If you could give just ONE piece of advice......

[PLANT]

Use all my referral links in the referral thread

 

[Sprucegoose]

One learning......you can never overplan..........and when things go wrong be flexible and philosophic

 

[JohnK]

Research thoroughly and plan early to take advantage of specials.

 

[Mattg]

Don't be a "gonna", be a "doer"! If you are thinking of taking that trip, or making that booking, or taking advantage of that promotion, then DO IT! You will almost certainly not regret it.

Never pass through the threshold of your aircraft's door without first touching / tapping / or rubbing the exterior of it's fuselage. (Not much else matters)

Off topic slightly, but there's a German word (which I may or may not have just made up) for the compulsion to touch outside of the plane before boarding: Flugzeugrumpfberührungszwang.

 

[SuzieQ68]

Benzo AFF has completely changed the travel lives of many members and we were ALL newbies to the world of pointy end travel at one point in time - so the ONE piece of advice I would give you is READ READ READ AFF as much as you can - there is a wealth of accurate quality FREE advice here which is unavailable elsewhere. READ READ READ - COMPREHEND COMPREHEND COMPREHEND.

In no time your knowledge bank will be vastly larger and you too will reap some of the benefits that many of us do take for granted.


+1 to CruiserElite's response above. Through reading, reading, reading this fantastic forum, I've worked out how to retain SG for both myself & my partner (flying J all the way) in one trip. A little creative routing and voila! The knowledge on this forum is extensive and the contributors more than happy to share their experiences - I love AFF!

 

[noviceFF]

Long time lurker here and finally a doer over the last 12 months. Flown J to Europe and 2 more J flights later this year to Asia. All equates to the same cost if I had purchased in Y. My advice is research, read/learn(from the good folks here), subscribe to every free frequent flyer program in advance (to take advantage of promotions when they occur), plan (in advance and act promptly), be flexible and enjoy it while it lasts. Last point is in reference to WOW EDR and Enrich program changes.

 

[harvyk]

Well apart from read this forum, the one piece of advice I can give is be flexible. Look at all the costs of a trip and adjust dates for travel accordingly.
I rarely fly on peak days, since leaving a day earlier or a day later can significantly cut down in costs, and despite being a lower status member, it gives better odds of getting those all important upgrades.

(My last trip I got 2 flight upgrades inc an OP-UP as well as an upgrade to a better room despite never having stayed at that hotel before).

 

[JohnCarrWestwood]

Buy some good quality Noise cancelling headphones and spare jack connectors . Lie back and think of < fitb >

 

[Pat2065]

There is almost endless frequent flyer travel advice. Here's a sample of mine, for what it's worth:
* travel for the joy of it.
* spend the time to learn about it as you are likely to get lots of advice that is conflicting or inappropriate for you. Ultimately, you will have to rely on your own judgement to make choices.
* unless you really travel a lot, pick one FF program and stick to it and its affiliated airlines
* plan and book in advance if you can. The pickings can get slim closer to the time and the penalties for changing/cancelling are often relatively small if a better deal comes along.
* be prepared to act quickly when an offer comes along as it can be very short-lived.
* business class is worth it for long haul flights but not all business class is the same. Make sure the product you buy is worth the price you pay.
* try various combinations when booking flights. E.g. an airline may give you set routing options but if you put in individual legs as a multi-city or stop-over booking, you can force the routing and the price may be different (cheaper).
* compare prices on other airline websites. E.g. QF may offer a fare that is cheaper or dearer than CX does for the same flights.
* always select your seats as soon as you book. If you can't do it online, call the airline. The are usually very helpful. Then if you have a preference that cannot be fulfilled on booking, keep checking as things change.
* status is valuable - points accumulate faster and the privileges are useful.
* booking directly with an airline can be helpful when things go wrong as there is no 3rd party involved.
* read and consider everyone's advice but develop your own knowledge base.

 

[legroom]

I agree with drron.

It's not possible to distil down to one single piece of advice except.... read / contribute to the AFF forums.

I first came here from Googling NAB CC rewards scheme and ..... became hooked with a variety of other schemes / CCs collecting WP along the way with sampling of F suites which had not appeared even in my wet dream previously.

