Ultimate set of Beginners Guides to Points, Rewards and Frequent Flyer Programs

Home / Guides / Ultimate set of Beginners Guides to Points, Rewards and Frequent Flyer Programs

Knowing how to get started with frequent flyer programs, rewards programs and points in general is really hard. There are heaps of deals, offers and things you can get caught up in.

We've collated all of the Point Hacks guides that are suited to people taking their first steps in earning more points and using them more effectively on this page - there's still quite a few, but these should help guide you toward the most used methods of earning more points and using them more effectively.

Guides to Credit Card points programs & bonuses

Guides to earn more points

Getting started - which frequent flyer programs should you join?

I often get asked ‘where to start’ with loyalty programs and frequent flyer points, and over the coming weeks I’ll be running a series of posts which aim to cover off some absolute basics. This […]
Guide to earning Qantas Points with wine, food & champagne purchases via EpiQure

We round up Qantas EpiQure’s bonus point deals weekly. This week, there are up to 12,000 bonus Qantas Points on offer amongst 107 different options—a good way for you to stock up on wines, food and Qantas Points at the same time.
A guide to the Etihad-flybuys partnership

Lasting just over two years, it seems that the link-up between Coles and Etihad, which provided some good-value redemptions on Virgin Australia Business Class flights, has ended.
Velocity Frequent Flyer transfer and redemption bonuses guide

Velocity has made the unusual move of extending last month’s transfer bonus promotion. Flybuys and hotel programs are out, though, and there are no additional bonuses for ANZ or Amex Platinum Charge cardholders.
Guide to discounts and credits from Amex Offers and Amex Connect

The two sister Amex Offers and Amex Connect programs entitle cardholders to discounts and savings by crediting users’ accounts when eligible purchases are made.
Using Velocity Family Pooling and Transfers to combine Velocity points and status between accounts

Velocity’s excellent and very useful ‘Family Pooling’ feature offers an easy way for couples and families to work together when trying to build their points and status balances.
A beginner's guide to earning Velocity points from hotel stays

Earning Velocity points from hotel stays isn’t hard; in fact, if you’re loyal to Velocity, you’d be silly not to try and book your hotel stays in a way to maximise your points. Plus, there is a triple points offer coming up later this month.
An introduction to the Air New Zealand Airpoints frequent flyer program

How to sign up, earn and redeem Airpoints Dollars for Air New Zealand and partner flights including Virgin Australia and Etihad, credit cards that transfer to Airpoints, and how to earn elite status.
Intro to earning flybuys: supermarkets, bonus point offers, docket deals & partners

In this guide, we cover the basics of how to maximise the amount of flybuys points you can earn on your everyday shopping, as well as look at the additional ways to earn flybuys points.
How and why to value your frequent flyer/credit card points

Knowing your rough value of a point is an important leg up when it comes to thinking about earning and using points to extract the greatest value for your travel. Here are our updated valuations given some recent program changes from KrisFlyer and Citi.
How to get your credit card annual fee reduced or waived

With all the change going on in the credit card market this year, many people are looking critically at the cards they hold and the value they are receiving from them. Annual fees are common and are usually where banks may be willing to incentivise customers to stay with them – these are our tips if you’re considering asking for a discount.
An introduction to the Cathay Pacific Asia Miles program and which credit cards earn Asia Miles

It’s harder to earn Asia Miles from day-to-day activities outside of credit card spend in Australia, but Asia Miles redemption rates are cheaper than Qantas Frequent Flyer, and as such it deserves your attention.
Hotel rewards demystified - everything you need to know to get started earning points from your hotel stays

Knowing how to navigate the world of hotel bookings for maximum return (points, cash, status and/or benefits) is a minefield, and is hard to get your head around at the best of times. Let’s try and demystify it and lay out some basic ways to earn rewards from your hotel stays.
Case Study for Beginners - How Peter earned his points to score return flights to Europe

