Back in April 2019, DBS added Qantas Frequent Flyer as a transfer partner, and ran a 20% transfer bonus promotion that ended on 30 June 2019.
Another promotion has come around, and this time youโll receive a 25% bonus if you transfer DBS Points by 31 October 2019.
There is no cap on the bonus miles you can receive, and the bonus will be received by 14 November 2019.
Hereโs an illustration of how the bonus works if you transfer in batches, although youโll obviously want to transfer in one batch to minimize conversion fees ($26.75 per transfer; DBSโs $42.80/year unlimited conversion option only applies to KrisFlyer).
The full T&C can be found here.
Do note that when you go to the DBS Rewards portal, you wonโt see the 25% bonus reflected. Thatโs normal, and I wouldnโt worry about it since the promotion is officially featured elsewhere on the DBS website.
Is Qantas Frequent Flyer worth your time?
If you ever feel like complaining about the miles game in Singapore, take one look at Australia and count your lucky stars you donโt live there.
Qantas charges people in Australia A$99.50 a year just to join their frequent flyer program! The fee can be waived with certain cobrand cards and promotions, but the idea that youโre expected to pay for the privilege of collecting milesโฆ
| Iโm aware that you need to pay to join Cathay Pacificโs Marco Polo club, but thatโs to earn status. Itโs free to join Asia Miles to accrue rewards points. For the record, I disagree with the Marco Polo joining fee too |
As if that wasnโt enough, Qantas Frequent Flyer is notorious for ridiculous fuel surcharges on redemptions (they donโt charge these on revenue tickets anymore so itโs purely an award surcharge), very poor premium cabin award space and steep redemption rates.
| You canโt price a Qantas award without sufficient miles in your account, so you canโt even check what these award surcharges will be before transferring miles. Using the ITA Matrix wonโt work, because these surcharges are only imposed on awards, and ITA looks at revenue tickets |
Why is Qantas Frequent Flyer so bad? In so many words: because it can be. Australians donโt have an awful lot of choices, and Qantas is the biggest name in the game over there. Moreover, the countryโs geographical isolation means itโs not easy to position yourself elsewhere to take advantage of cheaper fares, and that lack of competition manifests itself in the award program too.
Should I take advantage of the transfer bonus?
Does the transfer bonus change anything? Not really.
Although the transfer bonus this time round is 5% more than the previous, itโs important to remember that Qantas has had a devaluation in the interim period. As of 18 September 2019, award costs for premium cabins increased by up to 15%. A (Qantas-spun) summary of the changes can be found in the infographic below:
Economy Class flights have become cheaper, but most people are saving their miles for premium cabin redemptions anyway, and even if you transfer your points now with a 25% bonus youโll likely be worse off than if you transferred earlier this year with a 20% bonus and redeemed at the old prices.
If youโre nonetheless curious to check out the rates, hereโs Qantas Frequent Flyerโs award chart that covers flights on Qantas, Jetstar, Airnorth, Fiji Airways, Air Vanuatu, American Airlines and Emirates.
And hereโs how much youโll pay if you want to redeem flights on oneworld partners, or with Aer Lingus, Air Niugini, Alaska, China Airlines, China Eastern or EL AL.
Without going through the numbers in detail, I can tell you that once you factor in the total cost plus surcharges, youโd be better off transferring to KrisFlyer instead for flights out of Singapore.
The only potential use case I see for Qantas Frequent Flyer is Emirates redemptions, because Skywards miles are difficult to acquire in Singapore. Keep in mind youโll still be looking at a chunk of fuel surcharges.
Conclusion
Transfer bonuses are great and all, but when the partner in question is Qantas Frequent Flyer, Iโd give it a miss. The program simply offers too little value (unless youโre dead set on trying Emiratesโ First Class) to be worth your time.
For what itโs worth, Qantas teased the idea of a โPoints Clubโ earlier this year, which recognizes members who earn a lot of points on the ground. Qantas has mentioned the entry-level tier will require 150,000 points to earn, and include benefits like lounge access and bonus status credits. Thatโs supposed to be launched by December 2019, and if nothing else, will be an interesting model to examine.
I agree QFF is a terrible program, no premium availability, high carrier charges and QF isnโt the best airline in the world but you really donโt have to pay for membership. The $99.50 fee is only for residents of Australia and even then there are so many ways to join for free that youโd be a mug to pay for it.