thank you so much Princess fiona for all the input.

so that means I have discount economy which means 60k points to upgrade to premium economy. For both of us that would mean we can upgrade only one way .... hmm ... also after reading what the chances are to receive the upgrade, $800 seems like a gamble and yes, that money can be used to lot of extras that the travel agent offers during the trip.

maybe we'll just suck it up in the economy.

Im Gold FF, what access will I get in terms of lounges when I travel with Qantas and in what cities? Can I only access the lounge in Syd or is there one in London too and one in HK ? SG?

thanks !