Cash in Payall Points - Cathay Vs Velocity Vs Cash out? What to Do?

tunzafun001 on 30/05/2025 - 15:05
Last edited 30/05/2025 - 17:33

Hi all,

Got my 480k Payall points from Citi sitting ready to go.

Can't decide between Velocity (15% bonus) or Cathay (10% bonus) - Both end tomorrow.

In SA, and Cathay just opened up in ADL. Pretty sure you can book QFF metal via Cathay. Anyone know what availability is like?

Am aware they expire in 18 months if not used/ extra redemeed. So will leave a few points for an 18 month top up if needed.

Have velocity points, but redemptions are so much harder/ rarer now that QFF pooped the bed and everyone switched.

Most likely to fly Aus domestic, NZ, South Pacific region. Also looking at Japan. Maybe Europe next year.

Lastly, they cash out at $100 per 40k points. So just over $1k as cash.

Wisdom of the crowd…what do we think?

Thanks

Travel Reward Points

Comments

  • bbqwer on 30/05/2025 - 15:35

    Velocity points - and sell it

    • tunzafun001 on 30/05/2025 - 16:11

      Cheers. Could lose them all though with VF selling I believe?

      • bbqwer on 30/05/2025 - 16:40

        Seller has not much to lose. Sell all the points to one buyer, give buyer access to make a booking.

  • sareth on 30/05/2025 - 16:07

    FlyBuys. You're sitting on $2400 of groceries.

    • tunzafun001 on 30/05/2025 - 16:12

      Got a fair slab of FB points.. But worth knowing/ better than straight cashing out

  • 6079 Smith on 31/05/2025 - 08:34

    Cathay, while having 3 flights a week over summer from ADL, does not have amazing burn rates on QF, so unless you have a trip in mind I probably wouldn’t.
    Honestly between QR/SQ and VA domestic it’s heaps easier to use Virgin points out of Adelaide, although it depends where in NZ/South Pacific you’re wanting to go.

    • tunzafun001 on 31/05/2025 - 11:20

      Cheers. In 2017 I got dropped at the airport and then found my redemption while sitting there. Virgin was so easy to find seats (at base rates). Now I can hardly find one almost a year out.
      Flights most likely to be taking would be Melb, CNS, Christchurch/ Queenstown, Papette (they have basically vanished), Japan, Hawaii, Canada, Italy.
      Not sure about a Europe trip (which I assume goes via HK).

  • tunzafun001 on 31/05/2025 - 11:55

    Well..this might make it easy…

    Been trying to sign up to Cathay for a few days…no dice!

    "We're currently experiencing technical issues and are unable to process your request. Please try again later. If the issue persists, please contact Customer Care"

    *Update - had to update browser for it to work

  • tunzafun001 on 31/05/2025 - 12:51

    @6079 Smith

    Looks like LAN / Cathay partnership across the ditch.

    Also suggests Qantas metal is cheaper (points ..but not sure about taxes)?

    https://www.pointhacks.com.au/cathay/best-uses-of-100k-miles…

    • 6079 Smith on 31/05/2025 - 14:55

      Yeah sorry I was meaning not great rates on QF domestic, let’s be honest you won’t actually find international availability in a premium cabin on Qantas easily anyway, let alone with a partner. Although looking at the new QF points table post Aug 1 there’s not heaps of difference.

      If you’re happy in and out of ZQN you’ll be ok on VA and you’ll pay about the same. Hawaii is hard with VA currently I can’t speak for the Hawaiian airlines integration with Oneworld and using Asia Miles there.

      Japan and Europe are arguably easier with VA by using SQ out of Adelaide but if you were in Syd or Melb I’d go Asia Miles as you get decent JL business stuff out of there.

      Melbourne is seldom a good use of points and VA are only 3 times weekly to Cairns from here (although I have a feeling QF pulled out all together and handed it to JQ?). I actually burned the rest of my expiring Asia Miles points back in like 2021 ADL-TSV because it was all I could find to use them on with the borders closed.

      • tunzafun001 on 31/05/2025 - 21:24

        Citi dont have Cathay as a partner any more…lol. Well, makes that easier.
        That being said KF 2:1 and Flybuys 1:1(2000pts/ $10) isn't bad either.

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