Travel Pointers

In episode 24 of the Travel Pointers podcast, Matt Graham chats to LoungePair CEO Daniel Kinnoch for a behind-the-scenes look at the world of airport lounges!

Everyone loves to start off their trip with a visit to a great airport lounge - and if you don't already have access through airline status, a lounge membership or your credit card, LoungePair can make that possible. Some airport lounges even over swimming pools!

Plus, Air New Zealand's loyalty program often gets a bad rap on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum. But in this episode, find out why there...

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 23 of Travel Pointers! The pair discuss which are the world's best airlines, as well as their favourite picks - do you agree with their list?

Also, Australians often focus their attention on two of the three alliances: Oneworld and Star Alliance. Many people seem to forget that the SkyTeam alliance exists – but it’s for exactly that reason that it could be worth your while to learn about it.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recen...

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 22 of Travel Pointers!

Next month, American Express will make big changes to its Membership Rewards program. The transfer rates to many overseas airline programs will get devalued, and there are also a couple of changes to transfer partners that are available. 

In this episode, we’ll discuss what’s changing and the best ways to use your Amex points, especially if you want to transfer them out before the upcoming devaluation. 

Even if you don’t have Amex points, you might find this discussi...

What makes a great airport? In Travel Pointers Episode 21, Matt and Wilson chat about their favourite airports around Australia and the world, why they like them, and some of the best features of different airports that you might not have even known existed.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

Since SAS launched a promo last year offering a million frequent flyer points to members who flew with 15 SkyTeam partner airlines, many other airlines have launched copycat promos.
Are these offers worthwhile, and would something similar work in Australia? Matt and Wilson discuss this, and lots more, in the latest episode of Travel Pointers!

Note: since this episode was recoreded, Velocity have announced extra benefits for Platinum Plus members.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and f...

Join Matt Graham and special guest Udhara de Silva, the head of Loyalty Marketing & Strategy for Singapore Airlines in Australia, for episode 19 of Travel Pointers!

In this podcast episode, Matt and Udhara discuss how Singapore Airlines and KrisFlyer manage to compete in Australia against two very dominant local players. They also talk about the upcoming KrisFlyer program changes, Kris+, KrisFlyer's hard three-year mileage expiration policy, and some of the ways you can earn bonus KrisFlyer miles in Australia right now.

Finally, later in this episode, Matt follows up on some AFF member feedback from our...

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 18 of Travel Pointers!

In Travel Pointers Episode 18, Matt and Wilson discuss what makes a good hotel loyalty program. The pair talk about our favourite programs, why they like them, and how you can make the most of them.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

In Travel Pointers Episode 17, Matt and Wilson chat about Emirates' Premium Economy cabin, and their experience onboard. It looks really nice in photos, but what is it really like?

The pair also chat about Premium Economy more broadly, and why airlines are more and more keen to add a Premium Economy cabin.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 16 of Travel Pointers!

In Travel Pointers Episode 16, Matt and Wilson explain the winners and losers of the AFF Point Valuations.

After months spent building a detailed model to calculate the average value of a frequent flyer point, AFF has released its first ever Frequent Flyer Point Valuations! Wilson and I developed this model together; we’ll explain exactly how the model works, which frequent flyer programs came out on top, which flopped, and why.

The pair also cha...

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 15 of Travel Pointers!

Last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia announced reforms to Australian credit card fees which could have some unintended consequences when it comes to earning frequent flyer points in Australia. We’ll talk about these proposals in this Travel Pointers episode.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 14 of Travel Pointers!

Sorry we missed last month, but we're back to our regular schedule!

In Travel Pointers Episode 14, Matt and Wilson discuss Qantas' new A321 XLR and what it's like flying long-haul on narrow-body aircraft. They also chat about the routes they took from Europe to Australia.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 13 of Travel Pointers!

In this episode, Matt and Wilson talk all about Avios, the valuable points used by 7 different frequent flyer programs. They'll discuss what they are, how you can earn them in Australia – and most importantly, how to use them for maximum benefit.

If you want to learn more about earning and redeeming Avios, you may also be interested in AFF's upcoming webinar on Thursday 12 June 2025.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of...

Join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart for episode 12 of Travel Pointers!

In Travel Pointers Episode 12, Matt and Wilson discuss how to use your Qantas and Velocity points on partner airlines. This can be a great option if you can’t find availability on Qantas or Virgin – or you want to travel somewhere that your own airline doesn’t fly to.

