5 Tips for New Points.com Users

Posted on 20. Apr, 2011 by in Points.com News & Updates

Points.com has many features and services, and we know that this can be a little overwhelming, especially for new users. To help guide the way, we’ve created a list of our top 5 tips to help you get started on Points.com.

If you’re a new user, we hope these 5 tips will put you well on your way to making the most of your points and miles with Points.com. If you’re a seasoned Points.com vet, perhaps you’ll learn something new, or you could leave a tip about something you’ve learned  in the comments section below.

Let’s dive in!

1. Register your programs.

It can be a bit of a pain to track down all of your loyalty program membership numbers and passwords (especially if you haven’t done any loyalty spring cleaning lately), but Points.com is infinitely more useful when you register your programs. Once you register your programs you’ll see a continually updated list of earning opportunities just for your programs on your Points.com homepage, plus you’ll be able to keep an eye on your balances. Also, you’ll need to have your programs registered to make transactions on the site. For details on how to register your programs, you can check out the video on this page.

 2. Check out our demo.

We have created a video that walks you through all of things you can do on Points.com, from adding your programs to your homepage to exchanging between your programs, trading with other users, or redeeming for a gift certificates or into your PayPal account. You can watch the full demo here, or click one of the links above to hone in on a specific product.

3. Start some chatter and learn how to earn more points/miles.

One of the most popular features on Points.com is the Earn Opportunities feed. This feed is a constantly updated list of opportunities to earn more in the programs that you have registered on Points.com. You can share your own tips on how to earn more with the Points.com community by posting a tip from your Points.com home page, or take advantage of the offers our partners post in your feed. The Earn Opportunities feed  can be found at the bottom of your Points.com homepage (once you’re logged in), and it will look something like this:

Earn Opportunities Feed

Post an Earn Opportunity

4. Choose the transaction type that’s right for you.

Once you’ve had a chance to check out Points.com by viewing our demo or posting and reading tips in your earn feed, you might decide that you’d like to make a transaction. You’ve worked hard to earn your points and miles, so be sure to consider all of your options before completing a transaction. On Points.com you can:

  • Exchange miles and points between your programs
  • Trade points and miles with other Points.com users
  • Redeem for gift cards or into your PayPal account
  • Buy or Gift points and miles
  • Transfer or Share points/miles with others.

Given all of these options, it’s best to take some time to consider which one best fits your goals. In some cases, exchanging between your own programs will be the exact right choice for you, while in others, trading with another Points.com user might make more sense. We’re working on more blog posts to help guide you through these decisions, but for now, just be sure to check out all of your options, and contact us if you’d like any help. Which brings us to our 5th tip…

5. We’re here to help.

We know that the world of loyalty programs can be a confusing one to navigate (especially now that the average household belongs to 18 programs). Points.com is designed to help you get the most out of your programs (whether you belong to 1 or 21), and we love helping you work through challenges.

For help with your questions, you can peruse our ever-growing database of FAQs, or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, or leave a comment on this blog.

Have we missed anything? Let us know if you have questions about the site, or if you have a tip for Points.com newbies.

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  • Kathy Walter

    Hi, I just stated with Points.com. I was registering my programs, but I couldn’t find British Airways. Did I miss it somewhere??
    Kathy

    • http://blog.points.com moretogether

      Hello Kathy!

      Welcome to Points.com! Right now, British Airways Executive Club is not available for tracking on Points.com. We’re always adding new programs though, so check back often!

      Thanks for your comment!

  • Meryl Johnson

    As I’m deaf, following your instruction videos is a bit difficult, it would be nice if you could add text boxes! Thanks.

    • http://blog.points.com moretogether

      Hello Meryl!

      I’ve passed this feedback on to the team that created the video. Thank you very much!

  • Geo

    3 of my programs do not allow me to use the points for redemption for gift cards. Why is this the case?
    It would be helpful if this was explained. I do appreciate being able to buy gift cards with points from my AA Advantage program.

    • http://blog.points.com moretogether

      Hello Geo,

      Unfortunately not all of the programs on Points.com have enabled redeem into gift cards. We’re always working with our partners to add more services – if you keep an eye on this blog, we’ll let you know of any new additions. Thanks for stopping by!

