Frequent flyer and hotel loyalty schemes can make travel much more pleasant, but they shouldn’t become the goal in themselves. Here are six signs you might be taking your points-scoring too far. More »
I have been happily using my no-fee Citibank platinum credit card for quite a while, but now they have halved the earn on frequent flyer points. Any advice on credit cards that earn frequent flyer points with a low enough annual fee to justify it? Thanks, Pointed Question More »
A quick note for anyone contemplating Virgin’s offer to status match with rival Frequent Flyer programs: that promotion is now set to end at midnight this Friday. Worth getting in if you’re eligible (my upgrade came through four days after I applied). [Virgin Australia Twitter]
As expected, Optus has today officially launched its Optus Rewards scheme, which lets you earn two Qantas frequent flyer points for every dollar you spend with the carrier. That’s a useful way to top up your points, though it’s unlikely to score you a free flight on its own. More »
Optus promised back in May that it would let its customers earn points for Qantas Frequent Flyer through their phone expenditure; those plans are due to be released on Thursday. We’ll be covering the new option in detail on Lifehacker once they’re announced. In the meantime, remember to plan carefully for your own needs when spending your points however you earn them.
Airline Virgin Australia is obviously taking its customer service battle with Qantas pretty seriously: it is offering to match the existing status of Gold or Platinum members from other airline frequent flyer programs, giving you the option to jump the ranks (and potentially get free lounge access) without taking a bunch of flights. More »
We ran a post earlier today suggesting that using frequent flyer points for upgrades often makes more sense than using them to buy flights. That can often apply — indeed, I’ve advocated it myself in the past — but it doesn’t trump the ultimate rule of using frequent flyer points: there is no single rule that works for everybody, because everyone has different needs and opportunities. More »
If you’re going to fly, it makes sense to try and accumulate frequent flyer points, but the $82.50 signup fee has often been a disincentive for occasional flyers to join the Qantas program. As part of a cross-promotion with Jetstar, right now you can join Qantas Frequent Flyer at no charge. More »
Competition by airlines for regular business flyers is fierce, so it makes sense that Virgin is offering free lounge access to Qantas platinum and gold flyers. The catch? It’s only for a couple of months in two cities. More »
