A Guide To Getting The Most Out Of Your Frequent Flyer Points

There are plenty of ways to spend your frequent flyer points: flights, accommodation and car rental is just the beginning in a multitude of offers.

Having said this, not all redemptions offer good value, and for most people it can be easy to make a poor value redemption without even realising. Personally, I aim to get at least two cents per point in value for each redemption I make with Qantas or Virgin Australia’s Velocity frequent flyer programs.

Although, often you can get much more than this. This guide aims to help you understand some of the best and worst value redemptions you can get when spending your points. All prices and points required for flights are quoted assuming a one-way trip.

The most questionable ways to spend frequent flyer points:

1. Redeeming points for products

Redeeming points for products is consistently one of the worst uses of frequent flyer points. It can be tempting to order the latest iPhone through an airline’s online reward store, but the amount charged often constitutes poor value when compared to flying with your points.

For example, you can pick up a Scanpan Techniq the Windsor saucepan online at the Qantas rewards store for 71,920 Qantas Points. Undoubtedly, this looks like a nice saucepan, but the sting comes when you take a closer look at that price point. I found the same pan online for $170 with multiple online retailers including Catch. This means that you would be valuing each point at around 0.24 cents, which is terrible value. For 3,500 fewer points you could redeem a Qantas business-class flight from Melbourne to Singapore.

2. Redeeming international economy flights

Typically, international economy reward seats offer poor to average value. Qantas economy flights from Melbourne to Hong Kong start at around $600 or 25,200 points and $138 in taxes for a points redemption. That means each point would be valued at around 1.8 cents. In comparison, a business-class redemption on the same flight works out to 4.5 cents per point.

3. Booking with Points Plus Pay

Most airlines offer an option to offset the ticket price of your flight using points. This means that you can use your points for any flight with available seats. As the points pricing is based on the cash fare, this method generally offers poor value in comparison to an award seat.

For example, using Qantas’s Points Plus Pay for a $249 economy flight from Melbourne to Perth (the cheapest Qantas flight on this route) would cost 37,900 points. This is especially poor value when considering that you could book two economy classic reward seats on the same flight for 1.9k fewer points!

4. Using points for hotel bookings

As you may have realised from previous redemptions, frequent flyer points often don’t stretch as far on the ground as they do in the air. Redeeming points for hotel bookings is no exception to this general rule.

Using dates in March, I found a four-night stay at the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa which booking direct was $864. Redeeming points for the same dates would have been a whopping 134,595 Qantas points or 135,100 Velocity points. That means you would be getting just 0.64 cents per point in value.

Some of the best ways to spend frequent flyer points:

1. Redeem for business not economy

One of the best ways to maximise the redemption value of your points is to redeem for flights in business class as opposed to economy. Plus, flying in business means you get to enjoy travelling in comfort and style.

Using Virgin Australia as an example, a reward flight from Sydney to Hong Kong would cost 59,500 points plus $50 in taxes for business or 27,800 points plus $35 in taxes for economy. With cash, a business ticket is more than $3000 and economy starts at around $600. Essentially, this means you are getting five times the value for around twice the points by booking an award seat.

This is why flying business on points is incredibly popular among frequent flyers.

2. Family pool your points and status credits

Most airline frequent flyer schemes allow you to ‘pool’ points and status credits from family members into one main account.

Of the two main frequent flyer schemes in Australia, Virgin Australia’s Velocity has the best family pooling features. Velocity allows members to set up an automatic transfer of points and/or Status Credits with family members living at the same address, with up to six family members allowed in the pool. Unfortunately, Qantas does not offer anything similar but instead allows points (and not status credits) to be transferred between family members.

Pooling your points together into one account is a fantastic way to accumulate points for that dream redemption and to gain elite status with an airline quickly.

3. Upgrading from economy using points

Requesting an upgrade using points when booked on a paid economy fare is one of the best ways to get excellent value out of your points. Often it is relatively painless, however it does involve an element of luck in getting your request approved.

Upgrades are approved based on status, meaning higher-status customers are processed first. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that your upgrade request will be approved for international flights, due to increased competition on these routes. Although, it is always worth a try, especially if you hold high status. Most of the time this works best for domestic flights where there is less competition.

Summary

Something important to consider when thinking about spending your frequent flyer points is the value you are getting for your redemption. As mentioned, I normally aim for two cents per point at a minimum with both Qantas and Velocity frequent flyer programs. Although the questionable redemptions mentioned in this article often represent poor value, it is always good to work out the value for yourself as things can change from time to time.

Video credit: Tourism Australia

From coast to mountains, hiking in Gippsland offers a stunning array of landscapes, with trails that take you deep into the region’s heritage.

I step out onto the sand and it cries out underfoot. Kweek! I take another step and there’s another little yelp. Screet! Picking up the pace, the sounds follow me like my shadow, all the way down to the water. It’s obvious how this spot got its name – Squeaky Beach – from the rounded grains of quartz that make the distinctive sounds under pressure.

For many, Wilsons Promontory National Park is the gateway to Gippsland , and the best way to explore it is by walking its network of hiking trails, from coastal gems such as Squeaky Beach through to the bushland, among the wildlife. But it’s still just a taste of what you’ll find on foot in the region.

Venture a bit further into Gippsland and you’ll discover the lakes, the rainforest, and the alpine peaks, each changing with the season and offering summer strolls or winter walks. Just like that squeaky sand, each step along these trails has something to tell you: perhaps a story about an ancient spirit or a pioneering search for fortune.

