Help with Qantas points accruing thread

[ffhound]

Hi all

I have set myself a mission this financial year of accruing enough FF points for a return trip to Europe at least or nil cost.

I started a week ago with 5,000 or so point in my Qantas account and I have just been approved for the 50,000 point ANZ credit card os 5,000 + 50,000 = 55,000 points. I checked the Qantas website and it says that a round trip ticket costs 128,000 points so I am almost half way there.

My question is - what would be the best strategy to accrue the remaining 73,000 points? I may be able to pick up say 10,000 from using a qantas linked credit card but what offers (CC?) should I be aiming to utilise to get the balance? Ideally the 80,000 point Ciibank Signature card offer would have been the best strategy at relatively low cost but perhaps there is a better way?

cheers Peter

 

[kitkatff]

I guess use your CC.
Depends on your yearly spend, but if whatever card you just got also gives you points for spending money, well, use it. Sometimes you get 2 cards, eg. Amex and Visa/Master, the Amex one usually gives more point, so use Amex as much as possible (don't know if recent-model Amex cards also have paywaye-like chip? if yes can be handy). Can't recall exact proportion but for ex. Westpack black mastercard gives 0.65 point/$ and Westpack black Amex gives 1.5 point/$. Shops like Coles/woolies accept AMEX at no charge, so put all your groceries shopping on it. Also Paypal, Amazon payments, etc, if you buy stuff online.

Check the QantasPoints website as well?

Buy QF/JQ tickets with said card for bonus points.

Watch out for double points bonuses if travelling and other QF promos.

Also be mindful that even if you have the points you may not be able to get the award seats for the time you want.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If those cards do not have fees in the first year, its a plus.
But if those cards do have fees, than that has to be taken into consideration.
Guess you can afford all this though, best of luck.
Fly with QF dom at least once, get a hotel stay, make sure you book it at QF Hotels, and present your QF FF card on check in, if you have a driving licence, rent a car with a car rental partner of QF.
Earning FF purely by not not flying is one thing, but getting SC is another, and this SC can only be obtained, yep, by flying.

 

[ffhound]

Thanks

However I was hoping that someone could point me to a couple of deals that would make up the missing 73,000 points. Incidentally I could get a few extra points and get a one way ticket to Europe and then get a few deals that give points for free or low outlay on some other program and fly back with another carrier. I'm a points agnostic. I don't discriminate

SC doesn't interest me. I'm purely about getting from point A to point B and back.

The trick is to work out what the best combination of offers will work to achieve this.

 

[eminere]

Thanks

However I was hoping that someone could point me to a couple of deals that would make up the missing 73,000 points. Incidentally I could get a few extra points and get a one way ticket to Europe and then get a few deals that give points for free or low outlay on some other program and fly back with another carrier. I'm a points agnostic. I don't discriminate

SC doesn't interest me. I'm purely about getting from point A to point B and back.

The trick is to work out what the best combination of offers will work to achieve this.

Sign up for a few more credit cards offering bonus points - see the current list here.

 

[benjy]

Plenty of information available on the forums, I don't think members will be freely willing to give you ~all~ information required to accumulate points.

Recommendation from me though:
- Bankwest Transaction Account
- Qantas Cash
- EDR cards
- Optus account
- Toolbar points
- Sign your family up to QFF and do Family transfers

etc.

I've gone from 21,000 points in January to 52,000 points now using the options above with a redemption of 24,000 points through out the year, essentially I've earned 55,000 points in 9 months and I don't even have a credit card .

 

[ffhound]

Sign up for a few more credit cards offering bonus points - see the current list here.

Hmmm

A couple of good offers there, although quite as good as the ANZ offer.

Is there a list of non-qantas credit card offers?

 

[ffhound]

Plenty of information available on the forums, I don't think members will be freely willing to give you ~all~ information required to accumulate points.

