In the ever-evolving realm of business travel, efficiency and cost-effectiveness are crucial for travel managers and employees. One of the most powerful tools available at their disposal is the frequent flyer program. Designed to grant travelers an array of exclusive benefits and perks, these programs have become indispensable for optimizing travel experiences.
This comprehensive guide aims to equip travel managers and travelers with the knowledge they need to effectively navigate and leverage frequent flyer programs. By understanding these programs’ importance, employees and travel managers can unlock a world of possibilities that lead to seamless, rewarding, and budget-friendly business trips.
Frequent Flyer Programs: Explained
Frequent flyer programs are airline loyalty schemes designed to reward regular customers. Here, employees can accumulate points or miles based on the distance flown and the class of service. The more employees travel, the more points they accumulate, and these points can lead to exciting benefits. You can even redeem them for a range of perks, such as free flights, luxurious upgrades, access to exclusive airport lounges, and much more.
These programs operate on a tiered membership system, meaning the more points you earn, your membership level increases. Higher tiers have enhanced perks, making travel experiences more enjoyable and comfortable.
Not only that, frequent flyer programs don’t limit themselves to just airlines. They establish partnerships with other companies like hotels and car rental partners, allowing you to earn and redeem points through different activities. This opens up a world of possibilities to maximize your benefits beyond air travel. Frequent flyer programs encourage customer loyalty, benefiting travelers who enjoy exclusive privileges and airlines who gain repeat business.
Why are they Important?
Frequent flyer programs hold immense importance for travel managers and employees. They offer many benefits for more efficient, cost-effective, and satisfying travel experiences.
Importance for Travel Managers:
1. Cost-Savings
Frequent flyer programs can significantly impact a company’s travel budget. As a travel manager, you can encourage employees to stick to preferred airlines with robust loyalty programs. This way, you can earn points or miles that can be redeemed for free flights, upgrades, or other travel-related services. These savings directly contribute to reducing overall travel expenses.
2. Streamlined Booking Process
Focusing on a select few airlines with strong loyalty programs can simplify the booking process for travel managers. You can negotiate corporate deals and ensure service consistency across the company’s chosen airlines, streamlining the business travel management process.
3. Employee Satisfaction and Retention
Offering frequent flyer program benefits to employees demonstrates your company’s commitment to their well-being and job satisfaction. Employees enjoy perks like priority boarding, lounge access, and complimentary upgrades, which can positively impact their travel experience and overall morale.
4. Policy Compliance
When travel managers align travel policies with frequent flyer program preferences, they can encourage employees to adhere to corporate travel guidelines. Employees are likelier to opt for airlines associated with loyalty programs to earn rewards and benefits. This, in turn, helps them adhere to the company’s travel policy.
Importance for Employees
1. Travel Enhancements
Frequent flyer programs provide employees access to various travel enhancements that enhance their overall experience. These can include priority services, preferred seating options, priority check-in, and the ability to skip long lines at the airport.
2. Cost-Reduction
Employees can enjoy significant cost savings on flights, upgrades, and other travel-related expenses by diligently earning and redeeming points or miles. This can make travel more affordable and encourage employees to choose cost-effective options while traveling for business.
3. Recognition and Appreciation
Frequent flyer programs reward loyalty, making employees feel valued and appreciated by the company. These rewards are a tangible recognition of their commitment to the organization, fostering a sense of loyalty and dedication.
4. Travel Flexibility
With frequent flyer programs, employees can accumulate points or miles, which allows them to plan personal trips or extend business trips with their families. They can use their rewards for personal vacations, enhancing their work-life balance.
How to Choose the Right Frequent Flyer Program?
Choosing the right frequent flyer program is essential for maximizing travel benefits and rewards. With numerous airlines offering loyalty schemes, employees must carefully evaluate their options to select a program that aligns with their travel preferences and goals. Here’s how to choose the right frequent flyer program:
1. Assess Travel Habits
Start by evaluating your travel habits. Consider the destinations you frequently visit, the airlines that operate on those routes, and the class of service you typically fly in. This analysis will help you identify which frequent flyer programs are more relevant to your travel needs.
2. Airline Alliance and Partnerships
Check if the airlines you frequently fly with are part of a larger airline alliance network, such as Star Alliance, Oneworld, or SkyTeam. Being an alliance member allows you to earn and redeem points across multiple airlines, expanding your options and benefits.
3. Benefits and Redemption
Compare the benefits of different frequent flyer programs. Some programs may focus on complimentary upgrades and premium services, while others emphasize cost-saving benefits like discounted flights or lounge access. Therefore, you must assess which benefits align with your preferences and needs.
4. Elite Status and Tiers
Examine the tier system of each frequent flyer program. As you accumulate more points or miles, you may progress to higher elite status tiers. This will help you unlock additional perks like priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, and personalized service.
