It’s not just you; learning how to effectively collect and use airline miles might be difficult.
Not sure where to begin when it comes to changing your travel habits? These pointers will assist you in taking the initial step:
Obtain important points
Take some time to consider the routes you anticipate travelling over the next several years before enrolling in any old airline’s points programme. The last thing you want is to have your points dispersed around many airlines.
The sole distinction? If the involved airlines are a part of an alliance like Oneworld that enables the transfer of miles or points between airlines. In spite of this, you may enrol in as many frequent flyer programmes as you wish as most of them are free to join.
Signing up for a Frequent Flyer credit card may help you earn respectable points rapidly, provided you are excellent at paying off the amount of your credit card each month and are aware of any fees your card may generate.
Search for cards that give reliable sign-up points by comparing them on a website like finder.com.au. Make sure the points you accumulate with that card may be used for tickets on your preferred airline.
Aside from using credit cards and flying, you may also earn points by paying for regular costs like groceries, dining out, lodging, getting food delivered, and Uber rides. To turn them into miles, all you have to do is connect your account to the loyalty programme.
Again, as long as you pay off the debt each month, using your credit card as much as possible—from making purchases to setting up direct debits for your energy bills—will get you the most points the fastest. Several loyalty programmes, like Hilton Honours, let users to combine their points or miles with those of their family members and friends who also have those same points or miles.
Searching for a new health insurance company? A lot of providers, including NIB, HCF, and Bupa, give points for joining up, and some additionally give points for being active.
The most effective method to use points
Keep away from the temptation to use your points for online shopping, rental cars, or lodging since you’ll earn more for your money if you use them for flights.
Interestingly, evidence shows that choosing a Premium Economy or Business Class ticket would actually save you money compared to a plain Economy seat. It will cost you far more than you anticipate to redeem points for those seemingly little items, like a movie ticket or a gift box of perfume.
Planning ahead is crucial; the majority of points experts advise travellers to look for and book their flights roughly a year in advance and to concentrate on going off-peak times when reward tickets are more likely to be available.
You may search for them on each airline’s rewards calendar, but some are more clear and user-friendly than others. It’s also advised that you look at less direct flights with stopovers because they can make redemption simpler.
You could also want to use your points to pay for a flight upgrade, and RateCity has looked at how many points are needed on average across different airlines to move up to a business class seat.
Still having trouble understanding the world of points and incentive travel? If you want help booking flights using frequent flyer and credit card points, you might want to employ the services of a points specialist like The Points Whisperer Steve Hui. You can even enrol in his online course. Although Steve’s advise isn’t inexpensive, it could end up saving you money, time, and worry in the long term.
Source: nine