Squawvalleyskier

sweet, ltoz

lovetravellingoz

Ok, but rather than crowd up this thread, as I am still in the midst of planning, I have created a new thread to report on the planning of the trip.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/afric...dlife-too.html

When the trip is all done and dusted I will create a post-Trip Report thread in the Trip Report section.

However of relevance to this thread is that ANZ Bank in Australia have a current promo of 50,000 points for $0 for an AMEX/VISA combo on a $1,500 qualifying spend. See http://promo.anz.com/credit-cards/fr...-IVCQ#platinum

So a quick 100,000 points for for my wife and I for $0.00

Have booked 2 seats in J on Qatar Airways, which will be my first flight with them. With two legs of 14 hours and 5 hours there will be ample time to sample their wares.

yokozuma

Just seen this thread for the first time. Great stuff.

What a hero!

lovetravellingoz

UPDATE:

1/ POINTS

Well the 100K in free points from two ANZ Amexes has posted. I also applied for another 3 cards as T&C indicated bonus was per account, and not per customer. So I am hoping for another free 150K. May have to fight for them though...

2/ FLIGHT UPDATE Nairobi from MEL

I have now booked 2 one-way MEL to Nairobi on Eitihad in the well regarded Pearl Business Class..

I had booked originally with Qatar via QFF as those flights opened earlier and I wanted to be sure we had the flights as we have a fixed departure for our 4WD trip. So I wanted to have that all locked in.

I was always open to try swapping to Eithad, booked via VA, as taxes and points (110,000) were lower, but was hoping a bonus would come along to sweeten the deal. Availability did not open till about after a month after Qatar via QFF though, and so I thought it best to have guaranteed seats rather than missing possibly out.

Virgin have now offered a 15% bonus on credit card transfers for November 2014, and so I have moved sufficient points over from my Amex MR account to book two flights.

An effective 95,652 points and $77 in taxes each is a lot better than the 121,000 and $397 each we had paid. I am now 40,695K (Had to pay 5K each to cancel) and $640 better off.

Also not long after I made the QFF booking the second flight was put back getting into Nairobi at 1730. Eitihad and QR both leave MEL at 2255, but ET gets in at 1340. Also with the QFF flight in hand I was able to also now go for the day later departure on 16th July.

So less points, less taxes, and better arrival date and time, and quicker overall flight time.

In theory I could also have booked a *A flight from MEL. But it would have been longer duration, on poorer quality planes and the fuel fines would again have been at play.



I have now also reserved my seats on ET. It is my first flight on ET and so I am looking forward to sampling it. On the first leg on the 77W have booked the "love seat" which is better for couples as the two seats are oriented to face slightly together, whereas the pair of seats in alternate rows face away. Booking these has certainly upped my HWHL Points Account

The other bonus I realised after reserving my seats was that our Award seats were also eligible for the complimentary Limousine Pick-up, which I have now booked. So that will kick off our six week African Adventure in grand style, plus is another nice increase in the HWHL Points Account.

lovetravellingoz

Well the other 150K in points has now posted for my wife and I. So 250K for $0.

Nice to get as the Amex Promos have not been as generous this year. Amex seems to be concentrating at present on cashback promos. And while the cash is nice, it pales by comparison to a nice points promo.

Squawvalleyskier

I wish my lowly safeway/woolies card earned as many flights as you're getting, Lovestotravel

lovetravellingoz

I have certainly found that over time that Amex direct issued cards have been the most lucrative of the various CC that I use. But yes I still grab points from others where it makes sense to do so, as well as double, and triple dipping where possible.

The Everyday Safeway/Woolworths card (not the CC) allows one to often earn say 3-6 QFF points points per $ whilst also earning 3 MR points per $ on the Amex. Using the various Gift Cards in store then allows spend at a range of other businesses to be similarly "supercharged".

lovetravellingoz

Unfortunately for those of us in Australia the Great Amex MR Points Promo Drought continues.

While we are used to our country often being dry and barren, we do not like our loyalty programs being sans-points-promos. With Amex MR at present they are favouring promos that provide cashback by spending at various businesses and stores. And while the cashback is nice, it is not as nice as a good points promo that one can take full advantage of.

