Latest news

Hotel Scam: Charged for Fake Damage

An AFF member was mortified recently to discover an Australian hotel had processed $500 in erroneous charges after check-out. Mark3000 called the hotel to ask why their credit card had been charged $500 without their knowledge. The “aggressive” hotel manager claimed that this member had caused damage to the room. Mark3000 refutes this claim and the hotel … Continued

7 Mar 2019 Hotel Loyalty Programs

Fifth Night Free on Marriott, Hilton Awards

Hotel loyalty programs can be useful if you stay at hotels often. Points can be put towards free hotel nights, and there are two hotel loyalty programs that even offer every fifth night free when booking with points. The Marriott Bonvoy program offers the “fifth night free” benefit to all program members when redeeming points … Continued

7 Mar 2019 Hilton Honors

The Ultimate Sydney Stopover Guide

Do you have a Sydney stopover coming up? Australia’s largest city has plenty for visitors to see and do, and the airport is just a short train ride from the city centre. But if you’re just staying one night in Sydney between flights, there is also an increasingly large choice of airport hotels near both … Continued

6 Mar 2019 Stopover Guides

How to Book Virgin Atlantic Flights with Velocity Points

As a Virgin Australia partner, Virgin Atlantic flights can be booked using Velocity Frequent Flyer points. This could be a handy option if you want to travel to the UK from Asia, North America, South Africa or – from 25 September 2019 – Israel. UK-based Virgin Atlantic is not to be confused with Australia-based Virgin … Continued

5 Mar 2019 Points Inspiration Virgin Australia

Uber Introduces Tipping in Australia

Uber has sparked controversy by encouraging riders in Australia and New Zealand to tip their Uber driver. Last Thursday, US-based Uber added the new tipping functionality to its Uber and Uber Eats apps. Previously, tipping was only encouraged by Uber in the United States where the practice is already commonplace. Uber customers in Australia and … Continued

4 Mar 2019 Ground Transport

PNG Air Lounge Open to Qantas & Velocity Members

Do you have Silver, Gold or Platinum status with Qantas or Velocity Frequent Flyer? Then you’re eligible for access to two airport lounges that you won’t see advertised on the Qantas or Virgin Australia websites! PNG Air is the second-largest airline in Papua New Guinea. It operates a network of domestic routes using its fleet … Continued

4 Mar 2019 Airport Lounge Reviews

Qantas Clarifies Express Card Policy for Platinum Flyers

Qantas has clarified its policy on issuing express path cards to Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers. It comes after reports that frequent flyers were not being issued with express cards despite being entitled to them. The good news is that those express path cards, which help travellers to speed through airport customs and immigration, … Continued

3 Mar 2019 Qantas

Why Australians Should Stop Ignoring SkyTeam

If you’re an Australian-based frequent flyer, you’re probably a member of Qantas Frequent Flyer and Virgin Australia Velocity. You might even be a member of a Star Alliance frequent flyer program, such as Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or Air New Zealand Airpoints. But most Australians completely overlook SkyTeam airlines and their frequent flyer programs. SkyTeam is … Continued

1 Mar 2019 SkyTeam

Earn 100 Easy Qantas Points at Melbourne Airport

Update (1 July 2019): The Qantas Rewards Room will now remain open until the end of 2019, and the maximum number of times you can scan your Qantas Frequent Flyer card to earn 100 points is 3 per month. If you’re passing through Melbourne Airport over the next 4 months, there is an easy 100 … Continued

1 Mar 2019 Qantas

The Madness of Lounge Access Rules

It’s often said that you need a degree in lounge access to be fully across the many intricacies of airline lounge entry requirements. Lounge access rules can be extremely confusing, with so many different rules and exceptions. It’s one of the reasons that AFF’s Lounge Access Help Desk thread is still going strong after 5 years! … Continued

28 Feb 2019 Airports & Lounges

Getting to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Next year, Tokyo will host the 2020 Olympic Games. As is often the case when a city hosts a major sporting event, many thousands of visitors are expected to flock to Tokyo. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will run from Friday 24 July to Sunday 9 August 2020, although there will be a few soccer matches … Continued

28 Feb 2019 Planning & Booking

Qantas Launching Melbourne-Queenstown Flights

Qantas will launch seasonal non-stop flights between Melbourne and Queenstown, New Zealand just in time for the winter ski season. The new Qantas flights will run on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 21 June until 27 August 2019. A Boeing 737-800 with Economy and Business class will be used on the Melbourne-Queenstown route. Here is … Continued

28 Feb 2019 Qantas