Use fewer points for your next award booking: here's the strategy
Using points to book an award ticket, or a hotel room, means not shelling out a sum of money [...]
Using points to book a reward ticket, or a hotel room, means not shelling out a larger or smaller sum of money. Unfortunately, however, the world of reward travel has to deal with dynamic award tables, which means that the same ticket (or hotel room) can cost very different amounts of money at different times of the year.
In this article:
With this article I want to help those taking their first steps in this world to save as many points as possible, because the fewer points you spend, the closer the next booking will be.
#1 First come, first served, least spent
It sounds trite, but it is the truth. Booking an award ticket as far in advance as possible normally opens up the best scenarios: more available seats, more alternatives, and lower cost.
The best bonuses
It is enough to know How far in advance can you book an award ticket e How far in advance are room reservations open In major hotel chains.
#2 Being flexible
If you have compulsory leave or you don't have flexibility, you have to be prepared to spend more points, especially if you try to book during hot periods such as the holiday season or the summer months. Conversely, if you can decide to go when you find the right offer or if you can choose to book last minute, you can save a fair amount of points.
Standard hotel rooms may have A price difference of even hundreds of thousands of points per night, not to mention airline tickets. With Air France you can find tickets to going to the U.S. from Italy at only 11,250 points FB, the same ticket can cost as much as 80,000 points.Â
Flexibility does not just mean on dates, for example:
- If you are looking for a hotel, look at different brands or in nearby areas
- If you want to book a flight, consider the possibility of departing from a different airport from the one below and/or land at an alternate stopover than the one at the desired destination
- Consider the possibility of booking through a different company
For example, if you are planning a trip to New York, you might look for a flight to Toronto or Montreal or Philadelphia.
#3 Traveling in the off-season
Many programs have a schedule that charges different fees depending on the time of year. It is often thought that low season equals bad season, but this is not so, indeed. In addition, it must be taken into account that many Italian holidays do not correspond with those in other countries, and vice versa.
April 25, June 2, and bridges related to Patronal holidays are some examples of Italian holidays that are just like any other days abroad. Often these dates fall during periods of low season and therefore less crowded.
The same happens if you travel to the other side of the world, with the seasons reversed. Going to Australia in July means going in the cold weather, and less interesting than the same trip made in December.
#4 Award reservations are flexible
Award tickets and hotel rooms booked with points are super flexible and with cancellation penalties of zero or a few euros, this helps both in case you have to cancel trips and in case opportunities pop up at lower prices.
The opening of a new flight or the launch of a promotion that Discount award nights such as Marriott's Week of Wonders, are new features that could offer savings over the old reservation. Deleting, recovering points and rebooking is a legal strategy. Obviously if you have enough points in your pocket, my advice is to book and then cancel, but if you can't it's okay to take the risk to save thousands of points.
#5 Take advantage of the fifth night for free
The beauty of hotel chain loyalty programs is that many provide, as a benefit for members, the gift of the fifth night free when booking with points.
This benefit saves 20% of points and is cumulative, so if you plan to stay 10 nights in the Maldives you will only pay for 8 nights.
#6 Beware of promotions
If you have a particular destination in mind, it is good to keep an eye on the offers companies release over the months. For example, the first of every month Flying Blue, the FF program of Air France and KLM., launches its offers with discounts up to 50%. So do other programs such as Krisflyer of Singapore or Lufthansa's Miles&more.
Every program has its own rules, checking offers before booking can bring great joys, and with the flexibility of award tickets, here you can always rebook and cancel your previous reservation.
#7 Prepare in good time
Award seats aboard aircraft Are more complicated to detect and much quicker to disappear than hotel rooms, the reason is quickly stated: places are few, rooms many more.
Therefore, you need to be ready to book as soon as possible, especially if you are aiming for high season periods. First, if you do not have the points ready in the loyalty program that we will use to book, it is well having configured and tested the eventual transfer. On the other hand, if you do not have enough points, it is good to buy them, taking advantage of generous bonuses such as the 100% offered by Hilton Honors o other similar offerings. Not forgetting any bonuses that , In case of point transfer they add extra points.
Last but not least
Before booking using points you should always try to book the same combination, and any similar situations, using traditional payment. Only then, by comparing the two results, can you decide whether or not the points investment is worth the expense.