Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[DC3]

I have been able to change the dates of a oneworld award to beyond the 12-month validity of the ticket.

Sounds interesting. Is there more to this?

Would this be due to relaxing of the award rules, or to a new award rule, or some COVID-related extension?

 

[madrooster]

Sounds interesting. Is there more to this?

Would this be due to relaxing of the award rules, or to a new award rule, or some COVID-related extension?

It's a newer change maybe 2 months ago. You can extend beyond the 12 month validity now, but you must maintain the same routing and carriers.

 

[DC3]

It's a newer change maybe 2 months ago. You can extend beyond the 12 month validity now, but you must maintain the same routing and carriers.

That’s good news. I must have missed that.

Would you have any idea as to how long the extension could be?

Edit: I hope that the QF Call Centres will be up to speed on this, as I anticipate that my trip will need to be deferred to a later date.

 

[madrooster]

That’s good news. I must have missed that.

Would you have any idea as to how long the extension could be?

Edit: I hope that the QF Call Centres will be up to speed on this, as I anticipate that my trip will need to be deferred to a later date.

It's the same rule for dates, so end of 2022 at this point. There is a slight difference though, with awards you must have confirmed ticketed space. That means you can't just cancel the flights and leave the ticket sitting there. The ticket must be attached to confirmed space.

So you need to find award space in 2021, then get them to change it to those dates, then push it again if necessary.

 

[ozflier]

It's a newer change maybe 2 months ago. You can extend beyond the 12 month validity now, but you must maintain the same routing and carriers.

With the complexities of booking OWA awards, and with a multi city itinerary,it could be near impossible to maintain exactly the same routing and carriers.

 

[gfraser]

I cancelled a OWA 2 days ago. I was told the refund of taxes would be around 12 weeks but at this stage the points have not been returned. What timespan should I expect!

 

[DC3]

I cancelled a OWA 2 days ago. I was told the refund of taxes would be around 12 weeks but at this stage the points have not been returned. What timespan should I expect!

As experienced by some, as posted upthread, my points were re-credited within 3 days.

 

[stirlo]

I put together a booking on the weekend for June-July 2021 (optimistic I know) that had MAD-HAV-MAD on Iberia in it. Logged in today and can see the Iberia flights have been cancelled however they are still available on their website paying cash. Has anyone else experienced this recently?

 

[stirlo]

I have had the same problem so I've given up for the time being. No QF J availability for any of the international routes I've looked for but have seen J available on alternate routes with CX etc. - e.g. no QF J SYD - JNB but can get CX to JNB via HKG.

FYI I got 2 J SYD-JNB on Qantas on 2 June 21. Couldn't see anything later than that (only CX via HKG) but it might just be because that's peak/school holidays. I also found economy in June/July so they have released something.

 

[Sydney BE]

FYI I got 2 J SYD-JNB on Qantas on 2 June 21. Couldn't see anything later than that (only CX via HKG) but it might just be because that's peak/school holidays. I also found economy in June/July so they have released something.

The 2nd of June flights dont have availability it's phantom seats. I check with qantas on this as this was an option I tried.

 

[stirlo]

I think you missed the part where I said I booked them. You’ve just got to be forceful and make them triple check. They did indeed exist, but probably not now.

 

[Sydney BE]

Lucky you. I definitely didn't get someone as helpful even when I pointed out the numerous routes that had availability. They would say only economy is available. Would have saved a lot of frustration a month ago if the staff knew what they were doing. My new route has lower taxes because it avoids qantas so worked out a bit better that way

 

[stirlo]

Lucky you. I definitely didn't get someone as helpful even when I pointed out the numerous routes that had availability... Would have saved a lot of frustration a month ago if the staff knew what they were doing

Yeah, I also got the same run around but I said I'd just book them on the website and force the consultant to convert it to a Oneworld Award. My guess is they were supposed to be reserved for someone with higher status so they could see them but tried to refuse my booking. Luckily the the system showed them to me and I could make it happen. But who knows, it really is hit and miss sometimes.
And yeah taxes JNB-LHR are killer on the next leg...

