Frequent flyer reward credit cards

[Yarms]

Gday gents

Currently thinking about getting a rewards credit card. So im wandering who has them and who is the company, what benefits do you recieve etc , are they worth it. I plan on paying for everything with it and paying it off straight away so dont get charged interest.

Cheers

[P100_Ute]

I just got a Westpac Earth Gold card. its for Qantas frequent flyers.

in a nutshell. BastardCard gets 0.5 points per Dollar. and if you use the American Express you get 1 point per Dollar
both cards are linked to same account. just not a lot of places let you use American Express without charging a surcharge so i have never ever used the American Express card.

[Yorik]

ANZ Platinum Frequent Flyer Card, has two cards AMEX and VISA. AMEX gets 1.5 points/$ and VISA gets 0.5 points/$. There is a high fee, but you get some token benefits that I don;t use, like travel insurance and rental car insurance etc (mostly because the policy is not as comprehensive as I like).

Since you can pay some extra things on CC, it is great. Like your tax bill (if you have one..)

I buy everything on AMEX, then VISA if they don't accept.

[[FFOUR]]

I've signed up for 3 recently, I go for the ones that have bonus points when you join (on first spend). Usually a annual fee involved but it's worth it for the points, then just cancel it after 11 months so you don't get slugged again ;)

Citibank Platinum was 50K points on signing up and 1.25pts/$ on anything spent (3pts/$ overseas).

Here is a list of whats currently on offer: http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/card

[mischief1]

What Jan said,

It depends what you want out your card!

I'm going for Krisflyer points, so I'll be changing to Citibank Gold Visa, and Westpac Krisflyer Amex, handing a set to the missus also to rack up the points!

At the moment, I've only got the standard Commonwealth gold that came with the mortgage cause it was free, but the rewards a shithouse.

[short-shift]

HSBC, best deal ???

[SimonR32]

I've got a Westpac Earth Gold which I got 16000 points for joining and now (last night) just got a new ANZ Frequent Flier with 32000 points on signup :)

I go overseas a reasonable amount so the annual fees pay for themselves in savings from Travel Insurance

[Adr3naL1N]

used to have a westpac earth.

now have a

Woolworths Qantas Everyday Rewards Card
- Issued by HSBC
- 1 point per dollar spent
- 16,000 bonus points on joining
- Earn 1 point per dollar spent over 30 dollars at Big W, Woolworths, Dick Smith and BWS
- Means you can earn double points by at these stores by swiping the rewards bar code on the back at these shops then again by paying on the card.
- Since i movied into my own place been doing supermarket shopping at woolworths so it comes in handy!
- Instead of points for qantas you can earn fuel discounts if you choose.
- lots of bonus promo points opportunities come up

Card recently got skimmed in the USA so thats been a pain but.

[AGIT8D]

Getting 48000 points by signing up to 2 cards seems like an incredibly cheap way to go see the world.. What am I missing?

[[FFOUR]]

Getting 48000 points by signing up to 2 cards seems like an incredibly cheap way to go see the world.. What am I missing?

Nothing, if you do it the right way its a great way to accumulate points. I got 78000pts from my 3 cards, annual fees add up to about $500 I think (only pay it once though as I will cancel them all before 12 months is up). 78K pts doesn't let you see the world but its 75% of the way to a return flight to LA, so still works out cheap if you are planning on travelling anyway.

[AGIT8D]

The mrs and I had our eye on Phuket around this time next year, but are thinking of canning that and going to Europe instead.. Getting these points would be an awesome way to knock the bulk of the flights off it.

A couple of questions:

Can you use your points and pay the rest cash to make up the short fall?
If I booked now and did not intend on travelling for 13-14 months, I take it I can't cancel my card after 11 months to avoid the second batch of fees and still claim my points? So I would need to ensure I book my flights within the 11 months?

[Adr3naL1N]

;888353']Nothing, if you do it the right way its a great way to accumulate points. I got 78000pts from my 3 cards, annual fees add up to about $500 I think (only pay it once though as I will cancel them all before 12 months is up). 78K pts doesn't let you see the world but its 75% of the way to a return flight to LA, so still works out cheap if you are planning on travelling anyway.

I think i might give this a try haaha :P thanks


currently im sitting on about 65,000 points

[[FFOUR]]

A couple of questions:

Can you use your points and pay the rest cash to make up the short fall?
If I booked now and did not intend on travelling for 13-14 months, I take it I can't cancel my card after 11 months to avoid the second batch of fees and still claim my points? So I would need to ensure I book my flights within the 11 months?

