Questions people are asking me - The top 5 FAQ today
Has the number of points to fly changed, when I am looking now the points seem higher.
No changes have been made to the Qantas frequent flyer program, the number of points to fly on a Classic Award Flight is unchanged.
What you might be seeing are the results of using points under the Points plus pay system.
There are two ways to use points to fly
Classic Award Flights is the best value for money, it varies by distance only, and a flight from A to B is always the same number of points 365 days, the only difference is whether there is availability for booking
Points plus pay system converts the Qantas points into a value of 0.5cents (half a cent). The normal ticket cash price is divided by 0.5cents to show how many Qantas points it will cost.
The difference in value of using points for a Classic Award Flight vs Points plus pay is 7x times.
Is using points for upgrades the best value
An upgrade works on a request and allocation system, it requires you first to have a fully paid economy ticket where you request for an upgrade if seats are available. Upgrades are allocated based on a ranking system and if there are enough spare business class seats.
Overall, upgrades can be seen as a lucky dip, because the airline decides and will let you know if you are lucky 24 to 48hrs before departure.
The alternative is to use points to book a confirmed Business Class seat using the Classic Flight Award system, for international flights the difference in the number of points needed for an upgrade vs Classic Business Class seat is only 10% to 15% extra points.
I don’t have enough points, can I use part points and part cash?
The short answer is no, you must have all the required points to make the Classic Flight award booking, eg: 289,200 Qantas points for a return business class flight Sydney to Europe + taxes paid in cash. If you only have 280,000 points, you do not have enough points to book. There is an option where you can buy Qantas points directly from Qantas, but this is not cheap.
If you use the Points plus pay system, then you can use part points and part cash, but remember your points will be converted into a value of 0.5cents and the rest of the ticket is paid in cash. This is generally a bad value use of points as the value of a Classic Flight Award ticket is worth 3 to 4 cents per point.
How do I find points seats?
Finding Classic Flight Award booking is a lot like fishing, there is plenty of fish in the sea but the skill is in constantly searching, being quick and knowing where and when to search.
Flights are changing daily, so if you don’t find flights today, it will change tomorrow. It is also the case that if you do find flights today, tomorrow they may be gone if you don't book them.
Being flexible with your date ranges and in the airports you fly into/out will expand the number of flights you could find.
Having different types of frequent flyer points will also open up more airline and flight options you can find on your preferred dates
Overall, the seats are there - but it takes some luck and regular effort to find them and book them. But the results are worth it because you will save $3,000 to $10,000 per ticket when flying on points compared to a normal Business class price.
Because the savings are worth it, iFLYflat offers a specialist Points Flight Concierge service that helps to book First and Business Class international flights for a concierge fee, ensuring their clients can turn their points into flights and save thousands of dollars per trip.
What is the difference between status credits and points?
Status credits get you from Silver to Gold to Platinum with each level opening up enhanced levels of benefits and service. Status credits can generally only be earned by paying for a cash flight and actually flying. Status credits will expire every year and you will need to re-earn those status credits again to maintain your Gold or Platinum status, otherwise, you will drop down to a lower level with fewer benefits.
Points are more like money, they hold a value and can be accumulated over many years to add up to enough points to redeem for a flight award. Points can also expire based on the terms and conditions, but with Qantas points you can perpetually extend the expiry by making at least one points transaction, whether points in or out of your account, once every 18 months. With Virgin Velocity it is the same, once every 24 months. It is very easy to perpetually keep your points from expiring.
Got more questions?
ASK ME via EMAIL - steve@iflyflat.com.au
