Use Points, Miles and Rewards

Archive for 'Use Points, Miles and Rewards'

Say Thank You to Mom Using Points & Miles This Year

Posted on 03. May, 2013 by PointsAdvisor.

Free Flowers for Mothers Day on Points.com

Mother’s day is fast approaching: only 9 days until May 12th. If you’re still struggling to find the perfect gift to thank Mom this year, check out our promotion below.

Redeem on Points.com & Get Free Flowers:

Now until May 7th, you can get up to $45 in FTD Flowers gift codes when you redeem on Points.com.

Here’s how it works:

1) Redeem for any gift certificate valued at at least $100 on Points.com.

If you redeem for a gift certificate worth $100-$200, we’ll give you a bonus $15 gift code that can be used on FTD.com.
If you redeem for a gift certificate valued at over $200, we’ll give you three $15 gift codes for FTD.com — that’s $45 in total to spend on flowers for Mom!

2) Once your redemption is complete, we’ll send you an email with the FTD gift code(s).

That’s it! By redeeming for something you want on Points.com (or something for Mom!) you can get free flowers for Mother’s Day.

Go here to learn more, or start redeeming here.

Continue Reading

Redeem points & miles into your PayPal account!

Posted on 22. Mar, 2013 by PointsAdvisor.

Redeem into PayPal on Points.com! At Points.com, you can redeem points and miles from selected loyalty partners into your PayPal account.

This means that you can turn your points and miles into just about anything: merchandise at your favorite shopping sites, event tickets, professional services — or cash!

Here are three ideas for using your points and miles in PayPal:

paypal_logo

1. Get holiday spending money:

After you’ve redeemed for an award flight or free hotel stay, redeem any remaining points or miles into PayPal to use while you’re on your trip! You could also use your PayPal funds before you go to purchase new luggage or clothes for your adventure.

2. Spring clean:

Consolidate by redeeming points or miles in programs with smaller balances into PayPal. By cleaning up your loyalty wallet you can make the most of points and miles you might not use otherwise. While you’re at it, be sure to register all of your programs on Points.com to make sure you know what’s in your wallet!

3. Treat yourself:

If you’re not planning a trip in the near future, why not treat yourself to a rejuvenating weekend at home by transferring your points or miles into your PayPal account to fund a trip to the spa or a night out on the town?

Visit this page to find out all of the programs that you can redeem from!

Continue Reading

Save Money on Black Friday: Redeem for Gift Cards on Points.com!

Posted on 07. Nov, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.

Are you ready for Black Friday?

For those of you new to the Black Friday shopping madness, Black Friday is held the Friday after American Thanksgiving (November 23rd this year). Retailers offer massive sales to kick-off the holiday shopping season, which means it’s a great time to stock up or get your holiday shopping started.

To save even more money this Black Friday, consider redeeming your loyalty points or miles for gift cards to use while you shop. On Points.com you can redeem points/miles for gift cards from hundreds of retailers, including:

And many more!

You can redeem from any of the following programs:

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan™
American Airlines AAdvantage® miles ** Note that you must have a minimum balance of 25,000 miles to redeem from this program on Points.com.
Asia Miles™
AviancaTaca LifeMiles
Delta SkyMiles®
Esso Extra
Frontier Airlines EarlyReturns®
Hawaiian Airlines® HawaiianMiles®
Icelandair Saga Club
La Quinta Returns®
Priority Club® Rewards
S&H greenpoints
United Airlines MileagePlus
US Airways® Dividend Miles®

Redeem soon to make sure you get your gift card in time for Black Friday! Depending on the gift card you choose, delivery can take between 5-10 business days.

For more details on redeeming, visit Points.com.

A final tip: here’s an article from eHow that gives you five tips on how to plan for your Black Friday shopping adventure.

Happy shopping!

Redeem for Gift Cards on Points.com!

Continue Reading

Loyalty Program Lingo: What You Need to Know

Posted on 23. Aug, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.

Know Your Loyalty Program Lingo!

Remember the first time you walked into a Starbucks and didn’t know a vente from a grande or an extra shot versus a shot of vanilla? Yeah, it was intimidating to say the least. Loyalty programs can be a little like that too. They often use jargon and terms that the newbie might not be so familiar with. So to help get you acquainted here’s an introductory guide to some basic loyalty terms. (You might want to grab a tall bold for the adventure.)

Orphan Miles:

Orphan miles are essentially miles that you have earned through a loyalty program that you are not likely to use. You probably don’t have enough miles to redeem for anything and you probably aren’t going to be collecting any more either. These types of miles are accrued by people belonging to loyalty programs who actually aren’t that loyal to the program.

For instance you may have become a member of an airline loyalty program when planning a trip somewhere you’d never been and are likely to never visit again, like say Johannesburg. You flew the airline, collected some points, ate some curried impala and put the card away somewhere safe in your wallet, never to see the light of day. But before you cut up the card and toss it in the trash, check to see if you can transfer your points to another loyalty program. It would be a shame to see them go to waste.

