The worst ways to destroy a point and mileage accumulation strategy
Here at TFC we like to repeat certain concepts over and over, because as the ancients wrote "repetita iuvant sed stufant." First [...]
Here at TFC we like to repeat certain concepts over and over, because as the ancients wrote "repetita iuvant sed stufant." Before we stew, we want to make sure that some basic concepts in the world of reward travel are firmly etched in the memory of every serial accumulator of points and miles.
In this article:
It doesn't matter if the goal is to fly in first class with Singaporand, bring the family to Disneyworld in Tokyo and don't pay the hotel in the Maldives. There are mistakes that can, in a split second, reset the portfolio, thus compromising the end result and forcing us to say goodbye to the conversion and thus a lot of money that would not have been spent.
In this article we want to do a quick Bignami Of what are the most common mistakes and which we strongly advise you not to make.
N.B. The best conversion is the one that makes us happy, it doesn't matter if you use the points to fly economy with easyJet or if you book a night in Milan instead of a week in the Maldives, the important thing is that the prize you get is the one we wanted.
The biggest mistake of all is letting points expire
There are points that never expire, for example, Membership Rewards points, and points that expire with a specific frequency. Airline miles or points can expire for various reasons depending on the regulations of the loyalty program. There are miles that expire after 3 years, such as Emirates Skywards points, Or for inactivity such as Avios points. The same applies to the loyalty programs of hotel chains, although Lately the rules have changed for the better.
It is therefore important know the rules of each individual program. It can be useful, for example, to set notes on our cell phone agenda to remind us of approaching various deadlines. Many programs in this pandemic period have relaxed the rules, but it is always good to play it safe.
The second biggest mistake is not taking advantage of the welcome bonus
When applying for a new credit card, as well as when signing a new contract with a provider, generous welcome bonuses are often promised. Generally these bonuses are triggered when a certain amount of spending is reached in a given period. Recently we have seen generous bonuses of even 200 thousand points, enough to Treat yourself to two business class tickets to the Maldives. Therefore, it is important to know exactly which challenge you will have to complete to get the reward. Which expenses have value and which do not generate point/bonus accumulations.
Letting free opportunities slip away
Throughout the year, loyalty programs launch continuous promotions, in some cases they are offers to sell points at discounted prices or with large bonuses. Other times they are very generous "introduce a friend" offers that allow you to accumulate hundreds of thousands of points without spending a single euro. In other cases they are Ad hoc offers that you need to activate on your profile. Being alert to all these opportunities can result in a fair amount of points at the end of the year, very often 10 times more than the points accumulated from everyday spending.
Not keeping abreast of program changes
Point devaluation, the nightmare of all serial accumulators, is always just around the corner. Sometimes it is announced, other times it strikes suddenly. The same could happen with changes in partnerships that could end the possibility of using points in a structure Or in an airline.
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