A look at Peter’s tactics for collecting enough frequent flyer points for a return trip to Europe in a year.
Up to 5x Asia Miles on Hilton Hotels and 5,000 bonus miles on flights to London on Cathay Pacific until end of year

The earnings from these two promotions could be quite strong given how good value Asia Miles redemptions are.
An introduction to the Qantas Online Mall

Qantas Online Mall allows Qantas frequent flyer members to earn points for purchases made online after signing in and clicking through to a range of retailers.
How airlines measure loyalty - the different scoring metrics, methods and factors used to rank you as a customer

In this article, Mark Ross-Smith of StayAngel takes on a well-informed analysis of some of the tactics that frequent flyer programs employ to value their customers… An ongoing debate in the loyalty world is what […]
Woolworths Rewards back to joining forces with Qantas Frequent Flyer with a new Qantas Points earning partnership. Here’s how it will work

It seems that Woolworths have changed their mind, reversing their recent Woolworths Rewards changes, and reinstating Qantas points as points earn option for Woolworths shoppers. As expected, this is not a reversion to the old […]
Why I rate ‘flexible points programs’ - a beginner intro to flexible points currencies and the credit card rewards programs that offer them

As part of my beginners course to earning more points I cover off the value of flexible points programs in a fair bit of detail. I realised I’ve never really explained the basic concepts of […]
An introduction to Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) - earning and using Starpoints in Australia

Starwood Preferred Guest is a very solid loyalty program, with a heap of airline transfers, valuable points, and a stable value with no major devaluation in recent history. With Starwood hotels being bought by Marriott, […]
Earn Asia Miles by shopping online with Asia Miles iShop and other partners

Asia Miles iShop is an online mall which kicks you back a number of Asia Miles per dollar spent if you click through from their site. These portals work by ensuring you log in with […]
New Point Hacks Community resource - the ultimate credit card master comparison table for points collectors

One of the hardest things to get your head around when looking at rewards and frequent flyer credit cards is exactly how many cards are out there on the market and how many points they […]
How to sign up for free Qantas Frequent Flyer membership - a list of free sign-up links

Most Point Hacks readers are inevitably going to already be Qantas Frequent Flyer members, but in case you’re not, this list covers off one of Qantas’ more bizarre policies – their attempt to charge a […]

Guides to use your points better

How to get the most value from your frequent flyer points

There’s a bias to the goal of flying in premium cabins on Point Hacks and many other points-focused sites, and I figured it was worth going back to basics for a moment to explain in […]
When do your frequent flyer points expire? Here is a roundup of the key programs

Some of your points expire after 18 months, some after 36 months; depending on the airline, they may expire after a certain length of inactivity whilst some will disappear a certain time after you earn them. Read up on how to protect your balances.
How to fly around the world in Business Class for 280,000 Qantas Points with the oneworld Classic Flight Reward

Booking a oneworld Classic Flight Reward is one of the best ways to maximise the value of your Qantas Points. In this comprehensive guide, we go through all the ins and outs of researching, planning and booking.
Beginner's guide: how and why to search by flexible dates

In this beginner’s guide, we look at five of the most frequent flyer programs for travellers in Australia, and how to save time by searching for award seats across multiple dates at the same time.
Velocity Frequent Flyer transfer and redemption bonuses guide

Velocity has made the unusual move of extending last month’s transfer bonus promotion. Flybuys and hotel programs are out, though, and there are no additional bonuses for ANZ or Amex Platinum Charge cardholders.
How to redeem Velocity points for Business & First Class flights to the US

We’ve come across hard-to-find direct Business Class award seats from Sydney and Brisbane to Honolulu during Terms 2 and 3 next year.
Options for redeeming your Qantas points for flights to the USA from Australia

Business or First Class availability for Qantas flights to the US are known as one of hardest points seats to find out there – we’ll look at ways to get a seat on these flights, as well as other options for using your Qantas Points to the US.
A guide to where to search for award space most efficiently