They also chat about the unusual way that Wilson flew to Singapore last week.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of...

Have you ever got yourself into a sticky situation while travelling? How did you get out of it, and what would you do differently next time? 

In Travel Pointers Episode 11, join Matt Graham and Wilson McTaggart as they talk about their worst travel mistakes! Even the most experienced travellers have issues, so the pair discuss what's gone wrong on their travels and the ways you can avoid any problems.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

In Travel Pointers Episode 10, Matt and Wilson chat about finding cheap flights! The pair talk about the strategies they use to save money and find cheaper flights to destinations including Asia, Europe and North America, for both Economy and premium cabins.

The pair also discuss Virgin Australia's flights to Doha, and recent updates about the service.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

In Travel Pointers Episode 9, Matt and Wilson talk all things Japan! Find out why so many Aussies are going there, what we like about it the most, and which airlines you can fly to get there.

The pair also chat about Velocity moving to spend-based status, and whether Qantas will follow suit.

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

...

In Travel Pointers Episode 8, Matt and Wilson explain everything you need to know about redeeming Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. It’s a great program with tons of Business Class award availability in and out of Australia, so it’s worth taking the time to get to know it!

The pair discuss the quirks you need to be aware of when using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, as well as certain sweet spots that can make your miles go further!

Each episode begins with a discussion of some of the recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news...

In Travel Pointers Episode 7, Matt and Wilson explain how to find reward flight availability in 2025 - especially if you want to redeem your frequent flyer points for Business Class tickets. The pair discuss the latest reward flight trends, the airlines and routes which have the most reward seats, and the strategies you need to find them.

Over recent years, airlines have drastically changed the way they release reward seats. So the approach you need to take has changed as well!

Each episode begins with a discussion about recent Australian travel and...

Welcome to a new year of the Travel Pointers podcast! After a break over the summer holidays, we’re back with not just a new episode, but also a new format.

From 2025, Travel Pointers is becoming an Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) podcast. Of course, we’ll still share lots of tips to help you make the most of your frequent flyer points, tell lots of entertaining travel stories, and interview guests from the travel industry.

With the change of format also comes a new co-host. From this episode, AFF Editor Matt Graham will be joined by A...

In episode 5 of the Travel Pointers podcast, Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach joins Matt and Chris to talk about the recent changes to Virgin Australia's loyalty program.

In this interview, find out why Velocity is making status harder to earn, why Velocity is launching a Forever Gold tier, what the enhanced partnership with Qatar Airways means for frequent flyers, and lots more!

Also in this episode, find out why next year could be the ideal time to visit Mongolia. It's not a country many people really consider travelling to, but it's an up-and-coming destination...

In Travel Pointers Episode 4, Matt and Chris share their thoughts and opinions about the changes Virgin Australia is making to its Velocity Frequent Flyer program over the next year. These include changes to the way flyers earn and redeem points, the introduction of Platinum Plus and Forever Gold status, and Virgin making status much harder for most people to earn.

With Qantas just retiring its last Boeing 717, Chris and Matt reflect on the iconic plane that's graced Australian skies for almost 25 years.

The pair also discuss the what the recent news regarding air service to...

In Travel Pointers Episode 3, Matt and Chris discuss how they earn Qantas and Velocity Points in ways other than the obvious methods of flying and through credit cards. This includes several ways to earn frequent flyer points in Australia for free.

Your hosts also talk about the first time they each flew internationally in First Class. They weren't rich nor famous, but they did have enough Qantas Points to book seats on (different) Emirates flights!

Each episode begins with a discussion about recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

Point Hacks News Editor Chris Chamberlin and Australian Frequent Flyer Editor Matt Graham explain how they ended up in a window seat without a window, after a seat selection mishap - and discuss the tools and strategies you can use to avoid making the same error!

Plus, find out how you can leverage your current elite status with one airline to get a free status match with other airlines including Qantas, Turkish Airlines, Etihad Airways and Vietnam Airlines.

Each episode begins with a discussion about recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:<...

Point Hacks News Editor Chris Chamberlin and Australian Frequent Flyer Editor Matt Graham explain how to use your Qantas Frequent Flyer points to fly around the globe, including in Business Class, with the Oneworld Classic Flight Reward.

Plus, find out why Central Asia could be one of the world's most underrated tourist destinations!

Each episode begins with a discussion about recent Australian travel and frequent flyer news. In this episode:

H...