December 2010 Archives | Points.com blog

Home for the Holidays – Thanks to 1 Million JetBlue TrueBlue Points

Posted on 22. Dec, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.

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Home for the holidays

Home for the holidays:

Sometimes it pays to be a loyalty junkie. A member of more than 10 loyalty programs, Luwam Semere entered the Points.com Million Mile giveaway, and found herself the proud winner of 1,000,000 JetBlue TrueBlue points.

‘Tis the season for skyrocketing travel costs and based in Los Angeles, Luwam Semere and her husband were scouring the web for affordable flights for the 3,000 mile trek to her parents’ home in Buffalo, NY. Determined to make it home for the holidays, Luwam booked one-way flights for herself and her husband, cashing in her life savings of airline miles. She hoped that she’d find a cheap airfare home at the last-minute. Instead, Luwam had her very own Christmas miracle when she won 1 million TrueBlue points.

“It’s amazing,” Luwam said, “now my husband and I don’t have to worry about being stranded in Buffalo after the holidays.”

The Points.com Million Mile giveaway is open to new Points.com users who join through our partner’s websites. There are currently 13 participating partners including (but not limited to!):

Please note, this contest is only open to those who have not yet signed up for Points.com, so if you were thinking of joining, now is a great time to do so!

Happy holidays from all of us at Points.com!

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Frugal John’s Top 5 Tips for Making the Most of your Points & Miles – Tip #5

Posted on 13. Dec, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.

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Without further ado, here is Frugal John’s 5th tip on how to make the most of your loyalty programs:

5. Don’t be afraid to spend “hard” cash to maximize your point/mile balance.

Cash is king for the simple reason that it is accepted pretty much anywhere, by anybody, for almost anything. The acceptance rates on loyalty program points/miles are somewhat more constrained. So, while it may feel like it doesn’t make much sense to exchange a hard currency into a less-liquid reward currency, there are many situations in which the financial case can be made.

For example, most major airlines allow you to purchase miles for yourself or others. In general, these purchased miles will cost you around 2.5 cents/mile. If you’re only 10,000 miles away from redeeming for an award flight that would cost $400 normally, the $250 it takes to purchase the miles you need are less than the outright cost of the flight. If you manage to buy during a promotional period, you may find your per mile purchase rate effectively cut in half.

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Overall, don’t forget that you’ve probably earned these points and miles by engaging in the everyday activities you would have done regardless – travelling for business or pleasure, shopping at your local store, using your credit card for everyday essentials. Don’t be afraid to treat these loyalty program miles/points like the crumpled $5 bill you find in a freshly washed pair of jeans – it’s a windfall – use it to reward yourself and the ones you love.

Read all 5 of Frugal John’s Tips:

Tip #1: Have a redemption goal in mind.

Tip #2: What goes up must come down.

Tip #3: Aim for your goal but be open to change.

Tip #4: Know the expiry rules for your programs.

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Frugal John’s Top 5 Tips for Making the Most of your Points & Miles – Tip #4

Posted on 06. Dec, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.

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Welcome to Frugal John’s latest tip on how to make the most of your points and miles!

4. Know the expiry rules for your programs.

Nothing is more wasteful than having your points/miles vanish because your account has been deemed inactive. Know the expiry rules for your programs so you can engage in enough activity to keep the account active, or at the very least, redeem out of the program before your account is expired.

If you do suffer the unfortunate fate of having your account expired, some loyalty programs will reinstate your balance for a fee. The charge – usually a fraction of a penny per point/mile – is a small price to pay to restore a sizable balance just waiting to be redeemed. Check your loyalty program’s website for details, or call their customer service line.

For more tips, see:

1. Have a redemption goal in mind.

2. What goes up must come down.

3. Aim for your goal but be open to change.

Please feel free to share your own tips below!

Until next time,

Frugal John

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Earn While you Shop this Holiday Season

Posted on 01. Dec, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.

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Earn While You Shop Online

Earn While you Shop.

With the holidays fast approaching and shopping in full swing, we’d like to share one of our favorite tips for earning points and miles during the holiday season.

Two words: earn malls.

The number of people shopping online has grown exponentially over the past few years. And why not? Sitting at your computer in your pjs with a warm cup of hot chocolate sure beats battling the crowds at the mall. If you’re planning to do some (or all) of your holiday shopping online this year, be sure to take advantage of your favorite loyalty program’s online earn mall. Online earn malls allow you to earn points or miles for shopping through a virtual mall. In most cases you earn 1 point or mile per dollar spent, but many programs have holiday shopping deals on right now, so you may earn even more!

Here are a few programs that reward you for shopping online through their sites, but there are many more – be sure to check your loyalty program’s website before you start clicking:

Bonus tip: Double dip by paying for your goodies with a reward earning credit card. Just be sure to clear up that balance so you avoid a nasty surprise in the New Year.

Have a holiday shopping tip of your own? Share it below for other readers!

Happy shopping!

The Points.com Team.