Getting more without any extra effort

A sponsored post for Qantas Frequent Flyers

Recently it came to my attention that there was a simple way to get more from something that I have been doing all my adult life. You know those moments when someone shows you something and you are all like “Um, how long has THIS been going on?” closely followed by a DER. I had one of those when a reader pointed out to be something in a recent post.

You know your cling wrap roll? Have you ever noticed these little messages on the side? Those little perforations in the cardboard? No, me either.

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Apparently, we were just meant to KNOW (OK, they do say so but seriously who ever looks at the side of the box?) that if you press them in, THEY LOCK THE ROLL INTO PLACE.

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I’ll let you sit with that one a while.

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LOCKED INTO PLACE.

If you are prone to a little gusto like myself, you’ll not find the roll flinging across the kitchen floor as you make another bloody school lunch.

So often we think that we can do just one thing with something, when there are better and more efficient ways to get even more out of it.

Qantas Frequent Flyers are a little like that for me. I joined up all the way back in February 2003 when I was a corporate flyer in finance with a corporate credit card to boot! Ha! Since then I have earned points every time I fly, I even enjoyed a brief year in silver status before being recently relegated back to bronze. I keep whacking things on my credit card because I get a point for each dollar I spend, I shop at Woolies and Big W and scan that Everyday Rewards card, and I use partnered programs when I can so I can get some points, and then use said points for things like flights to Blogging conferences, or visiting friends interstate, or buying stuff for me in their online store.

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While going on flights is a good way to earn points, it’s not necessarily going to happen for you or I as we are busy attending to everyone else’s needs ALL OF THE TIME. So some other ways to earn points through the Frequent Flyer Program that you may not know include:

1. Shopping through the online mall (I SO did not know this was a thing)

The Online Mall allows you to earn Qantas Points and get great deals shopping online for everything from homewares to music, books, high-end fashion and more. Big brands include eBay, David Jones, Apple Store, The Iconic, Net-a-Porter, iTunes and more. Simply log in, browse for what you’re looking for and earn Qantas Points on your purchases.

The Qantas Online Mall, accessed via here offers members the chance to earn Qantas Points while shopping online with 29 well-known retailers.

Retail Partners and earn rates:

  • Saks Fifth Avenue 5 points per $1 spent
  • David Jones: 5 points per $1 spent
  • Apple: 2 points per $1 spent
  • eBay: 2 points per $1 spent
  • Marks & Spencer 5 points per $1 spent
  • Bonds 5 points per $1 spent
  • SABA 4 points per $1 spent
  • SportsCraft 4 points per $1 spent
  • Bloomingdales 4 points per $1 spent
  • Samsung 3 points per $1 spent
  • The Outnet 3 points per $1 spent
  • Kogan 2 points per $1 spent
  • Seed 2 points per $1 spent
  • Appliances Online 2 points per $1 spent
  • Crew 3 points per $1 spent
  • Seafolly 3 points per $1 spent
  • Net-A-Porter: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Macy’s: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Selfridges: 3 points per $1 spent
  • Williams-Sonoma: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Booktopia: 4 points per $1 spent
  • West-Elm: 4 points per $1 spent
  • The Iconic: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Bobbi Brown: 4 points per $1 spent
  • iTunes: 3 points per $1 spent
  • Mr Porter: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Neiman Marcus: 5 points per $1 spent
  • Pottery Barn: 4 points per $1 spent
  • Pottery Barn Kids: 4 points per $1 spent
2. Everyday shopping at places like Woolies, Big W, BWS, Cellarmasters or Caltex

Qantas restaurants (you can see a list of them here)

3. Credit cards

(I have my NAB credit card linked and my Nab AMEX card which gets even more points per $ spent)

4. Car hire (details can be found here)
5. Hotels

You can find out more about the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program here:

Points

They also have this great new tool on their website that you can use to create goals for yourself for any travel or shopping you want to do. Just head online to here: and work out what you want to do: go shopping? Go flying? For me it might be to fly my sister up from Melbourne for a special family occasion (you can choose your lucky jetsetter myself/my partner/my sister/my children) and it will let you know how many points needed. To get my sister from Melbs to Syd return it will 16,000 points so I can then see what points I have from existing flights taken, make sure I use my credit card as much as possible for extra points and get shopping at Woolies with my goal in mind. Plus you can enter to win 1 million points. Check it out here:

Any other ways you’ve found to earn points with Qantas Frequent Flyer?
Anyone else heard that there is a possibility that the numbers on a toaster are actually the minutes that the toast is cooked for and not just some magical toastiness scale?!
Any other simple life hacks that we need to know about like the cling wrap?

