Raffles Hotel in Singapore has a long-standing reputation of being one of the world’s most iconic and storied hotels. And its ranking amongst the world’s best has only been enhanced by recent multi-million-dollar restorations. Previously we’d only visited Raffles for a Singapore Sling in the historic Long Bar or to browse the boutique shopping gallery, … Read more Amazing Raffles
Use my Points checklist to make sure YOU are collecting points from all the sources and activities on offer from Qantas and its partners.Read more My 2019 Frequent Flyer Report Card
Monteverde is a small, windy town high in the Costa Rican “cloud forest”. It is essentially a tourist town, hub for hiking, mountain biking, horse riding and extreme sports. Parts of the town are typically Costa Rican, with makeshift store fronts and dogs roaming the streets. But the centre has developed a decidedly hipster vibe, … Read more Monteverde Costa Rica Blog
Ah San Jose, what can I say about you? You’re not the prettiest capital city I’ve ever seen…. but you just might be the ugliest.In fairness, arriving on New Year’s Day when everything is closed and the clean up from the night before is still to begin, probably won’t make the best first impression for … Read more San Jose Blog
Four hours from the unremarkable capital San Jose you’ll find a beautiful natural paradise in Manuel Antonio National Park. We are staying in Quepos, a small town just 7km from the park entrance and an array of wonderful dark sand beaches. Public buses run every 20 minutes to a public beach outside the park. There’s … Read more Pura Vida in Costa Rica
Bernstein and Sondheim’s Westside Story is now playing at the Arts Centre Melbourne. This was the first time I’ve seen this show on stage and it felt as new and exciting as it must have been when it opened on Broadway in 1957. It has since garnered a reputation as the best musical of all time and it would be hard to argue against that claim.
This production uses Jerome Robbins original Tony winning choreography, and the Australian cast do it proud. The show delivers one killer dance routine after another, and is an integral part of the story telling.
Bernstein’s music combine with Sondheim’s lyrics and Robbins choreography to redefine the genre. It really is that good.
If you’ve never seen West Side Story on stage you should get to the Arts Centre before this show closes.
A premium credit card is the fastest way to build your points balance and get you closer to that first-class awards flight on QF1 to London! And you don’t have to be a CEO of a listed company to qualify.
If you’re serious about collecting points, then you need to have an American Express card AND a Visa or Mastercard to maximize your points earning opportunities.
The features of a great points earning card are: Sign on Bonus Points High earn rate per $ spent Discounted or waived first annual fee Travel Privileges
The interest rate doesn’t matter because you’re going to pay the amount due IN FULL, EVERY MONTH, by the DUE DATE. If you overlook this part, all of the benefits will be wiped by interest charges (which is what the card providers are counting on to help make their products profitable – just don’t do it!) So, here’s a working example of the two credit cards on the market right now that I would choose to turbo charge by points balance:
Qantas American Express Ultimate Card Sign on Bonus 100,000 points Earn Rate 1.25 points per $ spent, UNCAPPED Annual Fee $450 Annual Qantas Credit $450, Trav. Ins., Lounge access offers
I have this card and I love it. Sure, it comes at a premium price of $450pa, but this is offset by the annual $450 travel credit (for Qantas flights booked through American Express Travel). It forces me to spend at least $450 a year on Qantas flights – what a chore right???
Here’s a referral link to the Qantas Amex Ultimate:
Now, because your AMEX card won’t be accepted at all merchants, or may incur a surcharge with some merchants (its not worth paying a 2% surcharge just to collect QFF points), I recommend having either a VISA or Mastercard in your arsenal.
One of the best is ANZ’s Frequent Flyer Black VISA
Sign on Bonus 100,000 points Earn Rate 1 point per $ spent to $7,500, then 0.5 points per $ Annual Fee $425 with $200 cash back in first year Travel Insurance, Lounge access offers
It’s a reasonably expensive card, particularly after the first year. But as an ANZ mortgage customer, the annual fee is waived so I am more than happy to hang on to this card. If you don’t have an ANZ mortgage, there is nothing to stop you closing the account inside the first anniversary and applying for another bank’s points earning product.
Credit card churn is a thing. The Banks hate it. But you can make it work for you.
With these two cards in hand, spending $1500 per month per card, you will rack up over 240,000 Qantas points in the first year. That’s enough for return flights Melbourne to London!
I value those points somewhere between $1440 and $7200 (more on the value of points in another instalment). Even if the annual fees seem expensive at first glance (total $675 in first year), you are getting a minimum $1440 pay back, so this actually make good financial sense. Beware though, holding too many cards or having too much credit could be a barrier to you getting other forms of finance like a a home loan. Only ask for as much credit limit as you need, and be prepared to lower it or close a card if needed to meet lending requirements.
