Italo plus points expire in just over a month: use them or lose them forever
The expiration of loyalty program points is the scourge of the serial accumulator. Of course if you are then an Italian reward traveler [...]
Expiration of loyalty program points is the scourge of the serial accumulator. Of course if you are then an Italian reward traveler then you are put in the worst position because of the law and how companies "exploit" the interpretation of regulations to their advantage.
Why points expire more in Italy than abroad
In this article:
I have explained this in several articles, Italian law equates point collections with prize competitions. And this is a burden that greatly limits the growth of loyalty programs and at the same time contributes to alienating people: "But my points always expire and I can never use them!" is the litany I am told most often, and I must say that they are all right.
Of course, it comes easy to think of Alitalia's Millemiglia points or ITA Airways' Volare points, but this applies to groceries at the co-op, such as the Payback point collection or the one from the store down the street and of course for the train ones.
Italo plus points expire April 28
Each Participant may collect points up to the April 28, 2024, it being understood that the points collected up to that date can be used (and consequently the prizes can be claimed) no later than the April 28, 2024.
So says the railway company's website and it's really absurd that if one travels on April 28, one will accumulate points that are already gone the next day.
No law forces organizers to make points disappear, but simply to launch a new collection. Nothing prohibits collection managers from renewing the validity of points sine die, or with rules as, for example, other programs do by tying them based on usage/accumulation. Large companies, however, are better off resetting the cards because doing so removes a debt from the balance sheet, because it is fair to remember that points are a cost in the balance sheet, and being able to make millions of points disappear with a flick of the wrist leads to an immediate benefit on the balance sheet, to the happiness of the finance department and the CFO.
What to do with Italo points
First of all, empty the piggy bank. and avoid Transfer points except for immediate use, otherwise it will be a double rip-off.
If you accumulate points with travel and other expenses in these weeks, it is important to plan to use them before April 28 or they will be lost forever. To help passengers obtain award tickets Italo also launched a discount of 20% that allows you to use fewer points than usual.
