How I got enough points for a RTW flight in 6 months :-)

[futago flyer]

Hi,
A few months ago I headed into this forum with a mission! I wanted to find out how to get a “round the world” (or RTW) as a soon learned fare for a low cost using frequent flyer miles. Well I’ve achieved it!
Below I’ve detailed how I achieved it, some tips to getting there and so on. Let me start by saying I don’t have a business these are all personal charges. However, I do have an okay income (no kids etc) so I am able to spend my income on some treats – eating out regurlay etc. This may not work for you and you think there are better ways – but hey – I’m posting it here to show one example, maybe others will share their tips too!

Mission
Points needed:
142 500 (one world explorer + booking assistance fee for 10 zones economy)

Set up costs (no such thing as a free lunch)
Qantas membership - $82.50
Joined three credit cards to maximize sign-up bonuses and obtaining points (they are direct sweep to QFF - guess being new to this world felt safe doing it this way):
Amex Express (1 point for $1 spent) - $0 – it now actually has a $125 annual fee, glad I got in when I did (also $50 back on Amex when first spend on Qantas)
ANZ (1 point for $1 spent) - $95
Earth Platinum - $125 (half price for first year – don’t plan on having it for a second year!)
= $302.50

Some Tips

• Very important! I always paid my cards off at the end of each month – so I’ve paid no interest. I changed my spending habits – everything on the card – and then paid it off straight away.

• I got the Amex and the ANZ originally as Amex is not taken everywhere. So I’d use the ANZ when they won’t take the Amex – so I’d still get the points.

• Read forums like these! I was able to get onto the everyday spend promotion – I only got 15 000 points - as Amex told me I wasn’t eligible and hadn’t been registered - so moved transactions to Earth to take advantage of 3 points per dollar offer - then points start turning up! But hey happy with what I got!

• I got my partner an Amex and Earth card on my account – meant that he was also earning me points (I trust him very much and he always Bpays his purchases on my card very quickly). These complimentary cards were free (would not of got them if there was a fee!)

• Signed up for Rental Rewards – For rent of $840 a fortnight I got at least 855 (840 rent + 15 surcharge) points a fortnight – more when I joined Earth Plat and got three points per dollar spent. The surcharge has cost me $15 a fortnight, which has equaled $180 for six months. I should mention I live in a share house, so my share of the rent is a quarter (or $210) – so I have been earning points on the total rent amount by paying the total rent on my card and having my flatmates pay me their share direct. For me this has represented a good deal – it may not for you.

• Take advantage of good sign-ups – I have got three deals I was happy with. I also plan to get rid of the ones with Annual fees when I have to renew them (the ANZ and the Earth). Having this many cards is not good for my long-term credit rating and I don't use them for credit - as I pay them off each month.

• Also…. For me this amount of points in 6 months is not sustainable – I largely got there due to the sign-ups and Earth's 3 point per dollar deal… but hey I got there!

So let’s do the math

Start-up = $302.50
Rental rewards surcharge for six months = $180
Other surcharges (dinners out, using visa at Aldi etc) = $100

= $ 582.50 (offset by $50 back on Amex when first spend on Qantas – flight I had already planned to take)

Cost to acquire these points:
= $ 532.50

There will also be some taxes etc when I book the flights which will need to be added to this.

Okay – Oneworld.com.au estimates a round the world economy fare from AUD 4,699 [Peak: AUD 4,999] - six continents.


So by my caluations, even if the taxes come to say $1000 + 532.50 (cost to acquire points) = $1532.50

4699 – 1532.50 = 3166.50 AHEAD!!!

This isn’t perfect – but hey it gives you an idea of what some shopping ahead, reading up and 6 months of using a credit card can achieve.


How I got the points

Sign-up bonuses
Amex sign-up 5000
ANZ sign up

16000​

Earth sign-up

20000​

Rental Rewards
sign-up points from rental rewards

1000​

sign-up points from amex

2000​

Amex everyday spend promotion

15000​

Flights
One domestic return flight

2000​

Return flight with Jetstar to Ho Chi Minh (note: had sale fare, upgraded to starclass for $400 which allowed me to get points at business class rates – the $400 was well spent as I really enjoyed being up the pointy end so have not counted this cost as a cost to acquiring points)

8502​

Purchases made
Earth card (this has been giving three points per dollar spent).

