Are FF clubs worthwhile for annual travellers?

[chadz75]

Hi all

I’ve had a quick search for my query without luck so I’ll make my first post instead!

My partner and I fly overseas about twice a year… northern Europe is usually the destination. We have a small side trip once we’re there, e.g. Ireland, Sweden etc.

We are NOT Frequent Flyer members…

On these rough estimates, should we bother to join a FF club? If we did, and paid up, would we be likely to earn enough points we could use on the basics, e.g. upgrades? There seems to be little info on the FF club’s websites about points… either how many you can earn, and how many you need to redeem anything. Is it worthwhile being a member of an FF club?

Is there anywhere we can quickly see the benefits of joining and the points we could earn? We’ve booked for ADL-SYD-HKG-HEL in September, is it too late to join and earn points? I have not received the tickets yet through my agent.

Thanks for your help… we’re raw at FF!

BTW... what is the BEST FF club out there? I see Qantas have partners such as Finnair and others that we fly regularly... are they the go?

 

[NM]

I’ve had a quick search for my query without luck so I’ll make my first post instead!

Welcome to AFF

My partner and I fly overseas about twice a year… northern Europe is usually the destination. We have a small side trip once we’re there, e.g. Ireland, Sweden etc.

We are NOT Frequent Flyer members…

On these rough estimates, should we bother to join a FF club? If we did, and paid up, would we be likely to earn enough points we could use on the basics, e.g. upgrades? There seems to be little info on the FF club’s websites about points… either how many you can earn, and how many you need to redeem anything. Is it worthwhile being a member of an FF club?

It really depends on a lot of things, including:

• Do you always fly with the same airline or airline alliance?
• Do you buy the cheapest fares available, or willing to pay higher fares for features such as flexibility, upgradability etc?
• What benefits do you want from a FF program?
• Do you have a significant credit card spending pattern as a means of supplementing FF program points/miles?

Note that not all FF programs have a joining fee, so may not cost you anything to join. Most FF program web sites do include the full membership terms and conditions which also includes how points are earned and how many are earned for different activities. However, some of these things may be difficult to understand at first glance.

Is there anywhere we can quickly see the benefits of joining and the points we could earn? We’ve booked for ADL-SYD-HKG-HEL in September, is it too late to join and earn points? I have not received the tickets yet through my agent.

Its not really a simple exercise as the number of points earned depends on the fare you have purchased and the airlines you are flying.

The real benefits of FF programs come when you can move up the membership status ladder. And generally the only way to do thast is to fly regularly. So one or two trips a year is not going to get you very far as far as FF status is concerned. Benefits such as lounge access, priority check-in, priority and increased baggage allowance, seating pre-allocation, bonus points when flying etc come with the higher status tiers within the programs. As a base-level member there are few benefits besides earning some points that can be used for various awards.

BTW... what is the BEST FF club out there? I see Qantas have partners such as Finnair and others that we fly regularly... are they the go?

Again there is no simple answer. It all depends on your flying pattern and what you want to get from your membership. Personally I now use American Airlines Advantage program rather than Qantas FF because it suits my personal ravel patterns and outcomes best. But my patterns and desired outcomes are likely to be different to yours. So all I can suggest is to keep reading around the various forums and asking questions to learn more.

And remember that for some people, its best to save the money and just buy the cheapest fare you can find to the destination you wish to get to. The enjoy the holiday when you get there.

 

[DTM1]

That said, I can't imagine any reason not to join one. The joining fee is only a one off (not sure how much for QF, but think it may be $50 per person ?)

If you fly with an eligible fare (even most intl discount economy fares qualify) on Qantas or Oneworld airlines, then the points accrued from a couple of intl flights a year would at the very least provide you with enough points to each fly domestically anywhere in australia for free.

As I said, I can't see any down side at all.

Oh, and welcome to AFF !

 

[NM]

That said, I can't imagine any reason not to join one. The joining fee is only a one off (not sure how much for QF, but think it may be $50 per person ?)

QF FF is $82.50 for Australian residents, NS$50 for New Zealand residents, and free for others.

The downside can be getting caught up in the FF program propaganda and spending more money on flights to ensure you earn more points by flying the right airline, and then paying more for upgradeable flights and not being able to upgrade, etc. For some people, their best value for vacation investment is to just buy the cheapest airfare from a reputable airline and spend the savings on vacation activities.

 

[DTM1]

noted.

...but then there would be none of the fun of booking oneworld tickets our of NRT and MNL, chassing the plat challenge and all of the other things that FF membership can open your eyes to ....

And that's not even getting to the stage of getting hooked on expertflyer

 

[NM]

noted.

...but then there would be none of the fun of booking oneworld tickets our of NRT and MNL, chassing the plat challenge and all of the other things that FF membership can open your eyes to ....

And that's not even getting to the stage of getting hooked on expertflyer

And so the addiction begins!

Now, where did I read about a 6-step process to breaking addictions?

 

[MelUser]

And once one has travelled in J internationally there is no turning back.

