Value of QFF points?

[glass]

Hi, has the value of QFF points dropped lately?

I remember a SYD-HKG return used to cost 60k points + fees. I was thinking of going there again this year, but now it costs 80k!

Taxes etc still $340, same as before. Cash fare is $1150, so now 80k points is worth $810. So a point = 1c, very low now?

Is it better to just get cash vouchers with QFF?

 

[yohy?!]

Hi, has the value of QFF points dropped lately?

I remember a SYD-HKG return used to cost 60k points + fees. I was thinking of going there again this year, but now it costs 80k!

Taxes etc still $340, same as before. Cash fare is $1150, so now 80k points is worth $810. So a point = 1c, very low now?

Is it better to just get cash vouchers with QFF?

Cash vouchers are probably the worst value.

Have you looked into business or Oneworld award fares?

 

[delfredo]

I remember a SYD-HKG return used to cost 60k points + fees. I was thinking of going there again this year, but now it costs 80k!

It's still 60,000 points for return, excluding taxes.

 

[cove]

QF east to west is 42,990 in Any Seat so the value is about 4 cents a point in J.
QF in First to LAX on Any Seat is about 159k so the value is in the 7 cent range.
Cashing them in usually produces goods in the range of 0.5 and 1.0 cent at retail value.

 

[markis10]

Dont forget to have a look at J or Y any seat awards, given earn points back and status credits, as an example I had a look at travel in November, for 60000 points and $235 you can get a flight that will earn 160 SCs and between 6-11000 points depending on your status:

Its worth comparing that to a classic award + fuel fine to compare value!

 

[cove]

Markis10 that is very good value.
Because my body is ice block like,
I think the best part of Asia is flying over it.
Going to Hong Kong in August was one of my worst travel ideas ever.
The US is a travel bargain right now so we get great value going there or doing trips to MEL and SYD from PER.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Hi, has the value of QFF points dropped lately?

I remember a SYD-HKG return used to cost 60k points + fees. I was thinking of going there again this year, but now it costs 80k!

SYD-HKG is till 30K + fees each way (so 60K return) in economy.

 

[glass]

Hmm, I wonder why mine was all showing 80k..

um I don't know anything about J or Y any seat awards, what those things mean. I always thought any seat awards = more point cost for more availability

you can get FF points from any seat awards? I thought all awards flights don't earn

 

[nate89]

Hmm, I wonder why mine was all showing 80k..

um I don't know anything about J or Y any seat awards, what those things mean. I always thought any seat awards = more point cost for more availability

you can get FF points from any seat awards? I thought all awards flights don't earn

Y seat means economy
J seat is business class

 

[markis10]

Hmm, I wonder why mine was all showing 80k..

um I don't know anything about J or Y any seat awards, what those things mean. I always thought any seat awards = more point cost for more availability

you can get FF points from any seat awards? I thought all awards flights don't earn

Anyseat awards earn status credits and points as if you purchased the fare, while they are dearer in most case than normal rewards you can drop back the amount of points you need to the classic award level and pay the difference in cash, which is what I did in the above screen shot. I am not sure what the fuel fines are on a classic award but when you factor those in and then the points earned on an any seat, often there is not much difference in true cost, so you get the SCs almost free. 120000 points on a routing like that above return delivers a good chunk of SCs to count towards status.

 

[knasty]

Managed to get a one-way JASA HKG-SYD via Melbourne a couple of days after the Sevens for 60k points which surprised me (in a nice way). Only booked 2 weeks prior and I expected that it was only cheap because of low loading, but in fact F and J were packed.

 

[QF WP]

I've learnt something new today - didn't realise that a Points + Pay Any Seat Award was possible .

Makes an upcoming trip to PER very very interesting to do in J. Now to go and calculate the sweet spot for points and cash expenditure.

 

[cove]

Yes the points cost can seem to get down to about 1.5 cents a point if you run the counter out to the limit.

 

[Friends of None]

Silly question, but due to QF website's horrible UX/UI I cannot find the points+pay calculater.

