Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer has rolled out the ability to search availability across a seven-day period. Scroll down to the KrisFlyer section to learn how to use it.
In this beginner’s guide, we look at five of the most frequent flyer programs for travellers in Australia, and how to save time by searching for award seats across multiple dates at the same time.
For more information on which website to use for specific airlines and frequent flyer programs, check out our comprehensive guide on how to search for frequent flyer award space.
Why to search by flexible dates
It’s pretty obvious, right?
Given you have flexibility in the date you can fly on—which, admittedly, is not always the case—and the fact that the availability of award seats fluctuates according to the time and day of the flight, you can save time by choosing the right website for your search and clicking the right buttons.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
Effective February 2019, KrisFlyer now 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, e.g. 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, or you can use United MileagePlus or ANA Mileage Club for Star Alliance flights
Qantas Frequent Flyer
When searching for a flight on Qantas, first you must login to your account, then select Use points – Classic Flight Awards only:
Click on the date selector and tick Flexible with dates:
You should be able to see results in monthly view:
Alternatives: use British Airways Executive Club, Asia Miles, AAdvantage or Japan Airlines Mileage Bank for oneworld partners; use Emirates Skywards to search for Emirates flights
Velocity Frequent Flyer
When you search for a flight, you do not have the option of flexible date search:
However, although the results will not show for the surrounding dates, you can easily toggle between days:
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
Asia Miles used to have the best overview of search results of the five programs in this guide, but its current search engine is clunky and consumer-unfriendly.
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.
Etihad Guest
This program has an easy-to-use flexible dates interface. You do not need to/cannot click a flexible date search option:
but the handy weekly tabs will show you if availability is open, denoted by the miles required.
Alternatives: as Etihad Guest only shows availability for Etihad-operated flights, use Velocity for Virgin Australia flights and 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, but do charge a price for their services. If you tend to travel frequently and/or are time-poor, investing in a membership may be worth it to you.
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!