Good morning. I am a total novice & beginner at all these subjects & issues.

[dec]

Good morning. I am a total novice & beginner at all these subjects & issues.

I didn't actually want to open a new tread but there seemed to be no other option.

I haven't travelled overseas for many many years until recently, and never bothered with any of this before;
but in past two years, and on-going, I and my wife will be travelling to Vietnam (from AU ex Brisbane) frequently (with even the possibility of Europe as my wife has never been).

so where do I start? what should I do? what should I join?

i seem to have an old legacy Virgin Velocity card but i know nothing about it.

your comments and advice very welcome.

btw. half of what is written and abbreviations here is 'double dutch' to me.

 

[ozjuice]

Welcome.

You're probably best to search info you're interested in and then ask more specific questions. What you've said is a pretty open query.

Google might help with the Acronyms.

 

[Steady]

Welcome aboard dec, I think you start by reading up on relevant threads and then you will form some specific questions to ask.
There is an abbreviations thread, and there are threads on various airline frequent flyer programs with lots of questions with answers that will give you a better understanding.

Don't give up - there is value in spending time on research

 

[get me outta here]

Look up applying for cc sign on bonuses. Go up to the 'Community Forums' above and just start reading. Ensure you have a free Woolworths (WOW) Rewards card set it to get QF points. Sign up on line to both Coles and WOW offers to build up points.
Decide which program is going to be most useful to you and focus on that.

 

[TomVexille]

Welcome aboard!

One of the best tips I can give is to get along to a local social event as they are a great source of tips and tricks as well as being a good time.

 

[JohnK]

Welcome to AFF dec!

 

[Cossie]

Welcome and enjoy.

 

[kermatu]

Welcome aboard.

I agree with the advice above. Do a bit of reading of recent threads in the areas you are interested in. Then ask targeted questions in the appropriate sections of the forum. Lots of friendly people here, but the more specific your question is the more likely you will get helpful answers. The more you can define preferences/budgets helps too - eg, if you will always fly economy class and book months in advance, that's useful to know.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[LadyC]

Welcome to AFF!

 

[JohnM]

Look here for the acronyms: Abbreviations and explanations

 

[Deleted member]

Welcome , it will begin to make sense after a wee while.

 

[amaroo]

Welcome.

 

[dec]

thank you everyone for your suggestions and welcome. I will slowly get into it and when I have something more specific will be sure to ask you

 

[RooFlyer]

An important thing you can do early on is decide which airline frequent flyer you want to join. Or rather, which one you are going to focus on; most programs are free to join so you probably should read up on - Qantas Frequent Flyer, Virgin velocity, Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, Vietnam Airways Lotusmiles. (Just go to their web sites.). Join 'em all if you like.

The one you should focus on is the one of the airline you are probably going to fly most with paid fares. That way, as you fly more you will build up 'status' and enjoy some privileges (although decent perks require quite a lot of flying with the airline each year); plus you'll earn points that you can redeem for flights *if they are available*. Qantas, for instance is relatively stingy with 'award' flights on popular routes.

However, there are ways to earn a lot of points without flying - credit card sign-on bonuses (as long as you are reasonably credit-worthy, you should qualify for at least one of these), Coles, Woolworths etc shopping, petrol, lots of things. Most of these in Australia earn points on Qantas Frequent Flyer or Virgin Velocity (a few with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer). So even if you, say, are going to mainly fly Vietnam Airlines, its probably worth joining both Qantas FF and Virgin V just to hoover up the points.

Using points for 'free' flights (they are no longer 'free' these days - you'll be charged various fees and charges) is a bit of an art form, which is where AFF comes in. Don't start dreaming about international points flights until you have at least 100,000. This can come about surprisingly quickly, especially with credit card sign-on bonuses (can be up to 100,000 points or better!!!).

As others have said,m find the threads and forums here specific to the topics above - credit card sign-on bonuses, Qantas FF, Vergin Velocity etc. Don't ignore the gulf carriers Etihad, Qatar and Emirates. Each of these are allied to either Qantas or Virgin and can be good alternatives to getting to Europe.

Don't get disheartened; it is a big subject, just have a bit of a mooch around and never be afraid to come back and ask a 'dumb question'. We ALL have done that - and my questions are still pretty dumb sometimes!

 

[BettyB]

Welcome

 

[Dr Ralph]

Belated welcome to AFF.

 

[Irishbazz]

Welcome aboard Dec! Read, read and more reading and it will sink in after awhile.

 

[tdpali]

Welcome. Read up to understand the tricks of the trade.Without any extra costs, you can upgrade your flying experience with no effort. Keep on reading. Good luck