Comments

  1. I’ve never used the online mall, but I did use QANTAS cash on our holiday to NZ in March. It’s linked to your FF card and you can load it with one currency then exchange it for another online. I didn’t have to leave my office and I scored a better exchange rate than I was offered at the bank. Winning!

  2. Oh bloody hell Beth, I swear to god we are twins… just not identical…. ha ha ha…. ok so the other day I was filling up a hire car – that one of our visitors was driving – with diesel, I drove it to the fuel tank and said “which side is the tank on?” to which someone replied: “there is an arrow on the dash next to the fuel bowser picture thingy” – and there really is – can you even believe it, the arrow points to the side that the fuel tank is on…. game changer. All I could think was “I totally need to blog about this”. Now I have to and need to link to your cling wrap hack! I then got in my own car to see if the arrow was there, and IT WAS!!!!! Shit.

  3. Well, I’ll be. I had to go look at the cling wrap and there it was! In all my days I have never known that.

    Also, just yesterday I shopped at the iconic and didn’t realise that I could get FF points. Damn.

  4. You can download a plug-in for chrome which gives you FF points whenever you search for something. Easy points!

  5. I know all about the numbers on the side of the toaster equalling minutes – we have a dualite and you literally dial up the minutes. Yes, very fancy toaster that we inherited (literally) from husband’s parents – he had given it to them in the first place. Then if you are cooking the second set of slices you need to put it on for a little less – its like learning to drive, working that toaster out!
    Will try and remember the points and shopping thing!! Thanks for the reminder!

  6. Yep, I’m a QANTAS FF lover. Use my points to visit my sister in Cairns and go home to the Gold Coast from Sydney where we are currently. But the toaster thing I didn’t know AND neither does my toaster! It’s a DeLonghi. Second one because the first one only had one mode, burn everything. Took it back and now have the second one which has a different mode … I’ll do whatever I want and then I’ll eject the toast so strongly that it will fly across the kitchen. Oh how I hate this toaster! My #onething needs to be to look in my receipt box, talk to The Good Guys and see if I can take number 2 DeLonghi back. But I think I’ve persevered with it too long. Well, now, that’s my rant! Sorry.

  7. I’m a Bronze member too and I seem to mostly accumulate my points thanks to Woolies, Cellarmasters and my Optus mobile bill. Good times!

  8. Well I never ! A way to lock that bloody plastic roll in place….

  9. I was saving my points for a rainy day, when DH found out that you can buy Lego from the Qantas store. WELL. Goodbye points….

  10. OMG Beth, are you kidding me – you just totally changed my life. I’m looking on the side of my cling wrap when I get home and I now totally see the point of FF points – I knew you could get them at Woolies but that was it!

    And the petrol light thing – Game Changer! I’m looking for this the minute I get in my car!

  11. Ok this is the second conversation about FF points in two days. My friend just flew here from Perth on them. Signing up as we speak…

  12. Lisa Mckenzie says

    I knew about the fuel pic Beth but not the other things,all I can say is wow and thank you Xx

  13. All our credit cards are on the FF programme including an AMEX which doubles the points per dollar spent – #winning. We’ve managed to accumulate enough points through various means to travel to Singapore (all four of us, return) before baby #3 was born and just recently, four of our return airfares to and from LA. It’s an amazing programme really and I am already planning my next free flights! PS. That cling wrap epiphany is a game changer. x

  14. *downloading Chrome plug-in as we speak while simultaneously checking out the Online Mall*

  15. Cling Wrap locking device? consider my mind blown!

  16. Sharmaine says

    Not sure if it is still so, but we signed up for the Woolies Everyday rewards which gave us free membership to QF/FF and also linked our credit cards. I think we then double dip when we scan our Everyday card as well as pay with our c/card when shopping at Woolies/Big W and BWS. Also once a year I go through all our Qantas FF accounts and donate it all into my husband’s account which racks them up the fastest due to the credit card being linked to it. That way we have everything in one account instead of small amounts in each account, and make all the bookings from the main account. We have had flights from Cape Town back to Perth after a cruise as well as tickets for 2 from Perth to Sydney next week!

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