I am having to make do with CC sign on bonii which are nice, but in the main go to the Qantas FF program that I tried and avoid putting points to if I can as it normally required high points, high taxes to redeem with availability in the pointy end being hard to get, and moreso when you want 2 or more tickets. My QFF balance is now almost larger that my points balance that I can get to *A redemptions.

mia

That would be because the promotions are funded by the merchants, rather than by American Express.

lovetravellingoz

You may be correct in terms of the current promotions. However there has not been a decent Amex MR points run opportunity since about March 2014, and that is the longest drought I have had with Amex MR in a long, long time. In particular there has always been some form of pre-Xmas (Oct-Dec)points promo in Australia, and in 2014 there was nothing.

I am still collecting FF/CC points by other means, but I have been used to a steady "rain" of Amex MR points. Here's hoping that another Amex MR Points Run Opportunity pops up soon.

lovetravellingoz

Luckily while point buying promos have been very thin, sign on bonii have by Australian standards (normally not as many players, or as generous) been quite frequent of late.

I just grabbed 40K of QFF points on a NAB Amex at $0 first year fee, and will have the wife do likewise soon. So that will be an easy 80K at no cost to add to the war-chest.

Sadly the MH option of using Amex MR points just got virtually closed off as they havejust basically doubled the cost of many redemptions from Australia based departures with their newly revised points tables for MH metal.

Still I grabbed two J returns to Kathmanadu, Nepal from Melbourne for this December for a spot of trekking to burn the points I had stored there for 2 J tickets to go to Europe next year after transferring points from Amex MR over Xmas to gain the 15% points bonus then on offer.

This will follow our African sojourn over June/July.

lovetravellingoz

Sadly my Amex MR balance only continues to crawl along at present due to lack of promo offers and more lucrative deals on some other cards. Sign-on bonii is the main avenue this year to keeping the various CC and FF balances growing. Sadly while there have been some good earns it has mainly een to the QFF program which tends to cost a lot for demptions in both points and fuel fins while also having very poor availabity on most routes in J/F.


Still Africa is now just over a month away. So time now to get the innoculations, International Driver Permit etc and so that glorious pre-trip excitement is really taking hold.

With the purchase of two new day-backpacks, we now have all our gear including binoculars sorted. Just the clothing now remains.

lovetravellingoz

Well we have now just returned to Australia after completing our 6 weeks trip from Nairobi, Kenya to Victoria Falls with a sojourn through Botswana and South Africa.


Camped on the shores of Lake Malawi, Malawi


It was an amazing trip and my wife rates it our best yet. From the 4500km 4WD drive, to sampling one of africa's best restaurants in The Test Kitchen, to the stunning views and wines of the Cape Town Region, to our final 1100km drive in the Kruger Region it was a lifetime full of memories.

If you are considering a similar self-drive trip 4WD, then my advice is to go for it! My planning post is in the Africa Sub-forum, and I will write up a post-trip report soon.It was an amazing trip!!! From the 4500km 4WD drive, to sampling one of africa's best restaurants in The Test Kitchen, to the stunning views and wines of the Cape Town Region, to our final 1100km drive in the Kruger Region it was a lifetime full of memories.

The wildlife was amazing and included experiences such as:
* Being within 10m of two rhinos while on foot
* Being only 5m away from two mating lions
* Being only 10m away from 3 male lions with a fresh kill of an antelope with 3 jackals circling them


Camped on the shores of Lake Malawi, Malawi


Sunset over the Zambezi River



Being within 10m of two rhinos while walking on foot



Being only 5m away from two mating lions.


Being only 10m away from 3 male lions with a fresh kill of an antelope with 3 jackals circling them


Kicking back with a glass of sauvignon blanc enjoying the best view in Kruger National Park from our cliff edge bungalow at Olifants Rest Camp.



A view that took your breath away - Walking the coast at Kleinmond, near Hermanus

If you are considering a similar self-drive trip 4WD, then my advice is to go for it!

NEPAL 2015
We are off to Nepal in December in J on Malaysian. Time to start planning exactly what we will do there. I have been there twice before, but 3 decades ago. Memories will be rekindled as Nepal was actually my very first international trip and long-haul flight.

FRANCE/ITALY 2016
With availablity just having opened up On SQ for the return leg I have just this week completed bookings for next July to fly to Paris in July, and back from Rome to MEL. Pompei and Amalfi coast here we come. We will also inlude a week long cycling trip in France.

percysmith

These are new miles right? No way your original 3M earn could've lasted so long given the flying you're doing...

lovetravellingoz

Well acquiring points has become somewhat addictive, but that addiction does have its benefits

Once you know to look, opportunties present. If one acts, cumulatively they add up.

So yes the 3M was used up a while back, but I still have a buffer of about 2M in unredeemed points.