Points Count [How many do you have?]

[pjm99au]

Currently 2.73M QF points with 1M redeemed last year. Targeting a 2.8M cap for 10 x RTW J and then after that will be family transferring to the young adult children for them to use as they wish.

 

[Deleted member]

I've recently started trying to accrue points after years of wasting them on giftcards, domestic rewards flights etc (there might have even been a toaster in there at some point). I am currently Platinum and lifetime silver, so have wasted a bunch of points over time.

This year I've done a couple of credit card bonus points offers and a few retail partner offers and together with regular flying have pretty quickly got my points balance up to 750,000. I was initially targeting 560k for a couple of Business class RTW flights, but I think I've created a new addiction for myself. I feel like I will need more discipline to actually use the points than it takes to earn them.

So how many points do you currently have?

Just cranked over 1,000,000. But that won’t stay like that for very long

 

[SOPOOR]

Currently 2.73M QF points with 1M redeemed last year. Targeting a 2.8M cap for 10 x RTW J and then after that will be family transferring to the young adult children for them to use as they wish.

Wish I had parents like you

 

[Dougo]

I’ve tried to use our points for upgrades ...QF may as well have an auto reply that says “ not a snowball’s chance in hell”.

Want to use points + pay? The most rediculous amount of points are required such as SYDNEY return to the Gold Coast in cattle class !!

I don’t want anything from their damned on line shop so they accumulate slowly ... they used to be worth something ... but now they are not.

 

[van]

When we were working we accumulated nearly 1 million QF points. Upon retirement we burnt this down to 200 000 QF points with international flights and also accumulated 150 000 Virgin points. Points were mainly gained from credit cards after retirement. In the past few years we have not paid full fare for a domestic flight in both Y and J and probably will never pay full fare for a domestic flight.

 

[SOPOOR]

I’ve tried to use our points for upgrades ...QF may as well have an auto reply that says “ not a snowball’s chance in hell”.

Want to use points + pay? The most rediculous amount of points are required such as SYDNEY return to the Gold Coast in cattle class !!

I don’t want anything from their damned on line shop so they accumulate slowly ... they used to be worth something ... but now they are not.

unfortunately, I got told by a few experts early on, upgrade with points, is like winning the lottery, without status,
i think even with status its damn unlikely too
if you do the maths, when you have to buy points or top up a decent chunk with points, the rates are usually terrible,

so the best is using points to book outright flights, the further and more expensive the flights are, then the points value becomes decent
and yes toasters are terrible ways to redeem to, add to that gift cards, cashbacks, credits etc.

 

[Bilton]

I got up to about 800K QFF points and decided to see what I could do with them for travel in about a years time, to get to a couple of events I wanted to attend, one in Spain and another in the US.

It took a bit of work but I managed to book J (5 sectors) and F (5 sectors) to take my wife and myself on EK SYD-MAD, on BA LHR-JFK and on CX JFK-SYD on classic awards tickets that took us exactly where we want to go, at the exactly the time we want to go..

I used about 700K QFF points and about $3100 in charges. For me, that is excellent value, as the normal cost of that ticketing, even at sale prices is well in excess of $35,000.

We leave next week!

 

[Matt_01]

used about 700K QFF points and about $3100 in charges. For me, that is excellent value, as the normal cost of that ticketing, even at sale prices is well in excess of $35,000.

I cannot agree more.

IMO the flying for almost free days are well and truly gone. Sure if you want to spend hours looking for obscure routes and 2nd tier carriers - fill you boots.

I am about to look for a similar trip in F and J AU-UK-NYC-CA-AU (or the other way around) if I can get 2 pax in F/J EK, OW for $3100 I will happily pay the taxes.

 

[Matt_01]

I have no need to go to USA or Europe. I go to Thailand 3-4 times a year. If you can recommend a carrier to use my QFF points and not pay a ludicrous surcharge then I'm listening.

Each year I pay for enough flights to maintain QF Platinum and Virgin Gold as most of my flying is domestic. Without greater spend it would be impossible to accumulate meaningful status or frequent flyer balances on other carriers.

So stuck with 1.1 million points for another 5-6 years which is not a good strategy.

So if you have no need to go to the US or UK and you travel to Thailand why on earth would you 'pay for enough flights to maintain QF Platinum' if it adds no value to your travel destination. For the spend to retain QF WP and assuming you do not do that SC running thing the dollars spent would be better off spent with VA and getting VA WP status and then sending the points to SQ. Sure there is a penalty but then you can redeem with TG. Just my thoughts.

As you have indicated that you love travelling in Y why not burn your points on JQ rather than hold them for 5-6 years.

 

[wandering_fred]

AA about 80K (enough for one way biz to USA or round trip Y)
QF about 140K (enough for ??)
CX about 40K (saving for upgrades to PEY now that V class can be upgraded)

Max historically about 175K on AA, 80K on CX

Still wondering when and where I will be wandering
Fred

 

[SOPOOR]

@SOPOOR I did not realise you can book EK via VA, I assume you meant EY.

