QFF Inaccessible from Overseas?

[mhubert]

Your other possibility it that you need a VPN app on your phone. I've found this with a few odd sites (including Sydney library!) - you set the VPN connection point as being Australia or Sydney, start the VPN, wait for it to connect, then try QF - the QF site should think you're in Australia regardless whether app or web site There's a post elsewhere about VPNs, a good free one for infrequent use is TunnelBear, it gives I think 500mb free per month.

 

[anthonyjclarke]

So I'm traveling in the US and trying to access QFF to make a booking. When I log in with valid credentials it asks me to repeat a security code sent to an Australian mobile I don't have access to. It then defaults to security questions and says I have wrong answers to questions there can only be one answer to! When I then call QFF in Australia there is a two hour wait. On a call from the US! So I send QFF ' Customer' Service' (a joke name, surely) an online request for assistance and get no reply. Useless, just useless, worthless and an embarrassing pain to have anything to do with, why do we bother with these people.

I’ve found a quick Tweet to @qantas gets a prompt reply

 

[shambles]

We all appreciate it's frustrating when you can't access somthing, especially when overseas, but at some stage you've obviously set up some security questions and it's hardly QF's fault if you can't remember the answers, or if you're not able to turn on your phone (with data turned off) to read a free sms?

My wife's QF acc recently got hacked literally 12 hours after ANZ gave her 300K for a home loan promo.. some ar5ef*#k burned 450K points on two any seat reward flights to Vietnam. Luckily we got onto it b4 travel date and QANTAS fraud team did great job and got our points back within an hour.

OP is a first world complaint in my opinion. Keep up the security measures QF, and it's up to us to just remember our shizz.. problem solved and Merry Christmas

 

[marki]

We all appreciate it's frustrating when you can't access somthing, especially when overseas, but at some stage you've obviously set up some security questions and it's hardly QF's fault if you can't remember the answers, or if you're not able to turn on your phone (with data turned off) to read a free sms?

My wife's QF acc recently got hacked literally 12 hours after ANZ gave her 300K for a home loan promo.. some ar5ef*#k burned 450K points on two any seat reward flights to Vietnam. Luckily we got onto it b4 travel date and QANTAS fraud team did great job and got our points back within an hour.

OP is a first world complaint in my opinion. Keep up the security measures QF, and it's up to us to just remember our shizz.. problem solved and Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you too

 

[Quickstatus]

I use local OS sim while OS.

But Whenever I transact with CC or anyone who require 2FA, I insert the Telstra sim.

Telstra international roaming = $10/day.
Included unlimited calls and SMS. Data 200Mb.

So It costs me $10 which is small change compared to the headache described above. I remove the sim after the transaction.

 

[The Astronomer]

So I'm traveling in the US and trying to access QFF to make a booking. When I log in with valid credentials it asks me to repeat a security code sent to an Australian mobile I don't have access to. It then defaults to security questions and says I have wrong answers to questions there can only be one answer to! When I then call QFF in Australia there is a two hour wait. On a call from the US! So I send QFF ' Customer' Service' (a joke name, surely) an online request for assistance and get no reply. Useless, just useless, worthless and an embarrassing pain to have anything to do with, why do we bother with these people.

I had the same problem logging in from at home in Australia recently! My mobile was inconveniently located so I chose to answer the three questions instead. My cousin's full name, last five digits of my driver licence number and grandmother's maiden name. I put them all in correctly, and it told me I was wrong. I wasn't wrong - all were typed correctly, with correct capitalisation. I tried and failed three times. But then I switched from Internet Explorer to Firefox, and it worked fine! I am wondering whether this could be an Internet explorer issue.

 

[mikeact]

Pretty obvious to me that the OP is not a regular overseas traveller otherwise many of the numerous suggestions on here would have been used by him/her.

 

[Beano]

That's how it works. I am a New Zealander with an Australian prepaid phone account. I receive txt messages even when the account is not paid up. I have received the message from Qantas on my Australian phone in New Zealand. I've also done the security questions no problem. Have you switched on your Australian phone?

 

[Canberradaddy]

Do roaming now charge for incoming SMS? We use an Australian mobile in Singapore for receiving bank sms - we keep data switched off but receiving incoming sms costs nothing. No need or compulsion to use data roaming with these SMS PINS - just have to have international roaming ability for the phone services (only watch out is that we have been charged for diversions to voicemail even if phone is off - after phone is initially registered to O/S network - but now turn voicemail diversion off when phone not in Australia).

Thank you. You have made more sense that a dozen Telstra interactions.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Telstra international roaming = $10/day.
Included unlimited calls and SMS. Data 200Mb.
So It costs me $10 which is small change compared to the headache described above. I remove the sim after the transaction.

