Author: Matt Graham
Diners Club: Still Good Value?
The value in many Australian credit cards has diminished in recent months, as banks respond to the RBA’s new interchange fee rules. But how have the changes affected Diners Club, which markets itself as a “premium” option? Diners Club credit card points can be transferred to a very wide range of airline frequent flyer and … Continued
Airport Lounges: Money down the Drain?
Many frequent flyers go out of their way to access airport lounges. Some purchase lounge memberships; others always book the same airline so they can use the lounge. But is airport lounge access really worth paying for? At least one member believes not. This member opines that the food and beverage at terminal retail outlets … Continued
Call and Surf Overseas without Roaming Fees
Using your mobile phone overseas can be an expensive exercise. But it doesn’t have to be. Many telcos now offer special deals on global roaming. You can save even more money by purchasing a local SIM card at your destination. If you want to keep your Australian phone number when travelling overseas, you’ll need to … Continued
New Business Seats for Virgin’s 737s
As Virgin Australia expands its presence in Hong Kong and China (starting with the launch of Melbourne-Hong Kong flights this month), the airline is left with a small problem. Virgin will soon be using its small fleet of six wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft to fly to Asia. This means these aircraft will no longer be … Continued
Virgin Rescinds Points on Air New Zealand
Virgin Australia frequent flyers will no longer earn Velocity points or status credits when flying Air New Zealand across the Pacific from 1 November, 2017. From this date, points will only be earned when flying Air New Zealand across the Tasman or within New Zealand. Velocity Silver, Gold and Platinum members will also lose access … Continued
Faking Platinum One Status
It takes a lot of flying to achieve Qantas Platinum One status. But as one member recently discovered, there is another way. Well, kind of… This member recently noticed that a colleague with Gold status was proudly displaying Platinum One bag tags on their luggage. When questioned, this colleague admitted to buying the Q bag … Continued
Driving Ireland (Plus Some Detours)
Our member OZDUCK recently returned from a month-long trip around Ireland. The trip also included a range of detours to places like Singapore, Helsinki and Tallinn. To get to Dublin, our member took advantage of a great Finnair Business Class sale to Europe, departing from Singapore. Singapore Airlines then filled the gap between Perth and … Continued
Loss of Exit Row Seats
Gold and Platinum frequent flyers will no longer be able to enjoy the extra legroom of exit row seats free of charge. Qantas has begun charging for these prized seats on all flights. This includes short domestic flights. All flyers will now need to pay the fee, which ranges from $20 to $180 per flight, … Continued
How to Stop Qantas Points Expiring
Frequent flyer points do not have an unlimited life. Your Qantas points will expire if your account is inactive for more than 18 months. If your points are due to expire soon, you can prevent this by earning or redeeming at least one Qantas point before this happens. Otherwise, you stand to lose your entire … Continued