Yeah that's fine, I did that on my recent flight to Alice Springs - didn't want to use too many points up so I paid a bit in cash.

Depends on when you get your points from the card company - some are on first spend and others say you need to spend $1000 and then you get them. But either way you'll have your points within the first month or so of signing up and then they are in your FF account and can be used whenever you want (even after you cancel the card).

[AGIT8D]

Bad ass. Yeah I'll be able to knock $1000 on the head pretty easily in bills etc. I just got rid of all my cards though so there is a big danger sign flashing saying I shouldn't get another one. I think if I get it solely to claim the points then snip it up she'll be roses.

[Adr3naL1N]

I wouldnt reccomend using points and pay, you get ripped on your points, doesnt give you much of a discount using your points.

[sethor]

I currently have the Westpac Krisfyer Platinum it was a good card until they halfed the Visa earn rate in March. Managed to redeem 1x Perth to New York one way & Perth to Milan Return both in Business/First in about a 2 year period. I plan to switch over to Westpac Altitude Platinum which has a cheaper annual fee, same earn rate, No points expiry, ability to transfer points into NZ, SQ, MH & DJ frequent flyer programs & bonus point retailers.

Have a good look on the Cannex site, they will show you the best cards to apply for when you enter a few details about your CC usage.
http://www.canstar.com.au/credit-card-rewards/

[sethor]

I wouldnt reccomend using points and pay, you get ripped on your points, doesnt give you much of a discount using your points.

Also paying to top up points/miles is uneconomical.

[AGIT8D]

I wouldnt reccomend using points and pay, you get ripped on your points, doesnt give you much of a discount using your points.

Elaborate on this a bit more? I literally know nothing about how these cards work. I'm not a big credit card fan haha.

Can I pay my mortgage with one of these things? :)

[sethor]

Elaborate on this a bit more? I literally know nothing about how these cards work. I'm not a big credit card fan haha.

Can I pay my mortgage with one of these things? :)

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/points-plus-pay/global/en

Doubt you can pay your mortage with a credit card, if you could it will be treated as cash advance so interest is applicable straight away.

[Adr3naL1N]

e.g was lookign at singapore, 50,000 points return to perth.

if you wanted points plus pay, was something stupid along the lines of 10,000 points gets you a $150 discount on an $1100 fare, 20,000 got you something like $300 etc.

[SimonR32]

Elaborate on this a bit more? I literally know nothing about how these cards work. I'm not a big credit card fan haha.

Can I pay my mortgage with one of these things? :)

I wish you could pay off a mortgage with a credit card... But alas no :( haha

But as my boss loves to point out that it was like Christmas when he got told the tax department now takes credit card payments... Our business pays a lot of tax haha

[AGIT8D]

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/points-plus-pay/global/en

Doubt you can pay your mortage with a credit card, if you could it will be treated as cash advance so interest is applicable straight away.

Well if your account was all cleared, ie $3000 credit card with $3000 ready to spend, and you dropped your mortgage payment into the card in cash taking it up to $5000 for example, then used the card to pay off the mortgage, it's only going to bring it back to $3000 so no interest owing? :)


e.g was lookign at singapore, 50,000 points return to perth.

if you wanted points plus pay, was something stupid along the lines of 10,000 points gets you a $150 discount on an $1100 fare, 20,000 got you something like $300 etc.

Hmm, maybe I'm doing something wrong but here's numbers I just got for Business Class from Perth -> Singapore -> London Return

Status Base points Cabin bonus Status bonus Total points Status credits
Platinum 18,372 9,188 18,372 45,932 520
Gold 18,372 9,188 13,780 41,340 520
Silver 18,372 9,188 9,188 36,748 520
Bronze 18,372 9,188 - 27,560 520

But I've no idea what that's trying to tell me.


I wish you could pay off a mortgage with a credit card... But alas no :( haha

But as my boss loves to point out that it was like Christmas when he got told the tax department now takes credit card payments... Our business pays a lot of tax haha

Devo. That is winning re: tax though. Work holiday for everyone!

So when you're paying up the difference between points and cash, must you purchase points as adrenalin has stated, or can you just pay a few hundred extra to make up the difference? It seems like it's only worthy of cashing in points if you have 100% of them.

[sethor]

Well if your account was all cleared, ie $3000 credit card with $3000 ready to spend, and you dropped your mortgage payment into the card in cash taking it up to $5000 for example, then used the card to pay off the mortgage, it's only going to bring it back to $3000 so no interest owing? :)


You only earn points/miles on purchases, you don't earn on cash advances.

