Maximise Frequent Flyer Points
Everyone wants something for nothing and we are all looking for that travel bargain. Recently my family flew to and around the USA on our frequent flyer points, saving us around $12,000 on the cost of airfares. Here are some tips on how you can do the same.
1. Link your frequent flyer airline program of choice to your credit card. Shop around to find the card that best suits you and then see which airline partners they are associated with. The best cards offer a 1 point per dollar spent or even higher rate of redemption. Then use your card to pay for absolutely everything you can, maximising your point balance.
2. Use the partners that are linked with your frequent flyer program, such as hotels, restaurants, phone companies or other associated retail businesses. Often they offer bonus points for using their establishment and of course, pay by credit card.
3. Shop at Woolworths or whichever chain offers maximum points. I always do my main shopping at Woollies that way I get points for my weekly grocery spend, plus the bonus points of paying for it on my credit card. This is particularly good if you have not shopped for a while and they offer you bonus points for spending a particular amount or purchasing a specific product (providing you need it of course).
4. Get a store card such as the Everyday rewards card (free and did offer free Qantas frequent flyer application when it first came out) for every member of the family. When they send out the bonus points offer (see above) for a particular family member, then use their card to maximise their points.
5. Fly on the airline that you have your frequent flyer membership with. Of course the more you fly the more points you earn, not to mention status credits. But you really don't have to be shooting off all over the place to earn a free trip. It's all about maximising your potential earn.
6. Fly on partner airlines in your chosen frequent flyer program. That way you will not only get the best airfare to suit your pocket and route, but also the points associated with flying them. And of course pay by your credit card.
7. You can consilidate all family points on most frequent flyer programs once a year. Make a note of when you do this, or keep them all on their own cards until you need to take a trip, then do the big family share to get all points on the one account. That will make it so much easier when it comes to redemption.
At the end of the day make sure that you are not overspending just to get a few points. That's false economy and not the way you want to go. Rule of thumb is spend as per usual but look at ways of maximising your points without spending more than you normally would. That is the true way to travel for free....