I have friends who won't travel o/seas unless it's in J. They would sooner have a holiday every 3 years and fly J than annually in Y!

 

[straitman]

And once one has travelled in J internationally there is no turning back.

I have friends who won't travel o/seas unless it's in J. They would sooner have a holiday every 3 years and fly J than annually in Y!

They've obviously been talking to my wife :!:

 

[chadz75]

And once one has travelled in J internationally there is no turning back.

I have friends who won't travel o/seas unless it's in J. They would sooner have a holiday every 3 years and fly J than annually in Y!

Whats this J and Y? FF talk! I have to lear this lingo...!

So, for us it seem that it is better to keep sourcing cheap tickets than to worry about FF clubs. Unless we find a good free one... is there a good free FF club?

We did well on our tickets, ADL-SYD-HKG-HEL for about $2150 with good connections around 2-3 hours each, so we're not really complaining... just wondering if we could have scored some points for tickets such as these through an agent, flying Qantas then BA then Finnair... how do you know if agents can book for you and use a FF membership? Is it possible on ALL tickets through the right airlines? Is it too late once they are paid for, even if they are not yet finalised/collected?


chadz75

 

[simongr]

And so the addiction begins!

Now, where did I read about a 6-step process to breaking addictions?

It's 12 steps - and this foot isn't moving an inch.

And once one has travelled in J internationally there is no turning back.

I have friends who won't travel o/seas unless it's in J. They would sooner have a holiday every 3 years and fly J than annually in Y!

I like your friends and the values they stand for!

@chadz75 - You can apply a FF number to any flights you fly on - but you only earn points on the correct airlines and programs. Given your itinerary I think you are a oneworld person so either Qantas, Finnair or American AIrlines are the programs for you.

Google those and get more info to help you make an informed decision.

S

 

[NM]

It's 12 steps - and this foot isn't moving an inch.

Maybe I am only half addicted

@chadz75 - You can apply a FF number to any flights you fly on - but you only earn points on the correct airlines and programs. Given your itinerary I think you are a oneworld person so either Qantas, Finnair or American AIrlines are the programs for you.

Google those and get more info to help you make an informed decision.

S

The tricky part is that not all fares earn points in all programs. So the cheapest QF fares don't earn anything with the AA program etc. Its really a matter of doing lots of research.

 

[drron]

With you itinerary then a One world FF scheme would be worth joining.If you fly to Europe twice a year and generally use these airlines then you would generate enough points for a reasonable award every year or two.I am also a member of AAdvantage and find that good for my circumstances as I fly to and in the US freqently.The advantages are better availability of awards at more reasonable miles cost generally and less in fuel fines.For example an AA award Australia to NZ costs 20000 miles which your travel could generate in 12 months.My wife returned today from an award trip to New York on a combination of AA and QF awards.The AA award was NRT-JFK in business class and cost her 90000 miles and $US 39.60 in taxes.It is possible your travel could earn those miles in 3 years.
The real hard part is getting to understand how many miles you earn and how to get status.With AA that can be difficult and earning depends on the particular fare class you are flying.For AA the link is
Qualification Requirements
If you go to Finnair you can see that flying discount economy you could be in booking classes-A,H,K,L,M,P,V,G,L,N,O,Q,S,T,W,Z But all you have to do is ask your TA what are the fare classes you are booked into and then consult the table.
Again from your itinerary if you do a similiar flight twice a year on one world airlines even in discount economy you could at least get gold status on AA and so get a 25% mileage bonus and free 500 mile upgrades-though these are basically useful in the US,but are free.
You are certainly not to late to join.with AA you can join online and it is free and as long as you give your number at checkin you will get credits.Now I have talked about AA because that is the program i know.Maybe someone else may have experience with Finnair's program and give you the heads up.As you have found this forum I would say go ahead and sign up.

 

[DTM1]

Bottom line Chadz - with your travel patterns, you'd be crazy not to join a FF program - the only question is working out the right program to join.

 

[chadz75]

Re: Are FF clubs worthwhile? PITFALLS!!

Well thats all pretty helpful - thanks all! I've been playing around on Qantas and am I right in working out that I'd earn around 24k points return from ADL to HEL? Their dodgy points calculator tells me certain legs arent available even though i BOOKED through Qantas! Wierd... (eg, they say there are no flights from BKK to HEL - but I'm ON one thru them on Finnair)

So.. here I am ready to join but, knowing Qantas, I thought I'd check out if there are any pitfalls you know of that I might not... what should I take into account before I join?

I see points remain for 36 months... can I add points, for instance through CellarMasters (1 point per dollar) that will extend the 36 months? I think we will be flying every year though so the 36 months is great for us.

And lastly... are upgrades readily available or do you have trouble using the points on international flights to get the hell out of economy?

Thanks all... this forum is most useful!

Chadz75

 

[MAX_1]

Re: Are FF clubs worthwhile? PITFALLS!!

