Good afternoon,

In October 09, I travelled MAN-MCO for some training, flying VS. I earned around 6k miles on a new account and forgot about them.

Since then, my brother has emigrated to Australia. I have always wanted to go but costs have prohibited it. I would love to visit him one day (and save on hotel bills!) but with fuel costs ever increasing, it seemed unlikely.

Remembering my paltry 6k miles, I did some research and found that I could earn more miles on the ground, than I ever would in the air. I have a VS white card and do all the spending I can with it via the referral links from the FC page (Amex isn't accepted everywhere in the UK). I use Avis whenever possible and I partake in E-Rewards surveys when I have time. I am also currently looking into the 5k miles life insurance offer with friends provident.

A year on, I am up to 18,000 miles and my mile earnings have slowed considerably. I am not sure I will ever get to the 105,000 miles required for a return ticket to Sydney... Or even halfway to HK!

Life story over, if you are still reading, thanks! I have two questions.

Is there any other way to earn miles that I have overlooked? Unfortunately when I do fly, ticket price takes precedence over carrier and VS is rarely competitive.

If and when I hit 105,000, I understand I am still expected to pay taxes and fees. There are often offers on other carriers at around £800 return (no mile redemption required). How much would VS be asking of me?

I know this is not the kind of question most well travelled members of this forum are expecting to see, but I am hoping someone could offer some advice.

Thanks for listening