Point Hacking for Euro Trip

LNeek0 on 12/01/2023 - 20:57

Hi All,
I'm planning to go for a euro trip with my family July of 2024 and heard about the point/travel hacking communities

There is a Amex card currently on offer with 325k points that look enticing.
Because im starting with 0 points i feel like i need to be aggressive with trying to accumulate points.

This particular CC earns 2.25 points per $1 spent. So im considering paying my business expenses with this via sniip, however when i do the numbers, it doesn't seem to workout for me?

ie. via the Sniip website if i was to spend 10k it would cost me $219 in fees.

I would get 10219 velocity points but that only has a value of $180
When going on the QFF website i would need 570k points for a economy return flight to Munich in 2023 (2024 not available)

If my maths is correct, this works out to be over 10k cost for a economy flight to Munich.

So am i doing something wrong here or should people be just churning credit cards to accumulate these points?

Thanks in advance

Travel

Comments

  • Ozymandias on 12/01/2023 - 22:02
    +3

    First issue is you're looking at the wrong column in the search results - because you've searched for July this year, it's not giving you any Classic Flight Rewards (which is the type you want). Instead it's offering to use your points as currency which is never a good idea as the exchange rate is abysmal.
    I just did a search for dates that did have rewards available and there's a BA return flight for 132k points (though with $1000 in extra fees, mind), so that's the rough number you're aiming for.

    Second, with point hacking you're really aiming for the signup bonus, not the ongoing spend, unless it happens to be a great card in other ways. Sign up, meet the spend, get the points, close the card. Rinse and repeat.

    Third, keep in mind the Amex points are a 2:1 transfer rate to Qantas/Virgin/etc, so it's only 162,500 QFF points, not 325k. Given this, I'd actually recommend transferring to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer instead as it's also a 2:1 rate but there's more availability and lower fees with SQ.

    Finally, personally I wouldn't recommend putting quite that much through Sniip - I'd spread your spend across a few different things so you avoid the fees you mentioned.

    Good luck!

    • kerfuffle on 12/01/2023 - 23:26
      -1

      They said they wanted to travel in July 2024, not 2023.

      • bitesized on 13/01/2023 - 09:36
        +4

        Yes but OP is using July 23 QFF website points redemption as a gauge for how many points to aim for, which Ozymandius is saying isn't accurate.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 13/01/2023 - 00:01
    +2

    1. You said "family" what numbers do this look like? If you want more than 3 or more, well gooood luck.

    2. Assuming you are booking for only 2, then you must book the second they are released or again…. if you snooze, you lose and good luck afterwards.

    3. Plan your holidays around the flights you get - never ever the other way around when flying on points.

    4. Always, always, be flexible. You might want to fly straight to London, but you might be able to get a seat for Paris, Frankfurt, and Copenhagen, wherever - yes, you book that and then make your way to London after spending a few days in your arrival city.

    5. ps. If it was that easy, every John and Jane would be doing it. Yes there are many who have done it in the past but its not as easy, at least to the novice flyer anyway.

    • meowmeowmeow on 13/01/2023 - 08:53

      Seems like they are booking economy, not business class, so should be a little easier but still need to be ready and book early.

  • HappyACS on 13/01/2023 - 08:09
    +1

    Seriously consider velocity, much much more availabilty to Europe, probably more easier to earn as well.

  • meowmeowmeow on 13/01/2023 - 08:57
    +4

    Churning credit cards is the fastest way to accumulate points, if you are able to meet the spend requirements for the bonus points. Always good to try and minimise the annual fees if you can too, keep an eye out for special offers etc.

    I would agree with @Ozymandias - Singapore Airlines has much greater availability for Europe redemptions, and also fly in and out of more airports around Europe. Taxes are high flying in or out of London Heathrow so another way to reduce costs is to fly through a different city.

    There's a few facebook groups etc which are interesting. Qantas Points Collectors, Velocity Frequent Flyers are the two main Aussie groups. There's also the Point Hacks site to have a read of as well, to understand the redemption process and timings etc.

    • TasJacks on 13/01/2023 - 09:42

      Have been going through Point Hacks and other websites daily but never thought there are FB groups. Thanks meow!

      • meowmeowmeow on 13/01/2023 - 09:52
        +3

        There's also a newer one called The Point Coach - this is run by a guy who helps people book trips with reward points (for a small fee), but he posts a lot of tips and advice as well, and is based in Australia. He has a Facebook and Insta.

        • TasJacks on 13/01/2023 - 09:53
          +1

          will look him up!

  • TasJacks on 13/01/2023 - 09:45

    Apart from what is suggested above, keep yourself informed by reading posts from websites like Point Hacks, Executive Traveller, Australian Frequent Flyer. They do weekly newsletters too.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join