Does someone have the URL handy?

[I am looking for a MEL-NCE or MEL-CDG routing for 2012, very aware I will likely need to book OW, I have 340K points]

 

[anat0l]

Can anyone work out how the OP got 80k points as the cost?

This article just hit the e-newsletter and the headline is a little concerning (as well as some of the article text), since it gives the impression that the cost had indeed increased to 80k. (But most of the rest of the article sounds reasonable).

The only thing I can think of is if the OP had to connect through particular ports, increasing the overall mileage and pushing them up a zone bracket. But even then there is no bracket where the Economy one-way cost is 40k.

One way you could get 80k is by going Australia to Asia then a short connector on CX or KA to HKG (short = less than 600 mi). The Australia to Asia flight would be 30k, then a 600 mi flight in Economy on partners is 10k. That gives 40k one-way and 80k return.

That is (so far) the only thing I can think of, but it seems quite unlikely that the OP would be given that option. Trying to back calculate with the about-to-end Classic Award redemption sale is even more of a nightmare (but if the OP found an appropriate award it should be less than 60k).

A Classic direct on CX return gives a cost of 70k.

 

[anat0l]

Silly question, but due to QF website's horrible UX/UI I cannot find the points+pay calculater.

Does someone have the URL handy?

[I am looking for a MEL-NCE or MEL-CDG routing for 2012, very aware I will likely need to book OW, I have 340K points]

You can only get a calculation of the number of points needed for a Classic Award and only for routes that Qantas directly operates itself, which is via this familiar link: https://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/do/dyns/InitialPointsRedeemed

The Classic Award price also tells you the minimum number of points you need to redeem if you decide to start an award as an Any Seat Award. (Note that if you start from a cash booking then move to Points+Pay, the minimum is only 5,000 points).

To be able to calculate points and cash for a route, you need to find availability on that route first (using the Any Seat Award finder). Then, when you get to the flights review page, you'll be able to use the slider tool which allows you to vary the points and cash contributions.

The main reason you can't get the points+cash slider tool before you start looking for availability is that the contributory costs varies according to fare bucket - keep in mind that not only do fare levels vary across fare types, but also within fare types (e.g. there may be four fare levels within "Red e-Deal", but the cheapest fare with availability is always offered to you first).

 

[sunbeamrapier]

Yeah, dunno how you got 80,000 - it is still showing as 30,000 points each way = 60,000 points plus taxes...

 

[dajop]

Can anyone work out how the OP got 80k points as the cost?
...

One way you could get 80k is by going Australia to Asia then a short connector on CX or KA to HKG (short = less than 600 mi). The Australia to Asia flight would be 30k, then a 600 mi flight in Economy on partners is 10k. That gives 40k one-way and 80k return.

You are close I think. I randomly looked at one set of dates for return. They 80K fare came with a return sector that went HKG-CGK-SYD (CX->QF). It appears to be a Zone 3 Partner (20K) + Zone 5 QF award (30K), which would apply HKG-SIN-SYD also. Curiously though CGK-SYD I thought was Zone 4 (25K).

The QF engine is getting more creative, when it comes to HKG and CX, and this can explain why people may see options that appear as if the points required has seemingly increased (before it wouldn't return these options). As an aside though, it still useless when originating elsewhere. Try SIN-HKG and it just won't bring up CX options, the best it will do is SIN-SYD-MEL-HKG or something like that. Yet you can see SIN-HKG sector if booked as a multisector originating in Australia (say SYD-SIN then next day SIN-HKG). Infuriating and expect better now that phone charges are to be 6,000 pts.

 

[lovestotravel]

J is still 192,000 return MEL-LAX

That's all that I care about for now

 

[bushtuckerman]

Marks10

That's really useful information. Previously I have avoided Any Seat because due to sticker shock.

I'm finding it harder to get QF economy class Classic Award direct flights to and from BKK. Many award flights now travel via Hong Kong on Cathay...they are 14hr flights and 40% greater points, so I'll try your method and see how I go.

Cheers
Bush