Volare points are about to expire: here's how best to use them if you don't fly

There is a time in every frequent flyer's life when you look at your point balance and ask yourself a very simple question: But these, will I ever use them?

With Flying, ITA Airways' loyalty program, that time is coming for everyone, but not by choice, simply because at the end of the year the Volare frequent flyer will disappear.

The deadline is set, the countdown is on, and not everyone will be able to use their points for what they were born for: fly.

So we set out to do what we always do on TFC when a coin is about to expire: figure out how to save its value.

The starting point (literally)

The reference is clear and should be said right away: When you use Volare points to discount an ITA ticket, 1,000 points is worth 5 euros.

This is the yardstick. Everything else-hotels, groceries, fuel, season tickets, gift boxes-is an alternative that may be more or less intelligent depending on How far you get from that value.

The "convenient" but expensive temptations

When you know the points expire, the temptation is to use them for something immediate: groceries, gasoline, an easy coupon. The problem is. convenience pays for itself.

IP fuel vouchers and Esselunga Fìdaty points, for example, immediately give you the feeling that you "haven't thrown anything away," but in reality you're giving up a big chunk of the value. They work, sure. But compared to flying you are far from that famous 5 euros per 1,000 points.

These are choices to be made only if you have small leftovers or if, quite simply, you already know that those points will never be used for anything else.

The great limbo of lifestyle partnerships

Then there's that gray area made up of brands, gifts, subscriptions and cute ideas: Wonderbox, Venchi, Skinius, Il Sole 24 Ore, Buddyfit, Sun City, Treedom, Leone, Costa Cruises, Electrolux and company.

Here the argument is always the same: not a disaster, but not a bargain either. On average, using Flying points with these partners, you lose between 20 and 30% of the value you would have gotten with an airline ticket. Does this make sense? Yes, only if you were already going to buy that product or service.

The gift you were going to give anyway. The subscription you were going to renew anyway. The cruise or appliance you were already planning. Otherwise, it is just an elegant way to devalue points that could have made more.

Smart choices when not flying

On the other hand, if we talk about rational use, those that allow you to sleep easy knowing that you have not thrown away value, the options are few but clear.

Le donations, for example, are surprisingly one of the best possible choices. ActionAid and Save the Children turn Volare points into real euros, without devaluation. Don't you fly? At least those points become something concrete.

And then there is Accor Live Limitless. Here Flying stops being an air program and becomes a key to hotels. Points become credit for sleeping, and they do so without losing value compared to flying. It is not a trick. It is simply the only real alternative travel when the plane remains in the drawer.

The special case: Best Western

Best Western deserves a separate mention, because here we are not talking about a voucher with a fixed price, but about one night free.

And that's exactly the point: it can be a rip-off or a big score. If you use it badly, it's worth little. If you use it well, in peak season or in an expensive city, can easily beat the value of the ITA ticket.

But it is a choice for those who know exactly what they are doing.

It is not "how to use them," but how not to waste them

Expiring Volare points are a problem that many serial accumulators don't yet know they have, simply because ITA Airways has not yet reminded anyone of the deadline. We at TFC have been writing and telling this for a long time, but surely there will be many people who will find out on February 2 that they have been left holding the bag.

At this point, however, I suggest you decide how, but to do it towards the end of the month, maybe ITA and/or Lufthansa will surprise us with special effects.

If you fly, use them to fly, If you don't fly, protect their value: hotels or donations. Anything else is fine, but only if you really need it.

Because points may expire, but a frequent flyer should never give them away to the system

• Flying