Best Value Destination / Flight Using Qantas Frequent Flyer Points?

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Qantas

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  adventurer96 on 05/03/2013 - 13:52

  Qantas FF points are best used for booking peak periods like X'mas /New Year. Otherwise, it's better off paying for sales fare. The only problem is you do have to plan way in advance or go last minute for usiing it at peak period. Best use anywhere at peak times. Based on many years of experience. Goodluck and enjoy.

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    Hoju on 05/03/2013 - 13:55

    Interesting point, thanks for that! Looks like we would actually be travelling outside of sale fare periods (uni holidays) but compared to jetstar fares on offer, the taxes are still really high. Europe is actually quite good value for points+taxes compared to purchasing a flight, but would like to try somewhere new…

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  mskeggs on 05/03/2013 - 15:18

  A oneworld RTW fare is 140,000 points, which is pretty good for full service airlines. From memory you can squeeze in lots of stops too.
  FlyerTalk or www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au would be the forums to find out more.

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    Aceboy884 on 05/03/2013 - 17:33

    14000= $100 shopping voucher
    Which is equivalent to $1000? RTW?

    I assume you will be charge taxes on top?

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      mskeggs on 05/03/2013 - 17:49

      I assume you are right. I haven't flown it, but it stuck in my memory from reading frequent flyer forums as being a lot of airfare for the points (e.g. SYD-LHR itself is 128k return).

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    Punkboy on 15/09/2013 - 20:06

    Did one of these two years back and IMO this is the best value. Note that FF RTW is limited to 5 stops though…

    Yes taxes are extra.

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  Hellfire on 06/03/2013 - 13:10

  I went to Fiji in December and used FF for an Air Pacific flight one way (Jetstar on way back). It seemed one of the best uses for the points though people will usually tell you the best value is upgrading from Economy to Business.

  And Fiji isn't that expensive :)

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    Hoju on 06/03/2013 - 14:03

    Thanks, it does seem like good value for points, especially considering taxes are only $80 or so per flight.

    Based on a quick search, hotels in the coastal nadi region seemed to be about $3000 for a couple of weeks. That seems expensive, but it has been a long time since I booked into a hotel. Also friends recommended getting fully catered hotel accommodation, as apparently fairly simple food is really expensive in the tourist areas??

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      Hellfire on 07/03/2013 - 12:16

      I didn't stay near Nadi so can't comment directly but most of the big name hotels are there and they are expensive.

      I found eating out of Hotels to still be quite cheap. Not SE Asia cheap but still about half the price of Australia.

      Fiji has something for ever budget.

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  wako on 05/04/2013 - 09:35

  Make sure you are not searching points+pay, I have been doing that for so long and just realised is the expensive way,

  Login To qantas,
  Bottom right is a search box, click on Award flights,
  then search..

  If you wernt already ;) then can choose to pay only with points (including taxes) or slide the bar to pay some..

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    Hoju on 06/04/2013 - 08:43

    Thanks for the tips :)
    The irony is that I can't actually find out how to do points + pay. I've been doing just award flights, which are generally fairly reasonable in terms of points but the taxes are ridiculous!

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  VRON on 11/09/2013 - 11:39

  +1

  Having been a member of the QANTAS FF Program for about 6 years I have found it very limiting in terms of value for money, in fact it maybe downright consumer theft. As others have said taxes and charges are outrageous. Here is my own example
  QANTAS FF Melbourne to Los Angeles Return 96,000 points plus a whopping $834.72 (AUD) in fees, taxes and charges.
  Instead I flew Air New Zealand, Melbourne to Auckland 3 hour stopover in Auckland then to Los Angeles. Return same route but I paid $50 extra for a 25 day stopover in Auckland (booked on Air New Zealand website) in April 2013 when prices fall for this route.
  Total cost of flight $1158.88 (AUD)
  Breakdown of total charge was
  Flight Charge $939.00 (AUD)
  Taxes, surcharges, government and airport costs $189.88 (AUD).
  Credit Card charge $30 (AUD)
  How can QANTAS charge $834.72 taxes and Air New Zealand only $219.88 (AUD) for the same route?
  Is Air New Zealand privy to a different tax regime than is QANTAS?
  However all is not lost with the QANTAS FF Program one can make virtually no charge internal flights within the USA. From Los Angeles I flew to Vancouver using QANTAS FF Program a processing fee of $2.50 (AUD) plus 14,000 points. I also flew Washington DC back to Los Angeles a processing fee of $2.50 (AUD) 18,000 points.
  In 2009 I flew Mexico City to Lima Peru with QANTAS FF Program fee charge $20 (AUD) and returned La Paz Bolivia to New York fee charge $20 (AUD). Points were more than USA internal flights but not that much more.
  The secret is you have to get out of Australia somehow and then by your proper airline ticket. While in New Zealand a Flight Centre office had a one way flight Auckland to Melbourne with Air New Zealand for $120 (NZD) the employee said I don’t know why you Australians buy return tickets Australian airports have the most expensive charges of any country in the world, when coming to New Zealand just buy a 1 way ticket each way its cheaper.