  • Al

    In additon to my own Loyalty Accounts I manage my families accounts. I tried to register these accounts however the system would only let me register one account /program. Is this something you are addressing or did I do something wrong?

    • admin

      Hello Al,

      At this time we are not able to support family accounts on Points.com. I have passed your feedback on to our product team. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

  • Laurie D

    Why does it say that I don’t have the minimum balance or program level required to redeem for gift cards. My point balance shows I have plenty what is the problem?

    • admin

      Hello Laurie,

      Some programs require you to have a minimum balance before you can redeem for gift cards. In particular, American Airline AAdvantage requires a minimum balance of 25,000 miles before you can redeem for a gift card. Feel free to check out our new Low Balance offers for more options: https://www.points.com/pdccontent/pages/2011/Oct/LowBalanceOffers/

  • Chal

    Hi, I have a registered account with AA airlines as my program option, but whenever i try to redeem my points i get a message saying , “You do not have the minimum balance or program level required to redeem with this program” despite my account having more than the required points. Please tell me what I am doing wrong, Thank you

    • https://www.points.com PointsAdvisor

      Hi Chal,

      American Airlines requires a minimum balance of 25,000 AAdvantage miles to redeem. If you have 25,000 miles and are still getting that message, please do get in touch with our customer service team.

      Thanks!

      The Points.com Team

  • Brian

    I have an American Airlines AAdvantage program and I am under the 25,000. Does this mean I can’t redeem even the low balance offers?

    • admin

      Hello Brian!

      At this time you can redeem for the New Balance Shoes discount (Low Balance Offer) using your American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Unfortunately due to restrictions imposed by American Airlines AAdvantage this is the only Low Balance Offer at this time. You may, however, have options directly through AAdvantage.

  • Linda

    Now that the Continental and United merger has taken place will I be able to move miles into my United Mileage Plus account since you can no longer get a OnePass account?

  • James

    Just signed up, like it so far. Quick questions; What is the trading fee for and who receives it? The fee is really excessive and more than the actual mileage trade value? Essentially the trading fee costs more to trade than the value of the miles / points received.

  • Ted

    The information on your web site mentions charges but I don’t see any information regarding costs of the program. I don’t trust web sites that don’t come right out up front and discuss what charges there are for transactions or purchases.

    • https://www.points.com PointsAdvisor

      Hi Ted,

      You can check out our FAQs, or the transactions on our site to see the charges for each particular product. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with our customer service team: http://questions.points.com/home.

  • Antonio

    I do not understand this EXCHAGE program. How the conversion rate works? It seems like all the time I going to lose points.., and lot of them! Not matter what! Does POINTS.COM charge for exchange by keeping points to themselves? Or the Airlines charge? Please let me know why this happens. For instance:
    I want to trade out 18.000 US Airways Dividend Miles that I have, and for those I would receive only 3.953 in American Airlines, 3.558 in Delta, and 3.953 in United. I assume the conversion is not 1 to 1, so in this case is about 1 to 5. (Get about one point for each 5 traded in)
    Now, if that is true, If I want to make the same trade backwards, meaning exchanging 3.953 miles from American or Delta, I should receive about 18.000 US Airways miles right? but NO, all that I would get is 1.302 in US Airways, not only I won’t receive the exchange rate of 5 to 1, (get 5 points for every 1 traded in) but actually will lose 1 to 3 (get only 1 for every 3 traded in).
    PLESE LET ME KNOW HOW THIS WORKS!!!

    • https://www.points.com PointsAdvisor

      Hello Antonio,

      You’ll need to get in touch with our customer service team so they can help you with your situation. You can reach them here: http://questions.points.com/home.

      Thanks,

      The Points.com Team

  • becky

    What is the cost to join this and the cost to transfer points (small amounts like 3,000 to other airlines accounts)

  • https://www.points.com PointsAdvisor

    Hi Becky,

    It’s free to join Points.com and also free to exchange between your programs, although there is an exchange rate between each program (i.e. not all programs trade 1:1).

    Just let us know if you have any further questions.

    The Points.com Team