October 19, 2021

Maximise your frequent flyer tips before booking your round the world trip with these 3 tips

When COVID-19 brought travel to a screeching halt in 2020, frequent flyers were concerned about the future of their points, miles, and elite status — some of which had taken years to accumulate.

Although many major airlines extended the expiration dates of frequent flyer points, some airlines did not (including Qantas). As a result, it’s been up to individual members to keep their accounts active and prevent their points from expiring.

In this article, we’ve pulled together several of our best tips for getting the most out of your frequent flyer points — even if you aren’t hopping on a flight any time soon. Read on for information about collecting and redeeming points, as well as tips on keeping your account active.

Use a co-branded credit card

If you were a frequent traveller before the pandemic, you were accustomed to racking up points from your flights, hotels, hire cars, and other travel essentials. But if you aren’t travelling right now, you can instead use a credit card to earn points on your everyday purchases, like groceries and fuel.

In Australia, Qantas has partnered with several banks and credit card companies to offer a range of point-earning credit cards for personal or business use. For example, the Qantas American Express Ultimate Card allows you to earn 1.25 miles per dollar spent and includes Qantas travel credit, lounge passes, and more.

By accruing points and miles through a credit card, you’ll ensure that your frequent flyer account stays active, and you won’t lose your valuable points. And when travel is back on, you’ll have built up a sizable credit to put toward your holiday or business travel. You’ll just need to make sure to pay off the balance in full and on time each month — otherwise, you may damage your credit rating.

Opt for a staycation

Maybe you’ve collected quite a few points over the years and want to use them, but you can’t travel interstate or overseas right now. In that case, you might consider applying your points toward a local hotel booking for a staycation.

With Qantas, you can exchange your points for stays at more than 200,000 hotels and Airbnbs worldwide — including many across Australia. The same applies for international airlines like Emirates and Lufthansa, both of which will allow you to book hotel stays with your points.

Earn points in non-traditional ways

Did you know that you can collect frequent flyer points from playing golf, filling up on fuel, and even paying your energy bill? These days, brands in all types of industries are partnering with airlines to introduce their products and services to the airline’s loyal customers.

Here in Australia, Qantas has a vast number of partners, which allow you to link your airline’s frequent flyer account with another loyalty program to earn even more points on your day-to-day activities.

For example, you can collect Qantas points by signing up for a utility account with Red Energy, shopping at Woolworths with your Everyday Rewards card, or subscribing to Kayo Sports.

Even though these programs may not significantly contribute toward your future travel, they’re an easy way to keep your account active and get points from everyday activities.

When you’re ready to start travelling again, be sure to book your trip with a travel agent who is familiar with the latest restrictions and requirements around the world. At Airfare Geeks, we have decades of experience in the industry and specialise in making complicated travel simple.

To learn more about our round the world airfares or multicity flight deals, give us a call on (02) 9188 7823 or visit our website today.