Buying a toaster with points Qantas

[mrsterryn]

Pondering doing some shopping with the EOFY discounts .
Mind you I feel like it is sacrilegious.
However I didn't spend the expected points going from economy to business Syd to HNL and finding it a tad difficult to spend points at the moment on flights For example I can get flights to HND from Sydney for about $1200 return in economy. (Premium doesn't seem to exist at the moment ) . To use points is about 60, 000 plus almost $400 in taxes .
Had quite a lot refunded back in 2020/2021
Currently between husband and I there is almost 1 million points.
Going forward we are looking at best fare of the day for our travels in business. So not sure what advantage there is to keeping points?
Any suggestions

 

[Joy6328]

I haven’t looked at prices but saw they are doing 30% off gift cards bought with points - would look at that before the toaster on its own.

Or redeem for holiday / staycation hotel?

 

[craven morehead]

Fiji on FJ A359 I just booked a couple of J trips for after Xmas

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Do you have a specific toaster in mind? As a fellow toastie, I'd reckon a 4 slot toaster would do the trick in most cases. But you'll want to read the reviews to ensure it support bagels and has consistent toasting across the surface.

The last thing anyone wants is cold soggy bread!

-RooFlyer88

 

[exceladdict]

Pondering doing some shopping with the EOFY discounts .
Mind you I feel like it is sacrilegious.
However I didn't spend the expected points going from economy to business Syd to HNL and finding it a tad difficult to spend points at the moment on flights For example I can get flights to HND from Sydney for about $1200 return in economy. (Premium doesn't seem to exist at the moment ) . To use points is about 60, 000 plus almost $400 in taxes .
Had quite a lot refunded back in 2020/2021
Currently between husband and I there is almost 1 million points.
Going forward we are looking at best fare of the day for our travels in business. So not sure what advantage there is to keeping points?
Any suggestions

A point redeemed worth much more than one sitting unused in perpetuity, or worse, expiring. Do the numbers and decide what works best for you, compared to the cost you incurred to earn the points (if anything).

Buying direct during sales is better value than buying direct when there's no sale. YMMV but on comparisons i've done on ipads for example, it was better value to buy direct during a sale than to buy a gift card then spend that at JB or similar.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Pondering doing some shopping with the EOFY discounts .
Mind you I feel like it is sacrilegious.
However I didn't spend the expected points going from economy to business Syd to HNL and finding it a tad difficult to spend points at the moment on flights For example I can get flights to HND from Sydney for about $1200 return in economy. (Premium doesn't seem to exist at the moment ) . To use points is about 60, 000 plus almost $400 in taxes .
Had quite a lot refunded back in 2020/2021
Currently between husband and I there is almost 1 million points.
Going forward we are looking at best fare of the day for our travels in business. So not sure what advantage there is to keeping points?
Any suggestions

That’s the thing. If you can use the points on an flight, and can find something that works, that’s where you’ll get the biggest bang for your point.

If you can’t find flights, and don’t think that’s going to improve, other options might be worth considering.

I have a bunch of SQ miles left which I don’t think I will use. Not that I can’t find flights, just not flights I actually *need* . But I do need a new ipad!

The beauty about qantas points is that they have a very generous (non)expiry policy. The likelihood you will be able to use the points at some time is quite high. And the value will be in redeeming flights. Even if not ex AU, then certainly from the likes of DPS, BKK or even Tokyo (buy a flight to tokyo, but how about JAL F to the US on points from there?)

I’m sitting on miles I might be able to use. Spending ones I can’t. And dreaming of using others - yes you Lifemiles!

 

[kangarooflyer88]

If you can’t find flights, and don’t think that’s going to improve, other options might be worth considering.

There's always award flights available, the only question is if you are willing to travel on those dates and accept that routing. In my case, I've gotten fairly good value out of my QF points including upgrade cheap $100 red e-deal fares to business class for 10,900 points for SYD > MEL on an A330 lie flat which would ordinarily sell for $600 or more. Similarly, QF points can be a great way to get to regional and remote Australia where cash fares can be expensive (i.e. Lord Howe Island, Longreach are two recent award bookings that come to mind).

Notwithstanding this, I reckon most people are attracted to these programs because they are looking for the coveted international long haul business class award, preferably at a classic award price! In which case your best bet is to book as far ahead as you can, being flexible both with dates, destination and routing. For instance, whilst everyone may initially think of flying to the Heathrow for Europe from Australia often, there are many other airports in Europe that not only have better award availability but also lower taxes and fees (due to there not being an Air Passenger Duty). Zurich, Athens, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, Geneva, Amsterdam, Bruxelles are some major European cities which often have good award J availability looking further out.

-RooFlyer88

 

[mrsterryn]

We do get decent flights but husband likes a particular event in Denmark in September. Prime time all round for holidays. He did manage to get this year's trip with rewards but it was a bit of a drama. So next year won't even bother and will just watch out for sales for going there. He did consider going via CDG

 

[kangarooflyer88]

We do get decent flights but husband likes a particular event in Denmark in September. Prime time all round for holidays. He did manage to get this year's trip with rewards but it was a bit of a drama. So next year won't even bother and will just watch out for sales for going there. He did consider going via CDG

The other thing to think about is to diversify the points in various programs. For instance, whilst QF may not be able to get you to Europe it could get you to a key connection point in Asia like SIN, NRT or ICN where you might be able to find award availability with another airline on another alliance (i.e. SAS with United's MilagePlus program).

Relatedly, sometimes it can make a lot of sense splitting up the trip as well. For instance, flying Australia to New York with Qantas points you may not find much business availability. But if what about Sydney to Honolulu spending a few days on the beach before embarking on a flight (or flights) to New York? 9 times out of 10 I'll pick the stopover in Honolulu option over the more direct one!

-RooFlyer88

 

[craven morehead]

We do get decent flights but husband likes a particular event in Denmark in September. Prime time all round for holidays. He did manage to get this year's trip with rewards but it was a bit of a drama. So next year won't even bother and will just watch out for sales for going there. He did consider going via CDG

What about via HEL ?

 

[DC3]

Currently between husband and I there is almost 1 million points

Will that buy a toaster?

 

[mrsterryn]

Will that buy a toaster?

Mabbe

 

[JohnK]

I find medium haul flights quite expensive at the moment. e.g. SYD-BKK return on some dates is $1100-$1200

I just booked one-way for 17,200 QF points + $150 which I think is pretty good value.

 

[Mr H]

Fiji!