Aescarnite

For some reason I've become slightly obsessed with FF programmes/rewards etc and was delighted to find this site full of apparently like minded people! However I'm still finding my feet and haven't quite made the plunge yet so I am looking for a little guidance...

My situation

1. Currently living in the UK, currently an infrequent flyer.
2. Moving to Darwin, Australia in Feb 2018 and looking to become a slightly more frequent flyer.
3. Currently have no status/miles on any airline FFP, however did join Qantas FFP a couple of weeks ago (and managed to avoid the joining fee as not yet and Australian resident!)
4. My partner and I will be travelling back to the UK 1-2 times/year (ideally to MAN but LHR isn't too much of a hassle either)
5. We will make a few Australian domestic trips a year (say total of 5 each?) to TSV, BNE, SYD, MEL etc in economy
6. We may have one trip each to SE Asia each year in economy.

Goals

Primary - The odd return Biz flight to UK for partner and I, or if this is totally impracticable, the odd return Biz to SE Asia.
Secondary - Access to decent lounges both domestically in Aus and on international flights when flying economy.


Questions

1. Do any of the Australian credit (or charge) cards offer a "companion ticket" option like the BA Amex card in the UK? From the research I've done so far it doesn't look like they do...
2. Qantas FF seems pretty hard to earn (decent) status on, compared to say, BA (tier points seem to be easier to earn and the thresholds for oneworld lounge access are lower) - is this your experience?
3. One the above point - I'm half thinking of doing a couple of mileage runs/holidays before leaving for Aus to try and get BA Gold status (oneworld Emerald), but then wonder whether in the long run that's the best thing given the fact I'll be wanting to fly domestically around Australia - what do you think?
4. Given the amount of flying I'll be doing I don't expect to earn too many miles/points from that, and expect most of it will come from credit/charge card spending. However, converting Amex MR etc to Qantas points doesn't seem like the best deal cf Asia miles and so I was planning on putting all my points from spending into something like Asia miles and leaving the flying miles as Qantas points - does this seem sensible, or am I running the risk of not being able to achieve my goals (above) since I've spread it across two programmes?
5. Credit/charge card bonuses - there seems to be some pretty good deals on at the moment (e.g. AMEX Explorer with 120K points and a $400 travel credit) but will expire before I arrive - do these seem to be repeated fairly frequently or are you currently experiencing the best deals?
6. Are there other obvious things I need to consider that I've missed out here?

Really appreciate any help from some of you more seasoned travellers, I've really enjoyed exploring and lurking in the forums so far and promise to contribute more when I have more to give Thanks in advance!

Mwenenzi

Aescarnite Welcome to FT & Aussie


How long will you be Darwin & Australia for?
A short time (few years) or for ever ?

From DRW to anywhere there is not a lot of airlines
For Eu/UK you will be better getting to SIN and then Eu/UK, even if separate ticket DRW-SIN. From SIN will able get SIN-MAN flight on SQ or SIN-XXX-MAN avoiding LHR
Going QF DRW-SYD-LHR is along way in the wrong direction
DRW-SIN-LHR & DRW-SYD-DXB-LHR route map

Aescarnite

Cheers Mwenenzi!

The move to Australia will be a permanent one, but I'll only be in DRW for around 2 years. Where I move then is TBC but I think it's likely to be BNE for the medium term.

Interesting idea about separating flights to get to SIN first, I'd not considered that - although does that push me further away from any Qantas FFP? Or would you just keep crediting any status credits to a Qantas account?

og

You can fly Jetstar (3K) SIN-DRW at the very lovely hours between 2300 and 0500 and collect QF FF points and SCs so long as you buy the right fare package. QF codeshare on this service. Personally, I'd fly in the daytime for such a short flight. And yes, that (further) lowers the appeal of QF FF and opens up the appeal of anything via SIN.

travelislife

I'd be going with VA and focusing on SQ for your UK trips. A lot of backtracking from Darwin on QF.

Mwenenzi

That is not a bad thing.

SIN-UK will give you a lot more options at (guessing) better pricing
BA fly SIN-LHR, so you could get a few minuscule QF points.
EK fly SIN-DXB-MAN, so you could get a few QF points.
Worth spending some money to avoid LHR transit and the domestic - international SYD transit
Is silly to fly down to south east to SYD/MEL just to fly back again.

MSPeconomist

It's good to join the QF program as you're likely to be flying them (at least domestically) at some point, but don't assume that you only need to look at QF.