[Adr3naL1N]

Hmm, maybe I'm doing something wrong but here's numbers I just got for Business Class from Perth -> Singapore -> London Return

Status Base points Cabin bonus Status bonus Total points Status credits
Platinum 18,372 9,188 18,372 45,932 520
Gold 18,372 9,188 13,780 41,340 520
Silver 18,372 9,188 9,188 36,748 520
Bronze 18,372 9,188 - 27,560 520

But I've no idea what that's trying to tell me.






you start off as a bronze member so go off that

what its saying is youll earn 27,000 points on that booking for a bronze member, the status credits are points you earn to attain a memebrship status, earn enough and youll be promoted to silver, as a silver mmeber youll earn more points then a bronze for a booking.

[AGIT8D]

you start off as a bronze member so go off that

what its saying is youll earn 27,000 points on that booking for a bronze member, the status credits are points you earn to attain a memebrship status, earn enough and youll be promoted to silver, as a silver mmeber youll earn more points then a bronze for a booking.

Nice man thanks for clearing that up.. Can I only view how many points a flight uses up by actually being a member? If it's 50k to Singapore I don't think 3 cards is going to count towards shit for a trip to Rondon. Best off just cashing it up and not risking more cards.

[[FFOUR]]

Nice man thanks for clearing that up.. Can I only view how many points a flight uses up by actually being a member? If it's 50k to Singapore I don't think 3 cards is going to count towards shit for a trip to Rondon. Best off just cashing it up and not risking more cards.

London is about 112,000 pts return (economy).

[AGIT8D]

Thanks mate. Might end up with a wallet full of cards to make up an amount like that haha

[sethor]

To give you an idea with Singapore Airlines Krisflyer.
Perth to London return in economy is 68,000 miles + taxes
Perth to Singapore (or anywhere in South East Asia) return in economy is 34,000 miles + taxes

I find the Krisflyer much more rewarding than Qantas Frequent Flyer.
Comparing the Westpac cards the Platinum Krisflyer & Altitude cards earn 0.5 Krisflyer miles per dollar on Visa or Mastercard & 1.5 Krisflyer miles per dollar on Amex, the Westpac Earth Platinum card earns 0.5 QFF points per dollar on Mastercard & 1.5 QFF points per dollar on Amex, So earn rate is the same but the Krisflyers miles are clearly worth more than Qantas Points.

Just do your research on point to mile conversion rates with each card/program as it can vary.

[Yarms]

So the better idea is sign up for card get your bonus points when signed up. Buy bulk shit for 11 months then cut it up and start again?

[Kilma]

Woolworths Qantas Everyday Rewards Card
- Issued by HSBC
- 1 point per dollar spent
- 16,000 bonus points on joining
- Earn 1 point per dollar spent over 30 dollars at Big W, Woolworths, Dick Smith and BWS
- Means you can earn double points by at these stores by swiping the rewards bar code on the back at these shops then again by paying on the card.
- Since i movied into my own place been doing supermarket shopping at woolworths so it comes in handy!
- Instead of points for qantas you can earn fuel discounts if you choose.
- lots of bonus promo points opportunities come up
I've been seriously looking at one of these for a week or so now and getting rid of my ANZ Platinum one. I started off with a normal ANZ FF card, but they kept bumping me up. Made sure annual fees weren't going to change and kept upgrading to where I am now. Can highly recommend ANZ if you are going to stick with them for a long time. Only part I find frustrating is that the AMEX often attracts a ridiculous surcharge or isn't accepted at all, but nothing I can do about that.

The Woolies one sounds brilliant though. You get the fuel vouchers as well, not instead of like mentioned above. Very low yearly fee (about $82 from memory) as well. Less than half of the card I have now.

I have done very little flying in reality, but I now have enough frequent flyer points to go anywhere they offer, business, return for taxes only (or something like that).

[AGIT8D]

So the better idea is sign up for card get your bonus points when signed up. Buy bulk shit for 11 months then cut it up and start again?

By the sounds of it, not even 11 months.. Do the minimum time you have to in order to receive the points, cancel card, rinse and repeat..

Regarding those Krisflyer points, is there only the one card that offers those or quite a few? I'd rather fly Singapore Airlines anyway.