You some idea of where you want to travel but how do you turn this into a real booking? This guide will help put you in the right direction.
An introduction to the Air New Zealand Airpoints frequent flyer program

How to sign up, earn and redeem Airpoints Dollars for Air New Zealand and partner flights including Virgin Australia and Etihad, credit cards that transfer to Airpoints, and how to earn elite status.
Basics of using points: get to know Velocity and Qantas' key partners

You’ll have more opportunities to use and earn your points on travel to Asia and beyond but lose some in New Zealand and the US. Here is a full analysis of the changes.
How to redeem your Velocity Points for Etihad’s A380 Business Studios and First Apartments

Etihad has cut its losses with low load factors to Melbourne by shifting its largest aircraft to Sydney. Etihad Business & First Class is one of the best ways to fly, and Australians have access to Etihad redemptions thanks to their partnership with Velocity.
Getting the most out of your flybuys balance - frequent flyer partners, travel or check-out discounts

In this guide we look at the main redemption options for your flybuys balance, and the kind of value you can expect to receive from the different options.
Beginner's guide to using Qantas Points for flights with Qantas' partners

Did you know you could use your Qantas Points with 26 other airlines? In this guide, we explain who they are, how much they cost, where to search and where to book.
Why you should target flexible programs and points that can be transferred where and when you need them

This post is the next in the series looking at the fundamentals of using your points – how to get the most value from them and ensure they are used effectively. It’s worth understanding that […]
How and where to get most value from your points

The single best advantage of frequent flyer points is to get into Business and First Class without paying the kind of money that an outright ticket purchase requires. Airlines charging anywhere north of 7 times […]
Using Points Basics - Know Cathay Pacific Asia Miles & Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer for great redemption options

Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles program, and Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, are the next most accessible frequent flyer programs in the region after Qantas and Velocity Frequent Flyer. Asia Miles and Krisflyer miles are easily as readily […]
How to use Velocity points for upgrades on Virgin Australia

Upgrades are almost always a handy use of points if travelling in Premium Economy or Business Class is on your wish list. Going after upgrades from paid fares, rather than outright redemptions using your points […]
How to search for award seats on Virgin Australia and tips for making Velocity 'award' bookings using your Velocity points

Half the battle with frequent flyer points are finding the seats you want for your trip and using your points for your ideal travel goal. In this introductory guide we look the different ways you can search for Virgin Australia ‘award’ availability and some other tips and necessary info for making an award booking.
How to and why to transfer your points between Velocity and KrisFlyer

Velocity Points and KrisFlyer miles are one of the few frequent flyer programs that let you exchange points between both programs. It’s a key benefit of Velocity, and worth understanding how it works.
Flights, gift cards or toasters? Why I always use my points for travel - and for Economy flights

There are two ways you can spend your points. The first is to use them for flights or upgrades, the second is to spend them on the hundreds of items available online in the Qantas […]
Using Asia Miles as an alternative for redeeming points for flights to the USA from Australia

Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles program is a partner with American Express Membership Rewards, Citibank Rewards, ANZ Rewards and Westpac Altitude Rewards. If the majority of your points come from credit card spend, then an Asia […]
Using Points Guide #6 - Know when you shouldn’t use frequent flyer points

This post is the next in the series outlining how to get the most from your credit card or frequent flyer program points – and a key part of squeezing points for the highest value […]

How to buy and use points for cheaper flights

The basics of buying airline and hotel points or miles - why you’d want to, and what you need to know to get a deal

Buying points is one of the pillars of understanding how to more quickly fly or stay better, more cheaply, if you have money to spare and travel plans to make.
How to buy miles and points to redeem for cheap domestic Business Class travel on Qantas and Virgin Australia

When it comes to flying in Australia, does it make sense to buy miles and redeem tickets on Virgin or Qantas Business Class? In this guide, we compare three programs, Virgin America’s Elevate, Alaska Mileage […]