Today's demand forecast (without history) is based largely on indicative consumer behaviours from non-travel data sources. Revenue Management and Loyalty teams are working closer than ever before - because Loyalty is the key driver of profitability for almost every airline in the world now. This provides loyalty with more control over pricing and inventory, and thus, it's becoming less about 'selling tickets at high yield', and more about 'customer lifetime value'.

With that in mind - if you're planning international redemptions - I'd be parking my points in a 'safe airline' (aka: Government backed airline) that will have an international network in 3 years from now and thus will be competing against other airlines for your lifetime value.

Singapore Airlines checks all of those boxes.

Interesting thoughts, particularly around the int'l airlines. I've predominantly focussed on collecting QF points. I may need to start redirecting to my Amex so I have some flexibility over where I send the points to.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Interesting thoughts, particularly around the int'l airlines. I've predominantly focussed on collecting QF points. I may need to start redirecting to my Amex so I have some flexibility over where I send the points to.

Look at it this way.

Qantas has zero international network, and your points are competing against 12M other Qantas members + 200M oneworld members.
Singapore Airlines has an extensive international network, and your miles are competing against 4M SQ members + Zero Star Alliance members (assuming F travel that is restricted to SQ members only).

Outside of Singapore, Krisflyer competes mostly against Asia Miles, which have been lowering redemptions year on year since non-hkg management took over. So long as these super-smart folks remain in control at Asia Miles.... SQ will continue to decrease redemption pricing to save face and remain highly competitive.

 

[kamchatsky]

Qantas & Virgin likely won't reduce pricing because they have a captive audience. Which is why I don't recommend putting ANY points into those programs (I'd go for cashback before QF/VA points).

Look at
Qatar
Jetblue
Malaysia
Air Asia
Air Canada

Just some of the airlines that have reduced award pricing in recent months.

Loyalty is the #1 mechanism that airlines have to pull themselves out of the economic nightmare once borders open up.
There is nothing more valuable than loyalty at the majority of airlines worldwide right now.

It's important to remember that airline pricing used to be based on demand forecasting using a bunch of historical data points. That's out the window now. Today's demand forecast (without history) is based largely on indicative consumer behaviours from non-travel data sources. Revenue Management and Loyalty teams are working closer than ever before - because Loyalty is the key driver of profitability for almost every airline in the world now. This provides loyalty with more control over pricing and inventory, and thus, it's becoming less about 'selling tickets at high yield', and more about 'customer lifetime value'.

With that in mind - if you're planning international redemptions - I'd be parking my points in a 'safe airline' (aka: Government backed airline) that will have an international network in 3 years from now and thus will be competing against other airlines for your lifetime value.

Singapore Airlines checks all of those boxes.

Interesting concept. I am sure you have data insight on this but I am so not used to decreased award pricing so it is hard to get around my head around this.

The only issue with SQ is the 3 year hard expiry of their miles. Even CX has moved away on that. I hope SQ will get rid of the mile hard expiry policy as I have like 900k miles to spend .....

 

[CaptainCurtis]

Qantas has zero international network, and your points are competing against 12M other Qantas members + 200M oneworld members.

Completely agree on this point.