Europe Christmas 2027

Keano

Newbie
Joined
Jan 26, 2026
Posts
2
Currently have no status and have just started collecting points but not seriously. Are we crazy to try and fly on points to Europe for Christmas next year? Not fussed on European location, and probably seeking premium economy. I think maybe virgin would be better to fly Qatar?
 
Elevate your business spending to first-class rewards! Sign up today with code AFF10 and process over $10,000 in business expenses within your first 30 days to unlock 10,000 Bonus PayRewards Points.
Join 30,000+ savvy business owners who:

✅ Pay suppliers who don’t accept Amex
✅ Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
✅ Earn & transfer PayRewards Points to 10+ airline & hotel partners

Start earning today!
- Pay suppliers who don’t take Amex
- Max out credit card rewards—even on government payments
- Earn & Transfer PayRewards Points to 8+ top airline & hotel partners

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

Flying into and out of Australia during school holidays is always a challenge. And if you have no status then you opportunities will be fewer than others with status.

Seats will be released starting from about January 2027 for flights during Christmas 2027 (it varies) and they will go quickly. You don’t have much time to start accumulating the required points.

Are you getting into the credit card thing? (bonus points when a card is approved.)

You might consider a strategy that many of us use for both paid and points flights. Get a cheap paid fare from Australia to some Asian port (Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur) and then depart from there to Europe. However, I’m not sure if you can use VFF points on QR for that strategy. Others will know.

Being flexible as to destination will definitely be an advantage to you. The high-speed train network within Europe is a good way to finish a journey if you land in a spot you really don’t want to be in.
 
Last edited:
Currently have no status and have just started collecting points but not seriously. Are we crazy to try and fly on points to Europe for Christmas next year? Not fussed on European location, and probably seeking premium economy. I think maybe virgin would be better to fly Qatar?
I tried in January for December 2026. So far, for the approximate dates I want I've found nothing through Qantas alliances. They seem to stop from the 16th which is too early for me. Maybe they will appear later but will be too late as then if they don't, the airfares will have increased significantly. This was for a single ticket and prepared fly through anywhere. Even Y fares for this period are sickening.
 
Just one addendum to @RooFlyer's train comment ... check train prices carefully before assuming anything. I've been making bookings myself of late, and some train trips are a lot more expensive than others; within France for example it looks like the equivalent of a Melbourne-Canberra length trip on the train is similar to the price of Melbourne to Bangkok by air. Switzerland is a lot smaller & has a reputation for being expensive, but it's not looking a lot more expensive than using the Sydney-centred InterCity electric train network.

In answer to the original question about whether it's even possible - I think the Christmas timing will make it unlikely.
Without the Christmas timing I think you'd need to use those bonus offers for getting new credit cards where they give you 150k-ish points for starting the card & spending money on it within the first 3 months (but that money is pretty easy to spend on groceries & other normal stuff you'd buy anyway). If this is for a couple, I think it might be hard to get enough points based on card purchases if you only have the one card - I think that unless you have a (non government) job where you're flying a fair bit, I think you might be borderline. If you each have a card, that gets you more bonus points but make sure you spend enough monthly to get those bonus points on BOTH cards.
If this is for a family ... I mean do some calcs, it'll depend on the bonus points offers available, but I don't think it'll be possible unless you have a job where you're flying a fair bit.
These points-bonus schemes are almost never available on free cards, so probably budget for at least $100/mo just to have the card, the ones with the ~150k point bonuses may be more. Some of those schemes only have a requirement that you keep the card 6 months to get the points, so in theory you MIGHT be able to go through a couple/few cards before you need the points - if you can achieve THAT then you should be sweet (for a couple), but you'd need to be lucky enough that the offers come-up at the same time.
If the both of you collect the points, it's double the spend on credit-card fees of course, but there's more chance of a bonus points offer coming up at the right time for one of you to take it, too.

Of course be aware that if you're paying $100/mo for a card, in two years you've paid for an economy class ticket or for half a premium economy ticket just in fees - and just paying for a ticket you'd have more choice about when you fly (eg. at Christmas).
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.
Back
Top