The other carrier in Australia is Virgin Australia. They're not in an alliance, but they have a FF program (Velocity, which AFAIK has no fees to join, although they might want an Australian address, although not official residency or citizenship).

For trips back to England, your choices should be QF, BA, SQ, TG (through BKK), and the main Mideastern carriers, of which Qatar is in the same alliance as BA and QF. There's also either Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Australia, although these are separate airlines. In addition, you could also fly major European legacy carriers such as AF through CDG or LH through FRA.

IMO in addition to QF, you should join the VA and BA FF programs and probably some others as it's usually costless. A major decision will be the extent to which you should focus on earning in a single program versus being a free agent and just purchasing the cheapest and/or most convenient ticket.

You should also check whether you can retain British credit cards as an Aussie resident. In fact, as a new resident with (presumably a new job), it might not be easy to get a decent credit card in Australia right away, so you might need to plan ahead for this.

BTW, welcome to FT.

Mwenenzi

EK is a major ff partner of QF. EK have QF codeshares to many destinations
EY is a ff partner of VA. And EY owns a significant part of VA.

There are also Asian (including Chinese) airlines that offer Australia-Asia-Eu.

Virgin Atlantic VS no longer fly to Australia. Virgin Australia VA have just started flying to HKG. AF & LH do not fly into Australia.

You cannot be a BA ff member with an Au address. They do not allow Au members.

kirkwoodj

MSPeconomist

I would not advise connecting through mainland China. There are too many delays (opportunity for missed connections and being stranded for a night). Moreover, the airports at PVG, PEK, and CAN aren't nearly as nice as SIN, HKG, etc.

konagirl2

If you are flying leisure to the UK / SE Asia in economy, then you are unlikely to get any level of status with any OneWorld airline. Flights ex-Aus are expensive, so if you can fix your dates in advance, you can save a lot by ticketing returns from EU/UK rather than Aus. If you can be flexible in your travel times, business can be very affordable ex-EU (e.g. Nordic countries) on Qatar / other middle east or Asian airlines, but you may find it eats too much of your annual leave and/or you lose the benefit of travelling in J by doubling your travel time.

I am only in Aus for 2 years so have stayed in the BA program but struggle to fulfil the 4 flight requirement for status. QFF and BA both have significant fees (carrier surcharge, YQ, aka fuel surcharge) on redemption tickets and premium class redemptions Aus-EU and visa versa are gold dust. SIN/HKG-LHR are more available but then on separate tickets you need to consider adding in travel time.

Whilst having status is 'nice' and the showers, free food and extra baggage are appreciated, only you can say if the cost of a TP run is justifiable for what is effectively a few hundred pounds worth of free stuff. For me, getting BA Silver has meant I can transport my possessions to and from Aus without shipping, so worth the extra cost of airline loyalty. YMMV.

Amex still have good offers with cards, but you need to weigh up the offer with the yearly fee for the card. I'm not aware of any companion vouchers. Basically get a spreadsheet together of typical flight costs, redemption charges etc and work out if you think it is worth it for the miles you will be travelling. You shouldn't have a problem applying for a card in Aus. You can apply for a bank account before you leave the UK with many banks and a copy of your contract should be enough to qualify. I'm here for 2 years on a University contract (so moderate pay) and have churned 2 cards without issue.

Falcs

Easy enough solution is to use a relative or friends address

AustralianPoochie

I would stick with QF.
You say its hard to get status, I say its quite easy.
If you are going to fly back to the UK several times, its best QF.
QF also has links to EK, and you can earn full SC earn flying EK aircraft but QF flight number, DRW - PER (QF), PER - DXB (EK metal, QF flight number), DXB - MAN (EK metal, QF flight number)... meaning full QF SC earn.
You can also go visit NZ, flying JQ/Jetconnect, and earn QF SC on these fares.
The NZ southern alps are a must see, granted right now might not be the best, with the floods they had, but flying to ZQN on holidays, is a must do once at least.
Credit cards, true credit cards are nice to have, but ensure you can pay back the debt at the end of each month, or it can come back to bite you hard.
Take it from one who has had it happen to, till someone bailed me out.
If you do make income of Aud$2k a month, the Bankwest rewards debit account is best, you earn QF points rewards, but use your own money.
Or get a QCC (Qantas cash card), low points earn, but you use your own money, and the points automatically go to your QFF account to keep it alive.

blutek

Qantas' credit card selector:
http://www.qantas.com/cardselector/InitialLoadAction.do

woodduck

Can I ask why Darwin?
I'm only interested because I used to live there.