Redeeming points for premium award flights can feel like a race against the clock—Business and First Class reward seats are in high demand and often disappear quickly, especially during peak holiday periods. The challenge becomes even greater when you’re transferring points from one or more credit cards, as transfers aren’t always instant and may take hours or even days to process.

This is where award holds come in. Offered by select frequent flyer programs, this little-known feature lets you temporarily reserve award seats while your points are being transferred, ensuring you don’t miss out on your preferred flights.

How to Hold Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Award Flights

Asia Miles is a popular transfer partner for several Australian issued credit cards, Asia Miles program lets you hold awards seats for up to three days and can arranged by calling.

How to Hold Emirates Skywards Award Flights

Transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points to Emirates Skywards is a popular option, as the airline offers numerous flights from major Australian capital cities to the Middle East and beyond. The good news is you can hold award seats for up to one day simply by giving Emirates a call.

How to Hold Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Award Flights

Singapore Airlines flies from most major Australian capital cities, making it a popular choice for points redemptions. Many Australian credit cards also allow transfers to KrisFlyer, adding to its appeal.

Holding award seats requires a phone call and typically is for one day, however not every phone agent is able to place award seats on hold, so it may take a few attempts before becoming successful—that extra effort can be well worth it, giving you the chance to lock in your dream cabin instead of missing out.

How to Hold Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Award Flights

Transferring your American Express Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club unlocks a range of flight options. Award seat holds can be requested by phone and typically last for 24–48 hours, giving you time for you points to be transferred.

How to Hold Award Flights with Other Airlines

Several other frequent flyer programs are also known to offer phone-based award holds, include:

• Air France-KLM Flying Club
• ANA Mileage Club
• American AAdvantage
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
• Lufthansa Miles & More
• Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles

At this time, these programs don’t offer transfers options from Australian credit cards.

Award Holds Tips

• Be prepared with your exact flight number, cabin class, and the route you want to hold.
• Call early in the day when phone agents are likely less busy and be polite but persistent; not all agents are aware of the award hold seat process.
• If the first agent can’t place a hold, try again—sometimes another agent or a manager will have the necessary access.
• Ask if there is a hold fee, whether the hold is guaranteed, and how long it will last.
• Time your credit card points transfer so it arrives within the hold window, and ensure the name on your credit card matches your frequent flyer account to avoid manual reviews.
• Some credit cards allow you to pre-link your accounts, allowing for a smoother transfer of your points.

Award Seat Holds Frequently Asked Questions

Securing an award hold can take a bit of extra time and persistence, but it’s well worth the effort—most frequent flyer programs offer holds free of charge or for a small fee. Without a hold, your points may not transfer quickly enough, and those coveted award seats could vanish, leaving you missing out on your dream flight.

Master Your Points. Unlock Extraordinary Travel.

Want to master earning and redeeming points for award flights around the world? Our Points Mastery Courses are perfect for Aussie travellers of all levels, whether you’re just starting out or already a Frequent Flyer Pro. Learn how to earn points efficiently on everyday spending and book premium award flights with step-by-step strategies from seasoned points experts—turning your points into unforgettable trips at a fraction of what you’d pay for cash tickets.

The post How to Lock in Award Seat Holds (Cathay, Emirates, Singapore & More) appeared first on Points Advisor.

Devaluation of points

There will be changes to the transfer ratios for Emirates Skywards and KrisFlyer loyalty programs from American Express. Effective October 4, the transfer ratio for these two programs will be adjusted from the current rate of 2:1 to 3:1.

This change has an impact on the earning rate of American Express (Amex) cards for these platforms. It is important to note that this adjustment could potentially make other non-Amex cards a more favorable option for earning points.

What does this mean to me?
This devaluation of transfer ratio would mean you will yield 33% less points than before. This could mean the difference of travelling in business class and first class with the same amount of Amex points.

What should I do?

It is advisable to assess whether you are likely to make redemptions on either the Emirates Skywards or KrisFlyer platforms in the next three years. If you anticipate utilizing these programs, it would be wise to consider making a bulk transfer of your points prior to October 4th to take advantage of the current transfer ratio.

However, it is important to diversify your points and not rely solely on one platform. And miles in Skyward or Krisflyer will expire in three years. When deciding where to transfer your points, it is essential to consider your travel destinations, preferred redemption partners and award flights availability. By doing so, you can avoid transferring points into programs that you do not frequently use or that may not align with your travel goals and preferences.

Taking these factors into account will help ensure that you make the most of your points and have a higher chance of redeeming them for the experiences you desire. If you need assistance in evaluating your options or making informed decisions, our team at Points Advisor is available to provide personalized advice tailored to your specific needs.

The post Amex Reduces Conversion Rates for Singapore Airlines, Krisflyer and Emirates Skyward Points appeared first on Points Advisor.

American Express has recently formed partnerships with Qatar Airways and Hawaiian Airlines in Australia, bringing two fantastic opportunities for cardholders to enhance their travel experiences.

With this new collaboration, American Express cardholders can now convert their Membership Rewards points to Avios with Qatar Airways at a rate of 2 MR to 1 Avios, and to Hawaiian miles at a rate of 2 MR to 1 Hawaiian mile. This means that you have even more options to explore and reach your desired destinations using your American Express points.

The Qatar Airways deal is already in effect, starting from August, while the partnership with Hawaiian Airlines will come into effect in October. These partnerships provide a wonderful opportunity for travelers to maximize the value of their American Express points and unlock a world of possibilities.

