Great value direct return fares on our national carrier. All prices include CC fees, and seem to be available for travel Feb through to May 2016. There's slightly more expensive fares ex Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast, Hobart but include one stopover. Safe travels :)
Nice thought, just remember you only get triple points for flights departing before the end of January.
Quite right, not nearly as useful as I thought.
But there is a small overlap. Despite the description saying Feb-March, these sales fares actually start mid-late January. Just tested Melb departure 24th January and will work on any domestic connecting segments.
Except the triple points earn is only for domestic flights, so doesn't apply.
Anyone able to confirm if when booking through IWTF we can still get the $100 Amex rebate on $700+ spends?
Pretty sure IWTF redirects you to the carriers website (or potentially other third party) to book?
If Qantas website: yes. If not: no.
What's this Amex deal?
Or buy a voucher from Qantas, earn 5X Bonus points per dollar and then pay no CC fees when you book the flight.
http://www.qantas.com.au/christmas/?int_cam=au:hcp:refresh:c…
So if flight is $969 per pax, then buy 2 x vouchers for closest (below) the ticket price (so this would be $500 e-voucher) selecting 2 pax (as it will then be 2 x $500 vouchers). Takes about 15 mins to issue e-voucher.
You then redeem he e-voucher for your flight and since the voucher doesn't cover the entire costs you can then pay the balance of $469 per pax on a credit card at time of booking flight and not have to pay the nasty booking credit card fee. So you save even more and get more points.
And if you have registered for the Amex $700 spend / $100 cash back you then just triggered the $100 credit as your vouchers were $1000 spend on Amex. Plus then if you have 2 x Amex you put the balance of the charge $469 x 2 = $938) and reap another $100 Amex credit. And if the Amex cards are QF branded cards you then get additional bonus points usually 2X.
And before you say none of this is possible … we have just done it and I can confirm it works. But as always, YMMV as e-vouchers aren't meant to trigger the Amex credit (yet we have done it now across 3 Amex cards with 100% success).
You've just done my head in……
Wait. Your double $100 Amex cash back thing only works if you need two seats right?
No. You need 2 x Amex cards with the offers running on them … thereby you could trigger both Amex $100 rebates by 1. buying the vouchers on 1st Amex and 2. by paying the flight balance on the 2nd Amex. And in the process harvesting mega points bonuses and saving CC fees.
But if you buy 2 x $500 vouchers on the first Amex for the first $100 rebate, and then use another card for the balance ($469 x 2) as you've shown, that's spending $500 +500 +469 +469 which is 2 tickets.
Forgive me if I'm being obtuse but I can't see how you can buy one ticket and trigger 2 x $700+ spend rebates
@Hoju:
Yes, sorry see my original comment. I modeled on 2 pax.I sometimes forget people travel alone. Or pair up with a friend and save.
1) Spent $500+$500 = $1,000 on the first Amex to get the vouchers
2) Spent $469+$469 = $938 on the second Amex to pay the remainder for the flights
In both cases you've spent more than $700
Yep and this way you get to use 2 Amex cards on the one ticket for 2 x $100 CASH backs and the tickets are therefore regarded as 'one' PNR vs having to book 2 separate tickets. So in event of any flight changes the 2 pax are treated as one and move together. Plus seating together etc.
Yeh I get that, it's just that when I asked if this only works if you need two seats and np said no, i got confused.
Clever. Did you hear about the man in China who purchased a first class ticket and turned up to the airport to eat lunch in the lounge before going home and doing a free change of date to the next day. Did it for a year before someone found out and he then cancelled his ticket. Free lunch or dinner for a year! Anyway, unrelated I know but this post just reminded me of this.
http://nypost.com/2014/01/29/man-uses-first-class-plane-tick…
saw a comment below by Obs:
Also I thought you were limited to using 1 gift card per booking payment?
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/gift-vouchers/globa…
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from day of purchase and can be redeemed at qantas.com or through Qantas Contact Centres. A booking fee applies to redemptions through Qantas Contact Centres. Only one voucher can be redeemed per booking.
did anyone try and confirm that it should be 1 x $1000 and not 2 x $500 vouchers?
If buying for 2 x pax on a single booking you select the voucher amount you want per pax.
By selecting 2 x pax when buying the voucher, you then end up buying $1k worth of voucher (2x$500) and the voucher is valid for 2 pax booking on a single booking (called a PNR).
The QF voucher process can be a bit confusing at first … always start with number of people you want on the booking then pick from the drow-down value of the voucher amount for 1 pax. When you buy it, the QF system will then double the amount of the value you pick from the down-down amount as you have said you want 2 x pax. Then go spend it on a booking for 2 x pax.
Wow. Ozbargain level Ultra.
For the 2015 OzBargain Bargain Contributor Awards, you have just won first place in the category of EPIC BARGAIN STRATEGY.
Instruction unclear. Accidentally made meth.
Sorry, nonpop did you book via qantas directly and get $969 or via IWTF? Looks like the qantas secret sale is over, though some travel agents still have the sale fares.
We now always book direct with QF and buy vouchers first - we price up the fare, then buy vouchers to the amount just below fares then pay balance with any CC at time of making the actual booking.
And until end Dec 15 vouchers earn 5x points just for buying the voucher (last year the promo was 10x).
You will then still earn your CC points + points as per normal for flying.
And having dealt direct with QF it is easier for any changes you need to make.
NB: vouchers are for flights departing Australia only and not for multiple stops. Only work with something like Australia to LAX return.
It all seems complex, but once you do it once you realise it is easy. In fact, we will always work out what out flying needs are for the next 12 months and buy up some big vouchers to the full amount. When you use the voucher, if the spend is less e.g you buy $1k but only spend $500, then you get a new voucher for $500 which you can spend again. But still need to do it within the 1yr period i.e the clock doesn't re-set. If you have $2 left on the voucher from memory, tough luck, they take it away and do not issue a new voucher. We buy these bigger vouchers for the points bonus then use the points to upgrade certain flights along the way.
Thanks for the clarification. nuts I would totally have done that but looks like the Qantas sale is over on their own site so no opportunity to rebook
Ah well, never seem to use my points anyway!
Great tips! I applaud your commitment as ozbargainer!
So complicated. Also I thought you were limited to using 1 gift card per booking payment? So unless you do 2 separate bookings, I don't get how you would use both gift cards? If not, why not just buy 2 X $700 with different Amex cards (to get the rebate) and then not be limited to how you pay the remainder?
It's not possible unfortunately. You can't buy a $700 voucher, to make $700 you'd need a $500 and $200 voucher.
Is this going to work any more? Seems that when you go through IWTF it takes you to Tripsta, which won't trigger the $700 spend rebate on Amex and can't accept the gift vouchers.
Qantas site direct is now showing $1800 for the same dates!
@nonpop - how did you get $969 via qantas directly? Yesterday the best I could get was $995 :(
I also cannot get the amount when i tried yesterday, the price was 1800 for those dates on Qantas websites based on the dates on IWTF. seems to work for some travel agents though?
Somehow Qantas is now again showing $997 for the feb-March period.
Decided to book. Bought $1000 gift voucher on Amex, got $100 back plus 2000 points on the Amex plus 5000 points for the voucher. Add the 9000 for the flight and it was worth paying $44 more for the Qantas fare over the virgin.
Don't forget to register here first for triple points earn on the flights. It's almost an extra 20k points for a SYD<->LAX sale fare booking.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/222778