Expiring KrisFlyer Miles

[Kiwi Flyer]

Can't do anything with 1300 miles.

Great idea macca - nice wineries around Blenheim to pick up a bottle or two. Drive a couple hours and pick up fresh kai moana (crayfish a specialty), find motel (no drinking and driving - NZ has harsh limits like Oz) and walk to beach/headland for a great dinner.

 

[JohnK]

JohnK, if you take Kiwi's advice and drive from Picton after taking the ferry from Wellington don't forget to get a bottle of nice wine, a couple of bread rolls and stop at one of the many caravans along the Kaikoura coast where they cook fresh crayfish. A cheap way to have great lunch.

Thanks Maca, sounds like a great idea.

 

[JohnK]

I have been having lots of fun and games trying to get KrisFlyer to help in this matter. Friend does not have an online pin, applied for KrisFlyer on an SQ flight, and to try to get one setup has taken so far about 2 weeks with paperwork, phone calls and e-mail back and forth.

Dealing with QF is so easy compared to SQ!

Yes 25,000 miles, less 15% online redemption saving if booked online (ie 21250). See the online calculator.

...

38,250 miles is enough for online booking to anywhere NZ serves in south pacific (eg Tahiti).

Note that one-way awards are half round trip cost. So a one-way award to somewhere you can buy cheap tickets from may be a good value and good use of the remaning miles.

Apparently not. I have been advised by SQ the 15% discount online only applies to SQ flights. How do we get from SYD to AKL/CHC on SQ?

Air NZ flights can only be booked over the phone and no one way awards from what I was told.

 

[JohnK]

My friend was finally able to book award ticket on Air NZ with KrisFlyer miles flying SYD-AKL-CHC//AKL-SYD for late January, early February next year. Cost of 25,000 KrisFlyer points and S$312 donation.

Rough plan is to arrive CHC on Friday evening, pick up hire car and check-in to hotel. Saturday would be sightseeing in and around CHC. Sunday drive CHC to Picton where we drop off hire car and get ferry across to WLG and pick another hire car and check-in to hotel. Monday would be sightseeing in and around WLG. Tuesday drive WLG to Taupo, sightseeing if enough time and stay the night. Wednesday drive from Taupo to AKL, sightseeing if enough time and check-in to hotel. Thursday sightseeing in and around AKL. Friday morning return back to Australia.

I understand that you can pre-pay accommodation for a certain number of nights with Millennium hotels (Millennium, Copthorne and Kingsgate hotels) and use them at the different cities we visit. I was also hoping to pick up some cheap hire car deals as we are travelling south-north.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

You'll need to drop off rental car at Picton and pick another up in Wellington. You may get lucky at that time of the year - sometimes they offer free (+ gas and insurance) rentals for Wellington -> Auckland in 1/2 days (and no more) since a lot of traffic is the other direction and they end up with too many vehicles in Wellington.

 

[JohnK]

Yes, I mentioned we are dropping car off in Picton and getting another in Wellington.

Any tips on car rental companies that may offer the free/discounted rental. Do you stick to the major players, eg Avis, or go for some lesser known car rental companies?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Any - major and minor ones do it.