Around the world 10 times and not 1 point to show for it

[mishmash]

Hi All
I am new to this game. As the title points out, I have flown around the world at LEAST ten times and dont have one useful point to show for it. Well those days are over. Recently a friend of mine said I was INSANE for not joining a frequent flyer club but somehow I couldn't see the advantage of it. I always just went for a cheap flight that hopefully included a free overnight stay in Asia on the way to Europe. However, i am now married, so there are TWO of us doing the same thing. So it has to stop.

That is why I am on the forum. Someone mentioned that Qantas had the best FF program out there. Can anyone tell me why? Is there anyone that can point me in the right direction in order to maximise the HUGE amount of flying time that me and my husband do?Should we use a special credit card to buy everything in order to cash in?

I honestly must seem lazy, like I dont want to research, but I HAVE researched and there is an absolute mountain of boring info to sift throught. Why re invent the wheel when I know for a fact that out there , there are MASTERS of this game who might share their knowledge, and to whom I will be forever grateful.

Can anyone help?

Thanks :mrgreen:

 

[notzac]

Hi mishmash, welcome to AFF!

Probably a good place to start is working out what airlines you prefer flying, and using that to determine the best frequent flyer program to join. How often do you actually fly on a yearly basis? What cabins do you fly in - is it always the cheapest economy flights?

Another thing to look at - what credit card(s) do you have? Credit cards linked to frequent flyer programs usually have a fairly high interest rate - so if you usually pay out (most of) the balance of your cards each month, it's worth looking at whether you can earn a decent number of points out of that as well.

There are people much more qualified to help you than me, but answers to the above questions should be a good starting point.

 

[mishmash]

Thanks for your friendly message and your help.

I usually fly the cheapest - not the absolute cheapest but a good deal eg JAL or Korean. Have also flown Vietnamese. I am happy to pay more for a ticket if I know that the points will get me something worthwhile in the end. I have a credit card which I pay out monthly but would be happy to change that (the credit card, not the fact I pay it off!!) in order to rack up points if I could see how that might useful.

Any offers of further help gladly received.

 

[drron]

Welcome mishmash.The first question you need to ask yourself is what do you want from your FF program.Do you want to redeem for award flights or do you want to use your points to upgrade flights-often the answer will be different.
Next is what airlines do you want to fly or are likely to fly.Basically it is better to stick with one of the Alliances to maximise your earnings and hence rewards.Most here have more experience with Oneworld as QF is a member,but JAL who you say you have flown with is also a member.Unlikely you will get the cheapest fares using them but their RTW fares are good value.
Next is the Star alliance with SQ,Thai,UA amongst others-you will find some members here who may give you more advice.
There is also Skyteam which I have no experience of.It may become more viable with Delta starting to fly here.It also has Korean.
The other possibility is DJ.personally I am a member because I often have to fly DJ but i really dont think it is competitive at the moment.However you can earn points on Malaysia and Emirates so it may suit.
For One world if you want award flights especially in premium classes the Aadvantage is a good choice-this is my preferred program.If you want upgrades then in and out of Australia QF is the usual way to go so the QFF program would be better.I will leave CCs to others.

 

[Dave Noble]

If you are taking a reasonably sensible approach of taking the best value flight , you would likely be best joining a few schemes depending on who you are travelling on for a particular trip

If you have details of your next trip, it may be possible to recommend one for that depending on the fare and airline

Dave

 

[skeeo]

Best time to signup for qantas ff is now, just head down to woolworths, get a everyday rewards card (for free) and sign up online for your free membership

 

[Commuter]

I always just went for a cheap flight that hopefully included a free overnight stay in Asia on the way to Europe.

You don't need to belong to just one. You could get a membership with one airline from each alliance and then you can still potentially earn points while you are still choosing the lowest fare.

It also depends on what you call 'huge' amount of flying time. If you do 10 times around the world in 5 years, by the standards of many of our members, it's not actually a lot, whereas if you went 10 times around the world in 5 months, that's rather a lot. This may affect the number of airlines that you should consider becoming a member of and fly in preference to others (because spreading too thin can erode the benefits, whereas doing 10 times around the world in 5 months will not be 'spreading too thin' even if that's done with quite a few different carriers).

 

[kiwitripper64]

Airline schemes have 4 potential benefits
1. Accumulate and use frequent flyer points to get free flights
2. Use ff points for upgrades
3. Collect status points to get silver, gold or platinum status in the airline and get access to lounges etc
4. Use ff points to purchase hotel stays or other stuff from ff scheme. Look at QF ff shop.

Most flights within an alliance will let you accumulate status points. You collect them for 12 months then effectively re-start, so you keep earning your status. This may depend on type of cheap ticket purchased.

Frequent flyer points can also be gained from most members within an alliance. ie if you join QF and fly another Oneworld flight like JAL you will earn QF points.
Some airlines let you keep accumulating points forever, eg QF as long as you fly once every 3 years. Others can have a use-by date, so just as your about to get enough to do a big trip, they expire.:evil:
hope this helps

 

[simongr]

Some airlines let you keep accumulating points forever, eg QF as long as you fly once every 3 years. Others can have a use-by date, so just as your about to get enough to do a big trip, they expire.:evil:
hope this helps

Doyou have to fly or just have activity?

 

[drewbles]

Doyou have to fly or just have activity?

Any Activity

9.2 Points Validity
9.2.1 Except as otherwise provided in these Terms and Conditions, Points will not expire as long as the Member remains an Active Member.

taken from Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions