Starting to wonder if frequent flyer points and miles will be used for flying

[cove]

Our family has many points and miles but with COVID-19 spreading fast we are starting to think it may be a long time before we get to fly out of Australia.
We tend to accumulate lots every month and I was looking forward to landing at Heathrow and taking the new rail line to Canary Wharf. That train line has been delayed so we haven't missed it. Then with Los Angeles the virus has had a free kick by folks not following safety protocols. Over there after the statues are pulled down the crowd may start burning history books as @RooFlyer has mentioned.

 

[kamchatsky]

I also have the same issue. I am accumulating miles faster than burning them, even though I don't have any business expenses.

Also there is very good possibility of devaluation of points by just about all airlines within next 12 months.

Not to mention certain program have hard point expiry (SQ for example).

Also F is going away, with all those A380s around the world being parked for a long time. You may not be able to burn your points fast enough.

With people struggling to pay bills and rent, I actually think it is now better to redeem their points on gift cards etc.

 

[cove]

Well not flying is saving us plenty.
At work our travel , accommodation and fuel costs dropped a lot.
I don't think I will bother getting a new Amex card for the sign on bonus.

 

[AIRwin]

I don't think I will bother getting a new Amex card for the sign on bonus.

But every point earned will help fund the airlines...

 

[Cruiser Elite]

The return to any semblance of past travel experiences is what many of us crave - when or will this occur are questions we all ponder daily - who knows? Nobody knows!

We unfortunately now live in a totally different world where we must adapt - ASPIT some kind of new normal will return - hopefully we will be able to burn those KF / QF pts on something that resembles the R / F experiences so many of us loved - but until then its the best Champs / Red Wine that we can afford in the best / most favoured restaurant we choose - one upside is that we can now truly all talk about 'The Good Old Days' and everyone understands.

As for FF pts cultivation in this new era? If they grow free and wild on the roadside then we store them but spending any $s whatsoever on cultivation is now off the table IMHO.

 

[andye]

One of the advantages of Amex Charge is that points are (until July) convertible to cash at a rate that is worth considering

 

[Melburnian1]

With fewer flights and the ongoing FF points accumulation of many, my guess is there'll be significantly fewer flight reward opportunities.

Don't put it past airlines to further increase the points required per sector or class.

 

[serfty]

I tended to spend points as I earned them. Over several programs the total points have generally varied between 50K and 250K; rarely more.

With three cancelled business class Asian redemption being refunded over the last months and not really being able to book flights ATPIT, I now have over ½ Million and it's climbing.

Still, I already have a perfectly fine toaster, so I guess we will see what we will see ...

 

[Dr Ralph]

It was never my intention to stockpile points, but that's the position I now find myself in with a large number of flights and accommodation bookings for 2020 cancelled.

In my view, I wisely dumped all of my Velocity points before the s##t hit the fan. I don't regret that decision.

With Qantas strongly suggesting no international flights until mid 2021, I'm left with the thought that it may now be time to cash in (at least some) of my stockpiled points. Such thoughts would have been sacrilege at the beginning on 2020. But Qantas is not immune from trouble and with a massive lack of income for the foreseeable future I'm wondering whether something drastic could happen to my points.

With people struggling to pay bills and rent, I actually think it is now better to redeem their points on gift cards etc.

I am coming around to this view.

I have far too many points stockpiled for my liking.

 

[Bundy Bear]

I have been eying off buying some wine from Qantas and using some points, not as though I can fly anywhere at the moment.

I got talked out of it a month or 2 ago but now with no real international flying might as well burn those points. I am about to cancel that citi Qantas credit card.

 

[Lynda2475]

It was never my intention to stockpile points, but that's the position I now find myself in with a large number of flights and accommodation bookings for 2020 cancelled

Me too, afetr the Ansett collapse where i was burned badly, I had a policy to burn points (I only ever use them for flights) regularly and not let ba;ance get above 250k. But like Serfty I now find myself with over 500k in QFF points and no immediate ability to book Business Class flights anywhere.

I am quite concerned i may never be able to secure J classic flights given the increased competitoon when flights resume, but right now cant seen any value in burning them on anything esle.

 

[DeKa]

It’s an interesting point (ha ha). I have a rarely used card which gives 1% cash back up to $3k a month.

I’ve started using it (to the cap) because 1% back is better than points for which I don’t have any way to use for the foreseeable future.

 

[andye]

It’s an interesting point (ha ha). I have a rarely used card which gives 1% cash back up to $3k a month.

I’ve started using it (to the cap) because 1% back is better than points for which I don’t have any way to use for the foreseeable future.

