Worst anyseat award value you've seen?

[dajop]

I don't know if there's a thread on this anywhere, but I just had to report this to AFF.

Looking at some SIN-MEL flights (at a time when QF is full in the Y cabin) and it came back with the only option as 295,900 points ... on Jetstar via Darwin :!: Tell 'em they're dreamin ... commercial fare is $420 AUD, so that is 0.14 cents per point. Gotta wonder how they come up with these numbers, can go round the world for that in business class.

 

[Mal]

Does appear to be a flexible fare - so you're probably looking at ~$SG1400 or so ... but still, it is a rip-off.

Even better is the points+pay option of 30000 points+$SG3,170.42.

There was a thread when the awards first came out looking for the most expensive. There are some that are > 1,000,000 points.

 

[anat0l]

Most of the time, you'll find that First Any Seat Awards price out at at least 1.5 million points for a return booking.

I think most people took this as a big spit in the face. IMO Qantas were better off not offering the damn things in the first place (i.e. First Any Seat Awards).

It's a bit like that guy who suckered idiots into buying some iPhone app for $1,000 that explicitly said, "This app doesn't do anything except let you show off." Then of course the buyers complained and blamed both the app creator and Apple (iTunes store) (but of course not themselves for stupidly entering into the venture).

Realistically, if you were to value a point at 1c, then some of those First Any Seat Awards can represent some sort of saving. Except for Amex MR rewards (which are questionable too), valuing your points at 1c a piece is rather poor.

Moral of the story: If you see an absurdly large Any Seat Award cost for a fare, it's probably telling you that you're better off finding another alternative, unless you feel like being a sucker.


LH have an interesting system for Miles & More. I think it is only allowed for Senators and HON Circle members, but they can get an "Any Seat Award" by paying a 50% premium on a standard redemption price.

 

[dajop]

Most of the time, you'll find that First Any Seat Awards price out at at least 1.5 million points for a return booking.

Yes but at the 0.14c per point valuation a First Any Seat would come out at 10.7m points!!!

Something though is seriously wrong if Jetstar are selling a fare for $420 and QF can't offer that same seat for <50,000 pts on anyseat.

LH have an interesting system for Miles & More. I think it is only allowed for Senators and HON Circle members, but they can get an "Any Seat Award" by paying a 50% premium on a standard redemption price..

SQ have "full", "standard" and "saver" awards, and the full awards are a bit like any seat awards - way overpriced. But the standard awards are double saver awards and are nearly always available. That is entirely reasonable.

 

[anat0l]

Something though is seriously wrong if Jetstar are selling a fare for $420 and QF can't offer that same seat for <50,000 pts on anyseat.

Like I said - I believe that's really telling you something


In any case, unless you were in an absolute pinch, I don't see the worth in blowing points for a JQ award, period.

What bites big time as well is that the fare basis might be called "Fully Flexible", but in fact you've got next to nil flexibility at all (you're basically getting the same award as Classics or anything else, so why insist on giving them names?)

 

[dede]

Rather than starting another thread I was wondering if there is anywhere where the GOOD value awards are listed. I recall reading about some anyseat awards being cheaper than the Classic awards on certain routes. I just don't have the patience to troll through the website to look for them.

Actually a quick search for anyseat bought this up
http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...rogram/qantas-any-seat-rewards-has-18621.html

 

[dajop]

Rather than starting another thread I was wondering if there is anywhere where the GOOD value awards are listed. I recall reading about some anyseat awards being cheaper than the Classic awards on certain routes. I just don't have the patience to troll through the website to look for them.

I haven't seen any yet on QF, they seem to hit the floor of a classic award pricing. That's not to say they aren't there, but would only be there during sales - a crude measure of where to start looking is when the ratio goes below $10:1,000pts compared to classic awards.

Have definitely seen them on Velocity, but they really don't have the "classic award" concept (but nevertheless most awards seem to closely align with QF unless there is a sale on).

 

[jas]

So out of interest, anyone heard any more on the whole "anyseat awards earn points and sc's"?

Because that could make 39,630 points MEL-PER in J very good value if you're doing a status run, for example... (sample from QF775 29/1/10 that I just punched in to have a look)

 

[Mal]

So out of interest, anyone heard any more on the whole "anyseat awards earn points and sc's"?

There's no defined date of introduction. Qantas are still trying to work out the finer details.

 

[docjames]

Anyseat really ops up crazy ones.

I was looking SYD-BNE, one way.

Most flights the day i'm looking:

Classic - no Y availability, but J for 32000pts for two pax. Pretty much any flight.

Same flights
Anyseat - Y class, 32300pts for two pax.

So essentially get Y for the same as J on the same flight.

Stupid.

 

[anat0l]

Anyseat really ops up crazy ones.

I was looking SYD-BNE, one way.

Most flights the day i'm looking:

Classic - no Y availability, but J for 32000pts for two pax. Pretty much any flight.

Same flights
Anyseat - Y class, 32300pts for two pax.

So essentially get Y for the same as J on the same flight.

Stupid.

Again, that tells you something. (To put it nicely, would you like two J seats at the normal price or are you an idiot? )


FWIW I have seen cases (but not yet booked) where there are no Classic Award seats left but there are Any Seat Awards left that are not inflated from the cost of a Classic Award (well, they cost a tiny bit more due to points to cover taxes/charges; you can use the P+P page to remove the extra points charges and pay the taxes/charges in cash). In these cases, Any Seat Awards are a nice alternative avenue to getting award seats.

Just like award availability on QF as a whole, though, this is rare.

In some cases, as a QF WP, it might be more worthwhile calling QF and putting in a WP request to yield management and hoping for Classic seats that way. It will cost you 2500 points or $50, but if you really want the seats it might be worth it, especially if (not uncommonly) the Any Seat Awards are telling you to go jump in the lake.

 

[Flashback]

What I found funny was an e-mail I got the other day, with any-seat specials. PER-ADL was more points than PER-MEL and PER-SYD.