QFF or Emirates Skywards

[Loga2015]

I am soon to fly on QF2 to London(LHR) from Melbourne. My question is should I use my QFF flyer(Bronze), or start collecting Emirates Skyward points(Blue) tier.
I see more benefit in Emirates program as I can link it with my SPG membership, and can transfer my SPG points to Emirates, also from my other credit cards.(Let me know if this is not worth being in ANZ region)

The thing is that because my company has a partnership with Qantas on rates, we use that as a preferential carrier.

If i do choose Emirates, how can i calculate points/Status credits using a QF branded flight?

Cheers!

 

[Mattg]

You may want to check the flight number as QF2 is a flight from London to Sydney. More importantly though, if you are booked under a "QF" number, and not "EK", you won't earn any status credits for the flights with Emirates - only Qantas (or another oneworld airline). The same is true in reverse - flights booked under "EK" flight numbers do not earn Qantas status credits. For that reason I'd credit to QF.

Emirates Skywards miles do have their use, but are not that much more valuable than Qantas points as the rates and taxes for a redemption are similar. With Qantas you have access to redemptions on oneworld, whereas on Emirates you can redeem points with their own partners. Personally I think Qantas has a better range of partners for an Australian-based flyer. YMMV.

In terms of SPG, you may find that the best option is actually to transfer the points over to American Airlines AAdvantage. There are some great value redemptions with that program - including for Qantas flights - and AA doesn't charge fuel surcharges.

 

[Christoo]

For me the issue would be that while codeshares with EK could get you QFF points, you would lose the OW link.
In the past 12 months more than 50% of my travel and probably 75% of international travel was not on QF metal.

 

[dajop]

Unless planning to get status on Emirates, and accumulate loads of points and use them for upgrades, don't go anywhere near the EK skywards program. It is diabolically bad in terms of value of redemptions (until they restricted saver availability a lot and introduced large fuel surcharges, it used to be quite good, but now it is the worst program I am a member of). Even the shopping you can do online at Emirates High Street - to compare like for like - for a $50 Westfield gift card - requires 9,050 QFF points vs 18000 EK points. Also based in Australia, any ex-Australia skywards awards you take are going to cost the same number of points as QF - and don't forget you can't access most oneworld partners either. So unless there is a significant earning advantage with EK (and there's not going to be travelling on a QF code), I would stick with the QFF program.

Also, you can transfer SPG points to any number of programs (such as AA Advantage), I wouldn't waste sending them to EK unless using them as a topup to get a specific award.

But as always, each to their own, you need to work out what is best for your circumstances.

 

[Loga2015]

Awesome replies!

Thanks.

 

[andye]

Alaskan is both an Emirates and SPG partner if you find yourself on an EK code and don't want to credit to QF. Like AA, AS has a good redemption chart and low taxes (though fewer redemption routes)

 

[dajop]

Alaskan is both an Emirates and SPG partner if you find yourself on an EK code and don't want to credit to QF. Like AA, AS has a good redemption chart and low taxes (though fewer redemption routes)

And also allows accrual/redemption on QF as well. Not a bad program for those who have divided loyalties.