Qantas rolls out Classic Plus Flight Rewards

[levelnine]

No one is paying 1 cent per point on average across all their spend. Large retailers don’t have card surcharges and other points sources (eg bonuses) also aren’t that expensive.
One area where points cost is definitely an issue now is business payment processors that charge a fee. Those QBR partners may struggle.

Disagree.

1. You are paying 1c/pt for points attained through WW.
2. A typical Qantas-earning card (eg ANZ Plat/Black, NAB Signature/Premium) requires over $30-40,000 before you break even on the annual fee at 1c/pt after the first year. Before the break even point, you are paying more than 1c/pt.
3. CC surcharges are increasingly common outside the large retail space & there are large retailers that do charge one (eg Qantas).
4. You are often indirectly paying a surcharge by choosing those retailers that do not impose a credit card surcharge (eg you're paying a premium to shop at WW to avoid Aldi's credit card surcharge).

 

[SYD]

Disagree.

1. You are paying 1c/pt for points attained through WW.
2. A typical Qantas-earning card (eg ANZ Plat/Black, NAB Signature/Premium) requires over $30-40,000 before you break even on the annual fee at 1c/pt after the first year. Before the break even point, you are paying more than 1c/pt.

A lot of those cards come with other benefits you could be paying for besides points earn, so the break even equation is quite fluid.

Some of us have good points earning cards (eg NAB Visa Signature) that are fee free curtesy of a mortgage or private banking. The ~0.5% discount on mortgage rates pays for the card by multiples before we even use it.

My Biz AMEX is $160pa with 1pt/$ uncapped and I expense the fee.

3. CC surcharges are increasingly common outside the large retail space & there are large retailers that do charge one (eg Qantas).
4. You are often indirectly paying a surcharge by choosing those retailers that do not impose a credit card surcharge (eg you're paying a premium to shop at WW to avoid Aldi's credit card surcharge).

But many of us prefer to not shop at Aldi!

(Although, I do buy their coffee pods and I almost walk out with a tortilla press yesterday…).

 

[encryptededdy]

It depends how you look at card surcharges I suppose. I find most places will not charge a higher surcharge for premium cards, so as someone who wouldn't pay cash regardless, I'm going to be paying the surcharge regardless of if I use a Qantas Point earning CC or a zero annual fee.

Admittedly there's a few stores (ALDI included) who have zero surcharge if you use EFTPOS, but I find most will charge a surcharge for any type of card, including Debit Cards in EFTPOS mode.

 

[levelnine]

A lot of those cards come with other benefits you could be paying for besides points earn, so the break even equation is quite fluid.

Some of us have good points earning cards (eg NAB Visa Signature) that are fee free curtesy of a mortgage or private banking. The ~0.5% discount on mortgage rates pays for the card by multiples before we even use it.

My Biz AMEX is $160pa with 1pt/$ uncapped and I expense the fee.

You're referring to a combination of factors that, taken together, would apply to, at most, 1% of the Australian population.

I'm talking about the 99%.

(And that 0.5% discount on your mortgage is another variation of the Aldi example.)

 

[aikman]

You're referring to a combination of factors that, taken together, would apply to, at most, 1% of the Australian population.

I'm talking about the 99%.

(And that 0.5% discount on your mortgage is another variation of the Aldi example.)

I too use a fee free NAB Signature Visa. I guess I am part of the 1%.

Oh and I shop at WW using discounted gift cards. I'm pretty sure I pay less for my groceries than Aldi shoppers who avoid credit card surcharges.

 

[levelnine]

Oh and I shop at WW using discounted gift cards. I'm pretty sure I pay less for my groceries than Aldi shoppers who avoid credit card surcharges.

And you pay 1c/pt for your Qantas points through that method, thus proving my point

 

[bazzam]

Trying to book a multi-city itinerary using a combination of classic rewards and classic plus fairs. I know the flights are available as I can book each return leg (eg Sydney - Bangkok) indivully but when I try combine these fairs in a multi city booking the classic plus flights don't show as an option.

The fair conditton for a classic plus leg seems to suggest you can combine the fair type with classic rewads. Spoken to the call centre 3 times already and all they can tell me is how to book a classic rewards plus fair online. They don't seem to know why you can't combine fair types and they can't book classis rewards plus for me (apparently these can only be booked online).

Has anyone had any luck coming classic rewards and classic plus?

 

[Doctore1003]

Maybe you can only combine fare types when it’s a return booking? I noticed a banner / message on the QF site a few days ago that clearly said Classic Plus can’t be booked for multi city.

 

[levelnine]

They don't seem to know why you can't combine fair types and they can't book classis rewards plus for me (apparently these can only be booked online).

There's something so wild about these only being bookable online. Bad luck if Qantas' website suffers one of its many failures. Bad luck if you're not the most competent with computers.

As you've unfortunately found out, if you can't get the website to price it, you're completely out of luck. Qantas essentially offers you no support with Classic+, even to help you diagnose what you're doing wrong. As Doctore suggests, it might be because you're trying to do a multi-city — these are only meant for simple one way or return fares.

 

[bazzam]

Maybe you can only combine fare types when it’s a return booking? I noticed a banner / message on the QF site a few days ago that clearly said Classic Plus can’t be booked for multi city.

What a useful fair type.. pay more plus minimal flexibility in combining it... but classic Qantas I guess.

 

[ChrisMars]

I hope more advanced booking will become available when Qantas enable CR+ on domestic. I would hope at least that simple qantas domestic + international connection be bookable. Finger crossed

 

[baggyred]

Appears as though the classic reward stock is pretty limited - plenty of classic plus enhancement options though....

 

[Doctore1003]

More limited than normal??

 

[SYD]

More limited than normal??

No, just the regular slim pickings on QFi. Plenty of QF domestic options out there (and they make up the bulk of the 5m CRs pa).

 

[RichardMEL]

No, just the regular slim pickings on QFi. Plenty of QF domestic options out there (and they make up the bulk of the 5m CRs pa).

To be slightly fair, the bulk of QF's overall seat capacity is on domestic too...

 

[baggyred]

No, just the regular slim pickings on QFi. Plenty of QF domestic options out there (and they make up the bulk of the 5m CRs pa).

Not cross continental there isn’t

Significantly less next year

 

[drofico]

Sorry for asking a question that has probably been answered, but it looked like of an earlier post for a NZ sale, that CR+ points costs go down when the flight is on sale/deal? Is this true/been observed so far?

 

[60165636]

Sorry for asking a question that has probably been answered, but it looked like of an earlier post for a NZ sale, that CR+ points costs go down when the flight is on sale/deal? Is this true/been observed so far?

Yes I have seen this. A CR+ seat required less points than a regular CR seat when the route was on sale.

 

[CaptJCool]

Sorry for asking a question that has probably been answered, but it looked like of an earlier post for a NZ sale, that CR+ points costs go down when the flight is on sale/deal? Is this true/been observed so far?

Yes
And they actually used that to April the sale “pricing”
This though is why they said would happen

 

[33kft]

Sorry for asking a question that has probably been answered, but it looked like of an earlier post for a NZ sale, that CR+ points costs go down when the flight is on sale/deal? Is this true/been observed so far?

Yes, in this way it's similar to points plus pay which is also tied to the flight cost and therefore reduced point outlay during sales, just at a better point to dollar ratio.