kangarooflyer88
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- May 29, 2021
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Next month my partner and I are flying over to Auckland (from Sydney) for a quick break. I was doing some searching across the usual suspects (i.e. Google Flights) trying different dates and the cheapest I could find was about $880 AUD return for both of us (LATAM on the outbound and JetStar on the inbound). On a whim, I thought I'd have a look at booking using LATAM's points since they use a variable rate for redemptions and was pleasantly surprised:
All in the total cost of all flights was a total of 19,355 miles (outbound was 5026 miles per pax whereas inbound was 4651 per pax) + $341.04 USD in taxes & fees ($512 AUD in taxes and fees) given us a redemption value of nearly 2 cents per point. Contrast that with Qantas where you'd be spending 72,000 points on an economy classic award return for 2 passengers or 57,600 points on a JetStar classic award. And the kicker? You'll still spend the same amount in taxes & fees!
The best part about all of this was my partner and I earned roughly the same number of points flying LATAM between Melbourne and Brazil and Brazil and Montreal. So we no longer have any orphan points in the LATAM program and arguably extracted some good value out of while we're at it. Plus since I have LATAM Black (due to a status match earlier in the year) we'll get lounge access, a free checked bag (even though we're on their light fare that doesn't include one), complimentary seat selection in their premium economy cabin to name but a few benefits.
-RooFlyer88
All in the total cost of all flights was a total of 19,355 miles (outbound was 5026 miles per pax whereas inbound was 4651 per pax) + $341.04 USD in taxes & fees ($512 AUD in taxes and fees) given us a redemption value of nearly 2 cents per point. Contrast that with Qantas where you'd be spending 72,000 points on an economy classic award return for 2 passengers or 57,600 points on a JetStar classic award. And the kicker? You'll still spend the same amount in taxes & fees!
The best part about all of this was my partner and I earned roughly the same number of points flying LATAM between Melbourne and Brazil and Brazil and Montreal. So we no longer have any orphan points in the LATAM program and arguably extracted some good value out of while we're at it. Plus since I have LATAM Black (due to a status match earlier in the year) we'll get lounge access, a free checked bag (even though we're on their light fare that doesn't include one), complimentary seat selection in their premium economy cabin to name but a few benefits.
-RooFlyer88
