I wouldn't say we were frequent flyers, but flew every 12 months to HK on Award Business seats to visit family, and are of course QFF Bronze status. Now our daughter is approaching 2 and planning for another. I was wondering what people's strategies on maximising the value of their points are once their life has moved into the young family stage? Hotels? Award Economy seats? Continue accumulating for the future?
How best to use points for a young family?
- Thread starter gojun
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If you just want to fly once a year and don't mind economy, you should be able to find 4 award seats on the same flights with a bit of flexibility.
If you want to fly business class with your kids, finding 4 business awards on the same flights is much harder - but not impossible if you use the right program! You're unlikely to be able to do this with QFF but with a program like KrisFlyer (flying SQ) it might be possible. For this reason, if you're collecting points via credit cards, I'd switch to a bank program that gives you the flexibility to transfer points into multiple airline programs as needed.
Would be interested to hear others' thoughts on this topic.
If you want to fly business class with your kids, finding 4 business awards on the same flights is much harder - but not impossible if you use the right program! You're unlikely to be able to do this with QFF but with a program like KrisFlyer (flying SQ) it might be possible. For this reason, if you're collecting points via credit cards, I'd switch to a bank program that gives you the flexibility to transfer points into multiple airline programs as needed.
Would be interested to hear others' thoughts on this topic.
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As a NB, your opps for upgrades are below those of higher status members.
Maybe pay for 3 premY seats, ($$$ I know), but at least you know, even if you have to fly CX, at the least you know you will have a bit more space than the Y down the back.
If you were SG, or WP/P1, then I would say, go for a CR/CR+ and see what pans out.
But as NB, it will be hard to get upgrades, esp now theres 3 in the party.
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Planning another baby or another trip?
Maybe pay for 3 premY seats, ($$$ I know), but at least you know, even if you have to fly CX, at the least you know you will have a bit more space than the Y down the back.
If you were SG, or WP/P1, then I would say, go for a CR/CR+ and see what pans out.
But as NB, it will be hard to get upgrades, esp now theres 3 in the party.
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Planning another baby or another trip?
Happy Dude
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Value is soooo difficult to define, especially here.
I prefer to use points as they're needed rather than wait for a big pointy end redemption. In the last year I've taken the fam (2A, 2C under 12) on a RTW trip (MEL-SFO...DCA-LHR...FCO-ARN...HAM-DXB...AUH-NRT...HND-CNS-MEL) and a BNE-SIN-KUL...PEN-SIN-BNE trip all on about 1.1m QF/VA and SQ points (and a tonne of taxes). There were a couple of J legs in there as, oddly, Y wasn't always available but I'm sure I could have gotten RTW points fares/taxes for much less than I used/paid or even revenue fares for a modest amount more than the taxes I paid (a tick under $4k all up). But I think one-way redemptions on the same plane and free of any RTW type rules was decent value for us.
Domestic whY awards also represent good value for us too. Seems to always cost us $2k, or thereabouts, for a return to anywhere from CBR. But we fly revenue sometimes too, to get SCs and sectors.
I prefer to use points as they're needed rather than wait for a big pointy end redemption. In the last year I've taken the fam (2A, 2C under 12) on a RTW trip (MEL-SFO...DCA-LHR...FCO-ARN...HAM-DXB...AUH-NRT...HND-CNS-MEL) and a BNE-SIN-KUL...PEN-SIN-BNE trip all on about 1.1m QF/VA and SQ points (and a tonne of taxes). There were a couple of J legs in there as, oddly, Y wasn't always available but I'm sure I could have gotten RTW points fares/taxes for much less than I used/paid or even revenue fares for a modest amount more than the taxes I paid (a tick under $4k all up). But I think one-way redemptions on the same plane and free of any RTW type rules was decent value for us.
Domestic whY awards also represent good value for us too. Seems to always cost us $2k, or thereabouts, for a return to anywhere from CBR. But we fly revenue sometimes too, to get SCs and sectors.
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I agree that when you have a family, it makes perfect sense to use points to fly economy — even domestic economy. I’ve used points several times to fly the family from Melbourne to North Queensland, NZ … even Sydney during peak times (eg. Christmas).
On each occasion it’s saved me bucketloads of money, which we can then put towards the holiday itself or something else.
On each occasion it’s saved me bucketloads of money, which we can then put towards the holiday itself or something else.
blackcat20
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We've used points to fly Y to NZ because the value is so much better than a cash fare. And again this year to the US for the same reason (cash fare was $11k for four of us
).
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.
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For Blackcat20, at least with QFF SG, your upgrade chances or ops are higher than those of us who are QFF NB!
But yes, I have been at QFF SG before, so I know how nice it is to just flash the SG QFF card at the lounge entry point, to then just walk past with a smile.
I only fly rev $ to NZ nowadays, so with the subclass of J, I still have lounge access, but have to do it as part of the fare I paid.
When I fly QFd Y/subclass of it, as an NB on rev, and not enough points for an upgrade, I slum it down the back of the bus, hoping they have given me a shadow "seat mate", sometimes it works!
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As for Gojun, earning the points on the ground, (non flying) is good, but you really need to also fly, as others are doing, either for their job, or for "fun", because QF/QFF values those who fly a lot, ie, the ones with the higher status, and these can only be obtained from flying.
Years ago, we could obtain SC from credit card spends, but nowadays, they dont do this anymore.
If you can climb from NB to SG, your chances of J upgrades are a bit better than now, as an NB.
Yes, I know, its not cheap chasing status with QF.
But yes, I have been at QFF SG before, so I know how nice it is to just flash the SG QFF card at the lounge entry point, to then just walk past with a smile.
I only fly rev $ to NZ nowadays, so with the subclass of J, I still have lounge access, but have to do it as part of the fare I paid.
When I fly QFd Y/subclass of it, as an NB on rev, and not enough points for an upgrade, I slum it down the back of the bus, hoping they have given me a shadow "seat mate", sometimes it works!
---
As for Gojun, earning the points on the ground, (non flying) is good, but you really need to also fly, as others are doing, either for their job, or for "fun", because QF/QFF values those who fly a lot, ie, the ones with the higher status, and these can only be obtained from flying.
Years ago, we could obtain SC from credit card spends, but nowadays, they dont do this anymore.
If you can climb from NB to SG, your chances of J upgrades are a bit better than now, as an NB.
Yes, I know, its not cheap chasing status with QF.
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