Rookie Points guy is almost ready to book

[jonedwards80]

Hi all, I am wondering if you kind folk can give me some guidance on my first ever booking using points.

I posted on here a while back about what kind of card to get as I wanted to accumulate points via my business. I ended up getting an Amex Platinum Card and have around 800k of Amex points now from around 10 months worth of spending.

I saw a recent blog post from someone about using points to go to Noumea and had a look into this and it looks like a great option for around 55,200 points per person on business class return on Qantas. We were thinking of going in May 2023.

However, when I log in to the Qantas FF website most of the tickets seem to be well over 100,000 points? Is there something I am missing here? Are they released at a certain time and the 55k tickets go very quickly?

My question here is... what can I do to get hold of these 55k tickets? And once I see them, what are the next steps? I'm assuming I do a transfer of points from my Amex to Qantas FF, then book?

Any help for a points rookie here would be great! Thanks

 

[RooFlyer]

Are you looking at ‘classic rewards’. You have to select that option.

 

[sudoer]

Amex Platinum Visa

Now this is a colab I haven't see before!

 

[jonedwards80]

Eek... wrong name. Its just Amex Platinum sorry lol

Have edited original post now

 

[coyote25]

As per @RooFlyer you need to select ‘classic reward / reward only’ the search engine doesn’t default to this search and sometimes it defaults back to points plus pay which you want to avoid if possible.

There are limits on how many classic awards released so you need to book them as soon as you can or when they are released.

I can see a business class seat on Tuesday 9 May on QF91 Sydney to Noumea from a random search.

Good luck.

 

[jonedwards80]

Okay thank you. I see this for departure so I assume its correct...



Just need to find a return!

So am I best to simply do a points transfer of what I need from Amex to FF so I have it there ready to roll when booking?

 

[BriarFlyer]

A handy tip for searching is to use the Multi-City booking tool, check the "use points - Classic Flight Rewards only" button. Use a random mid-month date and check the "flexible dates" box. You will get a calendar like this where you can check the dates with Business Class availability:

Post automatically merged: Sep 28, 2022

So am I best to simply do a points transfer of what I need from Amex to FF so I have it there ready to roll when booking?

If you're happy with the dates and availability, then yes. Transfer the points needed, wait impatiently for them to show up in your account, then book your flights.

 

[jonedwards80]

A handy tip for searching is to use the Multi-City booking tool, check the "use points - Classic Flight Rewards only" button. Use a random mid-month date and check the "flexible dates" box. You will get a calendar like this where you can check the dates with Business Class availability:

Post automatically merged: Sep 28, 2022

If you're happy with the dates and availability, then yes. Transfer the points needed, wait impatiently for them to show up in your account, then book your flights.

Oh that works really well! Thank you so much

 

[Mwenenzi]

Just need to find a return!

So am I best to simply do a points transfer of what I need from Amex to FF so I have it there ready to roll when booking?

If you wait for a return the outbound flight may be gone when/if a return shows up. No guarantee a return about the date you would like will be released.
Can book as as 2 off separate one way awards. (out and back). That locks in the outbound.
If in a school holiday period it can be harder. A lot harder

 

[jonedwards80]

Thank you. Is it a matter of transferring the approximate points required to Qantas first, then jumping on it as soon as it's available?

 

[BriarFlyer]

If you're looking at May 2023, then both ways should be available now to book your return awards. I wouldn't rely on any more seats becoming available.

 

[jonedwards80]

Okay thank you. Is that generally the case? I need to book at least 6m in advance to secure what I want?

 

[BriarFlyer]

That depends on the route and the time of year you wish to fly. On some popular routes at busy times, you need to book on release day (11-12 months in advance.) If you're travelling outside of peak times then you have more leeway, and some partner airlines release extra seats closer to travel time.

 

[jonedwards80]

thank you