Airline miles are an effective way to add value to your travels. Not only does one get free tickets but through the program partners of the airlines, one can convert the air miles to currency and use it also buy goods and services. One can redeem these points for airline tickets. I earn most of my points through my Citibank Prestige Card. My spending on the card is rewarded by Reward Points. I convert these points into Jet Airways miles (JP Miles) where 1 point = 4 Jet Airway miles. Using these, I have bought free tickets over the last two years and I have travelled throughout India on 20 free flights. One can also redeem these points to buy tickets for other partner airlines like Emirates, British Airways and Qantas depending on current offers. Additionally, points are given for travelling in business or first class. By booking a ticket through the airline website, Jet Airways offer loyalty programs on various levels like Platinum, Silver, Gold and Blue Plus. These are cards which store your points and the card number can be used to redeem points.
Mileage or Miles are reward points offered to customers to reward their loyalty and is used as a retention strategy by many brands around the world. It is also used to change consumer behaviour. For instance, by rewarding the customer for booking tickets through the company website, the airline will make more money per ticket as it saves on agent commission fee. This saving is given back to the customer as reward points. Credit cards have also used reward points and given free petrol and Diwali gifts to its customers.
Travel sites like MakeMyTrip also reward their customers by giving them reward points for making purchases through their application. Plus, they reward the customers for referrals too. This is used as bait to increase customer base. Reward coupons are given with a code for referring friends by OYO rooms. Here, it is used for market expansion. Sites like TripHobo reward their customers for suggesting new and innovative itineraries.
Travel magazines also offer discounts on travel gear and camping equipment such as tents, shoes and scuba gear. A traveller can add value to his or her travel by availing and effectively using these offers. My Citibank card also gives me a Taj InnerCircle card through which I get rewarded for hotel stays, dining and using the SPA Facilities.
It’s fun to explore these offers and I find the Jet Airways reward point program the most effective and rewarding. By adding bonus JP miles for various activities, one can collect substantial amounts of points and redeem them through a large list of partners. So go out there and get involved with these programs from which you will hugely benefit especially if you are a traveller and frequently travel by flights. Not to mention, it will also make you look clever amongst your friends. Use the Wallet App on your iPhone to store various coupon codes and loyalty card numbers just in case you subscribe to a number of these programs. If you are a world traveller like me, then you definitely have to take part in these programs.
