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7 ways to boost your frequent flyer points

Published on November 27th, 2020
  Written by 
Bill Tsouvalas
Bill Tsouvalas is the managing director and a key company spokesperson at Savvy. As a personal finance expert, he often shares his insights on a range of topics, being featured on leading news outlets including News Corp publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun, Fairfax Media publications such as the Australian Financial Review, the Seven Network and more. Bill has over 15 years of experience working in the finance industry and founded Savvy in 2010 with a vision to provide affordable and accessible finance options to all Australians. He has built Savvy from a small asset finance brokerage into a financial comparison website which now attracts close to 2 million Aussies per year and was included in the BRW’s Fast 100 in 2015 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. He’s passionate about helping Australians make financially savvy decisions and reviews content across the brand to ensure its accuracy. You can follow Bill on LinkedIn.
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When it comes to finding ways to boost your frequent flyer points, there are more ways than one. The obvious way is to stay in the air to gain points as quickly as possible, but even the busiest of business people doesn’t spend all their time with their heads stuck in the cloud. Here are seven tips on how you can boost your frequent flyer points without breaking the bank or turning into a wingnut that wants to stay in the air.

The business traveller

If you find yourself having back to back meetings in different parts of the country or out of the country on a constant basis, but want something that is economical to rake the points up you can make use of Status runs. These might not work for everyone, but if you are able to slot them into your business schedule or weekend away trips can boost your points. This can be doubled up with finding the best deal in the business class section to earn more points.

Finding a credit card that offers the best reward programs

If you are not signed up for one, then you better do so as soon as you are done reading this. Your next step is to find a credit card that best matches your financial needs and has the best reward program. The only way you can know that you have found the mother of all reward programs is by comparing each reward program’s features and point system. You might want to choose a card that has a reward program that aligns with the airline you tend to use the most.

It is cheaper to just stay loyal

Airlines are a crafty bunch and they use a lot of tantalizing features to keep their customers devoted to that specific airline. Some airlines make alliances with partner airlines, shops and brands to reach a wider pool of customers and help you secure your bottom line of reaching your points. But if they find you erring on the wrong side of the deal by using your points to pay for a flight on another airline, you could be slapped with an increased fee payment when you use their airline again.

Know the value of your points

Knowing the value of your points can help you spend it wisely. Some airlines give you two points for each dollar spent while other airlines give one point for each dollar spent. It all depends on who you choose to side with after comparing deals online. Always keep in mind that the value will be influenced on how you choose to travel through your selected airline. The value will differ. Long distance travel can boost your points because the value they attract is higher than when redeeming your points for a short price.

Learn how to use bonuses towards your own advantage

There are some credit cards on the market that offer great sign up bonuses for their reward programs that will make any frequent flyer grin from ear to ear. However, without knowing how to use the tools that have been given to you, you could miss out on great opportunities to finally travel to your dream destination. Stay in the loop in terms of signing up for your newsletters and notifications that will tell you about the latest offer on the market. You can ask your credit card provider about the latest deals they have on offer. If your credit card has seen some tumbleweeds blow across its reward program front, then maybe it is time to make a switch to a card that will.

Follow the flyer miles promotion

Although frequent flyer reward programs are all about flying and improving your travelling experience, you can use your daily shopping to unlock points. Airlines tend to strike partnerships with stores to help customers gain more points through. There are selected items that are put on special or that you can buy that can boost your points. Keep in mind that you need to know what products are on promotion in order to boost your frequent flyer points.

Avoid online shopping

Even though you walk through the valley of frequent flyer stores, you shall fear no special promotion on limited edition wine glasses, shades and who knows what! This is one way to blow all the points you have been working so hard to gain. Try to avoid it like the plague, unless online shopping is the sole way to gain points.

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This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.

The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.

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