Key Point – take up an American Express AND a VISA or Mastercard with generous sign on points Bonus
Key Point – Use your AMEX as your preferred card, wherever it is accepted and does not incur a surcharge. Use your cards for all your purchases, big and small
Key Point – be sure to meet the minimum spend in first 3 months on EACH card to obtain the bonus points.
Key Point – be disciplined and pay the full statement balance by the due date every month or you will incur interest payments that could undo the benefit of all those points you collected
Key Point – Only buy the things you would normally buy. Don’t go on a spending spree just to chase points!
International travel doesn’t have to be all about self-indulgent hedonism. Sometimes we can make a small statement with the choices we make about where to go, how to get there, and where to stay. That’s why I’m putting out the call for all my friends to boycott Royal Brunei Airlines, and hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Group.
Brunei has just introduced the death penalty for homosexual acts and for adultery. And if that isn’t barbaric enough, it is DEATH BY STONING.
RB is a state-owned airline, so I would urge anyone who cares about human rights, or the safety and fair treatment of LGBTI people around the world, to think twice before flying Royal Brunei. And while we’re at it, let’s also boycott visiting Brunei, or staying at international hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Group (controlled by the Sultan of Brunei, one of the world’s richest men).
The Hotels include the Dorchester Collection and the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Australian Senator Penny Wong says Brunei’s Penal Code breaches the UN Declaration of Human Rights, so we can only hope that the Australian Government will reconsider its trade and business arrangements with Brunei. They could start by revoking Royal Brunei Airlines right to fly into Australia. We can only hope that something is done before the first public executions begin.
The first thing you’re going to need is a Qantas Frequent Flyer account. Don’t have one? (why the hell not??)
Let’s get you signed up for free (don’t be the chump who pays $99 by signing up directly at Qantas.com.au).
Enter this search string into your browser (a new tab, don’t close this one!): “qantas frequent flyer membership free”
There will be a heap of ways to sign up for free, with new ones popping up all the time.
Some of the easiest sites to enroll from are Woolworths Rewards, Australia’s major banks, Luxury Escapes… it really doesn’t matter which one you use, but here’s a link that at the time of writing was active:
Start building your profile, set up a pin, enter your email address…. look, you know how to fill in a form so you can take it from here.
Congrats! Welcome to the Club!
Now, be sure to sign up your whole family to maximise your opportunites (points are transferrable – we’ll come to that another day)
Now that you’re a member, sign up for all the emails and updates. Qantas wants to get to know you, how you like to travel, where you want to go etc…
And make sure you keep a regular check on your emails, because this is where you’ll be able to take advantage of points and bonus offers when they come along.
For example, I got 1000 points just by clicking yes to getting a quote for solar panels. Two minutes of my time for 1000 points – yes please. (no, I didn’t go ahead and get solar panels but I’m thinking about it)
KEY POINT: SIGN UP FOR FREE, SIGN UP YOUR WHOLE FAMILY!
KEY POINT: SIGN UP TO EMAILS, UPDATES & NEWSLETTERS & WAIT FOR OFFERS TO ARRIVE
Want to know how I earned 400,000+ Qantas points last year and only flew Qantas on 2 domestic flights?
A lot of people probably think they’ll never have enough points to get a free flight, or that there are too many hidden catches, or that it is all just too difficult to worry about.
That’s why the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is hands-down my favourite airline loyalty program – there are so many ways to earn points, just by doing the things you normally do, buy, or pay for.
And if you live in Australia, Qantas and its partner airlines offer probably the most ways to use your points.
In this series of tips and hacks I’m going to explain how I’ve collected more than a million Qantas points over the last 3 years and used them for a points upgrade to Business Class MEL-LAX, and a First Class Emirates Award flight from Melbourne to Singapore. Points matter!
I’ve been travelling since I was 20, visited more than 40 countries, written travel articles for magazines and newspapers, and love to talk about and hear about peoples travels.
There is so much to explore in travel, and the journeys are just as important as the destinations. I’ll be giving tips on airlines, frequent flyer benefits, hotels, restaurants, museums, tours, shows – and just about anything that happens on my travels.
And because my family love to travel just as much as I do, you might also be hearing from my partner Stef, and my daughters Dana and Lucy
Gay Pride March, New York 2015 with my daughters
Here are some of my travel stats:
First Overseas Trip Trekking in the Himalayas 1985 Favourite Airline QANTAS Top 5 Travel Experiences Holding hands with a wild mountain gorilla in Rwanda Standing on the summit of Kilimanjaro Proposing to my boyfriend under the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center New York Descending into the magma chamber of a dormant volcano in Iceland Taking my 3 kids to Disneyland (happiest place on earth!) Top 5 Favourite Cities London, New York, Kathmandu, Santiago, Havana Top 5 Favourite Countries England, USA, Nepal, Iceland, Italy Top 5 Places I Want to Go Madagascar, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Costa Rica Top 5 Places I Want to Go Back To India, Chile, Maldives, Iceland, Morocco
brettaway.com 