Reply With QuoteI live here and do everything via Visa, sorry but I can't tell you much about Qantas.
Where are you going?
Visa or Amex? Or Traveler's Cheques (lol?).
Any airline mile tips for Quantas/Air New Zealand?
I live here and do everything via Visa, sorry but I can't tell you much about Qantas.
Where are you going?
Auckland, Perth, and Sydney.
Amex isn't quite accepted everywhere and some places charge an additional surcharge for it. Visa works everywhere a CC does.Originally Posted by Enidigm
Add another voice to the "Go with Visa." Everywhere I've come across that does accept Amex has a surcharge, and that can be a couple of dollars. That shit will add up to becoming an unneccesary expense.
Do the Sydney zoo! It's amazingly good.
I used my Amex as my primary card in Australia for three years (2001-2004), and I recall having it rejected only once (at a tiny little hotel near a coalmine in the outback). So don't be afraid to take it along, if you like their points program. If you have the new gold card with triple points for air travel, I would definitely buy my tickets with it! Visa will, of course, have broader acceptance.
As for airline miles, Qantas is in the same alliance as American. I believe Air New Zealand is hooked up with Continental and United.
I live in Sydney and in my experience visa is far more widely accepted than AMEX. You've picked a bad time to come though, the two currencies (US$ and AU$) are almost at parity at the moment, it will be expensive. On the other hand, the weather will be great the next couple of months.
And Perth zoo... while you're in Perth make sure you take the ferry to Rotnest Island and see the Quokkas.
Also I recommend Visa but bring your Amex anyway. It's always good to have a backup card.
Qantas or Air NZ are both nice. Avoid United like the plague. Visa or Mastercard are both good. Amex is less common. Australia is still more of a cash culture than the States. I find it's not always easy to grab food without cash on hand as a lot of smaller places don't take cards (eftpos is what they call it here). I'd say you get pretty decent exchange rates from ATMs. But the Aussie dollar is strong right now so it's gonna seem pretty expensive here.
Pedantic mode: EFTPOS is debit facilities (savings or cheque), not credit.
I liked Air New Zealand, but sadly they codeshare a lot of flights, so flying out from the US I ended up on a United flight. Coming back I actually got to fly on Air New Zealand and they were great.
I loved Northern Queensland. Go up the coast as far as you can. Cape Tribulation was awesome.
Come down to freezing Melbourne, the Antarctic of the south, enidigm! I'll take you to three steakhouses!
hahahaa you wish. I live in Hobart. It snowed here last Sunday. It's spring.
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