48219​

Amex (1 point per $1)

10086​

ANZ (1 point per $1)

4202​

Points owing from Earth promotion still to be credited

11519​

 

[Febs]

Great writeup. Congrats

FWIW, I just booked two OneWorld Award Explorers in Y, and the taxes came to ~$850ea. Itinerary includes Shanghai, Dubai, London, Frankfurt, Barcelona, Helsinki, New York, LA.

Cheers.

 

[simongr]

• Read forums like these! I was able to get onto the everyday spend promotion – I only got 15 000 points - as Amex told me I wasn’t eligible and hadn’t been registered - so moved transactions to Earth to take advantage of 3 points per dollar offer - then points start turning up! But hey happy with what I got!

People are still fighting Amex on this so don't give up hope that you have no more points to come (unless you stopped using Amex completely)

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Yes there are great points to be had....and joining the forum a while back was one of my better moves

Recent gains:
* Everyday Promo (however I received a postcard ...and so would have gained this anyway. 100K+ of points already gained...and hopefully many many times that to come.

* 2 (my wife and I) by 1000 points to QF FF by just signing up to Avis GPS at no cost.

* 3 Nokia N95 phones (worth $400-500+ each) bought for 10K points each (though one has yet to arrive)

* Having my Amex Max fees waived (this site taught me to ask for this). saving of $195 per year

* Wife gaining 5K for free to sign on for an Amex max...and negotiated fee being waived.

*superior earn rate of having the:
*** Amex max at 1.5
***Free for life Citibank VISA at 1 (when I can't use Amex)

* "bought' the 20K of points on the Earth Plat sign-on (my first card fee for over a decade!!!) for $125 (yearly fee at 50% discount) and will be using the 3/4 point rate to QF deal till end of March (Note this deal is now extended to Jan 31...so I am still tossing up whether to "buy" another 20K by getting my wife a card too. Value is less for the second card as I can already use my card for 3 point rate).

*2007 was a great year...and in addition to the normal card point and flight earn I earnt an additional 220K from various promos and sign-on bonii for my wife and I. 2009 has already exceeded this though..and if the Everyday Promo pays up in full will really Really exceed that.

YET to use:

1/ Tip for redeeming for RTW Oneworld Award. I did not know about this pre-this forum. But am now gaining my QF earns for this purpose- have almost enough for two tickets and by end of March should be there.

2/ That there are other FF programs besides QF which are often better (ie AA suit many..but as much of earn is CC SQ rewards me better).
I have moved points to SQ's Krisflyer. (note I have various earn which can only go to QF..so I will keep accumulating there now with that earn, though most earn will be via Amex MR and Citibank and will go now to non-QF spend)


However:
"All that glitters is not gold"
I am very mercenary with my point accumulation and only acquire points if that is the best deal. If for example I can gain a greater discount by paying cash (than the worth of gained points)...or an option that does not award FF points then I do so.

For example I will be flying to CNS late Jan.
* Car Hire....can gain a much cheaper rate by not gaining FF points. Will rent through Hertz via RACV and pay $130 for 4 days rather than $150 with FF points. (will still get credit card spend FF though). I will pocket the saving up front with the cheaper option sans-bonus points
*Accommodation. Being off season there are great deals to be had..and options at places without FF points are much better value.

 

[jandj]

Interesting reading.
Had a thought, someone out there might be able to tell me if I'm pushing the boundaries a bit to far !!!

I work on the cash register in a business (employee) taking payment for goods via cash and cards. Was thinking if I payed for the cash receipts using MY (ANZ QFF) card I would then get more QFF points allotted ? The owner of the business would be hit with merchant fees so I would have to arrange to reimburse him for his additional cost. Would only do it with his OK.

