How We Scored Our Best Ever Points Redemption Flights to Auckland from Heathrow with Qatar Airways
- Helena
- Aug 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 4
If you’re a points collector, you know that feeling when all your hard-earned miles finally pay off, it’s pure magic.
And we’re thrilled to share our story of snagging what might just be our best ever points redemption flights: this is how we scored our best ever points redemptions flights to Auckland from Heathrow, onboard Qatar Airways in Business Class.
Spoiler alert: it involved strategy, patience, a little chaos, and more caffeine than is probably healthy.
The Points Plan
We had been hoarding our points like squirrels storing nuts for the winter for about two years. The end goal was always to fly Business to New Zealand and back with Qatar Airways. New Zealand had been calling our name since we'd met and it was always THE aim once we'd got the wedding over and done with!
Two years of shopping through the Avios store for everything we needed. Two years of credit card bonuses thanks to paying for our wedding. Two years of "right, HOW can we get Avios on this purchase".
Two years, one wedding, and many braincells lost later, we had amassed around 400,000 points! The idea was simple, book two return seats from Heathrow to Auckland via Doha. Sounds simple right? But executing it? Not so much.
Why Qatar I hear you ask? Because let’s be honest, they’re top-tier in terms of comfort, service, and that "alright, maybe I could live here forever" business class experience. It was always the aim and there was never any competition on who we were going to fly with!
For our route, London Heathrow → Doha → Auckland, the redemption cost came in at 180,000 points each for a round trip. That meant a total of 360,000 points spent.
Watching the Calendar Like Hawks
We didn’t just wake up one day and book the flights. No, this was a full-on mission. For months, we watched closely, tracking exactly when the seats we wanted were going to become available. Patience was key.
A really important thing to note when you are aiming to book a rewards flight is when those seats go on sale. We knew that Qatar released award seats 361 days before departure, and that was our golden ticket.
The 3AM Booking Adventure
Now here’s where things get a little… chaotic.
Sam, my fearless points warrior, stayed up late (or early, depending on how you look at 3 AM) to grab our preferred dates. And yes, he almost crashed the Qatar Airways website in the process.
Qatar reward flights are released at 12am GMT, and they only guarantee to put a minimum of two Business Class seats on sale, so Sam was sat there with a laptop, phone, and laptop, determined to get those seats.
It turns out, that if you send multiple requests for the same flights, from the same IP address, this can cause the Qatar system to glitch out. More specifically, our desired flights from Heathrow to Auckland were unavailable. But flights from anywhere over the world to Auckland were available. Meaning, the flights had not been taken by anyone else, but were instead stuck in Qatar Airways IT limbo.
Speaking to Qatar Airways directly didn't solve anything, as the call centre staff were baffled as all they could see was that the flights had been put on hold. The waiting game had begun, all that could be done was to continually refresh the search, hoping they'd come back on sale. Eventually, after around two hours, the flights from Heathrow appeared on sale. Not wasting a moment, Sam booked them, but no payment was taken... He had the reservation number, but this number was functionally useless, unable to pick seats, book meals etc...
Another call to Qatar Airways, who said that he had to cancel the reservation, and then rebook if these flights go back on sale. Risky, considering that only two seats are guaranteed to be put on sale, and with a poor experience of Qatar IT, who knew when these would go back on sale, if ever!
Fortunately, the seats went back on sale instantly, and this time went without incident. Simply, search, book, pay, done.
He came back to bed (because I totally slept through the whole thing... very me, very demure) and had a little cry when I was told because for me, New Zealand had been about 20 years in the planning!
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Why It Was Worth Every Point
Securing these flights at the optimal time meant we saved a ridiculous amount of cash! Of course there were the taxes and fees to pay, but these only totalled £591.30 each. A bargain for a flight of this length!
For the corresponding 2026 dates, the full cash fare in Economy Classic would you cost you £1,345 (the lowest fare possible at time of writing), and Business Class a cool £6,402.
Even more than that, it gave us a sense of accomplishment that only someone who collects airline points will understand. The fact that we managed this remains our crowning glory when it comes to our points redemptions.
Of course, the proof really was in the pudding... because as soon as our feet walked into the Qatar Business Lounge at Heathrow and had that first sip of Champagne, we knew this was about to be one of the best flying experiences of our lives. We were not wrong! Reviews for the outbound flights are incoming so watch this space!
Tips for Your Own Points Redemption Success
Start saving early: Accumulate a big pool of points so you have options. This is so much easier than you think, and every little bit helps.
Track award availability: Keep an eye on your desired routes months in advance. This really does help, to know what the likely cost is going to be, and to figure out how much the taxes are.
Know release dates: Airlines like Qatar release seats on a set schedule—361 days is the magic number.
Be ready to act fast: Have your accounts, passports, and payment info ready.
Caffeine is your friend: Some of the best flights go to those willing to fight for them at odd hours.
Our Best Ever Points Redemption Flights
Booking the Heathrow to Auckland flights via Doha with Qatar Airways was more than just a points redemption, it was an adventure in itself. From near website crashes to 3 AM adrenaline-fueled clicks, it was a story we’ll be telling for years.
If you’re dreaming of maximizing your points for epic long-haul flights, take it from us: the wait, the strategy, and the chaos are absolutely worth it.
Helena
Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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