A "bignami" to brush up on the basics of the reward travel world
With this article we will try to summarize in a few simple steps how to best manage one's point accumulation strategy, [...]
With this article we will try to summarize in a few simple steps how to best manage one's points accumulation strategy, regardless of whether we are talking about airline points or hotel chain points.
In this article:
It doesn't matter If you are new to the world of reward travel or if you're a super-experienced player, this list is like when before takeoff, during the demonstration on safety measures, they ask you to pay attention, because "this plane might be different from all the ones you've been in before."
Before you take off, check how many miles you will earn. Almost all airlines participate in an alliance with other carriers. However, it is not ruled out that company X has a partnership with a company that participates in a different alliance and through this agreement allows it to accumulate qualifying and non-qualifying points. This is why it is essential to check How many miles will be gained from that flight And which programs they will be able to be credited on.
The best bonuses
Check your credit card offers. All the major credit cards on the Italian market offer promotions on many categories. Sometimes it's immediate cashback, sometimes it's bonus points, so before you click buy, check for a offer to activate...later it may be too late.
Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. This old saying is also very relevant in reward travel. Forget about activating a promotion, e.g. Hilton's giving away 2,000 punti per stay can be expensive, so when you find out there is a promo activate it, it doesn't cost you anything anyway and you won't have any consequences if you don't use it.
Do not let points and miles expire. Each program has its own rules: there are points that never expire, others where prolonged inactivity empties the piggy bank, and still others where after X months the points are reset to zero. Keep track of your programs and try to keep everything under control so you don't squander hard-earned points and miles.
Use the right card at the right time. We talked about papers that allow accumulate more points with a given expenditure, as well as stores that allow you to combine multiple point collections at the same time, one example being Payback.
Make the most of bonuses of welcome and introduce a friend. We have talked about this often, keep an eye on the bonuses and how to take advantage of them at 100%. "Holing" these bonuses is a cardinal sin in the reward travel game.
How a sniper studies your target And shoot for sure. Understand the rules of the program you want to use, when it is best to transfer points, how to take advantage of any special promotions. For example by taking advantage of a special promotion I paid much less for a first class ticket with Singapore Airlines.
Buy points at the right time. We have often talked about this, points can also be bought, some times the offers are so generous that it is more convenient to buy points, to book a ticket, rather than pay the ticket cash.
Quoting an old commercial "tu is mei che uan". If you are engaged*, married* or have a sibling to share this hobby with, take advantage of the opportunity, offered by many loyalty programs, to combine points and miles.
Last but not least, don't leave a single point on the street: If you can pay with a card instead of cash, do it. It doesn't matter if it's the bus ticket, coffee at the bar or dinner with friends.