Hello everyone!
As you accumulate plenty of points through the Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) program from reading my how to guides, you must be wondering, what is the best way to use these points! Here is a useful guide for how to get the most from your QFF points.
- Flights
The most effective way to use your points, that is, if you choose wisely enough! The best value is to either redeem your points for a “classic flight reward”, or buy a ticket and request a “classic upgrade rewards”.
For the “classic flight reward” – the best value is to redeem it for business / first class flights, which l have frequently done. An excellent example is flying Sydney to London return with business – this requires 256,000 points, but normally costs c.$8-10k. So that is a whopping 4c per point!
A tip – flight availability opens up 365 days before your the flight – so if you are looking to fly first / business class, book 365 days in advance to lock in those premium seats.
For the “classic upgrade rewards”, l’ve been very lucky to be able to obtain this, mainly on Qantas flights to Asia / London. This is where you have booked a ticket, and looking to upgrade to a higher class. You normally need to book the more expensive category of that class, and the higher your status, the better chance you have. I’ve very rarely heard of people getting upgraded on the Sydney to London flight, but for most other legs, you should have a good chance. Plus the value is great! Read my guide for upgrading to business with points.
If there is no availability, you can use your points for a “point plus pay” flight for any available seat on a Qantas or Jetstar flight.
If you have 100,000 or so QFF points to use, here is my suggested tips for using them!
In my opinion, the second best option for using your QFF points. There is a range of products which you can use your points on, such as Apple and Bose products. Generally there are promotions which discount the amount of points required for a product, so if you wait long enough, you can end up getting the product you want! For example, at the time of writing, the Bose Quietcomfort 35 wireless headphones had 30% off the points required! (from 87,150 points to 61,000 – so this is roughly 0.8c per point – not bad!). Though if you are a touch short of the points required, you can use points plus pay.
If you like to visit a Qantas lounge before you travel, and have points to use, this could be an option! For one year membership, you need 78,000 points, so in terms of value, it is 0.69c per point. Still a relatively decent use of points!
There are plenty of accomodation options available with points, and generally a few offers to reduce the amount of points required. Most of the time, its around 0.5c per point, but a few specials can increase the value.
If you need to hire a car within Australia or New Zealand, you can hire a car using points. Similar to Qantas Hotels, the value is around 0.5c per point.
If you are keen to purchase premium wines, and nice gourmet food, then Qantas epiQure is a good choice. The value is around 0.5c per point.
- Qantas Insurance
You can also use your points to obtain Qantas Assure Health and Travel Insurance, value is around 0.5c per point.
- Auto Rewards
Not the best value for your points, but an easy way to use your points. If you opt in, QFF will automatically convert your points into Woolworths WISH eGift cards, and they get sent to your inbox up to four times a year.
Based on your QFF points balance on 1 February, 1 May, 1 August and 1 November, this will determine the value of the eGift which QFF will send you. The maximum gift card value is $20 and requires 3,000 points. So the value of this is 0.66c per point – there are definitely better options out there!
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