So having strategised endlessly about how to use my expiring RUs (see earlier posts) which I did successfully (at the cost of a few hundred dollars in change fees), I now find myself in the position of cancelling these flights!

The flights we have are paid PE from SYD-AKL-SFO in mid-August and LAX-AKL-SYD in September; outbound longhaul upgraded to BP with RUs expiring in September 2023 and return longhaul upgraded with APDs, both confirmed.

All of a sudden the softening travel demand has seen QF release the kind of premium cabin fare sale I've not seen since heady pre-Covid days, which means I can pocket about A$3.6K (even after cancellation fees) by cancelling our two NZ PE tickets and booking 2x PE on QF. Our QF points upgrades won't be guaranteed but partner is QF Plat so our chances aren't too bad, plus we're actively trying to maintain status on QF (unlike NZ) and we save a fair bit of travel time.

So the decision is made, and the QF flights are booked... and yet I find myself hesitating to cancel my NZ flights.

I think it's partly because of the cognitive dissonance of cancelling confirmed business class upgrades I worked hard to get - I'll get over that. But it's also because I can't help wondering whether there's *some* way I could still use those RUs, especially given there's a chance I might need to make a work trip to the US in September for which this could be a more cost-effective option than work paying for business. But presumably any date change to the outbound SYD-AKL-SFO (unless perhaps it was involuntary, and initiated by NZ) would just result in me forfeiting them, right?

I'm sure I just need to go right ahead and cancel. It just feels so wrong!