Tips before Starting Point Hacking

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  87percent on 10/08/2020 - 15:29

  +6

  https://www.pointhacks.com.au/

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 10/08/2020 - 18:51

    Its real 🤣🤣

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  SnowDragon on 10/08/2020 - 15:39

  Question 1

  • Be mindful that you need to spend $x to get the bonus points. Make sure you know you can spend that amount of money and not just blow $3000 on a new gaming computer because you had to spend the money. Plan what you would spend the money on so you aren't just spending money for the sake of spending it.
  • Read up on what counts as an eligible purchase. BPAY and payments to the government aren't usually counted so you can't pay your tax bill or rates.
  • Make sure you mark the date you purchased the card so you can cancel it before the annual fee comes knocking.
  • Generally banks won't let you apply for the same CC again for a year so if you want to maximize your points, you'll probably have to jump between banks and CCs.

  Question 2

  I chose Velocity two years ago and it's not exactly doing me to well at the moment… They are still honoring redemption and stuff but I haven't seen a CC deal with velocity points for a while and I doubt I will for a long time. Qantas is basically your only option if you want the bonus points at the moment.
  No, they aren't interchangeable. But you can always sell your points if you want to cash out. Not sure what the going rate is at the moment. Classifieds have them going for about 1c per point.

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  netjock on 10/08/2020 - 15:40

  +2

  My fiance and I are looking to get married in Mid 2022 with a honeymoon to Bali after the wedding.

  I thought now might be a good time to start collecting some points so perhaps we can save some $$$ on our flights or accommodation, or even get some cheap upgrades using points.

  You need to do your research. Can't be for sure which state you are from. I am not sure whether any airlines fly business class into Bali. It also depends on whether it is worth it to pay for an upgradeable fare so you can upgrade to business class.

  Usually you won't be using your Qantas / Velocity points for rooms because there just isn't much value to be had.

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  PurpleClover on 10/08/2020 - 15:50

  +2

  Personally I wouldn't apply two credit cards at the same time. I believe it might affect your credit score. Have a read here: https://www.finder.com.au/avoid-submitting-multiple-credit-c…

  I would pick Qantas over Virgin Australia as Qantas has got larger international networks. Bali is still in VA's radar though.
  Virgin Australia used to be good for SQ redemption, but I doubt that will return. I don't think SQ has got stake in Virgin Australia anymore.

  • 

    hoey888 on 10/08/2020 - 19:45

    +1

    Agreed. No individual should apply for two credit cards concurrently. Much more wise for partner A to apply for credit card A and partner B to apply for credit card B. Once approved some perks can transfer to other spouse with supplementary card.

    You mentioned bank based credit cards. Also consider the AMEX ones which can allow quick status upgrades with airline alliance partners subject to travel criteria being met.

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  Archi on 10/08/2020 - 15:58

  +5

  First tip. Avoid Bali.

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  lemonadeX on 10/08/2020 - 16:48

  +2

  Bali is stunning providing you avoid the more trashy areas like Kuta - my wife and I got married near Canggu last year. We started amassing Qantas points in the run-up to the wedding - both of us signing up to the Amex Qantas credit card, spent the minimum amount to get 100k points, then moved on to St George and Citibank and ANZ and whatever else. 18 months on we have about 700k Qantas points purely from churning credit cards.

  Qantas fly to Bali and a classic reward business flight costs about 56k points + $200 taxes. Thus you'd be looking at needing around 224k points and $800 for both of you to fly business class return. They are nice modern planes as well. As previous posters have said, figure out your monthly spend on eligible purchases - groceries, insurance, gym membership etc, then also factor in when you're going to be making bigger purchases so that you can put them on new credit cards in order to hit the minimum spend before cancelling them and moving onto the next one.

  Churning credit cards is a hassle and some banks are far more annoying than others, but if you're spending a decent amount in the run-up to your wedding then you can rack up plenty of points.

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  theoracle30 on 10/08/2020 - 17:01

  Coincidentally, Point Hacks re-published "How to redeem Qantas Points for flights from Australia to Bali" just today. I'm sure there's a Virgin version as well.

  Your choice of program does depend on where you plan to fly out of and what airlines are available.

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  Drakesy on 10/08/2020 - 18:46

  +2

  Hokay
  1. First rule of point club is always pay the credit card off in full, treat it as a debit card with perks.
  2. Don't spend points at the Qantas/Velocity store unless you really don't need to fly, the redemption value through these stores are terrible.
  3. Cancel the card as soon as you've reached the spending limit and received the points so you can go into the 12 month cool off period for the next card.
  4. Be flexible with holiday dates as surge pricing can double the required points to travel.
  5. Stay on the lookout for Pointhack exclusives such as the one at the moment for the ANZ card.
  6. It is good to stick with the same provider i.e. Qantas or Virgin, however for the sake of playing it safe ensure you earn across both streams (alternative to virgin being flybuys).
  7. Don't buy unnecessary stuff to fulfill the minimum spend, this is the psychological play that the banks use to get you to take out these cards. Ensure it's only your usual expenditure, save up big expenses to put on the cards (rego, holidays, bills etc.). Day to day earnings on these cards are almost pointless - pardon the pun

  • 

    Craicdealer on 10/08/2020 - 19:17

    +1

    Great advice there!

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  YeemaiI on 11/08/2020 - 08:47

  Congrats! 🎊

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  Will146 on 14/08/2020 - 08:16

  Although it adds a few hours on to the trip, you can fly with Singapore Airlines via Changi for 62,000 + $100 taxes each way if you transer points to KrisFlyer.
  Full flat bed / book the chef meals & far superior service to any other airlines flying this route. You can also do a longer layover in Changi so you can catch the MRT in to town for lunch / dinner.