Recommendation from me though:
- Bankwest Transaction Account
- Qantas Cash
- EDR cards
- Optus account
- Toolbar points
- Sign your family up to QFF and do Family transfers

Bankwest - thanks for that, applying now 10,000 points!
Qantas cash - ? how do i get points for this?
EDR cards - what does EDR stand for?
Optus account - already have but points accrual is not substantial
Toolbar points - as above
Family transfers - hmmm but I think there is a cost for signing my family members up to a qff account?

cheers Peter

 

[benjy]

Bankwest - thanks for that, applying now 10,000 points!
Qantas cash - ? how do i get points for this?
EDR cards - what does EDR stand for?
Optus account - already have but points accrual is not substantial
Toolbar points - as above
Family transfers - hmmm but I think there is a cost for signing my family members up to a qff account?

cheers Peter

All your answers are available on the forums, that's how I learned, search tool is your friend!

oh and btw, don't forget to fly!

 

[ffhound]

Thanks

My Bankwest account was just approved so that's another 10,000 points. Woo hoo! In just two days I have secured enough points for a 1 way trip to Europe!

Your help is appreciated

cheers Peter

 

[Colin 2905]

In just two days I have secured enough points for a 1 way trip to Europe!

Don't forget the fees and taxes. You didn't say where in Europe, so I'll use Amsterdam as an example, since that looks to be the cheapest at the moment ($1547 return, during parts of March and May next year).

I only have enough points for one direction, so I had to look at them separately, but for some dates in May where award seats are available for 128,000 points return, fees and taxes came to about $732. On that basis, you'd only be getting about 0.64¢ per point, which is quite poor value, IMO.

 

[eminere]

My Bankwest account was just approved so that's another 10,000 points. Woo hoo! In just two days I have secured enough points for a 1 way trip to Europe!

Don't forget you will need to deposit $2,000 per month for the first 3 months before you will receive the bonus points.

 

[ffhound]

Thanks for that and yes I'll deposit the 2000 a month .

Gee those taxes are savage. Any way of reducing them?

Also first I went and looked at the classic awards rate for a mel-lhr round trip which shows 128,000 points. But when I went to the booking engine and selected some flights and also selected 'view in points' I was getting poinst figures far in excess of the 64,000 points quoted each way?

Am I searching for the data the right way? How do I (a) search to find an award flight at the quoted 128,000 point rate and (b) estimate fees and taxes?

I only have enough points for one direction, so I had to look at them separately, but for some dates in May where award seats are available for 128,000 points return, fees and taxes came to about $732. On that basis, you'd only be getting about 0.64¢ per point, which is quite poor value, IMO.

That's odd. I couldn't see any 128,000 point return award seats available in May. I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks Peter

 

[ffhound]

Oh wait i see now. Its that strange seated person symbol.

 

[JessicaTam]

Ffhound, with all due respect, you are asking for an awful lot of help without seeming to have done much homework. The posts above have provided lots of fodder for you to investigate further. E.g. have you searched for 'EDR' on the forum?

This is not a place to be spoon fed. You need to do some work for yourself.

 

[Colin 2905]

Uh-oh. If it's LHR that you have in mind, the return fees and taxes are $935.

Have you considered Royal Brunei?

 

[ffhound]

Colin - to buy a fare or for redemption?

I am very flexible as to where I arrive and depart from in Europe as I want to visit France, Netherlands and Southern Germany in no particular order, as well as London.

 

[ffhound]

Sorry if I'm overdoing it Jessica. I've got my head around the database and am combing the database now. Thanks for everyone's help.

Just for the record, I did search for EDR but still have no idea what it is because everyone uses the letters and never explains what it is!

 

[Colin 2905]

I haven't checked lately, but RB did have fairly keen MEL-LHR return prices when I last checked.

But if it doesn't have to be LHR, try CDG or FRA for size.

PS: A bit of trivia - my avatar is part of a photo that I took at FRA.

 

[ffhound]

Love the photo. I hope you got to ride on it.

BY contrast with my rustiness with frequent flyer matters I am pretty sharp at picking up cheap fares. I once flew Mel - AKL for $99 return (with double frequent flyer points) and did Mel-LAX return for $999.

Fares are good these days but going the frequent flyer route looks a bit cheaper.