Status Credits Run: Sydney – Brisbane – Christchurch

• Status Credits Run: Sydney – Brisbane – Christchurch
• Introduction: Sydney-Brisbane-Christchurch – The best laid plans . . .
• Review: The Pullman, Brisbane Airport Hotel

Christchurch when did we first meet?

Its been a long time since I have been to Christchurch, and I have been yearning to go back.

Yep – your right – full of sarcasm that statement.

OK – I admit, I would quite like to see the city post-earthquake(s), since the last time I was there the Cathedral was still standing. But as a person brought up in Adelaide – Christchurch seems strangely familiar with its central square, and grid layout. I thought they must both be designed by the same town planner – Colonel William Light, but that’s not the case, however, both planners did have the same military background, which according to one source is the reason for their similarity.

To Platinum and beyond!

No my reason is not nostalgia, but Qantas Status Credits. I have been looking for a status points run that would bring me over the line and gain me Platinum Status with Qantas. I will be doing this with the aid of the Double Status credits promotion that they are currently running (you have until 14 August at one minute to midnight AEST to register and book!).

I read an article by David Flynn from ausbt.com.au about a status run to Noumea – and went ‘damn it’, I’m already booked on a points fare to Noumea using some soon-to-expire Flying Blue points in September. But it did give me an idea to look for city pairs with amazingly low fares, earning a generous number of Status Credits. Well, I found one: Brisbane – Christchurch, if you’re prepared to catch a 7 am flight between certain dates.

And here from the date spread, you can see different fares for different dates:

. . . and here different business class rates

Now, what you need to know is that these little gems earn you an oversize number of Status Credits:

So that’s 80 Status Credits one way – 160 return. If you add to that the 10 Status Credits x 2 I get for positioning from Sydney (cost AU$131 one way), that makes a tidy 180 Status Credits.

Add the Double Status Credits promotion to that, and I get a tidy 360 Status Credits for the trip.

So let me break that down for you in terms of cost per Status Credit:

• SYD – BNE: 10 status credits @$131
• BNE – CHC: 80 status credits @$493
• CHC – BNE:80 status credits @$493
• SYD – BNE: 10 status credits @$131
• TOTAL: 180 status credits @ AU$6.93 each !

or

TOTAL with Double Status Credits promotion: 360 status credits @ AU$3.47

Bargain!  And if you don’t believe me look at my breakdown of the cost of a Qantas Status Credit here.

Booked it! And I promise this is the last post for a while about my obsession with Qantas Status Credits

Have you got some better tales of bargain Status Credit runs?