Family holidays on points

[dmlowe]

Hi all

Just returned from a holiday in Japan on points with family in tow. Four redeemed tickets and an infant on my knee with a stopover in Cairns on the way home for 140,000 points was pretty good value in my book. The points were mainly accumulated via credit cards (AMP Amex @ 1.5 pts/$ and Ezybanking MCard @ 1pt/$) so they were basically free, which made it even sweeter.

Now turning my thoughts to our next holiday, and wondering whether there are options to spend a smaller amount of points per person (say 5 tickets @ 20,000 pts?) and still achieve at least 2-3 cents per point in value. Presumably this would be closer to home, which kind of suits me as overnight flights in economy really do suck don't they! We'd either fly from Canberra or Sydney.

Any ideas? - or pointers on how I might work this out? Is it simply a matter of slugging through the Qantas points calculator and comparing to available fares?

Also, with business class upgrades, is that something you just try for and if it happens whackydoo, or is there a reasonable expectation that you'll get one if you try for it early enough before you fly?

One final query if I may - Vietnam seems to be a low-value redemption option on QFF points - is that everyone's understanding?

thanks for your time
D

 

[JohnK]

Also, with business class upgrades, is that something you just try for and if it happens whackydoo, or is there a reasonable expectation that you'll get one if you try for it early enough before you fly?

Try until you succeed. What I have found with these is first in first served basically.

For domestic you can get in advance but with international I think you need to wait until 3 days before flight. I am flying SYD-BNE 26 Dec and cannot get upgrade to business yet when I return BNE-SYD Jan 4 there is available upgrade.

 

[dmlowe]

Thanks John. I get it, so you keep trying as often as you can because one day they might become available. Having only 3 days to try does make it hard on international doesn't it! You can't really bank on it!

 

[shillard]

Thanks John. I get it, so you keep trying as often as you can because one day they might become available. Having only 3 days to try does make it hard on international doesn't it! You can't really bank on it!

FAR from it. IF flying J really is important to you, be prepared to pay the extra and buy a ticket - because there is NO guarantee of an upgrade.

I've received fantastic value from the points I've burned over the years, and look forward to continuing that. I'm over the use of points for upgrades though, it's gone into the 'too hard' basket - I just burn points for full J flights.

It may not offer the "points per $value" as perceived by some that using points to upgrade does, but if you spend your spare time calculating down to two decimal places what the $value of your redeemed points comes to, I would suggest that a lack of confirmed Y-J international upgrades is the least of your problems. :wink:

 

[auriga]

how?

four return tickets to Japan for 140,000 pts?
Is that a typo?

.

 

[dmlowe]

correction

Auriga - good pick-up. yes, it was a typo (of sorts) - I was going from memory but having checked, I spent 240,000 points for four tickets SYD-NRT-CNS-SYD. That sounds more like it doesn't it!

 

[serfty]

Re: correction

Auriga - good pick-up. yes, it was a typo (of sorts) - I was going from memory but having checked, I spent 240,000 points for four tickets SYD-NRT-CNS-SYD. That sounds more like it doesn't it!

One would hazard aguess that this was booked before 24th May this year. (50,000 + 10,000 stopover fee each).

Now a days it would be three trips summing to 84,000 points each for a total of 336,000 points.