Simon Flower

Frequent flyer points; worth the hassle?

Travel well, spend wisely, and most importantly—enjoy the journey, not just the points!

Last Saturday I read an angry letter in the traveller section of the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. The writer was a Virgin Australia frequent flyer who suddenly discovered one day that their healthy points balance of 196,000 had reverted to zero overnight.

Why?

There was no activity on their account for two years and based on the terms and conditions of the programme (and we always read the terms and conditions don’t we?) the points expire and go back to the airline. Nice little earner for the airline….

This happens with Qantas as well.

In a time when airlines are making very big profits stories like this make me seethe. As a travel agent and a traveller I increasingly wonder if worrying about frequent flyer points is really worthwhile.

Here are my four tips about frequent flyer accounts (spoiler alert; unless you travel a lot for work I question the value).

Do you (or someone you know) still remember how many Ansett points you had when they went out of business?

1. Don’t Let Your Points Expire!

Many Aussies lose thousands of points simply because they don’t realise they expire if there’s no account activity.

💡 How to keep your points active:
✔ Make a small purchase – Buy something via Qantas Shopping or Velocity e-Store.
✔ Earn or transfer points – Convert Woolworths Everyday Rewards to Qantas or BP Rewards to Velocity.
✔ Use points for small redemptions – A domestic flight or lounge pass can help prevent expiry. Treat a relative even.

🚀 Pro tip: Qantas points don’t expire as long as there’s activity every 18 months, and Velocity points expire after 24 months of inactivity—so keep earning or redeeming!

2. Know the Best Ways to Redeem Your Points

Not all redemptions offer the same value. The golden rule: use your points for flights, not for retail purchases. And definitely not wine!

💡 Best-value redemptions:
✔ Business & First Class flights – These offer the best value per point (especially long-haul).
✔ Upgrades – Turning an economy seat into business class is a great way to maximise points.
✔ Classic Rewards seats – Booking through Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity’s reward system can get you amazing flight deals.

🚀 Pro tip 1: The best value domestic points redemption deal in Australia is undoubtedly if you can get a classic rewards seat on Broome or Darwin flights – grab them if you can!

🚀 Pro tip 2: Be careful to overpay in points. If its not a ‘classic reward’ then chances are you are being conned.

Virgin Velocity frequent flyer programme – can be joined for free.

3. Use your points if you can

Did you lose a big points balance when Ansett went under? I guarantee you did or you know someone who did. To this day they can tell you exactly how many they lost!

I think you should try and redeem your points where possible (whilst taking note of the earlier point about not wasting them on retail). Both Qantas and Virgin have devalued their points this year so everyone’s balance is now worth less.

This will happen again further deflating your balance.

🚀 Pro tip: Use your points where possible for classic reward flights.

4. Don’t Let Points Dictate Your Travel Plans

For me this is the big one.

Frequent flyer points are great, but they shouldn’t control your travel decisions. Over the years, I’ve seen people make bizarre flight choices just to earn or redeem points—sometimes at the cost of convenience, comfort, or even money.

💡 How to balance points with practicality:
✔ Prioritise direct flights – Saving a few points isn’t worth an unnecessary stopover and extra travel time.
✔ Compare the total cost – A slightly cheaper points redemption might come with higher taxes or extra hassle.
✔ Enjoy perks without overcommitting – Lounge access and airline loyalty are great, but not if it means an inconvenient itinerary.

🚀 Pro tip: For example I travel to Broome regularly to keep up to date with our expedition cruise suppliers there. Within Australia I prefer flying Virgin Australia whenever possible; the lounge access is a nice perk. But when heading to Broome, I’ll take the direct Qantas flight (if the price is similar) rather than detour via Perth with Virgin. The hassle of changing planes and extra three hours in travel time just isn’t worth it!

The Qantas frequent flyer scheme is the most profitable frequent flyer scheme worldwide. And it’s full of traps…..

Travel well, spend wisely, and most importantly—enjoy the journey, not just the points!

All the above is personal opinion of course – not financial advice!

Working on some unusual destinations for the next few weeks – stay tuned.

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About Simon Flower

Originally from the United Kingdom, Simon has worked in the travel industry for over thirty-five years. He is passionate about genuine expedition style travel and has travelled to both the Arctic and Antarctic on expedition vessels.

Expedition Partners (formerly Flower Travel) specialise in expedition style travel by small ship cruise and private rail journeys.

PH: 1300 654 861

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