This was published 3 years ago
Frequent flyer points during COVID-19: Experts reveal what they're doing while grounded
By Sue Williams
The closest frequent flyer Zac George has come to flying recently is sitting in his second-hand aircraft seats purchased online. Credit: Rhett Wyman
The old aircraft seats frequent flyer fanatic Zac George bought for his home are both a constant reminder of not being able to jet off around the world and a trigger for post-COVID-19 travel daydreams.
As a result, he's jealously hoarding all his airline loyalty points, between 1.5 million and 2 million at last count, and eagerly trying to accumulate more in anticipation of his next big adventure.
"I think my next trip, when we can fly internationally again, will be business or first class to Switzerland," said George, 20, a travel consultant for website Points From The Pacific who won a worldwide following when he became the youngest person, at 16, to buy a ticket to fly in Etihad's exclusive first-class Residence.
Zac George (centre) became famous in the frequent flyer community after becoming the youngest person to ever fly in Etihad's luxurious Residence suite.
"Looking at the seats I bought on Facebook Marketplace from an old aircraft engineer annoys me sometimes as I can't go anywhere. But, other times, sitting in them stirs memories of past travels and thoughts of where I can go in the future with my points. I've always been about earning and burning points, but at the moment, it's about earning and earning."
He's one of a host of points obsessives, clinging stubbornly to their hauls knowing the end of the pandemic might be nigh. While Qantas reports an increasing number of frequent flyers are splurging their points on local luxury hotels, the real devotees won't budge.
"I'm playing the long game," said Sydneysider Renae Knowles, 46, a relief program coordinator who spends much of her time researching credit cards for their bonus flying points. "I'm lying low, like an A380 in the Mojave Desert.
Renae Knowles and husband Dwayne are 'playing the long game' on points, waiting for international borders to reopen.
"You can get good hotel deals on Wotif and Jetstar specials for domestic flights, and it doesn't make financial sense to buy consumer goods with points. It's things like business class flights to Europe that are the best value for points."
She and her husband Dwayne, 49, were last year stranded on one of the ships off South America by the pandemic, so plan to use their cache to either fly business class to Alaska for a compensation cruise, or to Norway to see the fiords.
Other frequent flyers are more flexible. Qantas recently researched members' activities and found a five-fold increase in the number buying nights in top-class hotels like the Park Hyatt in Sydney, Qualia on Hamilton Island and the Sheraton Grand Mirage on the Gold Coast with their points over the past 12 months.
"One individual used over 2 million Qantas points for a single booking at Emirates' [One&Only] Wolgan Valley resort, while another used close to 1.3 million Qantas points for a booking on Orpheus Island on the Great Barrier Reef," said Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth.
A spokesman for Virgin Australia said members were also using their points to book hotels, along with domestic flights and car hire.
Frequent flyer expert Daniel Sciberras, the managing editor of Point Hacks, says he's seen that as an emerging trend but most of his readers are still looking to use their points for flights. "They haven't been using them for domestic flights because of the uncertainty over state borders," he said.
"But as we see international borders open again, there'll be a shift back to international flights. People realise this is a temporary situation and it's made them feel they should do their big trips whenever they can, and not put them off for later."
Both Qantas and Virgin have produced offers to extend the status of members, with the ability to earn status credits on the ground, and have confirmed there'll be no expiry of points as long as there's some activity in either earning points or redeeming them.
Meanwhile, George is recommending to his followers that they hold fast to their points until they can take to the international skies again.
"I would never use them for domestic flights or hotels," he said. "Instead, as soon as COVID is over, we're all going to use them for travel. It's going to be crazy, absolutely crazy."
See also: Qantas vs Virgin: As the battle for frequent flyers heats up, which should you choose?
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