How to Earn Points and Miles Planning Your Wedding

Posted on 09. Aug, 2012 by in Earn Points, Miles and Rewards, Use Points, Miles and Rewards

Earn points and miles on your wedding day!

Getting married? It can be one of the most exciting not to mention busy times of your life. So before you get carried away with five layer cakes and pearl encrusted silk gowns it’s important to take a breath and get organized. A plan to help you save money can go a long way to help spending stay on track and keeping stress to a minimum. Even better? A plan that helps you earn points and miles too.

Read on to find out how to earn points and miles planning your wedding, and how you can use your loyalty programs to save money on your big day.

Planning Your Wedding:

It can take months to plan a wedding with deposits required along the way for just about everything: venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, flowers, limousine, dress, etc. etc. A points-earning credit card can be a huge asset in this regard. If you’ve saved money for your wedding consider paying for as much of it as you can on a points earning card in order to take advantage of the major points earning potential and then paying off the balance in full. If you’re going to have to lay out huge amounts of cash, you might as well get something in return. Here’s a tip: for out of town guests consider booking their accommodation through your own loyalty program. This way you can collect points and your guests need not lift a finger except to reimburse you for the cost of the room.

Gifts for You and Your Wedding Party:

Picking out gifts for you and your beloved can render you both kids in a candy store. In your excitement don’t forget gifts for the lovely people in the wedding party, and friends and family that have taken time out of their busy schedules to help you with yours. By the time you get around to thinking about what to gift your bridesmaids and groomsmen you may have spent a bundle already. Looking at your loyalty programs and seeing where you might be able to redeem points for something special is always worthwhile.

Along with best wishes and congratulations guests are going to want know what it is you need/want for a wedding gift. Don’t be shy. Register at a favourite store where you currently collect points and when no one buys you the proverbial gravy boat you can pick it up by redeeming points that you have already in your account.

Jet Blue and US Airways both offer gift registries for all kinds of occasions. It’s super easy for guests to buy or transfer points and or miles to you and your sweetheart, then the two of you can use them as you please. Personalize your registry and have someone in the wedding party spread the word, discreetly of course.

Your Honeymoon:

So you’ve planned the wedding down to every last detail. It’s set to go off without a hitch. Now isn’t there something you’re forgetting? The honeymoon! Shop around and look for the best deals on redeeming points and miles for savings on destination packages, individual flights or that once-in-a-lifetime five star hotel.

You can also suggest that in lieu of a traditional gift that guests transfer frequent flier points/miles or buy points/miles towards your honeymoon using a unique flight and travel gift registry. The choice is yours, a pupu platter in Hawaii or another ecru-coloured serving platter with built in dip receptacle. Yawn.

When You’re the Guest:

Maybe you’re not the one who’s getting hitched. Maybe you’re going through that phase of life where all your friends are walking down the aisle and it seems like you’re attending a wedding every other weekend. That often means shelling out for travel, gifts and hotels. Why not redeem some loyalty points for such expenses and save yourself a few dollars. It could mean not having to open your wallet at all, except to pull out your loyalty card or shudder, in case of a cash bar.

If you’re in the midst of matrimonial planning, stay strong, stay calm and use your loyalty programs to your advantage. Great preparation can really pay off. But when it comes to tossing the bouquet, feel free to throw caution to the wind.

In case you missed it, you can read last week’s post here: How Many Loyalty Programs Are Too Many?

Image source: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/shezita

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