When searching for award seats, it’s best to be flexible with your dates. To help with that, some frequent flyer programs offer the ability to search for award space across multiple dates at a time.
In this guide, I look at flexible date searches through five of the most used frequent flyer programs for travellers in Australia.
For more information on which website to use for specific airlines and frequent flyer programs, check out this guide.
Why should I search by flexible dates?
It’s pretty obvious, right? You hopefully have flexibility in the dates you can fly on, which, admittedly, is not always the case. Plus, the availability of award seats fluctuates according to the time and day of the flight.
That means you can save time by choosing the right website for your search and clicking the right buttons.
Can I search across multiple dates with Qantas?
Yes, you can. First, select Use points and then enter your search query. Make sure to enter your frequent flyer login details at the end.
The results will be shown across a whole month. The colours denote which cabin/s availability is found.
Alternatives: British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, AAdvantage or Japan Airlines Mileage Bank for oneworld partners; Emirates Skywards for Emirates flights
Can I search across multiple dates with Velocity?
Unfortunately, you cannot. When you search for a flight, you do not have the option of a flexible date search.
However, although the results will not show for the surrounding dates, you can easily toggle between days.
Alternatives: Delta SkyMiles for Virgin Australia flights; Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer for Singapore Airlines flights; AAdvantage for Etihad flights
Can I search across multiple dates with KrisFlyer?
Yes, you can, but it’s restricted. KrisFlyer allows for a seven-day search window for Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights but not for partner airlines.
After logging in, you can search across a number of dates by checking the Flexible travel dates box.
It’ll come up with one of four results:
- Saver (this is the one to aim for)
- Advantage (more expensive award)
- Waitlist
- Check availability (meaning either no availability or waitlist availability)
The availability will only show for the number of seats you have selected. So, if you are looking for three seats on a certain date and there are only two available, it will show no availability.
The mobile app allows for searches across a three-day window.
Alternatives: the award.flights tool is quicker and easier to use than the KrisFlyer website; United MileagePlus, ANA Mileage Club or Air Canada Aeroplan for Star Alliance flights
Can I search across multiple dates with Asia Miles?
Yes, you can. You can search for availability across a week by checking the Flexible dates box.
Given there are three levels of award pricing, you’ll want to check what the amount is for Standard (the cheapest). In this case, it’s 25,000 Asia Miles, which shows that Standard awards are available across the whole week.
Asia Miles used to have the best overview of search results of the five programs in this guide. However, its current search engine is clunky and consumer-unfriendly.
Alternatives: Qantas, British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, AAdvantage or Japan Airlines Mileage Bank for oneworld partners
Can I search across multiple dates with Etihad Guest?
This program has an easy-to-use flexible dates interface. You do not need to select a flexible date search option.
The handy weekly tab will show you if availability is open, denoted by the miles required.
Note that Etihad Guest-only shows availability for Etihad-operated flights. For partners, you’ll need to search for availability on another website and then call Etihad to book.
Alternatives: Velocity for Virgin Australia flights; AAdvantage for American Airlines flights
Other tools
Independent aggregators like Award Nexus and ExpertFlyer offer a more complete overview of search results by month or week, respectively. However, they do charge a price for their services.
If you tend to travel frequently and/or are time-poor, investing in membership may be worth it to you.
Summing up
When searching for award seats, it’s best to be flexible with your dates. To help with that, some frequent flyer programs offer the ability to search for award space across multiple dates at a time.
Of the five top frequent flyer programs in Australia, Qantas is best at doing this and Velocity is the worst. As such, have a look at alternative programs depending on the airline you want to fly. Then you can always go back to confirm the availability through your target program.
I want to upgrade for my honeymoon from MEL > LAX with Veigin in April. ( Yes have booked Freedom fares and am a Platinum member)
There are no business rewards seats available or my dates or any dates near it, however there are still regular priced seats for sale, so I know there are business seats still available.
I thought maybe April was too soon for rewards seats, so I’ve tested out future dates but there are no business rewards there either.
Does anyone when or if they will release more award seats , or what Virgin’s regular strategy is for rewards.
Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks
Surely this is a tort and should be exposed for what it is .
Am I missing something ?
It’s still available. Just for some odd reason they moved it to inside the date selector.
Now, when you click on the depart date to select it, and the calendar display opens up to select the date, at the top of the calendar display it shows “Flexible with dates”.
Tick that and you get the same monthly view as before.
On Qantas’ new search format, the ‘flexible date’ option is now located within the outbound date dropdown box once you click into the date field.
Cheers,
Jack
From what I can see that Qantas has not removed this functionality but just moved its location – when you click on the date and the monthly calendar opens the check box for flexible dates contained within the calendar.
S
Hi Matt,
I though that too but after a bit more searching the option has been moved. Send me your e-mail address and I’ll send you the screenshots.
https://i.imgur.com/iQPY0IA.png
I also found that if you search using the “Use money points or both” option, then when you get the results, you have to click the “View classic rewards” checkbox and then “Select another date” and it does show up with a new dates option at the top. So stupidly complicated!
https://i.imgur.com/LXOq5jq.png
You guys have been a great resource so hoping this can pay you back for how you have helped me!