Yahoo Finance Qantas Frequent Flyer points: The best and worst ways to use them
A Qantas member has questioned if a BP offer to slash his petrol bill is worth using points on.
Qantas Frequent Flyer members have countless ways to claim their hard-earned points but should be picky when choosing what to spend them on.
A Qantas member was prompted to use 19,000 points to reduce their fuel bill by $100 when filling up the tank at a BP but was told this was the “worst way to spend points”.
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So, is the fuel purchase good value? Frequent flyer point expert Angus Kidman crunched the numbers and said users should try to get at least $20 worth of value from every 1,000 points spent.
"So, a fuel offer that only gets you about $5 in value for each 1,000 points really isn't going to cut the mustard,” the Finder expert told Yahoo Finance.
"19,000 points is enough for a return Sydney-Melbourne flight, which will easily give you $200 or more in value.”
He said upgrades to business or first class were the best value but “notoriously tricky” to get so he suggested planning to use them for domestic economy flights instead.
"Availability of rewards seats is much better than at the pointy end of the plane, and you'll still easily get $20 or more in value for each 1,000 points you spend,” he said.
How else can I use my Qantas points?
The Sydney Qantas member said he was not too interested in using his points for flights, flight upgrades, wine or hotels, and had amassed a balance of 350,000 points.
That would equate to $1,850 worth of fuel.
Commenters on Facebook offered some different ways to spend frequent flyer points that they thought had been of value.
One recommendation was to wait for a sale at the Qantas marketplace, which has a range of products including a Weber barbecue, Bose headphones, Samsung and Apple devices, Dyson vacuums and AirWraps, Ecovac or iRobot robot vacuums, DeLonghi coffee machines and even R. M. Williams boots.
If looking for a gift, there are Pandora earrings, Pierre Cardin bags, Country Road clothing, Mont Blanc wallets or Seiko watches.
Points can also be used to buy gift cards.
Best ways to use your points
1. Flight upgrades: 2 to 8 cents per point
2. Business class flights: 3.5 to 6.5 cents per point
3. Premium flights: 3 to 4 cents per point
4. Economy flights: 1.3 to 2.5 cents per point
5. Hotels or car rentals: 0.65 to 0.85 cents per point
6. Gift cards or products: 0.3 to 0.6 cents per point
7. Charity donations: 0.7 to 0.8 cents per point
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