Points Count [How many do you have?]

[SOPOOR]

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.

Youre the first people who ive heard actually getting upgrades with points, do you guys have status, I was under the impression that its like winning tatslotto and you only find out on the day?

 

[cjd600]

1.6m QF, waiting for 2020 4 x 280k J for wife + 2 kids
And balance likely 2 J AUS-USA-AUS, wife, no kids....whenever we can

Burnt 600k-ish VA on SQ suites to SIN then J MLE and back last year,anniversary trip

 

[33kft]

Youre the first people who ive heard actually getting upgrades with points, do you guys have status, I was under the impression that its like winning tatslotto and you only find out on the day?

If that's true, then I should buy more lotto tickets. I track my upgrades in a spreadsheet, the method is pretty simple. If I intend to upgrade a flight, I search the class that I am booking in at first (eg. Y) and then the class I want/can upgrade to, and take the ticket with the closest booking class/restrictions. Usually you can get a one for one (ie saver for both) but sometimes there are sale tickets in one class or another.

If there's negligible difference in the ticket prices I just book the next class up, so it first serves as a confirmation that the retail gap between the tickets is great enough that I'll need to upgrade with points, and that is most of the time, but sometimes (such as a recent NZ J sale fare booking) it is a no brainer.

Then, I put in my upgrade request and I track if I got it or not. I only just started doing this recently, I'm not really this structured generally but I was intrigued to see whether I was getting value for my points.

Out of my last (and only) tracked upgrade requests, for domestic I have hit 5/9 upgrade requests for an average of 55% and 2/4 intl for an average of 50%. So, I get upgraded about half of the time. This fits with my historical hit rate.

Owing to having a 15 month old, my wings have been clipped. I was SG last year and am about to requal again. I don't think it requires any miracles, personally

 

[Limewood]

Meant long haul.

However, on a whim we recently did one way CNS to BNE Y to J upgrade was 17.5k points each, ouch.

 

[SOPOOR]

If that's true, then I should buy more lotto tickets. I track my upgrades in a spreadsheet, the method is pretty simple. If I intend to upgrade a flight, I search the class that I am booking in at first (eg. Y) and then the class I want/can upgrade to, and take the ticket with the closest booking class/restrictions. Usually you can get a one for one (ie saver for both) but sometimes there are sale tickets in one class or another.

If there's negligible difference in the ticket prices I just book the next class up, so it first serves as a confirmation that the retail gap between the tickets is great enough that I'll need to upgrade with points, and that is most of the time, but sometimes (such as a recent NZ J sale fare booking) it is a no brainer.

Then, I put in my upgrade request and I track if I got it or not. I only just started doing this recently, I'm not really this structured generally but I was intrigued to see whether I was getting value for my points.

Out of my last (and only) tracked upgrade requests, for domestic I have hit 5/9 upgrade requests for an average of 55% and 2/4 intl for an average of 50%. So, I get upgraded about half of the time. This fits with my historical hit rate.

Owing to having a 15 month old, my wings have been clipped. I was SG last year and am about to requal again. I don't think it requires any miracles, personally

so you purchase the tickets with cash, and then apply for a points upgrade and you have been getting 50%ish success rate?

if so, awesome!

 

[cove]

We missed an upgrade yesterday so no points used for a work trip despite having zillions of points.

 

[JohnK]

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

What value do you place on domestic business? $10 over economy? $20 over economy? I don't care what Qantas thinks business class is worth. It's what you're willing to pay and that's what I would pay to sit in business so points for upgrade are wasted.

 

[RooFlyer]

so you purchase the tickets with cash, and then apply for a points upgrade and you have been getting 50%ish success rate?

if so, awesome!

When I traveled Transpacific on business regularly (client paying QF J) I used to regularly request and get, upgrade to F for one or the other legs. Requested usually 2-3 weeks out.l, as a plat.

Also on self funded Y to HKG - have always got the J upgrade , but those were requested at time of booking, 3 to 5 months out.

I have kept my points balance around 300k for years; always burn them down when they get up to 500K.

 

[SOPOOR]

When I traveled Transpacific on business regularly (client paying QF J) I used to regularly request and get, upgrade to F for one or the other legs. Requested usually 2-3 weeks out.l, as a plat.

