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ALMOST THREE MILLION POINTS by a RTW BEER TASTING , READING NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE!!

ALMOST THREE MILLION POINTS by a RTW BEER TASTING , READING NEWSPAPERS AND THE LIKE!!

Old Mar 19, 2009, 6:05 am
  #91  
 
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Ohhh... The closest we have for leverage is a report to the firm's local nonprofit Better Business Bureau, but it's a pretty oblique remedy, at that. Thank you.

Sorry to lovetravellingoz and watchers for taking this off in my own ignorant directions. I'll be getting my coat...
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Old Mar 19, 2009, 8:43 pm
  #92  
 
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Originally Posted by Firewind
Thank you. I was about 15 pages up the Amex forum when I noticed your replies.

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Mercy. 5200 posts, 520 pages. Makes a piker of the Continental => ... => ... => Southwest alchemy fiasco, and the more recent Delta fiascos.

See @ #411 here for a little comic relief...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...-budget-2.html

*******************
What's FOS? It's probably way up the FAA thread, but maybe someone here can short cut it. Thanks.

Assuming you can read each post within 30 seconds (some are quite long), then you need to spend:

(5100 (posts) * 30(sec)) / (60 (minutes) * 60 (hours)) = 42.5 hours

to read the entire thread ........ Enjoy!!!!!!
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Old Mar 21, 2009, 7:12 am
  #93  
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Argh, I wish I would have know about this promo last year. I easily do 50-100 transactions per months without trying hard. This would have been fantastic. Oh well.
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 8:08 pm
  #94  
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Originally Posted by Landing Gear
If you ever get to New York, I will buy you a beer so I can hear the whole story.

.
Hi...looks like due a very cheap QF Sale that I could not resist I will be there the first two weeks in November. So I am looking forward to that New York Beer.


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Old Mar 22, 2009, 9:32 pm
  #95  
 
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Originally Posted by lovetravellingoz
Hi...looks like due a very cheap QF Sale that I could not resist I will be there the first two weeks in November. So I am looking forward to that New York Beer.


Huh...? So, what were all these trials and tribulations for??

I hope you aren't planning to save what you earned for your grandchildren, or even your girls, with the degradation that is inevitable. I'm not you, but if I were, I'd use those golden miles without delay. They'll never be more valuable than they are it this moment.* And any really good international economy fare is very unlikely to let you upgrade (I don't know QANTAS, of course).

Anyway, I'll try to get over to New York if it's still you're intent.


*For example, at the beginning of this year, the "price" of all international business class free awards went up by the equivalent of a domestic roundtrip (e.g., 25K). But you knew this.
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 9:55 pm
  #96  
 
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Originally Posted by Firewind
They'll never be more valuable than they are it this moment.* And any really good international economy fare is very unlikely to let you upgrade (I don't know QANTAS, of course).
This fare from Australia to JFK is too good to be true, and cheaper than buying using QFF points. The fare is usually 2x-3x the current cost, so the value of the points isn't as high as usual. Of course, this fare doesn't let you upgrade, as it's in O class.

See this thread on AFF and my post that does the calculations on this particular fare, comparing Australian Amex MR points with QFF points.

Originally Posted by futaris
Here's another way of looking at it, for those who have large windfalls from the Amex promo(s):

103,662 Amex MR points will get you BNE-LAX-JFK inc taxes (using the 1c/MR point scheme), and you'll earn ~20,000 QFF points.

Alternatively, if you wanted to convert into QFF and redeem that way, it'll cost you:

128,000 QFF points + ~$400 taxes

Of course the QFF redemption will earn no points or SCs, and the Amex MR redemption will earn points and SCs.

So, if you take away the 20,000 QFF that you'll earn, and decide to pay the $400 taxes in cash, essentially you can get the same flights for about 40k MR points, or about a third of the cost going through QFF. This is assuming that you're a NB (Bronze).

