KrisFlyer Business Savers waitlist

[albatross710]

Too impatient, have changed the flight to 2 days later and all is now confirmed. Have nabbed 1B for my F sector

Congrats and enjoy. I too am a 1B fan.

 

[Flashback]

Congrats and enjoy. I too am a 1B fan.

Thanks! Really enjoyed the SQ redemption process. Was so easy, and so much more availability.... I couldn't get anything +/- 30 days on QF even looking for whY unless I wanted to pay extra and go CX or BA. For 13,000 miles more I'm flying J/F instead of whY.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

While I have had lots of good experiences since swapping to SQ a little bit back either booking SQ redemptions on their metal, or *A thru them, but one area I have had no joy with is on waitlists.

I have tried many bookings, but so far not one waitlist has cleared. I wonder if it is because I am seeking flights out of MEL, and perhaps there are just to many people with status as I have none with SQ?

 

[cove]

I am very impressed with the posts on this thread. Living in Perth means we are a long way from a second choice departure city but after years of Qf points use I am always happy to go the extra mile to get a great start on a points journey. if the kids are little you can only split into 2 flights if there is a suitable adult.
Typically on Kris I was thinking of separate days,separate departure locations or finally paying out more points for a standard booking.
Thanks for the posts as I have to move up to 5 at a time and both J and F are very nice on Kris.

 

[Flashback]

I am very impressed with the posts on this thread. Living in Perth means we are a long way from a second choice departure city but after years of Qf points use I am always happy to go the extra mile to get a great start on a points journey. if the kids are little you can only split into 2 flights if there is a suitable adult.
Typically on Kris I was thinking of separate days,separate departure locations or finally paying out more points for a standard booking.
Thanks for the posts as I have to move up to 5 at a time and both J and F are very nice on Kris.

The main deal sealer for me was no availability on QF for a period of about 2 months (so being flexible with days didn't even help) and for only 13,000 more points going F instead of whY. It's a no brainer really.

 

[cove]

Yes Flashware I think you will enjoy F.
With Westpac it is so easy to run up points on Visa at the one point per dollar it makes life easier for doing these redemption flights.
I took First to the US when QF had nothing so I have been very excited to have had 14 months of what is now a first choice. In fact I now have more Kris points than QF points as the availability is the key to traveling pretty much any time.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

I am very impressed with the posts on this thread. Living in Perth means we are a long way from a second choice departure city but after years of Qf points use I am always happy to go the extra mile to get a great start on a points journey. if the kids are little you can only split into 2 flights if there is a suitable adult.
Typically on Kris I was thinking of separate days,separate departure locations or finally paying out more points for a standard booking.
Thanks for the posts as I have to move up to 5 at a time and both J and F are very nice on Kris.

I am a family of 5 and over two decades most of my redemptions have been for 5...for family holidays.
Initially that was with Ansett when redeeming domestically was good value for both economy and business. 5 was pretty easy.

Luckily I redeemed with Ansett a *A Award for 5 in Y on SQ to MEL-CAIRO return a fortnight before Ansett went belly up..and SQ honoured the tickets.

I then switched to QF..and as redemption values changed stopped redeeing domestically. So just long haul in QF to thailand several times and New Caledonia. Always for 5. If I booked about 6 months out I normally could get 5 in Y.

Then in recent years despite ironically paying for a lot less flights than I used to ( I wasa plat with Ansett) I have been earning a lot more points in various programs.

With the transfer/earning of points to SQ gaving doubled in recent years I switched to SQ as their redemption rates are in general a lot cheaper if you can get Savers. It also meant that I now only redeem in J or F.

But that left the problem of booking for upto 5.

First trip was less a problem as eldest duaghter was now at Uni and could not make the first trip.

To parts of Asia I found I could get 4 J Savers on the one flight. So last Xmas 4 of us flew together

For the next trip for this July, I researched the various Saver destinations and found that again for Asia I could often get 4 in J, but for all the European Saver destinations I could only get 2 J's on the one flight.

So I elected to book the 4 of us on consecutive days to and from Europe. MEL-MAN (no longer a Saver) and AMS-MEL.

Edest daughter had Uni committments with different dates, but I initially booked her as MEL_FRA return so she could meet up with us in Paris. Her Uni dates changed and so a month out I cancelled the MEL-FRA leg and booked a *A on Thai via SQ to MEL-London.


It is shame that we have to split, but it provides surety early on for our bookings.

 

[cove]

We have not felt the need to hold hands on flights so that has made the bookings in business saver so much easier for splitting by one day.

 

[albatross710]

We have not felt the need to hold hands on flights so that has made the bookings in business saver so much easier for splitting by one day.

The couple of times I've run a few of those travelling separate scenarios past the family it hasn't gone over well here. When I scenario ed us to travel from BNE to LHR, departing about 5 hours apart, we end up being separated for ~30 hours. There may have been better itineraries but it didn't seem like much of a way for us to start and finish our holiday. Not that we wouldn't do i, it just wasn't a preferred option.

