Got yourself a bunch of Qantas Points, and nowhere international to go? Don’t spend them on toasters or other stuff in the Qantas Store, where they could be worth less than 1c a point. Why not go somewhere overseas. A Pacific island, surrounded by water and sandy beaches and covered in sub-tropical forests. Yes, we’re talking about Lord Howe Island!
See, flights here are notoriously expensive. We’re talking over a grand per person. So what if you have a bunch of points? Let’s put this to use.
Goal: Sydney to Lord Howe Island (sometimes flights do exist from Brisbane).
Price: 8,000 points + $87.54. Per person per leg. 16,000 points + $176 return!
How?
Well Qantas domestic flights depend on a few calculations, but can come in at just 8,000 points. For example, Sydney to Brisbane, as per the Points Calculator:
Brisbane’s a wonderful city, but it’s a short flight and another city. What about farther afield, like Adelaide? 12,000 points. Perth? 18,000 points. Yet Lord Howe Island is a two hour flight and feels like an overseas holiday – pretty much the entire flight is over the ocean (so to be fair, you likely won’t have wifi), and is also just 8,000 points, like Brisbane! This is the same number of points as for Sydney to Ballina (Byron Bay)!
So, how to do it, and bear in mind, you still have to pay the taxes.
Step 1
Log in to Qantas.com with your FF details.
Step 2
Do a search for dates that work for you, and make sure to search classic rewards.
When selecting dates, a little red badge should appear (after a few seconds) on classic reward dates. Frustratingly, these aren’t as common as you might want, but they are there!
Step 3
Choose the right combination of flights with 8,000 points per leg for outbound and return:
Step 4
Continue to checkout and book!
Don’t forget to check out accommodation options on Beat That Flight!
