Is There Any Point in Buying Airline Miles if You Live in NZ or Aus

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  jackvdbuk on 07/12/2023 - 11:24

  can you do this with airnz? i havent seen that possible here

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  Ihatemarmalade on 07/12/2023 - 12:30

  From what I see you can't. I have seen other airlines can let you buy air miles. I think it's mainly US based. I figured this would be the best forum to ask.

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  Baagin on 07/12/2023 - 12:47

  +1

  You can buy airpoints dollars if you have Kiwibank airpoints credit card. From website:

  A $5.00 fee applies when buying Airpoints Dollars. Until further notice we are waiving the 20% Airpoints Dollars top up fee.

  Once purchased Airpoints Dollars are non-refundable. Customers who purchase international fares using Airpoints Dollars™ will be required to pay in cash, the government and airport costs.

  Please note that all fares that are purchased using Airpoints Dollars are not eligible for accrual of Airpoints Dollars and/or Status Points. This includes fares purchased using Airpoints Dollars that you have purchased via your Airpoints credit card.

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    Ihatemarmalade on 07/12/2023 - 12:59

    Yeah it doesn't seem like we get deals like they do in the states. No major promotions. It's basically 1:1 exchange rate

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      Meridian on 08/12/2023 - 15:14

      So converting real money you can spend anywhere to fake money you can only spend one place and even then with restrictions.

      Great deal. But how could you expect anything less with AirNZ involved.

      • 

        conradb42 on 08/12/2023 - 17:36

        If you are Air NZ Elite you can use AirPoints dollars to buy upgrades to Premium Economy or Business at pretty good value - generally much better than you can get with actual $$, including through OneUp. That's the main reason to buy APD with the Kiwibank card.

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          Meridian on 09/12/2023 - 13:05

          @conradb42: True, fair point I guess, but thats a relatively small group - and I do have that status. Saying that, I have so many free upgrades owing and I never seem to be able to get them approved, I also havelike 3 years+ of elite banked so will keep trying I guess but definitely not going to pay for them when I cant even use the free ones - although I suspect many probably do which is why you never get the free ones.

          I have lost a lot of faith in AirNZ in recent years, mainly fly other airlines now when possible.

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            c3rn on 11/12/2023 - 10:48

            @Meridian: Sounds tough at the top

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        LupinS on 09/12/2023 - 16:10

        Describes literally every gift card.

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  Superpower21 on 07/12/2023 - 21:53

  Yes you can buy airline miles in NZ too but our dollar is so weak against usd, so not a very good deal at the moment. The airlines have changed the rules so much this year and the miles are also devaluing constantly. I wouldn't buy miles unless I want to use them straight away.

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  Rhys on 08/12/2023 - 16:06

  Qantas is worth it, for example you can signup and earn points on things like Qantas Hotels. If you wait until they do their bi-yearly 9 or 10x points per dollar, a $1,000 hotel stay could get you 9,000 points which is a one way trans-tasman flight+taxes. To make any serious points you really need to move to Aus and get some credit cards and then come back and continue to use those cards for a few years, then cancel them.

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    Superpower21 on 08/12/2023 - 17:44

    The cheapest trans-tasman flight I can see is 18000 qantas points plus tax. Am I missing something here?

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  KevlarCoated on 09/12/2023 - 07:50

  Generally the answer is no.
  Travel hackers exploit the massive value that CAN be achieved by booking premium fares on points and often using the routing rules to their absolute limit.
  Most travel hackers only buy points if need a few extra for a specific redemption as they generally cost more to buy than is reasonable to expect to get back in value (specially since the value quoted is based on actually flying business class which you wouldnt do other wise)
  The problem is that Air NZ air points are TERRIBLE. They are good in that you can book any flight with them but there's really no good value in using them on Air NZ flights (looking at flights from AKL-ZQN the pricing i was getting was more expensive than I could book through 3rd parties but you cant use air points dollars with 3rd parties) and using them to book partner awards requires first finding the awards on a different carriers website (Aeroplan has a pretty decent search, as does United) and then calling Air NZ to book them but the value really isnt there

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    Meridian on 09/12/2023 - 13:07

    Not to mention the rules around part paying if you short etc ie you cant - super restrictive and as you say not a good deal.

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    Jexla on 10/12/2023 - 08:36

    I'm guessing you live in a major city?
    I live in the regions and use my airpoints for flights to the big cities for weekends away and concerts etc.

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    0o0 on 11/12/2023 - 11:24

    You can search and book partner reward flights online at https://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/partner-reward-flights

    I've done it several times for short hops in Asia and it was good value.