Originally Posted by
QF Lad
Thats really points + pay, and almost $1000 in "taxes" for a return ticket. I am a pretty loyal QF person, but those kind of redemption charges make even me think that it is time to look for another frequent flyer plan.
Yup. I'm making the switch to crediting everything to AA from February. Should have done it last year, but that's life.
~65,000 miles last year (& ~115,000 miles the year before) got me essentially nothing on QF and would cost me, as you say, ~$450+ each way on award ticketing costs. The same mileage on AA gets me Platinum status (QF silver & OW Ruby vs AA Plt & OW Sapphire!) and AA's redemption rate is lower at ~65,000 miles for a transpacific flight vs QF's ~85,000. I'll throw in an Admiral's Club membership at $350 (with online discount codes) for the year while I'm building points again on AA so that I still have AA/BA/QF lounge access globally.
There is zero reason to stick with QFF IMO. I'm still going to fly QF 2-3 times a year, but I'm just going to book & credit through AA from now on.