Best frequent flyer credit card to use business class for Europe

[Thefaraon]

Hi, I’m Italian, I’m going every year or almost in Europe. I would like to know which credit card is the best option to accrue more points to use to redeem business class seat or premium economy, with a good sign up bonus points is a plus.
Thanks

 

[Mwenenzi]

Thefaraon Welcome to AFF

Hi, I’m Italian, I’m going every year or almost in Europe. I would like to know which credit card is the best option to accrue more points to use to redeem business class seat or premium economy, with a good sign up bonus points is a plus.
Thanks

Best can mean different things to different people
What airlines do you use to fly from Aust to EU?
What frequent flyer programs are you a member of now? Status?
Do you earn ff miles/points/avios from flying in AU or internationally?
Amex has a range of airline frequent flyer partners. Bank issued credit cards tend to have less partners.
Getting business class awards Aust to EU can be hard. PE a little less, but not all airlines/aircraft/routes have PE

Australian Frequent Flyer

Tips, Tricks & Chat for the Australian Frequent Flyer

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Recent Credit Card Promotions

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

In recent days_weeks have been several threads on getting to EU from AU
And FT articles

Strategies for Cheap Business Class Flights to Europe

If you live in Australia, there are several strategies you can use to book cheap Business Class flights to Europe.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

It's Time to Book Your 2025 European Summer Reward Flights

If you want to use frequent flyer points to get to Europe for the 2025 summer, now is the time to start booking your flights.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[andye]

I'd steer away from anything tied to Qantas as J European routes are so hard

Amex (Charge> Explorer with Edge in the mix with high supermarket spend) is probably best with access to Singapore (shame about the devaluation), Cathay and Qatar with fair availability

A Velocity earning card is next best with Singapore and Qatar options though usually lower earn rates.

 

[Thefaraon]

Thefaraon Welcome to AFF

Best can mean different things to different people
What airlines do you use to fly from Aust to EU? Usually Qatar or emirates but I don’t mind Singapore or Cathay be honest even Malaysia
What frequent flyer programs are you a member of now? Status? I’m not a member or anything that ‘a why I need some help to find the best solution
Do you earn ff miles/points/avios from flying in AU or internationally? I’m not a member so not
Amex has a range of airline frequent flyer partners. Bank issued credit cards tend to have less partners.
Getting business class awards Aust to EU can be hard. PE a little less, but not all airlines/aircraft/routes have PE

Thanks for your answer, I just answered above about your questions

Australian Frequent Flyer

Tips, Tricks & Chat for the Australian Frequent Flyer

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Recent Credit Card Promotions

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

In recent days_weeks have been several threads on getting to EU from AU
And FT articles

Strategies for Cheap Business Class Flights to Europe

If you live in Australia, there are several strategies you can use to book cheap Business Class flights to Europe.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

It's Time to Book Your 2025 European Summer Reward Flights

If you want to use frequent flyer points to get to Europe for the 2025 summer, now is the time to start booking your flights.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Mattg]

Welcome to AFF @Thefaraon

The best card would be one that earns points in a flexible bank reward program, which you can transfer out as needed. That gives you the most options when it comes time to redeem the points for your flights!

Want to Fly to Europe? Collect a Flexible Points Currency!

Credit card rewards programs offer flexible points currencies that you can transfer to whichever airline has the best deal when you book.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Mwenenzi]

Best can mean different things to different people
What airlines do you use to fly from Aust to EU?

Usually Qatar or emirates but I don’t mind Singapore or Cathay be honest even Malaysia

What frequent flyer programs are you a member of now? Status?

I’m not a member or anything that ‘a why I need some help to find the best solution

Do you earn ff miles/points/avios from flying in AU or internationally?

I’m not a member so not

Qatar, Cathay and Malaysia are all in the Oneworld alliance. As is QF Qantas. As they are ff partners earn & burn (awards) are possible. Each has different rules, t&c's. Cost of awards in miles/avios/points and cash co payment can/does vary a lot. Even for the same flight.
Singapore is in the Star Alliance. Virgin Australia is an out of alliance partner.
Qatar is in Oneworld alliance. Virgin Australia is an out of alliance partner.
Emirates (no alliance). Qantas is an out of OW alliance partner.

A hard task starting from the bottom to collect ff miles/avios/points and learning about airline frequent flyer programs.
Business class awards are hard to get.

 

[Thefaraon]

Best can mean different things to different people
What airlines do you use to fly from Aust to EU?

What frequent flyer programs are you a member of now? Status?

Do you earn ff miles/points/avios from flying in AU or internationally?

Qatar, Cathay and Malaysia are all in the Oneworld alliance. As is QF Qantas. As they are ff partners earn & burn (awards) are possible. Each has different rules, t&c's. Cost of awards in miles/avios/points and cash co payment can/does vary a lot. Even for the same flight.
Singapore is in the Star Alliance. Virgin Australia is an out of alliance partner.
Qatar is in Oneworld alliance. Virgin Australia is an out of alliance partner.
Emirates (no alliance). Qantas is an out of OW alliance partner.

A hard task starting from the bottom to collect ff miles/avios/points and learning about airline frequent flyer programs.
Business class awards are hard to get.

i have to start somewhere, that’s why I asked this forum ( people ) to help me out with that .
thanks

 

[Thefaraon]

If I’m getting an Amex credit card and qantas or velocity put out an offer to buy some of them points at a discount price like they did few weeks ago how is going to work ? Can I still buy them and convert them in Amex point or not really ?
Thanks

 

[BriarFlyer]

If I’m getting an Amex credit card and qantas or velocity put out an offer to buy some of them points at a discount price like they did few weeks ago how is going to work ? Can I still buy them and convert them in Amex point or not really ?

