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| Thread ID: 113942 | 2010-11-11 05:53:00 | Airpoints | lakewoodlady (103) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 1152006 | 2010-11-11 08:51:00 | A few years ago SWMBO and I did a Frankfurt and return trip (to see a mate who was getting married in Czech). Cost me 280,000 QANTAS points (about 6 years of saving them up!)- plus taxes. I'm like SP8's friends - use my credit card for everything (paying it back to zero every month) and earning airpoints that way. Just in the process of changing over to an Air NZ-based credit card, since QANTAS don't have much of a presence in NZ any more. I have around 150,000 QANTAS points to spend - coincidentally have just been browsing their store to see what I could get - maybe for Xmas presents.... |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 1152007 | 2010-11-11 08:53:00 | Isn't that unless you are silver or gold you cannot gift points? I am with Airpoints. Basically in the past before they had airpoint dollars, I got a free trip to Asia return at off peak times. It depends how often you fly and stuff. I find it best to link it to a credit card so that there is no annual fee and points get there faster, you can also transfer flybuys to airpoints too. Nowadays, it's quite possible to get free cheap flights like grab a seat, ie., $49 one way domestically .... It requires planning and time to get the points, but if you have the points now, it is easier to book a free flight all online, b/c airpoint dollars is the same as dollars, so you can get that cheap grab a seat domestic or international or just book a normal non-special seat online. These days if you go for the cheap tickets, you may not even get points at all, I find my points now are from my c/c and flybuys or using partner airlines w/ the cheap fares which still get points. If you wanna get points thru flying you really have to fly at least premium economy or better business class or first class. General rule of thumb, fly 6x to get 1x free and fly prem economy at least. Much of the time I just fly other airlines cos they are cheaper and just tended to get grab a seat free stuff now like NZ or AU. PS. AirNZ has changed. If you have the points, you can use them anytime. If there is a special to Hawaii for $699 return you can use your points if you have 699 Airpoints, if OTOH you wanna travel in Xmas and it cost $2,500NZ or $5,000NZ for business class, and you have that much points you can get it. Before airpoint dollars, when they used normal points, yeah .. you could only travel at their okay dates. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1152008 | 2010-11-11 08:58:00 | We have only used them once, following a trip to UK. We flew Thai Airways and it was only with the help of a friend, who is a travel agent and had organised the UK trip, that we were able to use the points for a trip to Aussie later. That was years ago. Since then we've never bothered with them, knowing the hassles. If anyone is looking. If you don't care about points cos you don't fly enough. Look at Thai Airways, you can sign up free online, no annual fee and if you fly return Asia, (calculated by miles, not dollar points), that should get you silver status and you get a few privileges. Just don't count on free stuff cos you need to fly heaps, and cos in NZ you simply won't be using a Thai c/c much even if you can get it and you won't have lots to access Asia shops to get retail points. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1152009 | 2010-11-11 11:05:00 | I would recommend Emirates - you get points on all flights - there are usually good deals going Trans-tasman and to Europe, so the fare is always competitive. Emirates best point is the 30Kg hold baggage limit ,which is worth quite a bit. On a recent return trip to Hong Kong from Brisbane on QANTAS, my daughter was about 5 Kg over - excess baggage cost $A150, and she was travelling on a full price ticket. my wife and I have one last flight to do on QANTAS, and that is one way Business Class to London next may to use 192,000 of our QANTAS FF pts. We are returning home with Air Canada, to take in the Halifax Military Tattoo and the Calgary Stampede. |
KenESmith (6287) | ||
| 1152010 | 2010-11-11 19:01:00 | No probs using AirNZ airpoints, because they act the same as dollar credits towards any flight. You don't have to look for 'airpoints seats'. I have had one free flight to Perth on airpoints, and we have used them for upgrades as well. On our last return trip to Britain, I used some airpoints for upgrades and gifted some to Herself as well. I got upgrades on two of the four legs (Akl - LA - London and back the same way), so that I got the first class treatment with fold out bed etc. SWMBO got three out of the four legs in the First Class cabin, as a result of an AirNZ error - she was only meant to get two. She didn't complain. So AirNZ airpoints have worked well for us. |
John H (8) | ||
| 1152011 | 2010-11-12 10:50:00 | If you're a frequent flyer, +1 for Air NZ Airpoints. Once you're at Silver or higher you can gift points to family members. I usually fly every year biz-class for work (Nth Am + Europe). I'm currently Gold-Elite. Doesn't take long to get there with the flying I do. Company I work for is good - they let us keep the points (makes up for time away from family I guess). So I used them last time to send SWMBO to Oz for a holiday. Good brownie points. |
Brooko (8444) | ||
| 1152012 | 2010-11-12 19:57:00 | Exactly you need to be a big spender or business pays for your fancy seat to get points fast. Super economy seats might not get points by airnz themselves, partner airlines might thou. Then you gotta grind it out if you just travel 1x a year or 1x each 2 year. If so maybe you could just treat yourself on a $140 return domestic flight or a $300 return Aussie flight thru grab a seat special :D But then again, when you look at all the airlines, airnz might not be the cheapest at given dates. Emigrates might be good but then again having a lesser nz presence does not allow you to get flybuys or c/c points. If you wanna get those brownie points it's really just One World Qantas or Star Alliance AirNZ. Silver is so hard to get thou .. b/c it is only based on air mileage. You cannot just buy heaps of hamburgers on your c/c. Within a 12 month period, it might need like 2x EU return trips on economy class or 3x or 4x economy asia or california return trips. Then it gets re-evaluated each year or two to see if you can maintain it or they drop you back to green or jade (which AirNZ calls it). For normal people it's an option if you are doing a OE - round the world ticket. |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 1152013 | 2010-11-12 21:11:00 | my wife and I have one last flight to do on QANTAS, and that is one way Business Class to London next may to use 192,000 of our QANTAS FF pts. We are returning home with Air Canada, to take in the Halifax Military Tattoo and the Calgary Stampede. Air Canada is one airline I would not travel with again. |
mikebartnz (21) | ||
| 1152014 | 2010-11-12 21:12:00 | Company I work for is good - they let us keep the points (makes up for time away from family I guess). So I used them last time to send SWMBO to Oz for a holiday. Good brownie points. Gave you a break too eh!!:devil |
mikebartnz (21) | ||
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