I took out an American Express card earlier this year, which came with a bonus 25,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points.
Thanks to that, a Mastercard I’ve had for two years and some holiday spending, I have accrued 85,000 points. It’s a significant amount, and I now have some attractive flight options.
For instance, I could book a return flight to India, Japan or South Africa.
I could book two return tickets to Auckland, Christchurch, Cairns, Darwin or Perth.
I doubt we’ll use the points in the next 12-24 months, but it’s good to know they’re accumulating.
Unlike Fly Buys, the good thing about the Qantas program is the points don’t drop off if you don’t use them within a certain timeframe.
Hopefully, we’ll double the points in the next three years. That would entitle Juliet and I to a return trip to South Africa or Europe, or possibly we could fly the family to Perth for a repeat of the Mandurah summer holiday we used to enjoy from Kalgoorlie.
Another feature of the American Express card is I get a free return flight with Qantas each year to Sydney or Brisbane. I might go to Brisbane for a Lions game, or maybe to Sydney for a rugby test and to see the great view (pictured) again.
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I puffy heart Qantas. I flew Qantas from LAX to Brisbane and back. Awesome both ways!
I have a US Airways Mastercard that accumulates points. So far I’ve gone round trip to Vancouver twice and I’m a mere 2500 points away from another trip. I like the way the cards work — I get miles for buying things I was going to buy anyway.
(Qantas has better looking planes than US Airways, but you gotta take what you can get.)
Am I really missing something big here?
I don’t even have a credit card because I figure if I don’t have the cash to buy things, I don’t get it.
Would I behave differntly with a credit card? I have been comfortable always knowing I only buy what I can pay for.
I guess it means missing out in one way, “frequent flyer stuff”, but “my way” is the only way I know. Suppose this means I am boring and predicatble…safe? whatever..
Twitter: mgorey
says:
Credit cards can be a trap if you spend beyond your means. But if you use them responsibly they’re a great tool.
When I travelled overseas I deposited cash on my Mastercard and used it like a debit card. I try to do the same thing now.
Generally I pay the full amount owing at the end of each month. Getting Frequent Flyer points for paying bills is a bonus.