Advice Please !!

[Shari]

Hello Everyone,
Apart from having a National Aust. Bank visa card with Fly buys attached I have had nothing to do with Frequent Flyer points so am a complete novice.
All the points I ever accummulated were taken from me before I had enough to use any, but anyway, I since cancelled the Fly buys program.
I am undertaking a trip to Britain and Europe in the next few weeks and wanted to know how best I may benefit from applying for some sort of frequent flyers program.
I have been advised that I can earn points on the cost of the trip and if this is the case my aim would be to accumulate points so that after my return I may be able to use accumulated points for taking a trip to Qld at some time in the future with my two children. Can someone advise me on firstly if this is possible and how it works and what Frequent Flyer Program would be best for me.
With Many Thanks
Shari

 

[QF WP]

Advice Please!!

Shari, there may be a number of ways in which you can collect points on your entire trip.

Use of credit card - you state you have a NAB Visa. The major program under NAB that you can join in order to gain points is Fly Buys. From the amount spent on the card (all expenditure inclusing cost of tickets, expenditure at hotels etc) can be used to gain points under Fly Buys. Not sure if your Visa can be linked to any other FF program like Qantas, etc, as I think only NAB's Gold Rewards program (for Gold Card members) is linked to Qantas's Frequent flyer program.

Frequent Flyer programs - which one to join depends on with whom you are flying (you didn't mention that important fact). There are two major global alliances of airlines - Oneworld or Star Alliance. Oneworld includes Qantas, British Airways, Cathay, American Airlines, South African Airlines, Finnair, Iberian, Aer Lingus, LanChile. Star Alliance includes Singapore, Thai, Lufthansa, Scandanavian, etc (I'm not an expert on it so have probably missed some airlines). You can join one airlines program and earn points or miles flying on it's services as well as it's partner airlines. Points collected can be used on any partner airline. For example, join Qantas if you are flying with any of the oneworld partner airlines listed above, then you collect points in the Qantas Frequent Flyer system.

Best of luck

 

[shillard]

Hello Everyone,
I have been advised that I can earn points on the cost of the trip and if this is the case my aim would be to accumulate points so that after my return I may be able to use accumulated points for taking a trip to Qld at some time in the future with my two children. Can someone advise me on firstly if this is possible and how it works and what Frequent Flyer Program would be best for me.Shari

Shari, the first thing to do is acquire a credit or charge card that gives you Qantas FF points. Everyone has their preference (mine is obvious), but for travel within Australia and overseas there is no better option.

Your first choice is: do I pay the card off in full every month, or let the balance run over time? If the former, you may be better off getting a charge card (Amex or Diners), where no interest applies but you MUST pay the balance in full each month. If the latter, go for a low-interest card that still provides Qantas FF points.

Once you've decided and have your card, join the Qantas FF programme.

www.qantasfrequentflyer.com.au

When you book your trip, ensure that you fly on QF or BA flight numbers wherever possible, and that your agent codes your FF number with each booking. Pay for all your tickets with your charge/ credit card.

Use your card in preference to cash or traveller's cheques throughout your trip. It offers much greater security, and will usually provide you with a better exchange rate.

Your spend on your tickets/ accomodation/ etc, plus the points earned for flying on your trip, should be enough for 1 or 2 award domestic tickets.

Email me if you need more detaild information/ advice: [email protected]