US Internal Flights - QFF or AA

[JayRed]

Last year my partner and I redeemed 256,000 QFF points and paid $215 in taxes each for return Qantas Business to New York via LA for next month. Subsequently we decided to add NY to Chicago to Las Vegas and back to the trip and paid for them ($400 each economy) thru American Airlines and became AA Members.

I need 100 more status credits to attain QFF Silver by June (and will probably not make it), so should we put our internal flights on AA or QFF to attain the points/ status credits - which is better?

Is it also worth using QFF points to upgrade our economy seats on AA to business or better saving them for the next NY trip? I read an article in the Fin that said I am better off next time transfering my QFF points into my AA account and booking through them my flight to NY which should only require half the amount of points I used last year - is this correct?

 

[littl_flier]

Hi JayRed. Welcome to AFF.

It's really a mixed bag and depends on a couple of things. Make sure your AA booking class will earn status credits with QF. The following Discount Economy classes earn points with QF GLMNSV while their main discount economy O class will not earn SC's.

If you booking class does earn SC's, a simple NYC-ORD-LAS-NYC itinerary would earn 55 SC's so you will need to earn a few more to make it to Silver.

And then you need to consider the value of having the miles in AA and whether you will earn enough for them to be of any use. The miles will also become inactive after a certain period so be sure to watch this.

 

[serfty]

... Is it also worth using QFF points to upgrade our economy seats on AA to business or better saving them for the next NY trip? I read an article in the Fin that said I am better off next time transfering my QFF points into my AA account and booking through them my flight to NY which should only require half the amount of points I used last year - is this correct?

Just to clarify, you can't transfer Qantas Frequent Flyer points out of the program; once a QFF point, always a QFF point until expired or redeemed.

However, if ticketed in an booking class eligible for points earning (as indicated by littl_flier), you can earn AAdvantage points directly. (This may be what you meant).

A QFF award in WHY return SYD-LAX-SYD costs 96,000 QFF points and AUD439 in +++.

The same flights booked using AAdvantage would cost 75,000 AAdvantage points and (i believe) somewhat less in the +++.