Friends of mine have booked their family holidays for next year, and they’re using points to maximise travel. They upgrade seats to business class for free, and a companion can fly with you for free—that’s just for flights! There are lots of clever ways to use points, and I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before.
Terms like airmiles, frequent flyer points, and Avios all describe the same idea. They’re points you collect that you can then use to pay, or partly pay, for travel-related costs. Usually that means flights, but it can also cover hotels, though hotels aren’t always the best value for points.
In the past, you earned points by actually flying. Airlines rewarded you for your business, but the rewards were mainly available to people who travelled a lot. It often meant business travellers who roamed the globe.
Now you can collect points in hundreds of different ways. From shopping and insurance to hotel bookings or buying a new phone. The list is endless. That creates a big opportunity for families to use points to get free flights.
My first tip is to get a points-earning credit card. There are many cards out there, from American Express to Barclaycard, and they all work similarly. Every time you spend on the card you’ll earn between 1 and 1.5 points per pound.
It’s worth thinking about your finances before opening a card, and some cards have annual fees. If you can’t afford it or you’re not good with debt, don’t make a poor choice.
Some cards come with extra perks. For example, one Amex card may give you a voucher each year once you hit a certain spend level. That voucher can cut the number of points needed for a flight.
On top of earning points with a card, airlines run “shopping” portals. These sites list many retailers, and if you click through and then buy, you’ll earn points. The number of points per pound varies, and in some cases it can be 10 to 20 points per pound.
These shopping portals aren’t only for shopping. The UK’s big airlines, like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, also list mobile phone companies, insurers, and even Sky or Virgin Media. If you’re renewing insurance or a TV package each year, you could rack up thousands of points.
There’s another way to earn points I should mention: hotel bookings. British Airways operates a hotel site that, while it shows similar hotels and prices to other sites, offers a special perk: you earn 15 points for every pound you spend on a hotel.
That’s a huge boost to your points balance, whether you’re booking a short romantic getaway or a week-long family trip.
Earning points is great, but we’re here for free flights. Spinning points is simple, but there are nuances and tricks.
Airlines cap how many seats can be booked with points. They want cash, of course, but you can still book flights with points. British Airways is relatively generous and guarantees a set number of points seats on many flights.
As families, we’re at a disadvantage due to school holidays, which are the busiest times and spart more competition for seats. Looking at less popular destinations can help, as there are more seats available. Long-haul flights can be easier than intra-Europe during peak times, if you can tolerate longer journeys.
If you have a destination in mind, third-party sites can monitor flights and tell you when seats become available. Airlines may release more points seats as the year goes on, so you might search today and see nothing, then a week later there’s a window of free flights.
Booking a flight is basically the same as paying with cash. The process is straightforward online.
Several airlines stand out for UK families, both in earning and spending points. The best value tends to come from swapping points for flights, but you can also use points for hotels or even wine.
If you have leftovers and want to get rid of them, exchanging points for a case of wine is possible. If your goal is a business-class dream, hold onto those valuable points a bit longer.
Earning and using points takes a bit of time. It’s not days, but a little extra effort. So, is it worth it? I say yes, and I’m about to get us a new credit card.
For many families, flying in business class remains a dream, but using points can get you there, or even to first class, without huge costs. It might take time to build up the points, but it can be worth it.