What I'm trying to establish/forsee could there be any other problems with either ANZ or QFF with the gaining of points in this manner ? Could be talking $1-2000 per day.
As I see it it would just be a transaction on my card nothing dishonest but just using the system ?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Interesting reading.
Had a thought, someone out there might be able to tell me if I'm pushing the boundaries a bit to far !!!

I work on the cash register in a business (employee) taking payment for goods via cash and cards. Was thinking if I payed for the cash receipts using MY (ANZ QFF) card I would then get more QFF points allotted ? The owner of the business would be hit with merchant fees so I would have to arrange to reimburse him for his additional cost. Would only do it with his OK.

What I'm trying to establish/forsee could there be any other problems with either ANZ or QFF with the gaining of points in this manner ? Could be talking $1-2000 per day.
As I see it it would just be a transaction on my card nothing dishonest but just using the system ?

Comments:
1/ You may get away with it for a while...but these days the CC card companies have scam checking software that looks for suspicious activity. And many tx per day at one business (and in your case only one business) would most likely be picked up.

2/ Somewhere in the fine print the CC would have provisions about this (or which would cover it)...and so when they get around to noticing that you have a huge number of tx at one particular business they investigate and then no doubt as a minimum reverse the points.....as a maximum it could be deemed fraud???


3/ Quite possibly that would breach the merchant agreement that the owner has with the CC company.

4/ Said owner...if it was allowable...as it his business would no doubt want the spend to his benefit rather than yours.

 

[jandj]

Many tks for your comments lto, if it sounds too good.....!
I'm sure wouldnt be a problem with the owner, but I'm not the type of person to get caught up in fraud and the like so would not like to risk my morals with myself.

 

[medhead]

Thanks for the outline. Very useful.

A couple of questions.

It sounds like you have the same qantas AMEX as me. How did you get to sign on for the transaction promo. I didn't get a postcard. Everytime I when to the website it basically pick me as not be in membership rewards and didn't let me sign up.

On the earth platinum it sound like you've got most of your points. I haven't had any of the extra points for spend since the end of October. Or does your 42000 include the bonus 20k, which I did get.

lovetravellingoz - A tip for Redeeming of RTW Oneworld Award. Is this just about the award existing or is there a better method to redeem this award?

Am I the only one who has got the Earth fee free for the first year?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

lovetravellingoz - A tip for Redeeming of RTW Oneworld Award. Is this just about the award existing or is there a better method to redeem this award?

I was just acknowleging that before I joined this forum that I did not know about this award. It's significance being of course that it is a better value redemption than normal international rewards flights with QF.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thanks for the outline. Very useful.

A couple of questions.

It sounds like you have the same qantas AMEX as me. How did you get to sign on for the transaction promo. I didn't get a postcard. Everytime I when to the website it basically pick me as not be in membership rewards and didn't let me sign up.

I do not know about the OP with their Amex card...but in the Everday thread the people with the Amex QF card stated that they got in by ringing up.

I remember thinking bugger as I had just cancelled my wife's Amex QF card just a few days prior!!! Luckilly I still had my Amex Max card...but an extra card in the promo would have been nice !!

 

[Bundy Bear]

Interesting reading.
Had a thought, someone out there might be able to tell me if I'm pushing the boundaries a bit to far !!!

I work on the cash register in a business (employee) taking payment for goods via cash and cards. Was thinking if I payed for the cash receipts using MY (ANZ QFF) card I would then get more QFF points allotted ? The owner of the business would be hit with merchant fees so I would have to arrange to reimburse him for his additional cost. Would only do it with his OK.

What I'm trying to establish/forsee could there be any other problems with either ANZ or QFF with the gaining of points in this manner ? Could be talking $1-2000 per day.
As I see it it would just be a transaction on my card nothing dishonest but just using the system ?

1. The problem is the merchant fees on the $1,000 sale.
$1,000 in cash would incur $10.00 in merchant charges, usually about 1% for most merchants, so unless you are the owner or related to the owner I wouldn't do it.