To answer your second question, yes I can call up QF and request seats to be released, however it is on QF only not other OW carriers or QF partners. This is available to all WP or higher. Like others I do not like paying QF taxes so CX was always a good option until the rewards dried up, QF is used when I cannot get on the likes of CX, JL, QR, EK etc.

Also I did not mean to sound like I was gloating about redemption's or the number of points. I am P1 and some time back we made the conscious decision to start redeeming points for as many international F and J flights as possible either straight out rewards or upgrades while I can still request them and QF are pretty accommodating. My plan is to use almost every QF point I have prior to falling back below WP.

Oh yes i meant EY!

Oh and dont worry、 gloat away!、 however im sure there are people with 8 digits in points balance too! A good situation to be in

 

[JohnK]

So if you have no need to go to the US or UK and you travel to Thailand why on earth would you 'pay for enough flights to maintain QF Platinum' if it adds no value to your travel destination. For the spend to retain QF WP and assuming you do not do that SC running thing the dollars spent would be better off spent with VA and getting VA WP status and then sending the points to SQ. Sure there is a penalty but then you can redeem with TG. Just my thoughts.

As you have indicated that you love travelling in Y why not burn your points on JQ rather than hold them for 5-6 years.

I don't travel to generate points. Platinum status on Qantas is better than Lifetime Gold. Access to better lounges, better seats, generous luggage allowance for my golf clubs and I don't need to worry what I pack and better customer service.

Funny thing about using QFF points points on JQ. Same surcharges which make the classic award more expensive than revenue airfare and JQ flights on classic awards don't have the same luggage allowance for Platinum as they do for QF/EK/3K.

 

[Toula92122]

I think people have to come to acceptance there really is no free lunch when it comes to redeeming points. I hate surcharges but I prefer to pay thhem rather than travel in economy. Same as with lounges and baggage allowances. Whilst others value these, I couldn’t care less as I make zero effort to get to an airport early to use the Lounge and I usually travel carryon only. . The reality is, as the consumer none of these companies give a toss about us, so knowing the rules we have to play by them and use to our advantage when we can.

 

[rock86]

I cannot agree more.

IMO the flying for almost free days are well and truly gone. Sure if you want to spend hours looking for obscure routes and 2nd tier carriers - fill you boots.

I am about to look for a similar trip in F and J AU-UK-NYC-CA-AU (or the other way around) if I can get 2 pax in F/J EK, OW for $3100 I will happily pay the taxes.

Make that one more in agreeance.

We are flying BNE-SEA & EWR-BNE all in EK F in November/December this year - taxes $1,200 pax (with the 'cost' of acquiring those points also pretty insignificant, maybe another $200). So for the little over the price of an economy ticket I get two full days of EK F bliss, you've got to love the points game.

 

[Nerdnotgeek]

I started collecting in ernest last year and am up to almost 160k with a few more to drop from offers soon before I start churning the card for the next big bump.
The plan is to hopefully get enough to do MEL-LAX for myself and partner some time next year. Im still not 100% sure this will be possible as it seems extremely hit and miss as to seat possibilities but we will cross that bridge as we fall off it I guess

 

[Ade]

I've had 1.1 million QFF points for quite a few years but cannot use them as the fuel surcharges are ridiculous.

These loyalty programs are out of control. IHG is another. I have ~865,000 points. The hotels I want to stay in are 15,000 IHG points + ~$130 or $100 if you pay for the room outright and earn more points/bonus points. Something seriously wrong with the model if points + pay is more expensive than actual room rates.

Agree, What is the point of spending money on and exercising loyalty w/ a particular Airline or Hotel group, only to be made to pay more for redeeming hard earned loyalty points?!?!?

 

[wandering_fred]

Agree, What is the point of spending money on and exercising loyalty w/ a particular Airline or Hotel group, only to be made to pay more for redeeming hard earned loyalty points?!?!?

Quite useful even in economy if Alice Springs is a regular destination given the high level of the cash fares. From anywhere.

Just wandering
Fred

 

[amaroo]

We're big burners - average >1.3M a year for the past 10 + years .... try to manage the QFF float to stay around the few million at all times.

For the last 6 months or so I've started earning AMEX ascent premium .... have locked away a few million and will try harder in the next 4 weeks

 

[Limewood]

Have never used or would to buy physical items with points far to expensive, have used QFF points for upgrade also poor value, would not use points forY seats either.

 

[33kft]

have used QFF points for upgrade also poor value

Really? I have taken a look at my last few upgrades and the value I got from the points (with no surcharges or other costs involved) were approxmiately:

MEL-SYD-MEL: 3.08cpp
MEL-OOL-MEL: 2.67cpp
BNE-MEL: 3.06cpp
MEL-SIN-MEL: 4.62cpp

As these are all above 0.8cpp (approx acquisition cost, not all that accurate but a baseline figure I can use taking into account various surcharges, almost certainly over estimated and doesn't include bonus points) and 1.1cpp (going "retail" rate), I consider them good value.