Saturday, January 18, 2025
Home Blog Page 48

Get 25% off Qantas, Jetstar and Emirates economy award seats booked with Qantas Points until Friday

Kris
-
0
Get 25% off Qantas, Jetstar and Emirates economy award seats booked with Qantas Points until Friday

I don’t normally write about economy travel (it’s not exactly “The High Life”) but right now there’s a good opportunity to save thousands of Qantas Points on economy award seats. (Remember, your points give you a lot more value in business or first class).

Qantas has today launched a 25% off sale for economy award seats worldwide, encompassing not just its own flights but also Jetstar and Emirates.

To take advantage of this offer, simply:

  1. Login to Your account.
  2. Select ‘Use points – Classic Flight Rewards’ to search for your flights.
  3. Book an Economy Classic Flight Reward between 10am (AEST) 24 September and 11.59pm (AEST) 28 September 2018 on flights operated by Qantas, Jetstar or Emirates.
  4. Travel between 14 October 2018 and 29 August 2019 on Qantas and Emirates or between 14 October 2018 and 30 June 2019 on Jetstar.

The 25% discount should appear once you click through, and it applies to the Qantas Points  required for your seat – not the taxes, fees and carrier charges you also have to pay.

You can read more and check the terms and conditions here.

If you were planning to use Qantas Points for economy seats, this is a great opportunity to reduce the cost or fly further. It’s also the first time I can recall Emirates seats being eligible in this kind of promotion (which typically comes around every six months or so).

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

How to earn more frequent flyer points by shopping online

Kris
-
0
How to earn more frequent flyer points by shopping online

You can rapidly increase your frequent flyer points balance by doing more of your shopping online. I earn up to 10 Qantas and Virgin Australia Velocity points per dollar when I buy clothes, shoes, and personal and household items online – and when you consider how much money you spend on these items each year, the points add up very quickly.

I also like online shopping for other reasons:

  • it saves time and avoids the hassle of visiting stores during busy holiday periods
  • you generally won’t pay more online than in a regular shop – in fact, you may save money
  • many retailers offer free and simple shipping and returns – people who haven’t tried online shopping often think it’s hard to send things back, but that’s not my experience.

Online shopping has grown massively in recent years, with a huge range of products now available. Both Qantas and Virgin Australia have relationships with many retailers, which allows their frequent flyer members to earn points – so it’s a win-win for everyone.

To maximise your points earn, all you need to do is connect to online retailers via the Qantas Mall and Virgin Velocity eStore. It’s very easy to do – just go to the Qantas Mall or Velocity eStore, log in and follow the link to the retailer you want. You’ll need to make sure cookies are enabled on your browser (you can check here).

You then shop with the retailer in the usual way and Qantas/Virgin will track your purchase, with the points deposited in your account within 30 days.

Note that the Velocity eStore has a much bigger range of retailers but Qantas tends to offer more points per dollar. It’s wise to check both sites before choosing which to click from.

Here are some of the retailers you can shop with:

  • department stores like David Jones
  • clothing retailers at all price points like Asos and The Iconic (my personal favourites) plus Country Road, Saba, Marcs, Bonds, Top Shop, Uniqlo, Cotton On and many others
  • pharmacies like Priceline Pharmacy, Chemist Warehouse and others
  • household products stores like Zanui, House, Pottery Barn and others
  • health and beauty retailers like the Body Shop, Strawberry Net and others
  • sporting goods stores like Rebel Sport, Foot Locker and others
  • technology sellers like Kogan, Apple, Microsoft, Lenovo, Sony, Samsung and others
  • bookstores like Booktopia, the Book Depository, Dymocks and others
  • and lots of other stores in other product categories as well.

To maximise how many points you earn, shop during the regular promotional periods where Qantas and Virgin offer double points or more – as much as 10 points per dollar. To find out when they are taking place, check the websites regularly and subscribe to the relevant newsletters from Qantas and Virgin Australia.