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    Hoju on 11/09/2013 - 12:44

    Wow nice tips on the internal flights. Are these through qantas and their website or a partner airline?

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  VRON on 11/09/2013 - 15:51

  +2

  All of these above QANTAS FF flights are available on their website, for internal USA flights they are with American Airlines. LA to Vancouver was Alaskan Airlines. Other US airports probably do exist you would be able to find this out on American Airlines Website. Then call the QANTAS FF Centre and hope you get a good operator that can confirm your choices. I believe the QANTAS centre has access to every airline (one World Group) full services, QANTAS FF website is not complete, for operator assisted options you have to pay 5,000 points extra.
  Another great flight I booked in 2012 but had to cancel due to other arrangements was Melbourne to Honolulu 1 way with Jetstar (Not QANTAS FF), Honolulu to Miami $2.50 fees and charges(QANTAS FF). My intention was to then fly with any of the German discount airlines to Dusseldorf, Colgne-Bonn or Frankfurt, from Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Departing from the USA you can virtually fly anywhere I was told that their airport fees and charges are the lowest in the world. Vancouver people told me when they fly out its best to catch a bus across the border to Seattle USA and fly from their, Canadians also have outrageous airport fees and charges as well.

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    Hoju on 12/09/2013 - 09:23

    THat's awesome. Yeh we noticed when in the states that internal flights had crazy cheap taxes… $2.50!

    So you can basically do the internal US flights but you have to book via telephone, costing an additional 5000 FF points but basically no fees/taxes?

    The bargain Jetstar flight to HNL then FF points on from there is a great way to do it.

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  Orgazmo on 12/09/2013 - 08:31

  VRON, great QFF tips!

  Keep then coming…

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  VRON on 12/09/2013 - 12:34

  A downer I forgot to mention is that for internal USA flights you have to pay $25 for a suitcase to be placed in the hold. If you only have carryon luggage then no extra charge. I did not find this out until I tried to checkin LA to Vancouver. I had carryon luggage. The fine print on my eticket said this but who reads page 3 on their eticket. International flights (Canada not considered international for airline baggage from USA) no charge for suitcase in the hold.
  If you stick to major USA cities LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Denver, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit etc you can fly virtually everyday of the week sometimes 2 flights in the same day to any of these combinations. I have considered this type of holiday for the future but air travel is dull and boring and so much more exists on ground.
  In reality QANTAS FF Program has deteriorated or become far more expensive than it was a number of years ago. Taxes and charges have risen while the points required have stayed the same. I accumulated my points from back in the mid 90's from credit card expenditure. About 2 years ago I choose to place my points with Commonwealth Bank True Award program which enables you to buy anything (flexibility). I would not go out of my way chasing QANTAS FF points. I have found the cheapest and best value for dollar flights comes from airlines that don't offer any reward programs. Ryanair probably the largest airline in Europe, perhaps world, offers only cheap flights not even cups of water and you wouldn't waste QANTAS FF points flying in Europe. Ryanair is not the only discount airline.

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  Foxtail on 12/09/2013 - 13:11

  Best Qantas buy using points is the any seat awards, these now removed from Qantas site, however, if you follow this instruction below you can still get them, you get not only points back but status towards extra luggage, free club membership etc.

  In my case I only use them for long haul flights, last year used for upgrades and also buying J (Bus. Class) seat to USA, latter was184K points plus a grand, got back about 40K and collected 400 status points. You might consider buying your next trip to get more points and building up for big trip later.

  I'm looking at cheap fare to Hong Kong then use a classic award seat in business on Emirates or Cathay from there to Dubai for 120K points and $300. For extra 40k points can get to Vienna which is where i want to go.