So, Benzo, identify what it is you are after first and then go to the appropriate forum e.g want to fly Business class from everyday expenses, want to upgrade from Economy to Business, how to fly F with the price of Y etc.....

If unsure, "Your Questions" forum would be a great start.

.... BTW, yours truly is about to depart on TG F courtesy of the LM miles which were learned from AFF. That was not on my plan when I joined AFF.

Same things will occur to you, too.

I'd say that you already had the best piece of advice any traveller could have - that is, AFF participation.

The answers are all here.Just look through the forums of all airlines.
I used to be a combo type.But mainly flying.Used info I got here early on to reach lifetime platinum on AA.
However found that buying miles on US,Avianca gave me a much wider choice.
QF mingy with premium awards,AA going that way so OK I will fly F with TG or SQ with bought points.

 

[Scout]

I wonder if awards schemes are really worth it? I fly less now since I retired from full-time work, an find that I go for the lowest price rather than stay "loyal" e.g. amazing low price to UK from AUS Royal Brunei this week!

 

[jimmyinoz]

I have held platinum status with VA for the past 3 years. Other than checking in without waiting and boarding early and lounge access, I have never benefitted from a valued upgrade. I fly international cheapest ticket. International terminals offer real comfort and I would never pay extra just to fly with Virgin. The money saved from better value tickets can be spent in the international terminals in Australia and in my case USA, to provide similar and in many cases far better than lounge benefits. I'm thinking seafood bars, champagne and comfort. Unless the airline lounges improve their offering, upgrades offer real value , FF status will become a thing of the past.

 

[harvyk]

I wonder if awards schemes are really worth it? I fly less now since I retired from full-time work, an find that I go for the lowest price rather than stay "loyal" e.g. amazing low price to UK from AUS Royal Brunei this week!

The answer there is yes and no. If you are simply flying and don't get any status at all, then there is an argument about forgetting loyalty and simply go best fare of the day. If you are flying enough to earn status then that muddies the waters. Whilst yes, with no loyalty you can get the cheapest price, you can also guarantee that anyone with status will instantly trump you if something goes wrong, you may have paid the same price for your ticket for that particular flight as someone with status, but they get thrown in free perks like lounge, priority seating / boarding, baggage and meals (on airlines that charge for such things).

 

[JessicaTam]

Travel light.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I do that! Thought I was the only one.

But I also pat the plane on exitting too. Psychologists probably have a name for my condition

me too! but only on airbus aircraft, never boeings!

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I wonder if awards schemes are really worth it? I fly less now since I retired from full-time work, an find that I go for the lowest price rather than stay "loyal" e.g. amazing low price to UK from AUS Royal Brunei this week!

You are confusing being loyal with maximizing value from use of loyalty programs. They are actually different things, though for some they my overlap. I am not loyal to any one program, but find great value from use of loyalty programs.

What value can be extracted depends on one's own circumstances, and what finds to be of importance/value.

Someone that flies a certain amount may find that being loyal to one program allows them maximize their value which may include status benefits and the like.

Some like me just maximize and urn and burn on multiple programs. I don't pay for longhaul J or F, I just redeem for them and so for me status is largely irrelevant.

 

[knasty]

I find retirees are the perfect candidates for AFF knowledge... Flexibility = good times.

 

[Memsahib]

My advice is to take the points where you can but always check online for cheaper tickets that suit your journey - join each loyalty program when you book and if you can't use the points you have lost nothing. Some FF programs allow you to donate the points to a charity if you can't use them. Others have products that you can buy - so it is worth registering even though your email inbox will quickly fill with "specials" but often they also save dollars. We are travelling Business Class Air New Zealand to Auckland on Amex points, from Auckland to Melbourne on Emirates points and back to Perth on Qantas points - with some charges but much less than the airfares would have cost. Many extra points were accumulated through using Credit cards for travel and shopping.

 

[anat0l]

One piece of advice? Tough to select one, but probably one that comes to mind is, "When you fly First or Business Class on award, it's more about fitting your plans around the (award seat) availability than finding the availability that fits around your plans."

Apart from that, like some others have said, don't forget to actually enjoy travelling. One can get pretty engulfed in this game such that one is sometimes so frustrated to forget the marvel that is being able to go from one side of the world to the other in a mere day in (at the very least) reasonable comfort.

 

[stoneman]

Great thread, keep em coming!