Always make sure you pay with a high points earning credit card to really ramp up your points balance.

I earn tens of thousands of points each year this way. Of course, if you’re a big spender you can earn much more than that!

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Confirmed: Westpac reduces the Altitude Rewards points transfer rates to most airlines

Kris
-
0
Confirmed: Westpac reduces the Altitude Rewards points transfer rates to most airlines

Westpac is reducing the points transfer rates from its popular Altitude Rewards credit card loyalty program to most partner airlines.

Effective Friday, 9 November 2018, more Altitude Points will be required to redeem frequent flyer points with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Malaysia Airlines Enrich.

The transfer rate for Air New Zealand Airpoints will remain the same, whereas for Velocity Frequent Flyer, the rate will be worse for customers making one-off redemptions, but customers have the option to keep the current Velocity transfer rate by opting to have their Altitude Points automatically redeemed to Velocity Points each month.

In that situation, you would lose the option to transfer points to the other partner airlines – you’d be stuck with Velocity Points.

The current transfer rates are:

  • 2 Altitude points = 1 Virgin Australia Velocity point
  • 2 Altitude points = 1 Malaysia Airlines Enrich mile
  • 2.5 Altitude points = 1 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer mile
  • 2.5 Altitude points = 1 Cathay Pacific Asia Mile
  • 180 Altitude points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar.

From 9 November the rates will be:

  • 2 Altitude points = 1 Virgin Australia Velocity point – auto-redemption only
  • 3 Altitude points = 1 Virgin Australia Velocity point – one-off redemptions
  • 3 Altitude points = 1 Malaysia Airlines Enrich mile
  • 3 Altitude points = 1 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer mile
  • 3 Altitude points = 1 Cathay Pacific Asia Mile
  • 180 Altitude points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar.

(Altitude points can’t be manually converted to Qantas points, rather customers earning Qantas Points have opted into the separate Altitude Qantas program. No changes have been announced there.)

A Westpac spokesperson says: “We are contacting our customers to communicate the changes and provide assistance. Customers can also contact our designated Altitude Rewards line on 1300 887 820, Monday to Friday, between 8am to 8pm (AEST).”

Westpac’s transfer rates were already underwhelming, even compared to those offered by other Westpac-owned brands (like the St George cards I’ve written about previously. I wouldn’t be surprised to see reductions there too in due course).

We’ve seen so many changes in the credit card space recently, mostly in response to RBA regulations that have made cards less profitable for the banks. But since Westpac has already shaken up its card range in response to those regulations, these latest changes are likely for commercial reasons.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Is Westpac about to reduce the Altitude Rewards points transfer rates to airlines?

Kris
-
0
Is Westpac about to reduce the Altitude Rewards points transfer rates to airlines?

UPDATE: Westpac has confirmed changes to points transfer rates. Read more here. 

Westpac may be about to reduce the points transfer rates from its popular Altitude Rewards credit card loyalty program to some airlines.

Several customers reported seeing an announcement about these changes published on Westpac’s Altitude Rewards website on Friday, but the information was quickly taken down.

According to those reports, the transfer rates to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program and Air New Zealand’s Airpoints program would remain the same, but the rates to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Malaysia Airlines Enrich would be reduced. The changes would take effect on 9 November 2018.

We don’t know any more details about what was published briefly on Friday, and no formal announcement has been made. While it’s possible this is all a furphy, it seems to me that it’s more likely the information was released prematurely and we’ll indeed see changes announced soon.

The current transfer rates are:

  • 2 Altitude points = 1 Virgin Australia Velocity point
  • 2 Altitude points = 1 Malaysia Airlines Enrich mile
  • 2.5 Altitude points = 1 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer mile
  • 2.5 Altitude points = 1 Cathay Pacific Asia Mile
  • 180 Altitude points = 1 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar.

(Altitude points can’t be manually converted to Qantas points, rather customers earning Qantas Points have opted into the separate Altitude Qantas program.)