 

[knobbs]

Yeah, I also got the same run around but I said I'd just book them on the website and force the consultant to convert it to a Oneworld Award. My guess is they were supposed to be reserved for someone with higher status so they could see them but tried to refuse my booking. Luckily the the system showed them to me and I could make it happen. But who knows, it really is hit and miss sometimes.
And yeah taxes JNB-LHR are killer on the next leg...

How does this work exactly? When you go to book the flight yourself are you paying $ or points for just a single award flight or something? Then you ask the consultant to incorporate into your OWA and they refund how you originally bought it?

 

[DC3]

.... When you go to book the flight yourself are you paying $ or points for just a single award flight or something? Then you ask the consultant to incorporate into your OWA and they refund how you originally bought it?

To answer part of that, I have not heard of anyone posting that they made an award booking, online, and it was then able to be incorporated into a OWA itinerary by the Call Centre. Hope that I am proven to be wrong with the ability to do this.

Edit: The Call Centre always says that it can’t be done, as I’ve tried that tactic a few times

 

[DC3]

I think you missed the part where I said I booked them. You’ve just got to be forceful and make them triple check. They did indeed exist, but probably not now.

I usually put that experience down to laziness/incompetence at the Call Centre, by not looking at the right flights/routing/dates. Seats are either available, or they are not.

Also, phantom availability does exist ( i.e., there can be phantom availability)

Edit: When I have no luck with the Call Centre, HUACA

 

[stirlo]

How does this work exactly?

I’m not the best person to answer as I have far less experience than most people on here. But my understanding was that you can book individual award flights as they become available while you build your RTW itinerary. Then once you have the final legs you can call up and pay the change fee to change this over to a RTW ticket and pay only the 318k points.

The seats I was trying to book were classic award seats not pay with points or money, if reward seats are not available you are out of luck unfortunately.

In my recent case however all I did was search the flights while on the phone to the consultant, find the 2 business class classic rewards he couldn’t find, start the booking process and once I got to the screen where I could pay the taxes on CC the Qantas consultant was able to retrieve the booking and add the other legs onto it. In my experience when it’s phantom availability you cannot get to the payment screen so I believe it was something else preventing him from seeing it (see my suspicions in previous post).

I was dealing with someone in NZ which is generally considered easier than Philippines or SA. Lots of advice one here to HUACA when you have issues with the consultant.

 

[DC3]

I’m not the best person to answer as I have far less experience than most people on here. But my understanding was that you can book individual award flights as they become available while you build your RTW itinerary. Then once you have the final legs you can call up and pay the change fee to change this over to a RTW ticket and pay only the 318k ...

I was dealing with someone in NZ which is generally considered easier than Philippines or SA. Lots of advice one here to HUACA when you have issues with the consultant.

Yes, the points eventually max out at 318,000 for Business as you build your itinerary.

I have usually only managed the first 3, or so, bookings on the QF Website before it crashes. Some have better luck - trial and error really. Then I book, and have the PNR. As further seats become available, I call to book straight away, otherwise there’s the risk of losing them.

Edit: Best not to refer to this as RTW, because your itinerary does not need to go around the world.

 

[11sjw]

How does this work exactly?

"Normally" the process involves booking the first leg online yourself and ringing to have subsequent legs added (usually after finding them online yourself). Each addition costs you 5k points per person change fee.

Never heard of booking a 2nd leg separately and having them combined. Would be pleasantly surprised to hear if others have managed this.

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

It goes something like this:

1. Create an itinerary of 1 or more sectors, either via the website booking engine or by phoning the call centre;
2. If necessary, add more sectors to the same itinerary as they become available, by phoning the call centre.

There‘s no need (nor any ability to) “convert” the itinerary into a OneWorld Classic Award. As soon as the itinerary satisfies all of the rules of an OWCA, it then caps the points at the appropriate level for the highest class booked.

When you phone the call centre, you just need to refer to the existing itinerary and ask to add (and/or subtract) some flights.

As you’re building the itinerary, if it hasn’t yet satisfied the OWCA rules, it might price out at more points than the relevant capped amount. Don’t worry; once you’ve made the changes needed to satisfy the rules, the points will self-correct back to the relevant cap, and the excess will be refunded to your account.