Avoiding Frequent Flyer Account Set-up Fee?

[BigKahunaBurger]

Hi

New to this board and new to Australia - transferred here with my Aussie partner recently. We have FF accounts with BA, Virgin, BMI etc, but obviously makes sense to have one with Qantas, now we are based in Oz.

However, being British, I'm not used to paying all of these fees for account set-up / management (banks, credit cards etc) and am particularly shocked that there's a fee to set-up a REWARD account with Qantas - we don't have these fees with the airlines in the UK.

Therefore, does anyone know if it would be possible for me to open up an account using my parents' UK address (thus avoiding the set-up fee which only applies to Oz and NZ apps) and then changing the address details over to my Oz address at a later date?

If this is possible, am I missing out on any benefits or anything, by not opening the account up with an initial Oz address?

Any help appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[NM]

Do you still have a valid UK address? There is no joining fee for overseas people, just for Australian and NZ. Once you have you account set up with your UK address, there is no cost to change the address later.

 

[NM]

Again a duplicate post as the original timed out and resubmitted. Sorry folks.

 

[BigKahunaBurger]

Yep - still have a UK address (parents' - this is where all of my UK mail is currently being sent to).

Will sign-up at that address and change over later then - worthwhile as it will save me over $160 when signing up the missus as well.

Thanks for your help.

 

[NM]

The reason for the joining fee for Australian residents is to try to limit the number of inactive and orphaned accounts in the system. If it was free, every Australian would have an account even if they never fly, and that would cost QF money to administer the system, postage etc.

By charging a fee, they only have people who actually want to use their accounts. Its a bit like having a qualified mailing list as well.

By way of example, several members of the NM family also have AA FF memberships. These are mostly idle and contain about 6000 AA miles in total. But it was free to join so why now!

I am not saying I like the idea, but I do understand why it is there. US and European based programs have to also consider the competition factor, which is much less of a problem for QF.

 

[Dave Noble]

As NM says, it is easy to open the account in the UK and avoid being scammed the set up fee ( If you decide to join the Qantas Club , do the same thing and you can avoid the GST fee ) . At the starting out point, I would suggest considering whether the QF scheme is the best way to go; if you are going to get your points from travel, I would suggest considering joining AAs scheme and collect your QF travel there; if you are using it for collecting miles from credit cards in downsideup land then the QF scheme is good imo

Dave

 

[JohnK]

Not sure if it help you but here is my 2 bahts worth.

My Thai girlfriend came to stay with me for 3 months in 2004. I joined her in qff program online with country of residence of Thailand but my home address in sydney and my e-mail address. Did not get asked for any money because of country of residence of Thailand for tax purposes. I got a qff number for her and we did a lot of flying with qf in aus.

A few weeks later I receive a letter from qff stating that because I used an address in aus I need to front up with the joining fee. :shock: Rang qff and explained the situation that my girlfriend does not live here but she is staying with me. Without hesitation the person on the phone said no problem I will change the account to waive the joining fee.

So basically no joining fee. We are no longer together but that is another story for another thread.

Hope all works out for you. By the way I still receive qff mail for her even though she is not is aus. I think you will find qff support staff very accommodating most of the time.

 

[JohnK]

Again a duplicate post as the original timed out and resubmitted. Sorry folks.

I know your trick. :roll:

Just trying to pad your post count.

 

[NM]

Again a duplicate post as the original timed out and resubmitted. Sorry folks.

I know your trick. :roll:

Just trying to pad your post count.

Not at all. Having trouble with AFF from Firefox. Everything else works ok, just not AFF. And AFF is ok (albeit slow) from IE, so not sure what it going on.

Just don't get ad-blocking or spell checking with IE :evil: .

 

[Dave Noble]

Again a duplicate post as the original timed out and resubmitted. Sorry folks.

I know your trick. :roll:

Just trying to pad your post count.

Not at all. Having trouble with AFF from Firefox. Everything else works ok, just not AFF. And AFF is ok (albeit slow) from IE, so not sure what it going on.

Just don't get ad-blocking or spell checking with IE :evil: .

I can sort out some decent ad blocking for you Monsieur Le NM if you wish; gimme a call and I'll sort you out good n proper

Dave

 

[BlacKnox]

At the starting out point, I would suggest considering whether the QF scheme is the best way to go; if you are going to get your points from travel, I would suggest considering joining AAs scheme and collect your QF travel there; if you are using it for collecting miles from credit cards in downsideup land then the QF scheme is good imo
Dave

To add, if you decide to join AA over QF (ie. won't be using Ozzie credit cards for collecting miles), then also consider registering with AA using your UK mailing address. This is because many AA promotions (originating US) are only available to American, Canadian, British ... registered AA members. This would be beneficial if you were doing a lot of flying ex. U.S.

PS: AA = American Airlines; not the other one.

 

[NM]

I can sort out some decent ad blocking for you Monsieur Le NM if you wish; gimme a call and I'll sort you out good n proper

Dave

Ahh yes, do I see another star on the horizon?

Firefox is back working as normal with AFF today. Not sure what the problem was yesterday. Requests just seemed to be timing out. Perhaps it was an ISP problem and IE was just a little more resilient to it.

Firefox with the Adblock extension works very well for blocking the ads, and more importantly for me, I can use the Spellchecker extension that has greatly minimised my goofy posts. Now just need someone to write a sanity-checker extension and I might be in business .

Is there an easy way to spellcheck with IE? My only method there is to cut-and-paste into Word, spellcheck and paste back into IE. Otherwise, the only thing I use IE for now is Microsoft Updates (which won't work with FireFox).

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

what - you spell check :shock:

 

[NM]

what - you spell check :shock:

You should see of them before I speel chcek. Boy do they show how bad my tpying is!

I know the end result posting does not always show its been proof read, but most get spell checked .

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Torque if spill chicks remands my if those past


I have a spell in chequer,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks eye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
You'll bee reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh,
My chequer tolled me sew.

A chequer is a bless sing.
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud.
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaws are knot aloud.

And now bee cause my spell in
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite.
Of none eye am a wear.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed to be a joule.
The checker poured oar every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

That's why aye brake in two averse
By righting wants two pleas.
Sow now ewe sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear for pea seas!.

 

[infoworks]

How we read

Of course...there is always this goodie:

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.
ceehiro

 

[thadocta]

Jung vf nyy bs guvf pneel ba nobhg fcryy purpxvat?

Dave

 

[NM]

Jung vf nyy bs guvf pneel ba nobhg fcryy purpxvat?

Dave

Sorry, Dave. I don't have the Welsh Translator extension for Firefox installed.

 

[bambbbam2]

I believe that is Klingon, not Welsh.

Welsh would be something like "Daffyyyd gorrrn tooo shopppes"

 

[thadocta]

I believe that is Klingon, not Welsh.

Welsh would be something like "Daffyyyd gorrrn tooo shopppes"

It was ROT13, actually.

Dave