Today is the last day to score $200 tickets to Australia on Qantas
Update: Dallas/Ft. Worth fares are sold out. Thursday's deals will be available from Chicago to Brisbane starting at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The dates are 4/20, 4/22, 4/27, 4/29, 5/4, 5/6, 5/11, 5/13, 5/18, 5/20.
It's been a big year for Qantas, from two historic nonstop flights — New York to Sydney and London to Sydney — to the airline kicking off celebrations of 100 years since its founding. Now Qantas is announcing what could potentially be the best deal of the year, but you'll need a fast internet connection, quicker fingers -- and some blind luck -- to score.
From Monday, Nov. 18 to Thursday, Nov. 21, 100 economy tickets will be available at $100 each way when purchased as a round-trip. That's right — if you're lucky, you could score a ticket to Australia and back for $200. This is a big deal, as tickets to Australia from the U.S. aren't cheap.
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The sale will be available from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Chicago (ORD) with a new city going on sale each day at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The tickets will only be available on qantas.com/birthdaysale.
Los Angeles went on sale on Monday while San Francisco went on sale Tuesday; however many TPG staff, TPG Lounge Facebook members and readers reported that the site timed out shortly after 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Indeed, when I logged on at 5:02 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, I was immediately confronted with an error message. After trying for nearly an hour in vain with no luck, I gave up for the evening and resolved to try again another day.
Just before going to bed, however, a person in a Facebook travel group I frequent reported seeing Los Angeles to Melbourne deals on sale. I quickly navigated to the page, entered my information and payment, and snagged a $199 round-trip flight to Melbourne in early March. If you are interested in booking, I suggest not giving up until the Qantas page is updated to "sold out" as I was able to snag tickets even after reports said they were gone. Several readers said they got lucky by opening up the deal on multiple devices, such as a laptop, phone and tablet, so I'd suggest doing that if possible.
Qantas has provided updates on Twitter and Facebook. A Qantas spokesperson told TPG that it anticipated high traffic, and asked customers to "be patient during this time."
Qantas is the flagship carrier of Australia and the largest international airline coming in and out of the country. It flies to over 80 destinations around the world and is part of the Oneworld alliance. TPG Global News Editor Emily McNutt flew Qantas' economy between San Francisco and Sydney and had a comfortable experience.
Related: The best credit cards for airfare purchases
Fares will be released at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time) with a new city on sale each day until all are sold out. If you miss out on this deal, the airline is offering reduced fares to Sydney, Melbourne (MEL) and Brisbane (BNE) from $699 round-trip in economy, $2,399 round-trip in premium economy and $4,599 round-trip in business class. These fares are pretty steep, so you'll want to try and score one of these fares.
Note that seats are very limited and are not available on every flight. There's a seven-day minimum stay requirement and a maximum stay of 12 months. While the ticket is refundable, there's a hefty cancellation fee of $500 per person per ticket, so if you do manage to score a ticket, make sure you actually want to go. Customers who purchase a ticket in the U.S. may cancel their reservations and refund tickets without charge within 24 hours of ticketing when the purchase is made one week or more before departure of the first flight in the itinerary. Date changes are permitted for a fee of $250 per person per change, and the no-show fee is $500 per person per ticket.
A 50-day advance purchase is required for Los Angeles and San Francisco departures, and for Dallas/Fort Worth and New York departures, a 14-day advance purchase is required. Some routings may include Qantas codeshare flights operated by American Airlines or Alaska Airlines.
Chicago and Brisbane flights are operated on QF86/QF85 and begin April 15, 2020. San Francisco and Brisbane operated on QF60/QF59, begin Feb. 9, 2020. Finally, there are several blackout dates including March 20-April 15, 2020, June 17-July 11, 2020, and Sept. 11-28, 2020.
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Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.