These rates are already underwhelming, at least compared to some other cards on the market (like the St George Amplify range I’ve written about before – but since St George is Westpac-owned, I wouldn’t be surprised to see reductions there too).

We’ve seen so many changes in the credit card space recently, mostly in response to RBA regulations that have made cards less profitable for the banks. But since Westpac has already shaken up its card range in response to the regulations, these latest changes (if confirmed) would more likely be for commercial reasons.

I reached out to Westpac’s media team for comment yesterday, but haven’t heard back. If that changes, I’ll let you know.

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Earn 1,000 bonus Qantas Points on hotel bookings until Friday

Kris
-
0
Earn 1,000 bonus Qantas Points on hotel bookings until Friday

Qantas is offering 1,000 bonus Qantas Points for hotel bookings made through its Qantas Hotels portal until 5.00pm (AEST) this Friday 31 August 2018.

That’s on top of the 3 points per dollar earned for the booking itself.

You can choose from over 200,000 hotels and resorts worldwide and there’s no minimum length of stay.

I usually advise people to use Qantas Hotels only if they’re not chasing loyalty status or claiming loyalty perks with a hotel chain (which normally requires booking directly with a hotel), or if they’re not accumulating benefits with an online travel agency loyalty program, like that of Hotels.com (which I use), where you get 1 free night for every 10 booked – effectively a 10% discount.

For shorter stays, though, the 1,000 bonus Qantas Points might work out to be a good deal.

If you do want to use Qantas Hotels, first compare the prices with other online travel agents, as I’ve occasionally noticed that Qantas Hotels can be more expensive.

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Why I’m increasingly choosing to fly with Singapore Airlines (thanks to Amex and Velocity points)

Kris
-
0
Why I’m increasingly choosing to fly with Singapore Airlines (thanks to Amex and Velocity points)

I was recently reviewing my flight bookings for the months ahead and it struck me that most will be with Singapore Airlines. It’s quickly become my carrier of choice, which isn’t surprising given it offers excellent experiences on the ground and in the air, a large international network, and very good award seat availability.

Singapore Airlines is also a member of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline partnership, which gives me access to carriers around the globe – and they are increasingly bookable online through Singapore Airlines’ website, which is handy.

Other things I love about Singapore Airlines’ frequent flyer program, KrisFlyer (other than the name, of course!) is that award tickets are reasonably priced, you can get a free stopover on a roundtrip booking, and there are no fuel surcharges.

I especially find it useful that I can secure business and first class award seats with relative ease. Sometimes, it’s just not practical to book 12 months ahead, as you often need to do with Qantas Points flying into or out of Australia in premium cabins. I rarely have trouble finding seats with Singapore Airlines closer to the date of travel.

While Singapore Airlines did recently increase the cost of award seats on its own network and with partners, it still represents very good value, especially in comparison with the costs (including high surcharges) of Qantas Points bookings.

Singapore Airlines has some of the best business and first class products in the sky

If you’re wondering how I accumulate enough points to fly with Singapore Airlines, it’s actually not that hard.

First, Singapore Airlines is a transfer partner for many credit cards in Australia that earn a ‘flexible’ points currency, which is typically a card issuer’s own-brand currency, like Westpac’s Altitude Points or Amex’s Membership Rewards points. I love these kinds of currencies because they don’t lock me into any specific airline frequent flyer program.

Second, Velocity Points can be used to book Singapore Airlines seats both directly through Virgin Australia or by transferring Velocity Points to Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer miles (which then allows you to access the broader Star Alliance network). I’ve written a separate post about this topic.

While points in your Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer account do expire after three years, this can be avoided by only transferring points to it as necessary to make a booking.

In the months ahead, I’ll be reviewing several of Singapore Airlines’ first and business class products to illustrate why it’s a great option for Australians looking to travel in style using points.