[Adr3naL1N]

london is about 112,000 return in economy class, same with LA

[Adr3naL1N]

I've been seriously looking at one of these for a week or so now and getting rid of my ANZ Platinum one. I started off with a normal ANZ FF card, but they kept bumping me up. Made sure annual fees weren't going to change and kept upgrading to where I am now. Can highly recommend ANZ if you are going to stick with them for a long time. Only part I find frustrating is that the AMEX often attracts a ridiculous surcharge or isn't accepted at all, but nothing I can do about that.

The Woolies one sounds brilliant though. You get the fuel vouchers as well, not instead of like mentioned above. Very low yearly fee (about $82 from memory) as well. Less than half of the card I have now.

I have done very little flying in reality, but I now have enough frequent flyer points to go anywhere they offer, business, return for taxes only (or something like that).


Yeah its a great card, giving you the option of points or fuel savings, annual fee is $96 i think which is good compared to other cards. interest rate is about the norm. Its also great if you shop reguarly at woolworths to do your groceries, i live in canning vale nearl ivingston so i just go in and do my shopping at woolies in there. So spend 80 bucks, get 50 points from everyday rewards (coz every dollar over 30 gets a points so in this case 50 points) then pay on the card $80 = another 80 points, so you earn 130 points all up. Not a bad little way to goet a few extra points.

i also handball the card to my old lady sometimes when i know shes doing a big shop there, just get her to swipe barcode on the back and bang! points for free!

fuel you would get 2 points per litre if you chose points over fuel savings which is what i had, so put 40 litres in, get 80 points. (at caltex woolworths only) but i dont get this anymore as i have a company car.

[sethor]

Regarding those Krisflyer points, is there only the one card that offers those or quite a few? I'd rather fly Singapore Airlines anyway.

The Westpac Krisflyer cards are the only co-branded Singapore Airlines credit card but quite a few credit cards allow you transfer points into Krisflyer miles like Westpac Altitude, Citibank, ANZ Rewards, HSBC etc.

[AGIT8D]

fuel you would get 2 points per litre if you chose points over fuel savings which is what i had, so put 40 litres in, get 80 points. (at caltex woolworths only) but i dont get this anymore as i have a company car.

See I have a company car too but I pay for the fuel myself and give them the receipts to get reimbersed.. So I could still fill up at the woolies caltex as there's a tonne of them near my place and still cash in. There is also a woolies not too far away from me but I do prefer my coles!


The Westpac Krisflyer cards are the only co-branded Singapore Airlines credit card but quite a few credit cards allow you transfer points into Krisflyer miles like Westpac Altitude, Citibank, ANZ Rewards, HSBC etc.

That is epic. I suppose the transfer ratio of points to miles would not be 1:1 with most cards.. Any idea what it is?

[hoony]

As covered there's heaps of different banks that link up with certain Airlines etc. with the rewards etc. but there's HEAPS of factors you'll need to look into to make sure you get yourself the right card.

Used to work for Citibank and in a nutshell, how it generally works (all of them, not just Citibank) and depending on what kind of credit card user, what would be the best for you.

Silver, Gold and Platinum are generally the main different types the banks use to differentiate income earnings, benefits etc.

Silver - Qualify if you earn more than $28,000 gross per annum +.
Gold - Qualify if you earn $45,000 gross per annum +.
Platinum - Qualify if you earn $70,000 gross per annum +.
(All depends on the bank but they usually all go by these guidelines as standard practice).

Even if you don't earn as much as a certain card requires for qualification criteria, if you've got the one before and they can see that your repayments are good, they will usually offer an upgrade for no charge so you get the benefits of the slighter higher status card.

All the banks generally charge an annual fee for the cards, the more benefits, the more expensive it will be, ranging from $49 to $199 or even more depending on the bank. (AMEX usually have a lot of the more expensive options but their Qantas Frequent Flyer cards are awesome). Will also be waived a lot of the time for the better, loyal and repaying customers.

The MAIN differences with the status';

Silver - Up to $25,000 credit limit.
Gold - Up to $50,000 credit limit. (most Gold cards will come with complimentary Travel Insurance when booking and paying with the card)
Platinum - Up to $100,000 credit limit. [all Platinum cards will come with the above plus a lot more luxury wise, ie. Free Bottles of Wine every meal you have at different 4/5 star restaurants, concierge service (if you want the bank to sort out your flights and hotels etc instead of you doing the running around)]
(Again, all depends on the bank but they usually all go by these guidelines as standard practice).

The biggest misunderstanding from customers is how much of your dollars spent actually converts to Frequent Flyer Points and what some people often misread is the fact that one 'Reward Point' is different to one 'Frequent Flyer Point' and when you're spending big bucks every year on your credit card, you'll miss out on heaps if you get the wrong card.