When one of my customers has paid a small invoice like $100.00 or so then I might put the transaction through on the credit card; saves going to the bank, but as the owner I know then its costing me a $1.00 in merchant fees, to use the extra $100 for a month.

2. The second part is there a limit to that amount of Qantas miles you can earn per monthly statement period. My standard ANZ Frequent flyer card only has a 2,500 point maximum per month.

Thanks for all the workings futago flyer.

I used 140,000 for a RTW last year, which was good value.

 

[medhead]

I do not know about the OP with their Amex card...but in the Everday thread the people with the Amex QF card stated that they got in by ringing up.

Ahh, thanks. I should have read somewhere between about page 10 and page 380 of that other thread but then again....

 

[austrider]

Set up costs (no such thing as a free lunch)
Qantas membership - $82.50

Great post, and welcome to AFF! Btw from what I understand Earth Pt comes with free QF membership? So in theory if you had applied for that first then it'd save you $82.50.

Please keep us posted on your RTW reward booking experience, as I plan to do one next year as well.

I didn't realise that Earth had the $1=3pt offer otherwise I would have picked it up before I go on my 2-month DONE4 (most spending in foreign currency on AMEX which does not count towards the transaction promo). I think I'd pick up an Earth Pt on Monday.....

 

[futago flyer]

1) Yes have a the lowest QFF AMEX card > called up and asked to reigster for the everyday spend promo. First person said I had registered. Called back a few days later to confirm I was registered and it was all okay. Told I never registered and was not eligible. However.... points have started appearing! So I can only guess that I was registered and picked up the points that way.

2) Earth waiving the QFF fee - yes in theory I could have minismised my start up costs even more. However, joined in July and only got the Earth card in October... oh well.

3) The 48219 points from Earth is just purchases, I also got the bonus on top of this. I called up and asked why the points were not being credited to my account - the lady reviewed my account and put all outstanding points in the account. However I'm still owed more, as they said that purchases from December would only have 1.5 points per dollar, with the promo extra 1.5 being credited later (I think 6 weeks later).

Glad people are finding the tips helpful.

Now to decide where to go!

 

[_kab_]

Very interesting reading, thank you

I don't want to hi-jack but as it happens I am in the process of shopping for a new CC and I am looking at the Westpac Earth Plat. ATM they have a promo whereby if you apply for the card by the end of January (extended from 10 January) you receive 20,000 QFF points. However in the nitty gritty of the T&Cs it says this:

2. Extra 20,000 points on new Earth Platinum, extra 10,000 points on new Earth Gold and extra 5,000 points on new Earth cards. Your extra Qantas Frequent Flyer points will usually be allocated to your valid Qantas Frequent Flyer membership within 6 weeks of your third purchase. Customers who switch from existing Westpac credit cards to an Earth product are excluded from the extra 20,000, 10,000 or 5,000 points.

I am an existing Westpac Altitude card holder. How can I get around this? I don't want to do a product switch, I want to apply for a new card...gain approval...and then cancel my Altitude card(s) Possible (if not sneaky)? As I understand it a product switch is a totally different beast (you provide no income details for starters) and quite different to submitting an application for an entirely new card (they want all your financials and employment details). Thoughts from those more experienced greatly appreciated...and sorry for the mini hi-jacking of this thread

Cheers.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Very interesting reading, thank you

Customers who switch from existing Westpac credit cards to an Earth product are excluded from the extra 20,000, 10,000 or 5,000 points.

I am an existing Westpac Altitude card holder. How can I get around this?

I don't want to do a product switch, I want to apply for a new card...gain approval...and then cancel my Altitude card(s) Possible (if not sneaky)? .

Simple...just do not switch.

Just get the Earth Plat in addition and the 20K are yours.

I had existing Altitude cards which I have not cancelled as they are completely fee free (though I do not use them as other cards presently have better earn rates...but keep as I have legacy points on them....plus who knows what erans rates will be on what cards in the future)

 

[_kab_]

That's what I thought thanks...now if only the online application wouldn't keep timing out on me I'd be OK