Latest news

Frustrated with an Airline? Hang Up and Call Again!

Dealing with airline call centres can be a frustrating experience. If you’re lucky, your call will be answered by an experienced agent who knows exactly how to help! Unfortunately this doesn’t always happen. Airline call centres are a real mixed bag. There are plenty of knowledgeable call centre agents, but there are also plenty that … Continued

18 Feb 2018 Planning & Booking

Coles Rewards MasterCard Cuts ATO Points

If you have a Coles Rewards MasterCard credit card, now is your last chance to earn Flybuys points for ATO tax payments. From 5 March 2018, the card will no longer award points for “government related transactions” including tax payments. The change coincides with Citibank taking over the Coles Rewards MasterCard from Latitude Financial Services, … Continued

17 Feb 2018 Citibank

Avianca LifeMiles to expire after just 12 months

Avianca LifeMiles will soon expire after just one year. As of 15 April 2018, Avianca LifeMiles expire if no new miles are earned for 12 months. Redeeming miles will no longer extend the validity of miles in the account. What’s more, Avianca will no longer inform members before their LifeMiles expire! In our view, Avianca’s … Continued

17 Feb 2018 Avianca

30% off Virgin Velocity Reward Seats

Virgin Australia is currently offering 30% off Velocity Reward Seats! The offer is available for Economy, Premium Economy and Business class reward seats booked using Velocity Frequent Flyer points. Both domestic and international Virgin Australia flights are included in the deal. Reward seats on Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Alitalia and Air New Zealand trans-Tasman flights are … Continued

16 Feb 2018 Virgin Australia

Should Qantas Introduce Lifetime Platinum Status?

Qantas is one of several Oneworld airlines to offer lifetime status. Recognising continuing customer loyalty over many years, Qantas offers lifetime Silver and Gold status to frequent flyers that earn 7,000 or 14,000 lifetime status credits, respectively. But Qantas has never offered a Lifetime Platinum tier. This week our members discuss the possibility of a … Continued

15 Feb 2018 Qantas

Flight Review: Melbourne to Santiago with LATAM Airlines

LATAM Airlines flies non-stop from Melbourne to Santiago 3 times per week using Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The route launched in October last year, and AFF member pn1 recently tried it out in Economy class. The trip began on board LA804 from Melbourne to Santiago. This flight departs in the evening, so dinner was served after … Continued

14 Feb 2018 Flight Reviews

More Cuts for Woolworths Qantas Platinum Credit Card

Woolworths Qantas Platinum cardholders will have their earn rate halved to just 0.5 Qantas points per $1 spent from 1 April 2018. It’s just the latest in a series of cuts to a credit card that was once highly competitive. The Woolworths Qantas Platinum credit card currently awards 1 Qantas point per dollar for the … Continued

14 Feb 2018 Credit Cards

How to Redeem Virgin Velocity Points for Trans-Atlantic Flights

Last week we showed you how to redeem Qantas points for trans-Atlantic flights between North America and Europe. This week we turn our attention to Virgin Australia Velocity trans-Atlantic reward flights. Virgin Australia doesn’t have quite as many partner airlines as Qantas, but there are still plenty of options across the Atlantic. Velocity reward seats … Continued

13 Feb 2018 Points Inspiration Virgin Australia

Accessing Internet, Emails in China with a VPN

The Great Wall is one of China’s most famous attractions. But regular visitors to China will also be aware of the so-called Great Firewall of China. As the internet is censored in China, websites including Facebook, Google and Twitter are blocked. Ahead of a trip to China, one member calls on the AFF community for … Continued

12 Feb 2018 Travel Tools & Technology

How to get to Easter Island

Home to the famous moai statues, Easter Island is a popular tourist destination. Unfortunately, its geographic location in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean makes Chile’s Isla de Pascua rather difficult to get to from Australia! There are only two ways to reach Easter Island (airport code IPC) by plane – from Santiago or Tahiti. Both … Continued

11 Feb 2018 Planning & Booking

15% Bonus on Flybuys Transfers to Velocity

Virgin Australia is once again offering a 15% bonus on Flybuys transfers to Velocity Frequent Flyer this month. You’ll earn a 15% bonus on Flybuys points transferred to Virgin’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program until 22 February 2018. This means that you’ll receive 1,000 Velocity points – up from the usual 870 Velocity points – for … Continued

10 Feb 2018 Flybuys

Commercial Flights over Antarctica

Antarctica is home to some incredible scenery! But travelling to the southern continent is neither simple nor cheap. You can travel to Antarctica by cruise, but if you don’t have several weeks (and a lot of money!) to spare, viewing the ice continent from the air is the next best thing. The good news is … Continued

10 Feb 2018 Flight Reviews