Hi all
Very new to the game so appreciate any advise I can get!
Myself and my Partner are looking to go on a trip July 2023, first from Melbourne to Istanbul Turkey, then around Italy, and then returning to Melbourne from Greece. I’m trying to decide on which FF will be better for us, with both of us having Qantas FF and Velocity, but will probably get Krisflyer also. At first glance, it seems that Velocity and their partners will be able to get us to Istanbul, and from Athens it looks like the cheapest may be through there also but more options through Qantas with emirates etc.
Looking at using Credit Cards so don’t want to load up on the wrong one!
We would like to go business class for at least one of the long hauls, but is this unrealistic considering we are new? Back to Melbourne would be ideal but I’m not sure how I would go about making this happen using points or points plus pay? Or just try with an upgrade bid?
Any info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Hi @lockiebender95
Welcome to the game!
The very first question we need to know before we can help you specifically: how many points do you have now, and in which programmes? Do you have the points to enable you to book right now, or will you have to spend some months accumulating enough points before you can book?
I’ve been looking very closely at flights between Melbourne and Istanbul for some time now. I can report that KrisFlyer and Velocity are the programmes that have the most availability. As far as I can see, the initial release of business class reward seats for July 2023 from Melbourne to Istanbul was snaffled long ago, but there’s still reasonably good availability in Singapore Airlines Premium Economy for many days in July.
If you have KrisFlyer points, your advantage is that you can book Star Alliance airlines such as Turkish Airlines (which flies to Istanbul from many destinations in Asia, including Singapore). The advantage of Velocity points is that you can use them (among others) for Qatar Airways flights – a great option as they have 2 flights a day out of Melbourne and 4 flights a day into Istanbul’s two airports.
I know less about the best ways to get from Athens to Melbourne, but from the destinations in Europe that I have been actively monitoring, my advice remains the same: Velocity and/or KrisFlyer.
If you don’t have the points already, your safest option is to accumulate them in a flexible rewards programme so you can transfer the points into whichever frequent flyer programme has flights available.
But let us know what your current points situation is, and we can go from there.
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Thank you! Really appreciate the advice
Unfortunately no points at the moment, so will need to spend a few months accumulating (plus credit card bonuses).
I’m happy to hear that velocity and KrisFlyer seem the most appropriate, I was leaning towards them!
I’ll definitely look into the flexible points program too!
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Sounds like a plan! I think you’re on top of things in terms of knowing what to do next. We can’t give specific financial advice here, but you might like to consider both you and your partner signing up to credit cards with sign-up bonuses: it means you’ll accumulate the points twice as quickly!
When you have the points you need, or you’re close to having them, feel free to pop back here and we’ll help you find what’s available.
In the meantime, research routes, options and availability, and generally take the time to soak up as much information as you can.
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