On Telstra prepaid, its $29 per 100mb of data, for o/s roaming, but I do use up that in a day!
Its odd though that scammers seem to know when a large amount of points are entering a QFF member's account, or is sitting there, and they then make a move when the points balance is either high, or more than enough to cover their scams.

 

[SooziQu]

Aldi doesn't (they use Telstra). I always carry my phone overseas just in case and for receiving an SMS. The best SMS I've got while overseas was from Qantas advising that my upgrade has come through.

I have Aldi mobile and it didn't work overseas.

 

[Hvr]

I have Aldi mobile and it didn't work overseas.

Did you activate it prior to travelling? Have received SMS in many different countries.

 

[p--and--t]

Did you activate it prior to travelling? Have received SMS in many different countries.

Me too.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Regular issue, and a bugbear with some 2FA logins. There are a few countries where Australian mobiles don’t roam at all, and lucky me spends months working in one of them (Somalia). Meaning that if I have to get an SMS to log in to something, I’m stuffed until I leave there. Looking pointedly at you, Qantas Money.

However, previously the Qantas ‘I need to verify another way’ gave me the option of either a code sent to your email address, or the security questions and answers. If the email code option (which I last used in October) has disappeared, that’s not so handy.

Also a useful tip from another AFFer when I previously raised this annoyance. The ‘month and year joined’ question won’t accept ‘yonks ago’ as an answer, which is all I remember, but of course the answer is on the front of your QFF membership card.

Merry Christmas all, and bon voyage for your 2020 travels ✈

Cheers skip

 

[jastel]

I cant get a SMS on the same day from Australia IN Australia half the time...
Facebook and messenger etc instantaneously.
Normally you can get wifi somewhere...I prefer an email rather than SMS.

 

[Bad Seed]

Slightly sideways point but thought I'd add my own comment! Have had the same problem as the OP. I always use travel SIMs because I usually travel with teenagers and anyone who travels with teens knows that unlimited data is a must have with them so I have found the travel SIMs pretty good as their data last for ever, at least in the places we've used them so far. Recent issues with Qantas Cash in Hawaii meant trying to do the authentication process with the security questions caused no end of problems. Finally resolved after a three way FB Messaging conversation with spouse in Australia and Qantas on the phone and me in Hawaii resolved the issue when it was discovered that spouse who set up the account has misspelled my mother's maiden name No wonder we couldn't get the authentication working!

 

[Diadrat5]

So I'm traveling in the US and trying to access QFF to make a booking. When I log in with valid credentials it asks me to repeat a security code sent to an Australian mobile I don't have access to. It then defaults to security questions and says I have wrong answers to questions there can only be one answer to! When I then call QFF in Australia there is a two hour wait. On a call from the US! So I send QFF ' Customer' Service' (a joke name, surely) an online request for assistance and get no reply. Useless, just useless, worthless and an embarrassing pain to have anything to do with, why do we bother with these people.

So I'm traveling in the US and trying to access QFF to make a booking. When I log in with valid credentials it asks me to repeat a security code sent to an Australian mobile I don't have access to. It then defaults to security questions and says I have wrong answers to questions there can only be one answer to! When I then call QFF in Australia there is a two hour wait. On a call from the US! So I send QFF ' Customer' Service' (a joke name, surely) an online request for assistance and get no reply. Useless, just useless, worthless and an embarrassing pain to have anything to do with, why do we bother with these people.

An unfortunate result of people having significant value in FF points and instances of these being stolen.

Plus an assumption that people have global roaming these days

 

[codash1099]

I have a Truphone sim that I use for travelling. It may not be as cheap as some, but it has an Australian number and works just about everywhere. I carry two phones and swap the Truphone sim into my main phone on the day I depart. I then change my contact number on the QF website so that I am always contactable by SMS.

Both phones are iPhones and messages are linked so I have a fallback if something goes wrong.

YMMV

 

[p--and--t]

Also a useful tip from another AFFer when I previously raised this annoyance. The ‘month and year joined’ question won’t accept ‘yonks ago’ as an answer

Allegedly "BIIK" also doesn't work. Prefers an actual date.

 

[SpudOz]

I am with Telstra and the charges are for a 24 hour period only, mine is $10 for 24 hours, its not per day while you are overseas - only when you use it. I can receive SMS messages without my data roaming on.

I have used this option with Telstra, it is very handy when you really need to take a call or make one. Beware though - the 24 hour period commences midnight AEST and finishes midnight 24 hours later. Otherwise you might find that you use the service overlapping the two time periods. But at $10 a day it would hardly break the bank