 

[cove]

Well I am back from Los Angeles using QF points and was pleased that I was allowed on the earlier flight to Perth so I was only really waiting 20 minutes between A380 First and J to Perth.Eliminating a 3 hour plus lay over really does impress me when the flying home time is almost 20 flying hours and you make sure there is enough time gap between flights. I was travelling one day after the other 2 in our family so no holding hands this time.
On Kris points I am doing a solo trip to LAX thru Singapore return in a mixture of J and F on points and this was a no go on QF points for availability.
Is it worth the wait for( a left hand side) business saver waitlist flight to come off?
I have just tended to go click,click,click,click to see off about 200,000 KRIS points for that return trip.The taxes and charges are up close to the cost of making those points but it is still a real bargain to go Perth-Los Angeles return for around one sixth of the retail value of those flights.

 

[albatross710]

The taxes and charges are up close to the cost of making those points but it is still a real bargain to go Perth-Los Angeles return for around one sixth of the retail value of those flights.

You've got my vote. I'm just mentally tossing ideas around for a trip to Houston next year. Star Alliance redemption BNE-SIN(F)-LAX-IAD and I'm already thinking of the KF F service.

 

[cove]

I have put you and Medhead up as official photographers on these redemption trips.

 

[moa999]

Looking to redeem on SQ a SYD-SIN-HKG fare in eary DEc.
I only have about 7,000 KF points so will pre-fund via an Amex transfer.
The Online 38,500 pts fare is very good (and better than Amex to Virgin Atlantic (even with the 20%)

SYD-SIN is available in Business Saver, but SIN-HKG is Waitlist.
Taking SIN-HKG in Business pushes the cost to 59,500

When I try to book the waitlist, it says you mst also select a second combination
(as i don't have the points I can't continue)

Does this mean I need to transfer 53k from Amex, and then gamble on the waitlist coming through, in which case I will be left with 20k or so points?

Many thanks

 

[cove]

If you have no other special use of the points I would transfer the lot to Kris even though that will start the three year clock ticking. What I have found is you will then figure it out and it may mean out on SQ and back on QF or vice versa. The other thing is Saver is a bonus kicker and feel smart when you get one or two in a trip rather than think it is Saver or no go.
I am coming home on SQ this time and I went out on QF. Taking the QF First to LAX on the A380 was a very nice run for 137,000 points.
I haven't done the run to Hong Kong so I don't know if Saver is available for you to click your ride.

 

[mjward55]

Yes you have to have the points in your account first before you can complete the booking (or you can use points + pay).

I have found better availablity when you do the whole trip (OW) in one transaction rather than splitting into two sectors (and it is cheaper).
Also for super savers, if you do the the return trip in one transaction you then get the abilty to have a stop-over in SIN on one of the legs.

None of my waitlist bookings ever came thru, but I have no status with SQ.
I have seen some comments that you need some status on SQ to get them, but not sure of this.
I ended up booking part Saver and part Standard just to be sure; but I was also after 3 seats which is a big ask in J cabin.

The Saver fares are one of the top deals using points and overall SQ seems to offer better availability than QF.

I also believe CX has good value fares when using points and you would not have to worry about the SIN stopover.
You can probably join and transfer from AMEX.
Also CX are part of oneworld so not sure if you get QF points to them somehow....never been down that road but would be interested to find out.

Hope this helps

 

[k3nnis]

CX J on SYD-HKG-SYD is very hard to get unless you are very flexible, i.e. book a month before.

 

[cove]

I do go with what is offered around my preferred dates of travel rather than lodge a request for wait list on business saver as I want certainty that I am going rather than staying home.

 

[Flashback]

Looking to redeem on SQ a SYD-SIN-HKG fare in eary DEc.
I only have about 7,000 KF points so will pre-fund via an Amex transfer.
The Online 38,500 pts fare is very good (and better than Amex to Virgin Atlantic (even with the 20%)

SYD-SIN is available in Business Saver, but SIN-HKG is Waitlist.
Taking SIN-HKG in Business pushes the cost to 59,500

When I try to book the waitlist, it says you mst also select a second combination
(as i don't have the points I can't continue)

Does this mean I need to transfer 53k from Amex, and then gamble on the waitlist coming through, in which case I will be left with 20k or so points?

Many thanks

How much better in terms of points is SQ over VS? VS will have much lower charges/fees to pay, so something to keep in mind.

I looked at SQ FRA-JFK return in F for 2 people, and it came to around 800 euros in total just for the surcharges. Pass.

 

[scheps]

CX J on SYD-HKG-SYD is very hard to get unless you are very flexible, i.e. book a month before.

You are talking asiamiles right? they seem to be easy to accumulate but the redemption process seems uncertain (submit a form rather than krisflyer instant booking). Also how much are the hidden charges? fees etc? as i never booked but am interested. Coz i think kris is still much more economical if i am not mistaken.

Also i could never get savers for both legs, like ever.. LOL

 

[Duffa]

None of my waitlist bookings ever came thru, but I have no status with SQ.
I have seen some comments that you need some status on SQ to get them, but not sure of this.

Hope this helps

I've only been with SQ for 6 months, no status, but a waitlist for 2 pax MEL-AMS in J came thru within 48 hours.
Maybe I got lucky?