For example,

Westpac, spend one dollar, receive one reward point.
CBA, spend one dollar, receive one reward point.
Citibank, spend one dollar, receive one reward point.
AMEX, spend one dollar, receive one reward point and two reward points at selected outlets.

They all generally look the same, however;

Westpac, one reward point converts to .65 Qantas Frequent Flyers Point.
CBA, one reward point converts to .75 Qantas Frequent Flyers Point.
Citibank, one reward point converts to 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer Point.
AMEX, one reward point converts to 1 Qantas Frequent Flyer Point and when you get the two, you can usually only redeem one as a Frequent Flyers Point and the other is kept as a reward point so you don't lose it.

As you can see there's always a catch, some cards may be cheaper but in the long run, it may work against you just saving an extra $50 on an annual fee. (these exact points may have changed since I've worked with the Bank so correct me if I'm wrong but that was correct and current information when I left).

Do your research and see how many points each bank needs for you to redeem trips to certain places. Most of the people I dealt with didn't care for having credit cards or the interest rate because they would never have to pay it. Also look at the interest free period because that makes a big difference for some individuals, some banks only offer 30 days interest free all the way to 54 days interest free. Some cards also offer insurance on your purchases for three months per item so if it gets lost, stolen or broken within three months of purchase, said cards (of their banks actually) will replace them or repair them for you with proof of purchase with the card and Police Report. You'll find the cards that generally cost more will have these benefits.

1. Get the card that best suits you (even if you earn $90,000 a year gross but don't care for all the concierge BS that Platinum offers, just get a Gold one or if you don't travel and just want to redeem bulk rewards and small stuff like gadgets and sh*t then go for Silver).
2. Pay Annual Fee.
3. Use your Credit Card for everything, ie. Groceries, Rent (if you're allowed to), General Purchases like Fuel, Clothes, all that other everyday stuff and rack up bulk points. - If you earn $1400 a week and spend $1000 on all mentioned, you would have racked up $50,000 points and sometimes that's a return trip or maybe two domestic trips depending on where you're going and which bank you use.
4. Pay on time, avoid getting your purchase amounts past the interest free period. - Never pay interest.
5. Redeem points on time, make sure you know how long until the points expire.
6. Sort out your deserved and complimentary trips and do it all over again the next year, some banks even have the points last a few years so you can rack up bulk again and again and you'll get yourself an awesome trip after a few years.

You can sometimes redeem the points to pay for the annual fee as well depending on the bank. The above is also the reasons as to why you should also pay for shit other people you know are buying to rack up the points and just get them to give you the cash. At the end of the day it's all about discipline and being vigilant with yourself, people talk about Credit Card debt and all that BS but if you know how to use it and take advantage of it, it's actually awesome. Sick for businesses too racking up amounts like $200,000 a week or month - however, the points are capped most of the time so also ask how many points is the maximum before the accumulation total is capped and what the conversion is because you may be able to earn heaps of reward points but only convert some of them to Frequent Flyers.

Ask the bank as many questions as you can because if you don't, they will generally only tell you what they think you'll want to or need to know to get the sale and at a minimum of $50 a pop commission (depending on bank), you'll need to make sure you make the most of the card you're going to get. One thing they won't mention a lot of the time is with Balance Transfers, you can transfer over your old debt from your other bank's credit card and only pay 0.00% interest for 6 months or a year or 1.99% interest free for 6 months or whatever, BUT... If you actually use your card before you pay off that debt, the debt you carried over will no longer be for the stupidly low interest amount and be the actual interest amount the card carries with it so make sure you pay off your balance transfer before you start using your card to rack up points if that's a case as well.

CSB I know but yeah, I thought that information may help some of you guys just out of interest.

P.S: AMEX is worth considering, some retailers are charging a surcharge to use the card but most are starting to accept AMEX and not charge any extra.

Good luck with whatever you end up deciding on.

[Adr3naL1N]

just ordered the anz platinum, got approved tonight. should result in 32,000 points.

will probably actually use this card as my woolworths one is out of action for probs another 6-8weeks with the fraud being processed

[Yarms]

i think i have my top 3 after doing alot of comparing and the info you guys have put into this thread. I really just trying to get max points . The mrs and myself are travelling to europe may/june 2012 so will want to book it all up on that plus use it as spending overseas instead carrying bulk euro's. But here are my top 3 , more than welcome to put in your opinions .Tell me why or why i shouldnt go for a certian one.

