So you’ve got a nice points balance, what are you going to do? This post will give you three simple tips you should consider when spending your hard-earned points.
Maximise their value
You can do some things with points that rarely result in good value. Here are some examples:
- Trading the points for vouchers.
- Buying items from Duty-Free.
- Using points to make your cash flight cheaper.
If you are going to spend your points, ask yourself – Am I getting a good deal here? The person who wins, in the long run, is the one who can extract every penny of value from their points. The trick is to get value much higher than what you had to spend to obtain the points in the first place.
The two best value ways to spend points are usually:
- Upgrade from a lower cabin.
- Straight reward flight (even more value if you use an AMEX 2-4-1 voucher or similar)
Be flexible
I feel like I say this in every article somehow, but flexibility is key. Especially for finding upgrades & reward flights. If you cannot be flexible, this may not be the time to use your points.
Plan your trip around what availability you can find. Avoid peak & blackout dates too.
If you can’t find what you want using points, default to finding the cheapest cash options and save your points for another trip. Saving them for a time when you can achieve better value is far better than wasting them.
Think outside the box
Two of the tricks I’ve used to help me over the years are very simple, and actually have nothing to do with points at all. Consistency & thinking outside the box.
Constantly looking for deals, maximising value and keeping up to date with the rules always pays dividends.
Can’t find reward availability..? Book the next cabin down and keep checking for upgrades, including on the day at the airport. It doesn’t always work, but that strategy has given me more upgrades than I can possibly count.
Ask yourself, can I change dates or the routing to find better options?
Bottom line
Try, try, then try again. That’s the game. Keep chipping away at finding the trip you want, learn the process and over time it becomes much easier.
We hope you find these simple tips helpful, but if you still need impartial advice, we’re always here to help – get in touch.
