Proven strategies to help you find reward seats

The number one issue for frequent flyers

If there is one issue that makes people’s eyes roll when you mention frequent flyer programs, it’s that of reward seat availability. Or should I say, the perceived lack of reward seat availability.

This issue is by far the biggest gripe of frequent flyers. And why wouldn’t it be? You’ve spent months, perhaps years, saving your frequent flyer points for a grand trip, but come the time to book your reward flights, you find that your computer says ‘no’.

Well, this does not have to be your reality. If you follow the tips and tricks outlined below, you’ll soon find your computer switching from a nay to a yay, and not long after, you’ll be on your way!

Be as flexible as you possibly can

Flexibility is key when searching for reward seats, and it takes on many forms. The bottom line is that the more flexible you are, the greater your chances of finding a reward seat that meets your travel needs.

There are three forms of flexibility to consider:

• Flexibility with date

• Flexibility with routings

• Flexibility with programs

We’ll take a look at each in turn

Flexibility with date

Being flexible with your travel dates is crucial when searching for a reward seat, especially for long-haul premium reward seats. Yes, that does mean that if you are looking for 2x Business Class seats from Sydney to London (Heathrow) during the peak European Summer period, you are likely to be disappointed.

So, when are the best times to travel if you are looking for a reward seat? It is in periods of lower demand, that is, off-peak periods outside of school and public holidays. This is basic economics at work. While the number of flights generally doesn’t decrease in off-peak times, the overall demand for flights is usually lower than during peak times, which opens up more reward seats.

Flexibility with routings

Some of the most popular reward seat requests that we receive are direct flights to popular destinations. Think Sydney to Los Angeles or Perth to London (Heathrow). However, these are also the most popular flights for those wishing to pay for their seats using cash. This means that reward seat availability for these flights is near non-existent, especially during peak travel periods.

But all is not lost. Let’s say you are a Qantas Frequent Flyer wishing to travel from Sydney to Los Angeles. While a Business Class Reward Seat on the direct Sydney to LA flight may not be available, there are other ways to get to Los Angeles.

Have you ever heard the saying why fly direct when you can connect? This is a cheeky saying among the avid frequent flyer community who live by this when trying to maximise their Status Credits earning. But it also applies very aptly here.

On many occasions, the more sought-after direct flight may not have any Reward Seats available, but the connecting flight often does. Returning to our Sydney to LA example, if a Reward Seat is not available on the Qantas direct Sydney to LA flight, you may find Reward Seats available on connecting flights.

To illustrate, flying Fiji Airways, a Qantas and oneworld alliance partner, to LA via Nadi usually results in more Reward Seats, especially those in premium classes, than the direct flight options.

While connecting flights can add to your travel time and be inconvenient, there are also some positives. Spending a day or two relaxing in a luxurious resort in Fiji before or after heading to or from the United States could be a great way to start or end a holiday.

You can apply this theory to any destination that you’re looking to travel to. Remember:

If you can’t fly direct, think connect!

Flexibilities with programs

Flexible programs such as American Express Membership Rewards and PayRewards, do not lock you into any one airline program currency. Rather, you can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Points or PayRewards Points to one of many leading airline partners, greatly expanding the chances of finding a reward seat to suit your travel plans.

And if you pair these programs together, you can see your chances of finding a reward seat soar. Why? Because you can transfer your reward points to airline partners at the time of booking, meaning that your reward points will be transferred to your airline partner program instantly, and you can snag that reward seat before anyone else does!

Before we move on, please make sure to review the table below, taken directly from the Qantas website. This table highlights the main differences between Classic Flight Rewards and Classic Plus Flight Rewards.

Split the travel parties

This tip may not be for everyone, but it can be a handy one if you are travelling as a large group.

There is a simple relationship that applies in relation to reward seat, which is:

The more reward seats you try searching for in one booking, the lower the chances of finding those reward seats.

For example, you are more likely to find one Business Class reward seat than when you are searching for four. One way to circumvent this is to split your travel parties onto separate flights.

Whether with the same airline and flying through different transit points, taking an earlier or later flight for the same routing, or flying with a competing airline (which can be easily done if you’re a member of a flexible points program), the choice is yours.

Think outside the box

The beauty of flexible rewards programs like the two mentioned above is that they encompass a wide variety of airlines, which are part of multiple airline alliances. One such alliance is the SkyTeam alliance.

What is so significant about SkyTeam? It’s the fact that a majority of Australian frequent flyer members are members of either Qantas Frequent Flyer, Velocity Frequent Flyer and/or to a lesser extent, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Now, Qantas is a member of the oneworld alliance, Velocity partners with many airlines in the Star Alliance, and KrisFlyer is also a member of the Star Alliance.

As such, fewer Australian-based members are members of a SkyTeam alliance airline program, which presents an opportunity when seeking reward seats departing from Australia. Therefore, while many Australian-based frequent flyer members are battling to secure reward seats with oneworld or Star Alliance airlines, you can have a much easier ride securing those Reward Seats with SkyTeam alliance airlines. There are several SkyTeam alliance airlines that fly into Australia. These include:

• China Airlines

• China Eastern Airlines

• Garuda Indonesia

• Korean Air

• Vietnam Airlines

A slightly old, but still relevant, article on this point was written by Matt Graham from Australian Frequent Flyer. Have a read of it here: Why Australians Should Stop Ignoring SkyTeam.

Never be shy to help with your redemptions

Earning points can sometimes be the easy bit. It’s redeeming them for meaningful rewards that can be a challenge. If you’re unsure how to redeem your points or are too busy running your business to research and book redemptions, consider using services or tools to help with this task.

PayTravel

PayTravel is the first point of call if you’re looking for full-service assistance in redeeming your rewards points. The PayTravel team are experts in premium travel and can help you find those elusive reward seats and plan tailored itineraries to make your travel wishes come true.

You can access PayTravel services by submitting this form.

Third-Party Reward Seat Finders

If you’re more of the DIY type, then there are many third-party tools in the market that can help you find reward seats yourself. Most services offer both free and paid options, with the free version typically providing more limited search results. In contrast, the paid option is more comprehensive, allowing for longer search periods in the future.

Some of our favourite tools are:

• Seats.aero

• SeatSpy

• AwardLogic

• Flightseats.io

There are other tools out there as well, which definitely help you save time when searching for reward seats, including ExpertFlyer and Award Nexus.

Key takeouts

• Reward seat availability is the number one issue for frequent flyers.

• To increase the chances of finding a reward seat, be flexible. Flexibility takes on three forms:

  • Flexible with your date

  • Flexible with routings

  • Flexible with programs

• Try to fly during off-peak seasons and outside of school and public holidays

• “If you can’t fly direct, think connect!”

• Joining a flexible reward program like PayRewards or American Express Membership Rewards will increase your chances of finding a Reward Seat over locking yourself into a single frequent flyer program.

• Consider splitting your family or party up into different flights that could transit through a different city or with a different airline.

• Consider using a SkyTeam alliance for your next reward seat booking.

• Use services and tools that can help you with your reward seat search. These include PayTravel and third-party online search tools.

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