Also on self funded Y to HKG - have always got the J upgrade , but those were requested at time of booking, 3 to 5 months out.

I have kept my points balance around 300k for years; always burn them down when they get up to 500K.

interesting, folks,

seems like its possible but still not likely, so if you want a high chance or guarnattee, its better just to outirght book using the points from the start

 

[Albert_Thurgood]

I have over 1.2 million. Usually just use them for upgrades but should try to get for a vacation to Europe this year.

 

[33kft]

What value do you place on domestic business? $10 over economy? $20 over economy? I don't care what Qantas thinks business class is worth. It's what you're willing to pay and that's what I would pay to sit in business so points for upgrade are wasted.

Mate you fly the class you want on the routes you want, it doesn't change the economics. I can't take this sort of reply seriously. I'll continue to pay those prices for those seats because I am comfortable with what I get. You aren't, but your backside isn't in those seats so what's the issue?

Next someone will come in and tell me that because they don't agree with my choice of airline, the value is $10.

 

[Deleted member 71772]

Thought about getting a couple of business class RTW tickets down the track but now thinking there is better value using progressively on domestic flights to visit family and grandchildren.

 

[33kft]

so you purchase the tickets with cash, and then apply for a points upgrade and you have been getting 50%ish success rate?

if so, awesome!

Yes, that's my experience. I quite honestly would not spend any time acquiring points if I had no way to redeem them, that would not be very bright.

 

[amaroo]

Youre the first people who ive heard actually getting upgrades with points, do you guys have status, I was under the impression that its like winning tatslotto and you only find out on the day?

Upgrades are pretty easy to get if you have status.... which it should be. Been successful getting all 4 of us upgraded to F SYD-LAX.

Heaps of success doing smaller runs to Asia and domestic the odds are very good.

 

[cove]

We missed one upgrade from LAX to SYD so that can happen.

 

[Hoffsare]

Thought about getting a couple of business class RTW tickets down the track but now thinking there is better value using progressively on domestic flights to visit family and grandchildren.

Really? How are you calculating the better value? Very interested to know.

 

[SponsorSFC]

I have just over 1 million points across a range of currencies. Diversification is important to me to stop us being too badly hurt by any program changes. Having all our eggs in one basket would make me slightly nervous.

We average a couple of PER-SYD J returns and one overseas trip each year and have booked long haul F to and from Europe twice in the last 3 years. So our philosophy is definitely earn and burn.

We have no airline status as we only fly for leisure and focus our redemptions on premium cabins particularly where there are sweet spots.

Airline points are earned almost solely through non flying means and have purchased them a few times. Hotel points through actual stays though we have done the occasional purchase if it makes sense for places such as Conrad Maldives or Waldorf Edinburgh over NYE. Status was originally earned through the Macquarie Hilton Card .

Last big trip was EY F & Apartments & SQ Suites & J with some flights to connect booked using a mix of Krisflyer, AA Adantage and Velocity. This trip it is SQ J & Suites and EK F using a mix of QFF, Krisflyer and UA miles.

 

[RooFlyer]

Really? How are you calculating the better value? Very interested to know.

I think opportunity might come into it. Getting the international RTWs can be difficult when you want them, whereas domestic upgrades are yes/ no on the spot, and you get great value out of the grandkids .

 

[harvyk]

I personally have about 120K QF points, and my general philosophy is I'll use them whenever I have the opportunity. Whilst there have been a few times where I'd wished I had a larger balance, I see points almost as a liability. QF can at any time devalue those points, or "enhance" any part of their program, so by building up a big balance all it means to me is at any time each point could end up being equal to 1 Zimbabwe Dollar. Where as if I use it now for a J upgrade or J / F redemption, that's that. I have extracted the value from that point.

 

[The man with no name]

1.6m QF, waiting for 2020 4 x 280k J for wife + 2 kids
And balance likely 2 J AUS-USA-AUS, wife, no kids....whenever we can

Burnt 600k-ish VA on SQ suites to SIN then J MLE and back last year,anniversary trip

Lately I've been working on 1 x J Oneworld RTW and it is proving tough to find availability on the dates/destinations I'm looking at. No doubt I'll get it done eventually but I'd be driving myself crazy trying to do the same for 4 pax. Hopefully you're WP and can request some awards that aren't seen by the rest of us.