The best coastal hikes in Gippsland

sunset at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Wilsons Promontory National Park is a sprawling wilderness with many coastal bushland trails. (Image: Mark Watson)

Wilsons Promontory National Park (or ‘The Prom’, as you’ll end up calling it) is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne, but you might ditch the car when you arrive, with much of the park’s 50,000 hectares accessible only by foot. From the inky water of Tidal River (dyed dark purple by abundant tea trees), I like the easy walks along the coast, among lichen-laden granite boulders, to golden beaches and bays.

a couple on Mount Oberon — Panoramic views from the summit of Mount Oberon. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

The trail to the panoramic views at the summit of Mount Oberon is a bit harder, up steep timber and granite steps, but it’s a popular 6.8-kilometre return. The more remote hikes are found through the open banksia and stringybark woodland of the park’s north, or along the multi-day Southern Circuit , which ranges from about 35 to 52 kilometres, with sunrises and sunsets, kangaroos and cockatoos, and maybe even whales.

a golden sand beach at Wilsons Promontory National Park — Walk ‘The Prom’s’ golden sand beaches. (Image: Tourism Australia/Time Out Australia)

You might also see whales on the George Bass Coastal Walk , even closer to Melbourne on the western edge of Gippsland. This dramatic seven-kilometre trail along the clifftops takes in sweeping views of the wild ocean, occasionally dipping down from grassy green hills to coastal gullies and a secluded beach. It also now links into the Bass Coast Rail Trail for an extra 14 kilometres.

Over at the eastern edge of Gippsland, in Croajingolong National Park, you can wander along the lakeshores beneath koalas and around goannas (I keep my distance since one chased me here!). For those who are even more adventurous, the park is also the starting point for the 100-kilometre Wilderness Coast Walk , usually done over seven days.

the Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland — Wander along the lakeshores in Croajingolong National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The best bush hikes in Gippsland

the Baw Baw National Park — The alpine heath of Baw Baw National Park. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Deep in the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine at Walhalla, mining guide Richard tells me how this small town in the mountains east of Melbourne boomed when prospectors found gold here in 1862. These days, you’ll find most of the town’s treasure – its heritage – above ground, with the Walhalla Tramline Walk a wonderful way to explore it.

Just seven kilometres long, the walk takes you through decades of Gold Rush history, following the original rail trail from lush bushland to the mining sites, and through the charming village of just 20 residents with its wooden cottages and old shopfronts adorned with turn-of-the-century advertising posters. Blazing a trail where trailblazers once opened up the region, this is also the starting point for the 650-kilometre Australian Alps Walking Track.

Nearby, Baw Baw National Park has walks through gnarled snow gums and alpine heaths that show off the colourful wildflowers in summer and the pristine carpet of white in winter. Several trails are perfect for snowshoes, including a 45-minute route from St Gwinear up to vast views across the Latrobe Valley.

Further up into the mountains, the Toorongo and Amphitheatre Falls Loop Walk is an easy 2.2-kilometre path that serenades you with the sound of flowing water as you pass mossy rocks and tree ferns en route to two sets of waterfalls cascading over boulders in the remote wilderness.

The best cultural hikes in Gippsland

the Mitchell River National Park, Gippsland — Hike the Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

Across a pool in a natural sandstone amphitheatre, deep within a cave behind a waterfall, it’s said the Nargun has its lair. A fierce creature, half human and half stone, that abducts children and can’t be harmed by boomerangs or spears, the story of the Nargun has been told around the campfires of the local Gunaikurnai people for generations.

As a culturally significant place for women, hikers are asked not to go into the Den of Nargun, but a 3.4-kilometre loop walk leads you through a rainforest gully to the entrance where you can feel the powerful atmosphere here in Mitchell River National Park , along Victoria’s largest remaining wild and free-flowing waterway.

the bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park — Bee-eaters at Mitchell River National Park. (Image: Parks Victoria/Grace Lewis)

The Den of Nargun is part of the Bataluk Cultural Trail , a series of important traditional Gunaikurnai sites through central Gippsland. Another location is Victoria’s largest cave system, Buchan Caves Reserve, with trails to important archaeological sites of human artefacts up to 18,000 years old. The FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk includes the naturally sculpted white limestone steps of the 400-metre-long Federal Cave, while the Granite Pools Walk goes among tall timber and moss-covered gullies.

the ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park — The ancient rainforest of Tarra-Bulga National Park. (Image: Josie Withers)

Also important to the Gunaikurnai people is Tarra-Bulga National Park , known for its ancient myrtle beeches and enormous mountain ash trees. Just 40 minutes return, the Tarra Valley Rainforest Walk offers a taste of this verdant landscape, while the Grand Strzelecki Track takes you deep into the lost world of forest giants on an epic 100-kilometre trail rich with tradition.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the WildernessRetreats in The Prom — Wilderness Retreats in The Prom. (Image: Christian Pearson)

Wilderness Retreats in Wilsons Promontory offers glamping-style tents with luxurious queen beds. Star Hotel is a reconstruction of a Gold Rush-era hotel from 1863 in the heart of heritage Walhalla. Caves House is a historic three-bedroom house with views over the Buchan River.

Eating there

the Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — Enjoy a post-hike lunch at Carrajung Estate. (Image: Everyday Nicky)

Kilcunda General Store serves great coffee and meals of local produce at the George Bass Coastal Walk. Alpine Trout Farm is located near Toorongo Falls in Noojee. Fish for your own lunch and barbecue it with the provided cookware.

Carrajung Estate is a short drive from Tarra-Bulga National Park. The winery’s restaurant offers a seasonal menu of regional ingredients and you can stay at The Lodge.

a seafood feast at Carrajung Estate, Gippsland — The table is set for a seafood feast at the estate.