Maximising FF Points Earn

[Peabody]

I am sorry if this is the wrong place to post, I couldn't seem to work out where else it would fit and I am not sure if it fits here either.

I have recently been thinking about ways to maximise my FF points earn. I don't travel as many times per year as I used to however this year I have already been out of Australia for 2 months and before August I will be overseas for another 2 months, Throw in about 15-20 MEL-SYD-MEL trips per year and I do end up earning a fair few points through BIS travel however I am sure there must be other decent ways to build up the balance.

I currently have a Westpac VISA and Platinum AMEX however I am a secondary card holder on both accounts (Family accounts) and very rarely use them myself, plus the points are linked to the primary account holder. Pretty much the only card that sees considerable use is my St George VISA Debit Card however after recent problems I have had with St George I don't feel a need to remain loyal, this I feel is my main opportunity to find a new account/card to earn points.

I don't put much of my spending through a credit card and instead tend to use EFTPOS or cash. I would certainly change this habit for a better points earn.

I am not very loyal to any hotel chains as I generally prefer location, price and rooms over a particular chain. I also very rarely use rental cars.

I also don't have FlyBuys or Everyday Reward Cards for shopping, which of these is best? I do most of my shopping at Coles and petrol from Caltex however both are purely due to proximity to home and I have plenty of other options only a couple of hundred metres further away.

Thanks

 

[nlagalle]

You do have a few options. If you are looking for QF earn then I'd suggest shopping at woolworths and get an EDR card. Some caltex's are woolworths as well for points earning.

For cards get a WOW EDR MasterCard, 1 point per dollar on all earn. For amex get the qantas Amex which will direct sweep to QF. I think it earns 1.5 points to $1

 

[amaroo]

I have the QF Amex ult card & the earn is 1.5 per $1 & 2.5 for $1 spent with QF (OZ). I think they have a promo for new accounts with a bonus 30,000 points.....other cards do have larger bonuses but, I'm not sure of the earn factor.

If you haven't done so already, get stuck into the CC threads - some really great tips in those threads.

IMO the best way to supersize the point balance is start paying the ATO with the CC.....if you don't have this option, maybe hit up someone (family) who does & won't leave you in the poo by not coughing up the cash. There are some members that are raking in huge numbers simply by paying the tax-man with the card. I'm small league in comparison however, I can still see myself earning sufficient points for 4 or 5 J returns to Asia each year using this option alone.

 

[Abrcrmb]

Assuming you want to credit to QFF.

Domestically, there are plenty of options, although the Qantas AMEX Ultimate card generally stacks up reasonably well.

However, if you are overseas a lot and don't mind the currency conversion fee of 3% (which is what you'll pay on most debit/credit cards anyway - 28 degrees is the alternative), then the HSBC Qantas Platinum Card would be the best to use overseas for it's 2pts per $1 spent on overseas transactions. Conversion fees shouldn't matter if it is work related and reimbursable. Also 20,000 bonus points on sign up and 2 passes to the Qantas Club a year.