How to Lose Your License this Easter?

From this Easter, double demerit penalties will be for the following offences

• running a red light (new) - $150 and six points
• using a mobile phone (new) - $250 and six points
• drink driving
• failing to wear seatbelts ($500 and 8 points details here)
• speeding - penalty depends on your speed & vehicle

The Easter double demerit points will be between 17-21 April and 24-27 April. If you run a red light with a mobile phone on your ear, you're probably going to lose your license. It also looks like the police are under orders to book people using mobile phones for as many offences as they've committed such as not staying within your lane, failing to cancel an indication etc. They've also advised other drivers to be on the look out for distracted drivers and to horn them.  

How to Get a Free Virgin Australia Return Flight Every Year

May 2016 update - For a limited time, AMEX is offering the first year free which means you can save $195 and still get a free return flight in the first year! Sign up here to also get 10,000 bonus points which can redeem over $70 of gift cards

What's the cheapest way to fly from Perth to anywhere in Australia? After we managed to book a return Virgin Australia flight from Perth to Sydney during the Christmas break which is currently selling online for $811 using the Platinum Edge card, I decided to repost an older blog entry where we investigated this particular credit card deal which includes a free flight redemption from Perth to virtually anywhere in Australia. 

The American Express Platinum Edge card only costs $195 a year (as of April 2013) and includes a return flight to various cities in Australia on Virgin Australia as well as travel insurance for domestic flights and various other platinum services. However it is the return flight that I would like to focus on. It is impossible to get a flight from Perth to virtually anywhere for $195 return but the free redemption for Perth includes cities as far as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with 23kg luggage. Don't you just love living in the West? 

Dealing with the AMEX flight redemption staff is very efficient and pleasant every time, with each representative taking the time to help you with checking what flights are available (apparently, they have about 14 seats available per flight for redemption, even when in one instance the website is saying "one seat left").


If just for the return flight, this Platinum Edge card is surely worth getting unless you don't see yourself making an annual return flight from Perth to anywhere in Australia (except Darwin - which is only available for redemption with the Platinum Reserve Card).

Platinum Reserve destinations - Platinum Edge destinations exclude Darwin and Bali

Virgin also recently launched the Velocity Platinum cards which we reviewed earlier this year. Flights from Perth available for this card only include Broome, Karratha, Newman and Port Hedland.

If Qantas is your flavour, you will probably want to stick with the Qantas Ultimate card but that will cost you $450 / year with a return domestic flight with Qantas thrown in.