It works the opposite way. If you have an Amex card, you earn points in an Amex currency which you can convert to an airline frequent flyer currency such as Qantas, Velocity, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, Qatar Avios etc. You join the frequent flyer program of choice, transfer your Amex points there, and you can purchase points and/or earn additional points with other program partners.

 

[Thefaraon]

So, joining Amex could be a good idea or not really to try to get premium economy or business class ticket for Europe ?

 

[levelnine]

So, joining Amex could be a good idea or not really to try to get premium economy or business class ticket for Europe ?

Could be. Depends on which card you get, how much you spend, how willing you are to jump through hoops to offset AF, etc etc

 

[Mwenenzi]

So, joining Amex could be a good idea or not really to try to get premium economy or business class ticket for Europe ?

Amex and other credit cards are just a way of getting more frequent flyer miles/avios/points.
Award availability is determined be the airline frequent flyer programs. Award flight can be on the airline of your ffp or a partner airline.

 

[Thefaraon]

So confusing … you guys are the expert here what would you do ?
You are travelling in Europe once a year and a little trip probably Bali or something like that just to have a break once a year … any thoughts ?
Thanks

 

[levelnine]

So confusing … you guys are the expert here what would you do ?
You are travelling in Europe once a year and a little trip probably Bali or something like that just to have a break once a year … any thoughts ?
Thanks

Churn cards that earn Velocity/Singapore points.

 

[Mattg]

So confusing … you guys are the expert here what would you do ?
You are travelling in Europe once a year and a little trip probably Bali or something like that just to have a break once a year … any thoughts ?
Thanks

If you ultimately want to use those points to get to Europe, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer will likely give you the best availability (and the extra charges on KrisFlyer redemptions are very low).

Velocity is probably the best option for trips to Bali.

So as @levelnine suggests, getting a card/s with a bank that allows you to transfer your points to KrisFlyer and/or Velocity would be my pick.

You can also transfer points between KrisFlyer and Velocity, albeit with a penalty.

This table shows which bank programs can transfer points to which airline:

The Ultimate Australian Credit Card Points Transfer Matrix

This credit card matrix shows which frequent flyer programs you can transfer your Australian credit card reward points to, and at what rate.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

BTW - if you haven't already seen it, the free AFF course on credit cards may be helpful to you:

Course 02: Credit Cards & Airport Lounges

AFF's Credit Cards & Airport Lounges course shows you how to maximise your points and enhance your travel experience with credit cards.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[StayGoldPonyboy]

i have to start somewhere, that’s why I asked this forum ( people ) to help me out with that .
thanks

Benvenuti a AFF.

You say you usually fly with Qatar or Emirates, but you haven't joined any frequent flyer programs yet.

If you have flown with an airline recently, join their FF program now and claim retrospectively for the points and status (obviously what you get will depend on the fare purchased).

Edited to add: Qatar and Emirates allow retrospective joining and claiming, other airlines may not (I didn't check the others you listed).

Airlines have different rules but you usually have 2 or sometimes 6 months in which to claim points for flights already taken.

Every little bit counts.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Getting a little of topic

You say you usually fly with Qatar or Emirates, but you haven't joined any frequent flyer programs yet.

If you have flown with an airline recently, join their FF program now and claim retrospectively for the points and status (obviously what you get will depend on the fare purchased).

Airlines have different rules but you usually have 2 or sometimes 6 months in which to claim points for flights already taken.

Every little bit counts.

Joining a ffp then retro claiming for flights taken X days before takes some research.
Some allow to join and retro claim. For others need to be a member at the date of the flight, before claiming.
Harder if do not have the boarding pass and/or e-ticket. Retro claiming is far from guaranteed.

Qatar QR is a partner of VA, QF Qantas, BA and others. But QF flight can be nil or low earning
Emirates EK is a partner of QF Qantas and others
A very broad guide--> Where to Credit | How Many Miles | Every Frequent Flyer Program

From the owner of AFF How to claim missing points from flights

VA How to claim missing Velocity Points

Claims can be made for travel completed up to 30 days prior to joining Velocity Frequent Flyer.

QF https://www.qantas.com/au/en/freque...rms-and-conditions.html#earning-qantas-points

9.1.2 A Member may earn Qantas Points only in relation to:
(a) Eligible Flights flown after the Member's joining date and up to 30 days prior to that date;

From memory BAEC is 3 months, but cannot find a link.
The ff currency "avios" is used by QR, BA, IE, IB & AY. Subject to t&c's avios can moved between these ffp's. But some people have trouble when attempting.

Just part of the big learning curve with frequent flyer programs.

 

[manishjeenu]

I flew to Europe this year. Booked my flights using Qantas Points to book China Airlines which transits via Taiwan. We are family of 3 so I was able to get 2 business class tickets for each sector but I booked them 1 year in advance. Flew from MEL-TPE, 5 day halt for sightseeing, TPE-AMS, 40 day sightseeing, (Rome)FCO-TPE, 18 hr halt TPE-MEL

 

[Thefaraon]

Thanks for sharing your information.

I flew to Europe this year. Booked my flights using Qantas Points to book China Airlines which transits via Taiwan. We are family of 3 so I was able to get 2 business class tickets for each sector but I booked them 1 year in advance. Flew from MEL-TPE, 5 day halt for sightseeing, TPE-AMS, 40 day sightseeing, (Rome)FCO-TPE, 18 hr halt TPE-MEL

I was thinking to get an Amex with velocity or qantas points and convert them on KrisFlyer, or others

 

[manishjeenu]

Thanks for sharing your information.

I was thinking to get an Amex with velocity or qantas points and convert them on KrisFlyer, or others

not sure how is reward redemption on Krisflyer for Europe onward flights as I haven't flown with them ever