Points earn/burn - VA v QF

[JohnK]

What a surprise given the title LOL
VA v QF

An us vs them debate if you like!

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

I don't tend to fly at peak times, but rarely have a prob using my FF points with QF and DJ to get a flight when I want.

For a SYD HXT flight in Jan next year I went with DJ as they wwere cheaper than a JQ ASA - tho DJ goes via PER so not such a nice routing.

Coming home I was able to get a YASA for 55K points from BKK to SYD - inc taxes.

Sept 2012 I got a PE seat SYD LAX for 110K inc tax, and Oct 2012 I got J from SIN-SYD for about 80K inc tax

Generally I'm booking a fare amount of time in advance.

 

[elemist]

Coming home I was able to get a Y fare fro $55K from BKK to SYD - inc taxes.

Serious.. Bargain!!! Where can i get one of these $55, 000 Y fares?? Sure everyone would be in for this, maybe a forum group status run??

 

[wafliron]

It is a good thread but I meant it in a way that if you like VA then you are going to think Velocity is best and if you like QF then you will the QFF program best.

Ah I see - sorry. Even so, I still don't think this is a problem - as long as VA-ers tell us why they think VA is the best and the QF-ers tell us why they think QF is best, the overall outcome is still a good one

Not sure if its relevant but I did do a calculation (before the new QF SC alowances) and it cost $35,000 p.a. to get WP SC! That's a lot of drinks at the QC. Didn't matter if it was earned through international business, domestic business, 5000 discounted economy seats, etc, the $35K was about the amount your status costs you in cash...

As others have pointed out, I think this is a case of "earning SCs - you're doing it wrong"

In my case QF WP cost me ~80k points and ~$800 - a bargain in my book (especially as it has also led to 12 months of VA WP - unexpected benefit)! Admittedly I was SC-running and had a QF double-SCs promotion to help me out, but regardless, you can certainly earn QF WP for a lot less than $35k through "regular" (non-SC-run) flying.

 

[dimmertwin]

I keep hearing the problem stories, but I've gotta say, I've never had difficulties redeeming points for flights on Qantas.
Did a whole trip to South America, incl. internal flights a while back, and just two weeks ago did Mel./Syd. at two days notice. Classic rewards seats.
Mind you, I have had other unrelated problems with Qantas!

 

[pshepvic]

I keep hearing the problem stories, but I've gotta say, I've never had difficulties redeeming points for flights on Qantas.
Did a whole trip to South America, incl. internal flights a while back, and just two weeks ago did Mel./Syd. at two days notice. Classic rewards seats.
Mind you, I have had other unrelated problems with Qantas!

Yet I want to go to Europe August next year - happy with either J or Y+ yet I can't get an any seat under 500k points in Y+ or 700k+ in J. No classic awards either with any decent routing (or charging me Y+ or J rates but then having to suffer a leg in economy).

I can get easily get awards through Velocity on either Etihad or Virgin Atlantic for the dates I want but unfortunately don't have enough points for the two of us.

QF seems to have much more award availability to North/South America than Europe. Maybe VA is the opposite way around.

Bring on the SQ award seats through Velocity I say!


Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly app

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

Y

Bring on the SQ award seats through Velocity I say!


Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly app

Yet I of was reading a straits times (or another singapore paper) and article basically bagging SQ in the same way QF is bagged in Australia. The complaints were that it's nearly impossible to get an award seat, and they can't understand why the plane leaves empty with more than half J class empty when people want to book a reward flight.