Right from my first Independent Adventures in the 1990’s I’ve been a member of an airline loyalty program. Over the years I’ve managed to take a number of “award” flights, many recently have been in business and first class.
Living in Australia, few would be surprised to know the program I chose to join was Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF). Like all loyalty programs, QFF allows you to earn points which can later be redeemed for rewards.
Acquiring points
Obviously, points can be earned from the flights you take, however points can also be earned in a multitude of other ways, such as shopping at affiliated stores and businesses. For example, you could fill your car up at a BP service station, present your QFF card and claim points for the transaction ($1=1 point).
To earn a more substantial boost to your points balance, many credit card companies often offer large numbers of points (100K+) if you sign up for their cards. Read the terms and conditions carefully
Spending points
Rewards offered by most airline loyalty programs obviously include “award” flights, but for those that can’t find the flight they want, most programs have an online store where your points can be redeemed for a variety of gift vouchers or consumer goods such as toasters.
The logic of joining loyalty programs goes something like this – well, I was going to take that flight or shop at that store anyway, so I might as well collect some points along the way.
Signing up
Many loyalty programs are free to join, so there’s nothing to lose by signing up. Qantas, annoyingly, charges a fee to join QFF but there are a number of ways to avoid this. One example is signing up for a Woolworths Everyday Rewards card. It costs nothing to join and gives you free QFF membership.
It’s simple to earn points on everyday purchases and you’d be surprised how fast you’ll accrue enough points for an award flight.
Best use
Savvy users will know that the best value award redemptions are found by redeeming for travel at the pointy end of the plane. Since 2015, all of my flights longer 7 hours has been in business or first class, often funded by QFF points. If you fancy traveling in a similar manner, well thought out use of a loyalty program can make it a reality
In the months ahead I’ll write a more advanced guide to how I managed to acquire large quantities of QFF points and I’ll also offer tips on finding business class award flights.