Getting your own value from QFF points

[anat0l]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

You've lost me there, I thought you said you wouldn't waste points on SYD-BNE trips....

He's already booked these cash SYD/BNE trips, so using the points for a SC run equivalent to the SCs on said trips is not necessarily ideal (which is serfty's strategy), especially if his requalification strategy is already accounted for with cash fares.

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

In any case, who is to say JohnK was going to cash them in on a Economy one? If he opted for a Business award, the value is definitely there, so again - it doesn't mean that because it's not the sweet spot of redemptions it is not necessarily completely redundant. And as I said again in another thread, if EK awards (i.e. EK Classic Awards) were offered without YQ, I'll take a F Classic Award over a F Any Seat Award any day, just to get that seat. That's a fair compromise IMO.

Economy is more than fine for me.

I wish I could just book business class but I keep thinking to myself why book an Oneworld award in business when you can book 2 Oneworld awards in economy? I know I am greedy but in my experience 9 times out of 10 the flight experience is forgotten where as the destination remains etched in memory for a lifetime. Assuming that memory was not erased accidentally by drinking too much alcohol....

 

[anat0l]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Economy is more than fine for me.

I wish I could just book business class but I keep thinking to myself why book an Oneworld award in business when you can book 2 Oneworld awards in economy? I know I am greedy but in my experience 9 times out of 10 the flight experience is forgotten where as the destination remains etched in memory for a lifetime. Assuming that memory was not erased accidentally by drinking too much alcohol....

How much in taxes do you pay for your Y award redemption?

It may be high enough that it is cheaper (or better value) to pay separate Y fares and/or a LONEx (possibly with feeding award) instead.

For J, no question where the better value is.

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

You've lost me there, I thought you said you wouldn't waste points on SYD-BNE trips....

I didn't say I would use the points for SYD-BNE trips. Read my post again.

 

[medhead]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

He's already booked these cash SYD/BNE trips, so using the points for a SC run equivalent to the SCs on said trips is not necessarily ideal (which is serfty's strategy), especially if his requalification strategy is already accounted for with cash fares.

I took it that serfty uses those flights for holidays/work trips, not just status runs. I also have the impression that JohnK likes to travel to places other than BNE and SYD.

 

[medhead]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

I didn't say I would use the points for SYD-BNE trips. Read my post again.

Exactly. So how is your committed work trips relevant to using the points for a holiday trip to asia. hence my confusion.

 

[anat0l]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

I took it that serfty uses those flights for holidays/work trips, not just status runs.

I'm sure serfty does, but we know the majority will be on status runs.

Plus, due to his moving almost all of domestic flying to Virgin, if he wants to maintain QF status he almost certainly needs to do runs. I don't think he does enough holiday flying to support QF alone without integrating runs into his strategy.

I also have the impression that JohnK likes to travel to places other than BNE and SYD.

Which is fine, but what I was clarifying is that serfty is going to use his points to try and get status equivalent to 15 BNE/SYD discount Y runs. JohnK has that amount of SCs already covered by cash fares (and necessity). So the latter's strategy for using points will not match that of what serfty was alluding to, unless if possibly JohnK was going to go for 2,400 SCs or Platinum One.

 

[medhead]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

So the latter's strategy for using points will not match that of what serfty was alluding to, unless if possibly JohnK was going to go for 2,400 SCs or Platinum One.

Or fly domestic with VA more to get his status up and get back to row 3.... :idea:

 

[Must...Fly!]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Economy is more than fine for me.

I wish I could just book business class but I keep thinking to myself why book an Oneworld award in business when you can book 2 Oneworld awards in economy? I know I am greedy but in my experience 9 times out of 10 the flight experience is forgotten where as the destination remains etched in memory for a lifetime. Assuming that memory was not erased accidentally by drinking too much alcohol....

Perhaps you'd rather book 2 economy than 1 business JohnK, and I would honestly consider doing the same in your position.

However one thing you have to consider is the experience. I have never met you and I dislike making presumptions of people I have not met, but from your postings on AFF I think it is safe to say you are not the best flyer and have a certain seat or seats you would like to have, and anything in the middle of a cabin or down the back will contribute to you having a miserable flight. I would say that there would be no guarantee that you get an exit row seat or something up the front in economy on airlines other than QF. Someone might know otherwise, but I think it is something to consider, anyway!

 

[serfty]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Going back 5 years or so and for the dozen odd years before that, I had many a contractual work segment - 100's of them (dunno how many time I've travelled MEL/SYD on a B/H/Y economy class seat). It was almost weekly. It was somewhere around 1996 I attained top level status for the first time (I have had suspended QP membership since then).

These days by far the majority of my travel is self funded and I need to grab the status credits I can, when I can.

Now, for early January I can book a classic award to HKG for 60K + $280 r/t earning no points/SC's - However, I have paid double the points and three times the $$ and will garner 340 SC's and 17,500 QFF points. Add a pro rata¹ 11600 to that, and should I reach 2400 SC's (as planned) that's a net points cost of 92K for the travel.

There now, with that I'll need another 860 for WP and 2040 for additional benefits².

¹ (340 / 2400) * ( (8000 * 4) + 50,000)
² On current qualification levels

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

How much in taxes do you pay for your Y award redemption?

It may be high enough that it is cheaper (or better value) to pay separate Y fares and/or a LONEx (possibly with feeding award) instead.

For J, no question where the better value is.

Last time I paid ~$1,000 for the economy award. This time around I am guessing that it would be somewhere between ~$1,200-$1,500. I still think this is good value as it values the QFF points at 2c/QFF points which is a realistic value as I am prepared to pay that much for a trip for a Oneworld award.

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Exactly. So how is your committed work trips relevant to using the points for a holiday trip to asia. hence my confusion.