If you're a WP (Platinum), you'll earn 40k QFF, so taking away the 40k QFF that you'd earn, and assuming that you want to pay the taxes with cash (or credit card), it'll essentially cost you 20k MR points (+ ~$400 taxes). Effectively, here is an example where QFF points are worth six times less than a MR point.

$200 cheaper, and you'd be getting a real free ($0 fare) flight on a full-service airline (exc taxes). Isn't that how some of the LCCs (e.g. Ryan Air, Tiger, etc) are advertising their flights these days?

NB, redeeming the above, only requires a minimum of 1000 MR points. QFF Anyseat requires a minimum of whatever the classic award is, i.e. 128k.
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 10:54 pm
  #97  
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Originally Posted by Firewind
Huh...? So, what were all these trials and tribulations for??

I hope you aren't planning to save what you earned for your grandchildren, .
Have no fear..I am lining up some redemption trips too. ..and am on the look-out, including doing some numbers on possible transfer to some hotel programs for some destinations.

However due to a number of factors that affect availability and when the family and /or I can travel they will kick off say in July 2010 and then again in Xmas 2010....though I am keeping an eye out in case some extra Xmas 09 availability bobs up.

But as mentioned by Futaris above this trip was very cheap....made cheaper again for me as paying for it on a current Earth Amex Promo where I earn 4 points per $ and we will do it sans-kids. So it made more sense to buy rather than redeem in economy as I could not see avaialibity in J...though after this one hopefully most of my longer trips will be Business Class for a while.

Last edited by lovetravellingoz; Mar 23, 2009 at 12:09 am
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 11:01 pm
  #98  
 
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Ok. Thanks futaris for bringing forward those other threads. It is there, warts and all. (By the way, you guys are hard core on calculating the relative values of "free" vs. paying. I thought I was good at it. I can't put a patch on you.) As long as you can upgrade, we are in sync as to the conclusion. SYD-JFK is obviously not to be done in coach-- even with the 380's new foot baggie...

And, OT and since I don't belong to AFF, for the person in that forum and thread who's got the long string planned, if he's already going to MCO and Disney World, don't bother with Disneyland.

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EDIT to lovetravellingoz, since I was overwriting you: Bless you (and your wife) for doing the whole run in coach, if I'm reading you right. Well, you've already proved yourself a glutton for punishment marathoner. You should take the Ambien offer at the top of the AFF thread. (I'd insert a sodded smiley here, but can't on edit.)

Last edited by Firewind; Mar 22, 2009 at 11:11 pm
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Old Mar 22, 2009, 11:20 pm
  #99  
 
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Originally Posted by Firewind
Ok. Thanks futaris for bringing forward those other threads. It is there, warts and all. (By the way, you guys are hard core on calculating the relative values of "free" vs. paying. I thought I was good at it. I can't put a patch on you.)
I think that's the standard way of calculating cost. Most of the Mileage Run forum people calculate in a similar way.

SYD-JFK is obviously not to be done in coach-- even with the 380's new foot baggie...
There are some doing SFO-HNL-LAX-SYD-LAX-HNL-SFO on UA. See the MR forum. And then of course there's Kiwi Flyer and his trip reports, e.g. around the world several times in a month.
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Old Apr 8, 2009, 1:15 am
  #100  
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Yeh !!! ..just booked my first J flights using some of the points earnt to spend several weeks in Vietnam at Christmas time (School Holidays in Oz).

4 J rewards with SQ MEL-SIN- Ho Chi Minh & return Hanoi-SIN MEL.

Point cost was quite good IMO at 306K in total for 4 pax for all flights =76.5 K per person.

However SQ plus taxes are still high...about $Aust470 ($US330) each (note that this is fuel fines and airport taxes)...say about double what many other airlines are for the same origin and destinations due to SQ fuel fines.

Though the extra dollar cost is I feel more than offset by obtaining Saver Awards (though this means not getting the newer jets) with the extra 15% of for on-line reduction.