Redeem:

Redeeming points or miles means trading them in for some other goods or service. They can be considered currency and have their own value. Loyalty programs offer extensive lists of products available in exchange for points or miles, or you can redeem points/miles for gift cards or into your PayPal account on Points.com. Most loyalty programs also provide items for redemption at various point and mile values. That means if you want to save your points for something more expensive like a big screen TV you can, it will just require more miles or points than say a $25 restaurant gift card.

Trade:

Trading points or miles means that you trade your loyalty points or miles with another person belonging to a different program. Maybe you’re planning a family vacation and need a few more points or miles to get there. You can post your “wanted ad” and it will be seen by thousands of loyalty users itching to make a deal, or you can accept one of the offers that someone else has already posted. It’s kind of like putting up a “wanted” or “for sale” flyer up on the community bulletin board, albeit a digital bulletin board. Not too toot our own horn, but the only place you can do this in on Points.com. Please note that there is a fee for trading – you can learn more about the trade fees here.

Exchange:

If you are a member of more than one loyalty program and chances are that’s big yes, you can transfer points between programs for your convenience. Some loyalty programs will let you do this on their websites, and some allow you to do this on Points.com. On Points.com, a handy calculator will determine how many points or miles the conversion you wish to make will give you. This way you can see if it’s an exchange you wish to make before you make it. For a list of which programs exchange on Points.com, visit our supported programs page.

Earn:

Earning points or miles simply refers to how you acquire them. Once you’re a member of a loyalty program this usually means making purchases. And with these purchases you will get points or miles that non-members will not. You will also be able to redeem these miles or points for goods and services. How many points or miles are needed for redemption and how many points and miles you acquire through purchases vary and are different for all programs whether you’re shopping in-store or online. These days there are lots of ways to earn: online shopping portals, shopping in retail stores, flying, staying at hotels, renting cars etc. Be sure to check out your program’s website to find out all the ways you can earn.

Continue Reading

How to Earn Points and Miles Planning Your Wedding

Posted on 09. Aug, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.

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

Continue Reading

How Many Loyalty Programs Are Too Many?

Posted on 02. Aug, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.

How many loyalty cards are too many loyalty cards?

How’s that wallet? Stuffed? It can sometimes feel like you’re collecting points for everything from a simple coffee to flights and vacations. How many loyalty programs should you be participating in? And how many are too many? To answer those questions it all depends on you, your job and your lifestyle.

The Everyday:

Take a good hard look at all the things you pay for in a week, that morning latte and scone, groceries, gas, lunch and dry cleaning. Are you earning points on these things or are you paying out of pocket and getting nothing in return? You may want to consider using a points earning credit card for the purchases that you know aren’t likely to change in your regular routine. Make your everyday expenses earning expenses and you’ll be surprised how quickly the little things can add up to big points.

Business Travel:

A lot of us travel for work. We spend more time in the air than we do in the office. In this case it’s important to have the right mix of airline and hotel loyalty programs. Choose ones with the most flexibility, since we all know that travel plans can change. Check and note the minimum miles required for redemption. Also look into whether you can buy additional miles if needed and if you can exchange points or miles for other rewards besides flights.

The best way to assess how much travel you will be doing is to look at the previous calendar year and jot down the miles logged. Then check in with the powers that be at the office to see if the current year is expected to be comparable.

Once in a Blue Moon:

We all get sucked into loyalty programs that sound like a good idea at the time but really don’t end up being useful to us at all. The bra lovers card anyone? I mean how many bras can one person buy in one year? It doesn’t hurt to sign up for a program, but if years have gone by and you haven’t used it, it might be time to move on.

Pull out all your cards. Go ahead. Now pick out the ones you haven’t used in six months, maybe even a year. These are probably specialty cards for one particular store that you frequent you got it, once in a blue moon.

Did you have to pay to be a member of this loyalty program and feel guilty tossing the card away? No need. It’s happened to the best of us, just pick it up and take the scissors to it. But not before a quick bit of research to see if you can transfer any points you may have to another loyalty account. If not, time to say good-bye.

Going forward it’s good advice to get all information on a loyalty program from any retailer offering one to you. Take the literature home. Do some homework online and see if the program is right for you instead of signing up in the heat of the moment. We know those cards can just be so darn sexy sometimes. But take your time. The program will still be there tomorrow.

A Final Note on Diligence:

It pays to be on top of your loyalty programs. That means always having the cards handy when you need them so you don’t miss out on an earning opportunity. Check your balances regularly so you can take advantage of timely redemption offers. Just as you check your bank balance check your loyalty program balances. Think of this as your “OBB” other bank balance. It does have value after all. And we want to see you make the most of it.

For more help organizing your programs, check out Organize Your Loyalty Life for 3 tips on getting yourself on track.

Continue Reading

Redeem Your Points & Miles for Over 20 New Gift Certificates on Points.com!

Posted on 16. May, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.

Redeeming miles & points for gift cards online

We’ve just added more than 20 new gift certificate options for you to redeem your points and miles for on Points.com! This brings the list of gift certificates that you can redeem for on Points.com to over 110.

Here are a few popular options:

Applebees (NEW!)
Amazon.com
Bed, Bath & Beyond (NEW!)
Best Buy (Canada or USA)
GameStop/EBGames (NEW!)
iTunes (NEW!)
Target
The Home Depot®
Walmart (NEW!)
Zappos!.com (NEW!)