Whether you dream of exploring the vibrant cities and cultural gems served by Qatar Airways, or you’re longing for a tropical getaway to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands with Hawaiian Airlines, these partnerships offer you the chance to make your travel aspirations a reality.

So, with American Express points, you now have the ability to reach more destinations than ever before. Start planning your next adventure and take advantage of these incredible opportunities to make the most of your points.

Qatar Promotional Transfer

Until the 18th of August, American Express cardholders can enjoy a fantastic promotion when transferring their points to Qatar Airways. During this limited-time offer, you will receive a 20% bonus on Avios for points transferred to the newly partnered Qatar Airlines.

This promotion presents an incredible opportunity for those planning to use Avios for travel within Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. With the bonus Avios, you’ll have even more value to explore the diverse destinations and cultures that Qatar Airways serves.

Don’t miss out on this exclusive offer. Transfer your American Express points to Avios and unlock a world of possibilities for your upcoming travels within Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Start planning your journey today and take advantage of this incredible opportunity. Safe travels!

The post New Airline Partners for American Express: Qatar & Hawaiian Airlines appeared first on Points Advisor.

This is on Australia Domestic flights (except Christmas Island and Cocos Island) operated by Virgin Australia with a VA flight number. The request can be made online any time after you have purchased until a few hours prior to the scheduled flight departure time.

If there are no upgrades available when you request you might be able to go on a waitlist.

For more details, you can check here.

For Qantas domestic flights, we can upgrade Classic Flight Reward,  Discount Economy and Flexible Economy flights.
a) Discount Economy includes Red e-Deal fares booked in M, L, V, S, N, Q, O and E classes, and Group fares booked in G class; and
b) Flexible Economy includes Flex fares booked in Y, B, H and K classes.

For Qantas international flights, we can upgrade Classic Flight Reward, Economy and Flexible Economy flights.
a) Economy includes classes G, K, L, M, S and V; and
b) Flexible Economy includes classes B, H and Y.

 For more details, you can check here.

The post Can I Use Reward Points for Upgrading My Domestic Flights to Business Class on Virgin and Qantas? appeared first on Points Advisor.

There’s no doubt the choices for redeeming your American Express points are plentiful from flights to fashion. Yet with so many options and some offer low value for redeemed points, we’ve rounded up the best ways for you to maximize your Amex membership rewards.

We’ve based this on Amex cards issued in Australia and this may vary in other countries but the principle applies to most countries. The points required are approximate and the cash price an average.

Redeeming American Express Points at Retailers

While you can use your membership reward points at these retailers, read on to see why we don’t recommend it.

Retailers offer as little as 0.5 cents per Amex point which is incredibly low when compared to using them for flights.

Redeeming Points with Hotel Brands

American Express has joined forces with Hilton Hotels and Marriott Bonvoy Hotels, both of which have their own points rewards system. Each Amex point converts to 0.667 Marriott points or 0.5 Hilton points and the value of 0.667 Mariott points is usually between 0.5 Australian cents and 1 cent higher than the value of 0.5 Hilton points. The value varies depending on the properties, seasons, occupancy, etc. Compared to the retailers, converting your Amex points to these two hotel brands will give you more value but there are better things waiting for your Amex points.

You can get more miles out of your points if you use them for some ‘experiences’ on Marriott ‘Moments‘. Bidding against other Marriott Bonvoy rewards members you can land experiences such as two tickets plus an invite to the after-party for the American Music Award which is currently on auction for 50,000 Marriott points (which requires 75,000 Amex points, it might well go up), compared to the ticket prices on this site, starting at US$3,990 for two people including after-party access. Then it’s worth using Amex points.

We recommend any redemption when 100 Amex points in Australia is worth more than AU$1. In this case, it’s worth US$5.32, which is almost AUD$7.5 with the current exchange rate. Even if the bid doubles, it’s still well worth redeeming your Amex points for it.
But, at the end of the day, it also depends on how much you value the experience and if the tickets are available to the general public.

Redeeming Points for First or Business Class Tickets

However, our favorite way to redeem Amex points is to transfer them over to an airline.

For example, when you transfer 340,000 American Express points to Asia Miles, it converts to 170,000 Asian Miles which can get you a return flight in business class from Sydney to London with Cathay Pacific, valued at approximately AUD$6,000 (excluding taxes), in which case 100 Amex points is worth AU$1.76.  If you transfer 652,000 American Express points to Krisflyer, it converts to 326,000 Krisflyer Miles which can get you a return flight in first class from Sydney to London with Singapore Airlines, valued at approximately AUD$13,000 (excluding taxes), in which case 100 Amex points is worth AU$2!

The post What You’re Doing Wrong with your American Express Points and How to Maximise Them appeared first on Points Advisor.

For the first time, you can pay to extend the validity of your Skywards Miles for up to a year beyond the original expiry date.

If any of your Skywards Miles are expiring soon, you can extend their validity for up to 12 months. For just USD 20 per 1,000 Skywards Miles, you can purchase the extension 3 months prior to the date of expiry, and you can extend up to 50,000 Skywards Miles in a year.

If any of your Skywards Miles have expired in the past 6 months, you can reactivate them so that they are added back into your account. It costs just USD 20 per 1,000 Miles and you can reclaim up to 50,000 Skywards Miles in a year.

The post Now you can extend the validity of your Skywards Miles appeared first on Points Advisor.