How to best use frequent flyer points for business class flights to Rome?

Flights & Airfares
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1

I am completely lost in the complexity of all this points transfer etc.

I have some 530,000 Citibank reward points and about 150,000 frequent flyer points.

My wife and I want to fly to Rome returning from Venice in May and I keep going around in circles trying to work out the best utilisation of the points.

Cab someone please help me or point me?

Arthur

2

Qantas Frequent Flyer

3

Hi Arthur,

Citi Reward points can be transferred into either KrisFlyer (Singapore Air), Emirates Skywards or Velocity (Virgin). So if you transfer them all you’ll end up with your 150,000 Qantas points, plus 212000 Velocity points or 176000 Skywards points or 176000 KrisFlyer points.

Each of the above is enough points for one one-way flight in Business to Europe. So you have enough points for two flights, but each on a different airline.

You really have four options:

  • Don't use points at all this time around, and keep saving them for a future trip.
  • Use your points for one trip each-way, and pay for the second ticket.
  • Try to grab enough points for at least one more trip via a credit-card sign-up deal, and hope the bonus points come through soon enough for them to be useful. (Or you and your wife each sign up for a credit card with a  hefty sign-up deal).
  • Give up on Business and fly Economy (for which you have enough points to fund your entire trip).
Over to you!
4

Many thanks for that - need to have a good think about it.

 

Arthur

5

For a May departure it is unlikely you will find any Business Saver Seats (lowest number of points for a redemption seat) in any frequent flyer scheme.  Anytime award seats will be a lot more expensive in terms of points required.  Economy might be better award availability.  If it was my trip I would only be prepared to use points for Business; would not burn them on an anytime seat award but rather plan further out for the next trip - 10 months minimum, get a dollar price from Turkish Airlines for Australia into Italy as right now they are offering very good pricing (via the Turkish Airlines web site).

Cheers

6

In what programme or programmes are your 150,000 FF points in?