Hi,
I thought having 200k velocity points would help me in flying from Melbourne to Milan during the xmas period. Ideally I’d like to fly out on 26/12 return anywhere between 14-17 Jan 2017 but I’m finding all reward seats either sold or on a waitlist.
Can anyone advise what other options I may have apart from purchasing a full fare using no points.
I’m starting to think accumulating all these points hasn’t really helped me in travelling over this period.
Cheers
Gary
In addition to previous comments, my best tips are:\r\n\r\n1. For rewards flights (which are hard to come by because everyone in the know wants a deal), its best to book as soon as the dates are available for booking (10-12 months out). You have to understand that there are usually only a handful premium reward seats (as low as 2-4 seats in business on some flights). I understand this is not very useful for trips on short notice but that’s the nature of this game. Supply is low and demand is high.\r\n\r\n2. If you are out of ideas to use your points, join Impluse Points (by PH and iFLYflat). They suggest reward seat redemption options available in two weeks notice for quick weekend getaways.\r\n\r\nhttp://join.impulsepoints.com/\r\n\r\nGood luck
An alternative would be to check if there’s availability on Singapore Airlines - you can do this on their website. I’m skeptical you’ll find availability MEL-SIN, and SIN-MEL, but you might get lucky. If you’re prepared to fly to/from ADL, CBR, SYD or BNE you’ll increase your chances. My feeling is SIN-MXP and MXP-SIN you’re more likely to find something. Also check alternate airports SQ flies to in Europe.
If you find availability, transfer enough Velocity points over (allowing for the 1.35:1 transfer ration), and book immediately. It’s 95k Krisflyer miles each way, plus a 15% discount for booking online. This works out to be a bit less than 220k Velocity points return trip. If you don’t have this many, you can borrow some from an eligible family member. You can also buy blocks of 1000 SQ miles for US$40 each.
There are very few rewards seats in December January as this is airline peak. Unfortunately even 4 months out is too late as the very few would be snatched when released 11 months before the date.