How I’d earn points following the Friends couch on its Australian tour
I'll be sure to check the left phelange before boarding.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of classic TV sitcom Friends, streaming service Stan is sending a copy of the Central Perk couch on tour through shopping centres around Australia
I'm a manic Friends obsessive (don't get me started on the whole vexed question of whether Phoebe can speak French or not). So obviously I'm keen to check this out and get a selfie.
But to tie in with my other obsession, I also thought I'd calculate how many points I'd earn if I did fly all over the country to see the couch in all its replica glory.
Here's the full set of dates for the Central Perk couch tour. (More than one couch is evidently on tour, given the overlapping dates. That would have avoided all the chair-based shenanigans in "The One Where No-One's Ready", but I digress.)
| Date | Shopping centre | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 29 Aug | Melbourne Central | Level 2 opposite Country Road |
| Fri 30 Aug | Melbourne Central | Level 2 opposite Country Road |
| Sat 31 Aug | Melbourne Central | Level 2 opposite Country Road |
| Sun 1 Sep | Melbourne Central | Level 2 opposite Country Road |
| Thu 5 Sep | Robina Town Centre | Ground level outside Myer |
| Fri 6 Sep | Robina Town Centre | Ground level outside Myer |
| Sat 7 Sep | Robina Town Centre | Ground level outside Myer |
| Sun 8 Sep | Robina Town Centre | Ground level outside Myer |
| Sat 7 Sep | Westfield Tuggerah | Level 2 near Surf Dive n Ski |
| Sun 8 Sep | Westfield Tuggerah | Level 2 near Surf Dive n Ski |
| Sat 7 Sep | Westfield Chatswood | Level 3 |
| Sun 8 Sep | Westfield Chatswood | Level 3 |
| Sat 14 Sep | Burnside Village | Fashion Mall |
| Sun 15 Sep | Burnside Village | Fashion Mall |
| Sat 21 Sep | Westfield Southland | Level 2 near Cotton On Body |
| Sun 22 Sep | Westfield Southland | Level 2 near Cotton On Body |
| Sat 21 Sep | Broadway Sydney | Level 2 outside H&M |
| Sun 22 Sep | Broadway Sydney | Level 2 outside H&M |
I'm based in Sydney, so I can do Broadway, Chatswood and Tuggerah without flying anywhere. But the other journeys could be lucrative. Let's assume I stick with Qantas, which is my main airline. I'd need two return trips to Melbourne, one return to the Gold Coast and one return to Adelaide.
On standard discount economy earn rates for Qantas, that would run up a grand total of 6,400 points. And that's before I factor in extra points on my credit card and for paying for carbon offsets.
To be clear, I haven't yet actually booked this trip. But I'm definitely thinking about it. After all, I don't need to steal an orange from the first class lounge the way Monica did; they'll actually let me in. And I always know which airport to head to, unlike Ross in the finale.
Note for pedants: while Stan is touring the couch to mark the 25th anniversary of Friends premiering in September 1994, that reflects the US dates. Friends didn't kick off in Australia until more than a year later, in large part because Seven had one-off rights to the first series, Nine had the ongoing rights, and Seven didn't want to give a free kick to its main rival.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears regularly on Finder.
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Picture: Stan