The Coles Mastercard does that with a possible option of VA points if it resurrects in a useful way

As an aside, isn't reward seat availability to some extent a function of seats an airline can't sell (rather than just a kind donation to the engaged members) . Its not guaranteed there will be no availability anywhere in the brave new world

 

[Pushka]

Me too, afetr the Ansett collapse where i was burned badly, I had a policy to burn points (I only ever use them for flights) regularly and not let ba;ance get above 250k. But like Serfty I now find myself with over 500k in QFF points and no immediate ability to book Business Class flights anywhere.

I am quite concerned i may never be able to secure J classic flights given the increased competitoon when flights resume, but right now cant seen any value in burning them on anything esle.

We had a family holiday booked on Award points when Ansett collapsed. Of course nothing compared with the work force but still a memory.
From cancelled J flights in about 3 weeks time to Europe we have buckets of points. And as from yesterday around 220,000 less now as I bought us both two Apple watches, something I've always wanted. But still more than half a million to go.

Oh, and last weekend booked two seats on a Jetstar flight Adelaide direct to CaIrns for August.

 

[Buzzard]

I stockpiled ship loads of points pre retirement so that +1& I could fly on the cheap later. I'm hopeful that around this time next year we will be up up and away.

 

[LadyC]

I'll be looking to spend ours as soon as we can but am still slowly earning more. As we are a family of three, it takes a little while to accrue enough points for a business class return trip to Europe. I'm sure there will be devaluations and earning changes but I think points programs are here to stay, they will just morph and change as they already have.

 

[Moindardt]

In some ways this has all worked to our benefit. After burning a few million points last year (2 rooms for 10 days at RC Bachelor Gulch (Xmas and NYE), 2 rooms for 10 days at St Regis Aspen and 3 rooms for 5 days at Westin Snowmass + Missus & 2 boys flew QF first class BNE to Denver and back), our reserves have dropped a little low. However a cancelled SQ J flight to USA and a few cancelled BA J flights have seen quite a few points re-deposited and the SQ extended points by 6-12 months. My biggest concern is AA as we each have about 500k AA miles (x6 =3m total). I am pretty sure these will be ok but the management at AA really sux. Thankfully, most of my points are at Amex and accumulating nicely with this 5x points bonus).

We have accepted that there won't be much travel for a while and refuse to pay the stupid prices to go skiing in Australia (despite having Epic passes) but are working on a new trip for 2022. The kids have asked if they can each bring 2-3 friends using their points and assuming AA keeps it at 80k return from BNE (60k from Syd), we are probably going to be looking at a bunch of Suites or 2 large houses. If the deals keep going like they are now, we may end up with the most epic trip of all. Tour Bus anyone?

 

[ramboflyer]

I stockpiled ship loads of points pre retirement so that +1& I could fly on the cheap later. I'm hopeful that around this time next year we will be up up and away.

Pre covid 19 I started a strategy to build up as many QF and Krisflyer points as I could for a trip to the US in October 2021 and its on track and I'm hopeful that will still happen given a vaccine should be available by then. If not no trip.
Obviously things need to fall into place but atm my glass is half full!

 

[GoldCanyon340]

With multiple F award flights cancelled and the points returned (don't tell that to people waiting three months) and substantial spending on QF Wine since lockdown (don't tell that to my doctor) I'm now sitting on the highest QF point balance I've had. I feel like a mix between a paper billionaire and a total scam artist, so a bit like Bobby Axelrod minus the $80 million house in the Hamptons.

I'm happy sitting on this pile of points until some kind of normality returns. If QF FF in its current state survives C-19 then it's all good. EK devaluation is sad, approaching tragic in fact, but I'll be hanging on the stash for award flights. I'm still cultivating.

 

[Chalkie]

With multiple F award flights cancelled and the points returned (don't tell that to people waiting three months) and substantial spending on QF Wine since lockdown (don't tell that to my doctor) I'm now sitting on the highest QF point balance I've had. I feel like a mix between a paper billionaire and a total scam artist, so a bit like Bobby Axelrod minus the $80 million house in the Hamptons.

I'm happy sitting on this pile of points until some kind of normality returns. If QF FF in its current state survives C-19 then it's all good. EK devaluation is sad, approaching tragic in fact, but I'll be hanging on the stash for award flights. I'm still cultivating.

That's kinda what happened to me. 3 transpac F award flights cancelled and a couple of cc transfers and my points balance went from 80K to over 1 million.

Who knows when there'll be a chance to use on QF again.