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

My experience booking accommodation through Amex’s Fine Hotels & Resorts program

Kris
-
0
My experience booking accommodation through Amex’s Fine Hotels & Resorts program

Earlier this year I added the American Express Platinum Card to my wallet because it’s the most rewarding card on the market for travellers – and this year I’m doing a lot of travelling.

One of the Platinum Card perks I was most looking forward to trying was booking accommodation through Amex’s Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program, which promises benefits at over 1,000 five-star properties worldwide like daily breakfast for two people, a property amenity valued at US$100 (usually a dining credit), guaranteed 4pm late checkout, complimentary room upgrades when available, and more – with a purported average value of over $700 for a two-night stay.

FHR properties are quite high-end and most are outside my budget right now, but earlier this month one of the hotels I wanted to stay at was on the list, so I decided to put FHR to the test.

At the start of August, I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in Vienna with my partner and mother. I chose this hotel because of the excellent amenities, price and location.

At the time of booking, the price through FHR was the same as via the hotel’s website and online travel agents (175 Euro per night for a base-level room). While I could effectively get 10% back by booking through my favourite online travel agent, Hotels.com, I expected to get more value by going via FHR instead.

I booked two rooms – one for me and my partner and the other for my mother – noting that the program T&Cs state that both rooms would be eligible for FHR benefits.

Upon arriving at the hotel to check in, it was clear straight away things would go well: the hotel manager came out to personally greet us and explain all the benefits we could enjoy. He confirmed that both rooms had been upgraded to a more spacious ‘deluxe’ room, and that we could check in early (it was around 11 am) and had a guaranteed 4pm checkout on the day of departure.

The hotel manager also confirmed that we had complimentary breakfasts – which turned out to be a fantastic buffet –  and we also received two 85 Euro credits for the hotel cafe and restaurant, which we used for lunches and snacks. Given the cost of the rooms, this was an amazing deal.

In summary: we paid 175 Euros per room per night (total 700 Euros), and received:

  • two 85 Euro food and beverage credits – total 170 Euros
  • complimentary breakfasts valued at 28 Euros per person – total of 168 Euros
  • room upgrades valued at 40 Euros per room per night – total of 160 Euros
  • early and late checkout, which I’ll subjectively value at 20% of the total price, so about 140 Euros.

So, I paid 700 Euros for the rooms and received a whopping 638 Euros in extra benefits.

Now, I do have to point out that most FHR properties are more expensive than this one. But still, it represents a fantastic deal no matter how much the room costs.

The FHR program is only available to holders of Amex’s top-level Platinum and Centurion cards (the latter being invite-only). If you’re interested to know more, check out my full review of the Platinum Card here.

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

CONFIRMED: Earn Qantas double status credits on new bookings until 14 August

Kris
-
0
CONFIRMED: Earn Qantas double status credits on new bookings until 14 August

Good news for Qantas Frequent Flyer members chasing status: the airline has officially launched a double status credit promotion for new bookings made between today (Thursday 9 August) and Tuesday 14 August.

The double status credit promotion is one of the airline’s most popular, as makes it so much easier for customers to gain or maintain status and enjoy more perks on the ground and in the air.

You can find out more about how Qantas status works here.

We last saw a double status credit offer in February, and in the last few years it’s been running annually – so the fact it’s come up again so soon is a boon for travellers.

This latest offer applies to flights booked between 9 August and 14 August 2018, for travel from 21 August 2018 and 8 August 2019.

The promotion only applies to Qantas operated and marketed flights (i.e. no codeshares), and you need to register here for it (all passengers in a booking must register separately).

This offer is not available if you are travelling for Commonwealth Government purposes. Also excluded are flight gift vouchers purchased but not redeemed during the promotion period.

If you were planning to book some flights, this is a great opportunity to secure your status with Qantas.

To get tips like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

1...474849...63Page 48 of 63

LEGAL

Please read our Website and Membership Service Use Terms and Conditions, our Privacy Policy and our Cards Disclosure.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

This website is owned and operated by Fivebyfive Media Pty Ltd (ACN 621 143 520). All rights reserved.