So.. here I am ready to join but, knowing Qantas, I thought I'd check out if there are any pitfalls you know of that I might not... what should I take into account before I join?

I see points remain for 36 months... can I add points, for instance through CellarMasters (1 point per dollar) that will extend the 36 months? I think we will be flying every year though so the 36 months is great for us.

And lastly... are upgrades readily available or do you have trouble using the points on international flights to get the hell out of economy?

Thanks all... this forum is most useful!

Chadz75

I fly regularly Bris - Melb. Usually our company buys the cheapest fare.
Many times , just minutes before the flight i to leave , I check if I can pay for an upgrade and despite there being seats available , the answer is "no available on that fare". Qantas has a great oportunity to burn FF points from their customers , but can't see it.

When I decide to fly overseas for a private trip, I am not in any position to be able to plan a year ahead. I have found that unless you can use your points 11 months in advance it becomes near impossible to book a flight using QFF points, especially for J seats.

For domestic flights , usually have no problems getting any flight, Just avoid the high volume times, such as start and end of days, big footy or cricket matches and also school holiday starts and finishes.

I do however use Amex to the tune of about $250,000 pa and can purchase a Singapore or Thai flight using Amex points very easily , certainly easier than Qantas.

 

[NM]

Re: Are FF clubs worthwhile? PITFALLS!!

Well thats all pretty helpful - thanks all! I've been playing around on Qantas and am I right in working out that I'd earn around 24k points return from ADL to HEL? Their dodgy points calculator tells me certain legs arent available even though i BOOKED through Qantas! Wierd... (eg, they say there are no flights from BKK to HEL - but I'm ON one thru them on Finnair)

The points calculator only understands routes that are operated by Qantas, not by partner airlines like FinnAir. You need to use a tool like Great Circle Mapper to determine the distance and then look up the points earning tables on the QF FF web site.

So.. here I am ready to join but, knowing Qantas, I thought I'd check out if there are any pitfalls you know of that I might not... what should I take into account before I join?

Just ensure your expectations are realistic when it comes to redeeming your points for something useful.

I see points remain for 36 months... can I add points, for instance through CellarMasters (1 point per dollar) that will extend the 36 months? I think we will be flying every year though so the 36 months is great for us.

Yes, points only expire if there is not activity in your account for 36 months. Any activity that is recorded only your activity statement will reset the 36 months timer for all points in your account.

And lastly... are upgrades readily available or do you have trouble using the points on international flights to get the hell out of economy?

Domestic upgrades can be fairly easy to find and if a business class Classic Award is available on the flight, then you can confirm a domestic upgrade using points. But international upgrades are not so easy. You have to waitlist for the upgrade and the wiatlist queue is processed in order of FF status in the 24 hours before departure. So all Platinum member requests get first priority, the Gold members, then Silver members and then eventually Bronze members if there are still upgrade seats left. So it can be very hard for a Bronze or even Silver member to get international upgrades, especially on popular business routes like LHR and LAX.

 

[simongr]

Re: Are FF clubs worthwhile? PITFALLS!!

I see points remain for 36 months... can I add points, for instance through CellarMasters (1 point per dollar) that will extend the 36 months? I think we will be flying every year though so the 36 months is great for us.

And lastly... are upgrades readily available or do you have trouble using the points on international flights to get the hell out of economy?

Thanks all... this forum is most useful!

Chadz75

Keeping account ticking over if you dont touch them for years is a good strategy - just having some movement sometimes qualifies to keep the account alive. If you use cellarmasters already that seems like a great way to keep it going.

In terms of upgrades this is tricky. The way the system works is that upgrades are allocated in order of status with the airline (i.e. the most frequent fliers get first bite at the upgrade) then by time at which the upgrade was requested. As a non-status flier your chances of upgrading are fairly small unless you put careful planning into it (non-business routes, light loaded days etc.)

@MAX_1 Sounds like you are a candidate for the anyseat awards that QF have just started.

Just in terms of planning ahead are you only trying for international qantas J seats? If so why? Although I booked by current trip 11 months in advance I have managed J on CX, BA and AA - not a single QF flight.

I am afraid if you aren't able to plan ahead like that then the scheme currently probably isnt for you - hence I guess you using other airlines through I presume Amex points?

 

[Dougo]

I agree with other postings that joining a FF program depends what you want to get out of it. While it's great if you can use your FF points to get a free flight, it's up to you if you want to use them for say other purchases, for example, department store vouchers etc. Recently a friend of mine got vouchers with his Qantas FF points and bought a brand new washing machine and he was very happy with that decision.

Keeping your Qantas FF account "active" is quite easy - just move points over from say a credit card that earns points and that keeps your Qantas FF accumulated points active - or move your FF points to a family member etc is apparently another way to keep your account "active".

I tend to use cheaper flights to get to my destination or use partner airlines to accumulate points if I can't get a Qantas flight at the "right price". But primarily I use my credit cards to top up points and certainly I have enough for a "free" O/S flight. But I won't bang my head against a brick wall just to get a FF points flight.