Tag Archives: rewards
Happy New Year from Points.com!
Posted on 04. Jan, 2012 by PointsAdvisor.
We hope that your holidays were filled with cheer, family, friends and points and miles!
Happy New Year from the Points.com team. We look forward to another year of bringing you the latest loyalty program news and advice.
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Top 5 Reasons to Celebrate the Arrival of Fall (in the Land of Loyalty)
Posted on 19. Aug, 2011 by PointsAdvisor.
Here’s our super-intern Jessie to talk about the advantages fall brings for points and mile fanatics. Enjoy!
Top 5 Reasons to Celebrate the Arrival of Fall (in the Land of Loyalty)
Don’t despair as the curtain slowly drops on this summer season! There are lots of lovely things to look forward to this fall (including great ways to earn, redeem and share your loyalty points, miles and rewards!).
Here are our Top Five Picks in the celebration of fall:
1. Fashion: Are you as sick of the prominence of belly-tops and capri-pants as I am? Well it won’t be long before navels and ankles are banished once again! Under a fresh batch of sweaters, trench coats, and (best) new boots. There are plenty of ways to supplement the cost of those new items with your points and miles: you can redeem your Aeroplan or AIRMILES miles for great items through their online stores or choose the Gift Card option, offered by many loyalty programs, including HBC Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Diners Club Rewards and more (check out more programs at Points.com).
2. Off-season Holidays: Whether you’re looking to squeeze in some last minute summer revelry over the Labour Day weekend or you’re a savvy holiday planner who prefers a cooler temperature and shorter line-ups, now is the time to start thinking about your off-season holiday plans. Forbes.com did a great highlight on some of the best places to travel to in the off season, find it HERE. Frequent flyer program members should also check out last minute vacation offers and specials with their favorite airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, jetBlue, Porter Airlines and more.
3. New Releases: I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for a few rainy days so I can enjoy my T.V./movie time sans guilt… and it won’t be like you aren’t doing anything productive if you take your Scene card along with you when you go to movies. Also, Netflix offers great bonus incentives for American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta Skymiles, and United MileagePlus members.
4. Fresh Start: While Spring usually gets all the glory of “rebirth” and “renewal”, the freshness of fall should not be overlooked. Whether it’s a new grade, semester or quarter, this is a time to start over. Of course starting anew means a new pack of pencils (or flash drives). Alleviate some of the costs by using your OfficeDepot Worklife Rewards and Best Buy Reward Zone points!
5. Pumpkin Spiced Everything: Hey, don’t knock it till you try it…I don’t know what it is about a spicy pumpkin makes your everyday treats that much more delicious, but it does. One of the masters of the pumpkin spice is Starbucks, with their Pumpkin Spiced Latte! Also, residents of the U.S. and Calgary can use this (soon to be new addiction) as an opportunity to collect Starbucks Rewards points! And for the many other caffeine-loving Canadians, take advantage of the Starbucks Card Rewards card, which allows you to track your account online and connects you to news on special offers and member benefits!
How do you plan to celebrate fall with your points and miles?
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Most Popular Posts of 2010: Frugal John’s Top 5 Tips for Making the Most of your Points & Miles
Posted on 15. Mar, 2011 by PointsAdvisor.
Frugal John:
Around Points.com, one of our colleagues, John, is known as the go-to person for questions about how to get the most out of your loyalty programs. His penchant for savings has even earned him the nickname “Frugal John”. Last year, John wrote a series of guest posts listing his top 5 tips for making the most of your miles and points.
John’s top 5 list generated some of the most popular posts we had in 2010. We’ve compiled all of John’s tips here in one place in case you missed them last year.
5 Tips for Making the Most of Your Points & Miles:
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.
Tip #5: Don’t be afraid to spend “hard” cash to maximize your point/mile balance.
What strategies do you use to get the most out of your points and miles? Do you have any additional tips to add to Frugal John’s list?
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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.
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 #2
Posted on 22. Nov, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.
Frugal John is back again with another Monday morning tip about how to make the most of your loyalty program rewards. Today John is sharing his thoughts on inflation and rewards.
Here’s John’s second tip:
2. What goes up must come down.
In 1958, $2.70 would get you a “Wash & Wear” dress shirt from the Sears Christmas catalogue. Today, $2.70 will get you a coffee. From the inception of monetary systems, rulers and governments have been able and quite willing to devalue their currency when the need arose; as with cash, so too with your loyalty programs’ points/miles. Whether because the cost of the underlying redemption award has increased or because an increasing liability of unused and unexpired points/miles has forced program operators to revalue their worth, over time, you’ll need more miles/points to redeem for a certain award than you would have needed today.
While there is value in saving your points/miles for that dream vacation, don’t forget that inflation will dip into your loyalty program savings too. You’re not earning any interest on that loyalty program balance, so don’t be too stingy with it.
Was this tip useful? Have a tip of your own to share? Leave a comment below!
Until next time,
Frugal John
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Tips for Redeeming Points/Miles This Holiday Season from SmartMoney.com
Posted on 12. Nov, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.
“Snag Holiday Gifts — Without Spending a Dime” by Kelli B. Grant on SmartMoney.com
In the November 10th Deal of the Day on SmartMoney.com, Kelli B. Grant gives the low down on how you can use your points and miles to save money when buying holiday gifts this year. Well worth the read!
To learn more about how you can “Snag Holiday Gifts Without Spending a Dime” click here.
Have a tip of your own about how to use points or miles to save cash over the holidays? Leave a comment below!
Happy shopping!
The Points.com Team
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Let Your Loyalty Rewards Foot the Bill This Labor Day
Posted on 30. Aug, 2010 by PointsAdvisor.
The suitcases are unpacked and the kids are headed back to school – it must be Labor Day!
Don’t let your vacation memories fade with your tan. Capitalize on the points and miles you earned on your summer vacation to throw a great Labor Day party. Celebrate the end of summer or get your gang out of the house before hunkering down for fall.
Turn rewards into gift cards:
You can turn your rewards into gift cards on Points.com that can be redeemed for party supplies like food, decorations and entertainment. Retailers such as Target and Best Buy can provide everything you need to make your End-of-Summer party a smashing success without breaking the bank. You can even rent movies for the party with a gift card from Blockbuster.
Or give yourself a break from hosting duties and take your family and friends out to dinner on loyalty points to restaurants like Chili’s Grill & Bar or Olive Garden.
To get started, log in to your Points.com account and head on over to the “give & redeem” page. There you can browse through the list of all available gift cards to find one that suits your fancy.
No matter what you choose to do this Labor Day, remember to take advantage of the bevy of airline miles, hotel loyalty points and other rewards you’ve earned this summer in order to stretch your budget a little further.
