Sometimes when I sit at my laptop I feel like I’m in one of those Little Britain sketches where a relatively simple operation is thwarted because the “computer says No”.
It’s happened to me on so many occasions that I reckon I’m wasting my time even reading those tempting travel-related offers that come via my inbox
Continue reading You want travel rewards? Computer says No
Many years ago, a colleague of mine was proudly showing me her lifetime membership card for Ansett Airlines’ Golden Wing business lounge.
Less than a year later, the Australian airline went bust and the offer was rendered worthless. Well, thanks to United Airlines — which has become the gift that keeps giving for cynical travel writers — I’ve now encountered something that tops that in the disappointment stakes.
I am a big fan of loyalty schemes, but I’m the first to admit that I’m no expert.
There are entire websites devoted to helping you make the most out of frequent-flyer and hotel memberships, and the credit cards that link to them.
If you really want to maximise your points, and you are prepared to change banks, juggle many cards at once and go slightly crazy doing it, I suggest you check them out. Lucky’s One Mile At A Time blog is a good place to start. You’ll be amazed at how he manages to make the system work for him, often resulting in spectacular upgrades and free trips. But it’s a full-time job. Continue reading It pays to know the rules
I’ve been having to-and-fro conversations with Qantas’s social media team and other interested parties since I wrote this piece about my Frequent Flyer points.
Basically, my complaint was — and is — about phantom availability: reward seats that show up on the Qantas web page but have actually already been booked by somebody else.
What does an airline do when it wants to encourage its passengers to get healthy through simple physical fitness? It enlists actor Christopher Walken, of course.
Walken walking. Get it?
A few months ago, I almost lost all my points with Velocity, Virgin Australia’s frequent-flyer scheme. To be fair to Virgin, they gave me plenty of warning that I’d have to earn more points or redeem some to keep my account active. Continue reading Talking points
One of the first thing frequent flyers, or would-be frequent flyers, should do is make sure they are enrolled in a loyalty or mileage scheme.
And it’s important that you understand the scheme so you can make the most of it.
