How to fly Business Class for the price of an Economy seat
Your friends might collect points, or you've just heard about it (or seen some TikToks). Getting started isn't easy; there's so many options and the language spoken is often a little technical.
I started collecting miles and Avios points six years ago. In that time I've found success and made mistakes. Those points had let me travel in parts of a plane that I never thought possible.
My last trip to Riyadh took me from London to Riyadh in a BA Business Class Suite, then to Doha in First Class, and then back to the UK on Qatar Business. All for less than a thousand pounds.
Here's a basic guide on everything that I've learned. If you're starting out, or thinking of starting out, then here's my advice:
Get a credit card that gives you points. Use it for everything
Just pick a good one that works for you and has good perks. You don't need to swap them out every few months for the signup bonuses or have a complex strategy.
Do keep an eye on the perks that you get as a card owner. In the UK British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offer "companion vouchers" which effectively reduce the points you need to take a flight by half.
Push the boundaries on what you put through your card. Can you pay your personal taxes, or in the UK your council tax? How about your utility bills through a card?
*Pay off your card balance each month. Don't ever go into debt to collect points.
Upto 10x your points on everyday spend
Most airlines allow you to collect points when you buy things online. It's just an extra couple of clicks each time you shop.
You can earn up to 10 points for EVERY pound or dollar you spend and this really starts to add up.
It's as simple as logging into the relevant site for each airline, searching for a retailer, clicking the link and then shopping on the retailer's site as you normally would.
There are hundreds of brands listed, I'd say 50% of the things I buy I will earn points on.
Some of the Airline shopping portals.
AA: https://aadvantageeshopping.com
Alaska: https://mileageplanshopping.com
BA: https://shopping.ba.com
Delta: https://skymilesshopping.com
United: https://shopping.mileageplus.com
Virgin Atlantic: https://shopsaway.virginatlantic.com
Earn miles from hotel stays
There's the obvious way, there's a better way THEN an even better way to earn points when you stay at a hotel.
Book direct at most hotel brands and you'll earn points through their loyalty scheme, like Hilton Honors or Marriot Bonvoy. Almost all big brands then allow you to convert points from their scheme to airline miles.
That's great, but we can do better. Using the shopping links in the last post, you can earn through those platforms AND the hotel platforms. For example, on the BA shopping site, you can earn up to 4 miles per £1 spent at Hilton and earn points at Hilton directly.
Want an even better approach? Some airlines have their own hotel booking engines (think of it as their version of Expedia). Booking through those sites can turbo-charge your earnings. Right now with BA you can earn 15 Avios per £1 you spend on hotels, so a £2,000 spend gives you a stunning 30,000 miles.
Get big points for certain financial products.
In the UK you can pick up a decent chunk (2,000 - 3,000) from insurance companies or aggregators when you become a new customer.
If you're insuring your home, pet, and cars AND switching insurers each year, that could be 12,000 each year for a two-car household.
Love wine? Get points.
If you're in the UK you can pick up a tonne of points through BA's wine website The Wine Flyer. Subscribe to a monthly case of wine and get 3,500 on your first delivery, then 2,000 for each one after. Just want to buy a one-off case of wine? Get up to 990 Avios each time you buy (plus they run offers where you can grab more points for free) *Don't become an alcoholic to collect points.
Don't let points take over your life.
Collecting points should be exciting (think about that business class seat) and not a chore. The process shouldn't take over your life. There are a lot more ways to earn points, but the steps above are the ones that are simple and won't interfere with your social time.
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