Serfty mentioned that his business Any Seat award to SYD-MEL-HKG was the equivalent to 15 SYD-BNE discount economy round trips and I mentioned that it was good value assuming one had points to burn and were not already committed to 15 SYD-BNE discount economy round trips.

Personally I prefer to spend my points on economy Oneworld awards.

Or fly domestic with VA more to get his status up and get back to row 3.... :idea:

I was thinking about this the other day when I flew QF after 7 VA flights in a row. There is no way I am doing another 40 sectors to maintain VA Gold. Not worth the pain....

 

[fersea]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Economy is more than fine for me.

I wish I could just book business class but I keep thinking to myself why book an Oneworld award in business when you can book 2 Oneworld awards in economy? I know I am greedy but in my experience 9 times out of 10 the flight experience is forgotten where as the destination remains etched in memory for a lifetime. Assuming that memory was not erased accidentally by drinking too much alcohol....

This has always been my attitude. However, I feel it is going to be destroyed when I try first class for the first time in May.

 

[fersea]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

I also have the impression that JohnK likes to travel to places other than BNE and SYD.

Not so sure about that - 15 return trips!! Presumably these have to be in the next 353 days maximium.

Can we ask if there is a specific purpose of these trips? In his posts about the weather at Coolangatta the other week he said he was only travelling for fun. I would be interested to know if all of these trips are for fun, and if so what is the attraction?

 

[amaroo]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Not so sure about that - 15 return trips!! Presumably these have to be in the next 353 days maximium.

Can we ask if there is a specific purpose of these trips? In his posts about the weather at Coolangatta the other week he said he was only travelling for fun. I would be interested to know if all of these trips are for fun, and if so what is the attraction?

IIRC - work commute.....lives SYD - works BNE.

OOL, I'm guessing is a pricing benefit/VA SC run/break the monotony of the same boring weekly travel arrangements.

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Perhaps you'd rather book 2 economy than 1 business JohnK, and I would honestly consider doing the same in your position.

However one thing you have to consider is the experience. I have never met you and I dislike making presumptions of people I have not met, but from your postings on AFF I think it is safe to say you are not the best flyer and have a certain seat or seats you would like to have, and anything in the middle of a cabin or down the back will contribute to you having a miserable flight. I would say that there would be no guarantee that you get an exit row seat or something up the front in economy on airlines other than QF. Someone might know otherwise, but I think it is something to consider, anyway!

I hear what you are saying and yes sometimes seating is an inconvenience but when you weigh that up with the opportunity to spend a day or 2 in some different places then that inconvenience is minor and easily erased from memory. My chances of landing a bulkhead on long haul travel as Oneworld Emerald is very good and if worse comes to worse I can pay for exit row.

What is my motivation? I have played well over 200 golf courses in 2 countries only. I want to try and reach 500 golf courses and play in as many countries as possible while I am still able to play to a reasonable standard.

 

[The Rok]

I hear what you are saying and yes sometimes seating is an inconvenience but when you weigh that up with the opportunity to spend a day or 2 in some different places then that inconvenience is minor and easily erased from memory. My chances of landing a bulkhead on long haul travel as Oneworld Emerald is very good and if worse comes to worse I can pay for exit row.

What is my motivation? I have played well over 200 golf courses in 2 countries only. I want to try and reach 500 golf courses and play in as many countries as possible while I am still able to play to a reasonable standard.

Have you played at the K-Club?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

I hear what you are saying and yes sometimes seating is an inconvenience but when you weigh that up with the opportunity to spend a day or 2 in some different places then that inconvenience is minor and easily erased from memory. My chances of landing a bulkhead on long haul travel as Oneworld Emerald is very good and if worse comes to worse I can pay for exit row.

What is my motivation? I have played well over 200 golf courses in 2 countries only. I want to try and reach 500 golf courses and play in as many countries as possible while I am still able to play to a reasonable standard.

I am glad that you have thought about it and I definitely agree with you, I personally would prefer to go twice around the world in economy than once in business. As comfortable as business class makes the journey, I don't find it any replacement for the experiences I have while abroad.

All the best with your 500 course quest, I've played on only two! (but lost many balls )

 

[JohnK]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

Not so sure about that - 15 return trips!! Presumably these have to be in the next 353 days maximium.

Can we ask if there is a specific purpose of these trips? In his posts about the weather at Coolangatta the other week he said he was only travelling for fun. I would be interested to know if all of these trips are for fun, and if so what is the attraction?

I have been working in BNE for almost 5 years and I live in SYD and have been commuting during that time.

OOL-SYD as an experiment was OK when you consider I paid ~$810 for 18 flights (9 returns) but I made a mistake in booking most with Virgin to keep Gold status for another year. I would book OOL-SYD again if flights were $48 each way but at $89 it is not worth it.

 

[Scarlett]

Re: The totally off-topic thread

What is my motivation? I have played well over 200 golf courses in 2 countries only. I want to try and reach 500 golf courses and play in as many countries as possible while I am still able to play to a reasonable standard.

What a great form of motivation!

I've played well over 200 courses also (will have to tally them up one of these days) but am currently at 27 countries. Admittedly the majority of those courses have been in just 2 countries, but it's amazing how golf tourism can get you out and about in the world of you want it to.

...occasionally I'll even wonder if I should have been doing other more predictable 'tourist' things when on holiday but that passes pretty quickly.

Personally, I'd pay double the cash price for a J class seat versus Y, but given how unrealistic that is in most cases, it just means a continuing need for creative use of points.

And JohnK, if you do achieve that nirvana where you can spend more time planning your golf travel than work travel, I recommend top100golfcourses.co.uk as a nice taster to what many countries offer!