Certainly looking at other airlines that I could redeem with after taking into account transfer rates the point cost was far higher with the other airlines that I can access.

Also the point cost is 76.5K whether you fly just to SIN..or onward to Vietnam (or for that matter other regional destinations such as Thailand etc..).

So all in all I think it is agood use of points for my circumstances and getting 4 seats in J all together was a big plus too.

Now to start planning the trip to Europe.

Last edited by lovetravellingoz; Apr 8, 2009 at 6:56 am
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Old Apr 8, 2009, 2:15 am
  #101  
 
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lovetravellingoz, that does look like an efficient use of points, and via the best carrier. But the t&f make me gag. Guess there's no way around them, or you, of all people, would have found it. LHR has the reputation for being the worst place to fly "free", but methinks your itinerary would provide a month's wages in your destination. Well, for your part, you'll probably offset it with what you'll pay for accommodation in Vietnam. That would work for me. (I used to spend a fortune to save one by travelling "free" to some exotic destinations, but now look at the whole picture...) So, on balance, "Yeh!"
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Old Apr 8, 2009, 6:50 am
  #102  
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Originally Posted by Firewind
lovetravellingoz, that does look like an efficient use of points, and via the best carrier. But the t&f make me gag. Guess there's no way around them, or you, of all people, would have found it. LHR has the reputation for being the worst place to fly "free", but methinks your itinerary would provide a month's wages in your destination. Well, for your part, you'll probably offset it with what you'll pay for accommodation in Vietnam. That would work for me. (I used to spend a fortune to save one by travelling "free" to some exotic destinations, but now look at the whole picture...) So, on balance, "Yeh!"
Yes the tickets priced up at over $21K...so after deducting the ++taxes...it is 306K for $19K..say 6.2 cents per point (all in $Aust).
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Old Jul 17, 2009, 10:48 pm
  #103  
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Well with the 350 day advance period having ticked up I have now redeemed for 4 J tickets to Europe on SQ for mid 2010.

So English beer and Pubs here I come!!!!

One leg was on a 744...but a few days after booking SQ has changed all the 744 flights between MEL and SIN to the A380....so that has now meant that I am now on the A380 which is a plus because the normal points cost for that plane is double what I redeemed for....not mention beinga better plane!!!!

Ditto for one of my legs to Vietnam via SIN for this Xmas which will also now be on the A380....and which will actually be for my first J flights redeemed from the Amex Promo points. So a grand way to start.

Now to just wait for the 350 advance period to arrive for an Xmas 2010 redemption. Europe again methinks.

Meanwhile several later promos are keeping the points topped up almost as fast as I am redeeming them.... (An Amex Max 0.5 bonus on top of normal points and now a Westpac KF card with 10K sign-on and 3 points per $).

Last edited by lovetravellingoz; Jul 17, 2009 at 10:58 pm
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Old Jul 31, 2009, 11:46 pm
  #104  
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Well the 350 days has past and so I now have my 4 J seats from Amsterdam back to MEL.

Unfortunately this needs to be on consecutive days as there are only two Savers per flight.

Also has to book the 733 for the SIN-MEL leg as the 744 no longer available. I am hoping that by next July that the 733 will either have had the new J upgrade or have been replaced though.

Rumour has it that another Amex Promo will be on in Sept. Lets hope so.

Still since the Everday Promo I have not been out of a promo as there have been a series of overlapping Promos from various companies and so it has beena great 9 months for turbo-charging one's point earn.

*Amex Everday Promo
*Earth Promo (a quick 170K )
*Amex 0.5 point per $ Promo
*Westpac KF 3 points per $ Promo. (lasts till Oct 31)
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Old Aug 4, 2009, 6:27 am
  #105  
 
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I just saw this thread today and it was a pleasure to read. Unfortunately there are no such promos with Amex Germany.
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