1.Anz platinum .Why ? because you get 32k points on sign up 1.5 pt per $ with AMEX and .5 pt per $ with the visa

2.Westpac Singapore krisflyer. why ? 10k points on sign up 1.5 pt per $ with AMEX and 1pt per $ with the visa.

3.Citibank emirates skywards. 4 skyward miles to $1 up to 25k miles then 1.5 there after. Also Awarded the Best Frequent Flyer Program – International by Money Magazine in their 2011 Best of the Best Awards.

Also in the the back of my mind i was thinking the virgin velocity card or whatever it is, as you get 2 for 1 return airfares per year and 20k points on sign up, but its 1pt per dollar up to $1500 the 1pt per $2 a month.

[sethor]

2.Westpac Singapore krisflyer. why ? 10k points on sign up 1.5 pt per $ with AMEX and 1pt per $ with the visa.



Visa earn rate is 0.5 Krisflyer miles per dollar within Australia & 1.5 Krisflyer miles per dollar overseas.

[Adr3naL1N]

this is what i like about the woolworths hsbc card, u get 1 point per dollar spent and not .5 like most.

[Yarms]

one last question. with the annual fee for example the anz platium is $295. do you pay that in one lump some after 12 months or does it get divided up into 12 monthly direct debits from the card?

Am now pretty much set on the woolies card but would also like to get the 32k points from the anz card then throw it out after 6-9 months.

[Kilma]

Lump sum for all of the cards that I've ever had.

You pay it ahead of the 12 months though (like insurance), not at the end.

[Yarms]

copy that cheers bud. $295 for 32k points is worth it in my eyes.

[Kilma]

No worries. Look at what 32,000 points gets you before you commit. You might not be interested in anything they have to offer at that point. 32,000 doesn't get you far (especially once you take into account that you have to pay taxes on the flights as well, or have more points again so that you don't pay taxes).

Also take into account the impact on your credit rating if you apply for cards every 12 months for points. Even if you don't ever miss a payment or anything, putting in a lot of applications apparently doesn't go so well on your record. Don't know if one a year would send it spiralling, but many more and it might.

[Yarms]

copy that will see what i can dig up. the other thing i would get out of the card is the travel/medical insurance as heading to europe in may/june 12.

[hako]

Be aware that Qantas will force you to use cash as well, depending on destination and seat.

My mum just booked Europe with her points Business class, but rather then paying just points it was a case of 200 000 points plus ~$1000 cash to lock in departure dates etc.

[Yarms]

Thanks for that. Ive kinda leading back to emirates citibank card anyways. Just seem to get more for ur dollar.

[Kilma]

Emerirates one seems like a good deal. Anyone else got one of these cards and uses it??

Looks like you still need to pay taxes on top of your fare too. I assume they would be same (or similar) price to Qantas ones??
http://www.emirates.com/au/english/help/FAQDetails.aspx?faqIds=193861,193874,193898,193903 ,193905,193906,193908,193912,193917,193932,193933, 193934,193936,357896,357897,357900,357902,357903,3 57905,357907,528629,528652,528653,528654,694566,69 4567&subjectText=Skywards#faq6

Why am I asked for a credit card number when redeeming my Skywards Miles for free travel?
Credit card information is required in order to cover the government taxes and airport charges levied on all ticket purchases, including those purchased with Skywards Miles.

Points also expire after 3 years. :(

[summoner]

All flights paid for with points you need to pay for the taxes. Qantas/etc

[Adr3naL1N]

actually some qantas awards flights you can get points to cover the whole lot, not all the time but.

[Yarms]

On the emirates site I looked up how many points from perth to london said something like 15k. Not sure if its right so im going to call emirates tomorrow. Would like to take advantage of 4skyward points/miles to the $.

[Kilma]

I looked at the same thing and thought it was too cheap originally. You looked at points earned on that flight, not cost points. It is still pretty cheap compared to Qantas though especially when earning at 1.5 points/$1 spent on a Mastercard as opposed to the varying rates between Amex/others on Qantas FF. Just have to make sure you use them before they expire. Qantas ones don't expire any more as long as your account has activity once every 3 years.

Check this link and look at the Flight Reward points, not the earning miles. http://www.skywards.com/Mileage_Calculator.aspx

[Yarms]

Ah yep I see what your saying my bad. Hrrmm decisions decisions. A downside I did find with the emirates card is its partner airlines. As opposed to the krisflyer singapore card and qantas you got alot of well renowned airlines to fly with to destinations emirates doesnt really go.

Starting to do my head in all this research.