Fly for Free…Almost

Hey everyone

I’m currently in Hong Kong and really enjoying myself shopping and catching up with friends! Hence, I thought it will be good for me to write a post on how to fly on the cheap since the last four flights of mine have only cost me less than AU$130 each way.

Frequent Flyer Points

You do not have to be a frequent flyer to chalk up all the miles! Theses days, companies are joining ventures to provide consumers with more opportunities to accumulate the miles. From credit cards to grocery stores to auto shops and etc. It seems that almost everyone is trying to get in on the pie. However, most of the times, these service providers do tend to charge more for their services. I currently is the AMEX QANTAS card. It is a great card that offered me a bonus 10000 points at sign up plus every dollar that I spend translate into 1.25 points. This means that I often pay my groceries and shopping with this card. Any time that I’m able to use the card, I do it (this includes utilities too!). However, the AMEX card does come with an annual fee of $195. So before you go out signing up with different cards, remember to look at the fine print and check out their interest rates. The cards that offer frequent flyer points are typically higher in interest rates than other no-frills credit card. My recommendation is only to apply for these cards if you pay your statement in full. There is no point in chalking up all the miles if you are going to accrue interest! Your flight will only cost more.

Budget Flights

My partner and I flew into Hong Kong on separate flights this time around (he technically did not fly into Hong Kong). There is a little trick where you are able to save almost $500! This trick comes in the beauty of Fly Viva Macau. It is a budget airlines that services Sydney to Macau. Macau, like Hong Kong, is part of China but they are both classified as Special Administrative Regions (SAR).  Macau is often described as the Vegas of Asia. It is full of casinos and great food! Flying via Viva Macau will set you back approximately AU$600 for a return trip. Compare this to flying direct to Hong Kong, which will set you back $1200 for a round trip. So you say, how do I get from Macau to Hong Kong? Easy! This is via a 1 hour ferry that costs about $25 one way. All the savings from the flight can go into SHOPPING! Total cost of getting to Hong Kong is only $650. However, if you book ahead of time and keep an eye out for flights, you are often able to score cheapies that are about $200 one way.

Enjoy

Jess

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