5. Award Availability and Flexibility
Research the availability of award seats or upgrades. Some frequent flyer programs may have limited availability on certain routes or during peak travel times. Choose a program that offers flexibility and reasonable redemption options.
6. Additional Partnerships
Look for programs with partnerships with hotels, car rental companies, and other travel-related businesses. Earning points through these partnerships can also accelerate your reward accumulation.
7. Customer Service and Support
Consider the level of customer service and support the frequent flyer program offers. When dealing with inquiries, issues, or changes to your travel plans, efficient customer support is paramount.
Maximizing Frequent Flyer Benefits
Maximizing frequent flyer benefits involves strategic planning and utilization of various techniques to get the most value out of your accumulated points or miles. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your frequent flyer rewards:
1. Take Advantage of Bonus Offers
Numerous airline and travel cards provide substantial introductory rewards once you meet a specific spending threshold within the initial months of opening your account. These incentives present an excellent opportunity to optimize the accumulation of miles and points.
For instance, the United Explorer Card allows new customers to gain up to 60,000 miles after they have spent $3000 in the first three months. You also gain 2X miles per $1 spent on United purchases, 2X miles per $1 spent on dining and hotel stays, and 1X miles earned on every $1 spent on all other purchases.
2. Be Flexible with Travel Dates
Being flexible is key for a more rewarding experience when booking a vacation with points or miles. Avoid restricting yourself to peak travel periods like Thanksgiving week, as this may limit your redemption options or require higher point costs for flights.
Instead, stay open to various travel dates and book well in advance to enjoy a wider array of choices and better opportunities.
Numerous platforms enable you to view multiple dates simultaneously. This facilitates easy comparison and booking when flight prices are most affordable. Additionally, it’s important to note that certain airlines may impose blackout dates, prohibiting the use of airline miles for award travel during specific periods.
3. Compare Airfare Prices
Before making any airfare bookings, comparing prices and exploring different options to find the most favorable deal is advisable. Although you might intend to use your accumulated points or miles to cover the flight cost, there may be a few circumstances where paying the complete fare for the ticket is better than utilizing points or miles.
Using airline miles and points is restricted to booking airfare directly through the airline’s official website. This means you won’t be able to take advantage of any promotions or special offers provided by third-party websites like Expedia or Priceline.
In case you see a great deal on a third-party site, compare it with how many points or miles it will cost you if you book directly with the airline. Then proceed to choose the option that provides the most value.
4. Select the Right Credit Card
If you are still deciding on any airline rewards credit, you must decide whether you need a co-branded or general travel credit card. Co-branded credit card is great for travelers who frequently fly with the same airline, and a general travel credit card is ideal for travelers who do not have a preferred airline.
Once you decide which type of airline rewards card you want, your next step is to consider any annual fees and perks associated with the card.
There are different tiers of credit cards, with some boasting $0 annual fees and others costing over $400. The higher the annual fee, the more perks the card offers, such as lounge access and annual statement credits.
Best Frequent Flyer Programs by Airlines
Let us look at some of the best flyer programs offered by various airlines:
1. SkyMiles
After three decades of operation, SkyMiles is one of the most popular loyalty programs in the aviation industry. In 2018, this program received the best rewards program third year in a row by an air travel institution.
Airlines: Delta Airlines
Airline Alliance: Sky Team
Cost to join: Free
Minimum requirement: 25,000 qualifying miles or 30 qualifying flight segments per calendar year and a minimum annual spending of $3,000 for US residents.
Special bonus: Top-tier elite members get upgrade certificates and 25,000 bonus miles.
How to join SkyMiles: You can join Skymiles by visiting Delta Airlines’ website.
2. Skywards
Emirates’ acclaimed frequent flyer program comes at no cost for enrollment, and you can swiftly accumulate valuable miles through diverse means. Being a member allows you to earn and redeem miles with Emirates and a diverse range of partners, enriching your travel journey with exclusive benefits and services.
Airlines: Emirates
Airline Alliance: None
Cost to join: Free
Minimum elite status requirement: Blue 0 miles
Silver 25,000 miles in a given calendar year
Gold 50,000 miles in a given calendar year
Platinum 100,000 miles in a given calendar year
Special bonus: You can redeem your points when you buy EasyJet flights at 7,500 miles – EasyJet’s frequent flyer program is by invitation only, so this is a great way of using points on this low-cost carrier!
How to join SkyMiles: You can join Skywards and earn frequent flyer rewards by visiting the Skywards sign-up page.
3. Advantage
American Airlines takes pride in offering an extensive array of opportunities, surpassing 1000 ways, to earn miles through their renowned loyalty program, AAdvantage. Established in 1981, this program holds the largest title, with a reported membership exceeding 100 million. Renowned for both international and domestic travelers, American Airlines enjoys an exceptional reputation.
Airlines: American Airlines
Airline Alliance: Oneworld
Cost to join: Free
Minimum elite status requirement: 25,000 miles or 30 flight segments per calendar year and $3,000 minimum annual spend.
Special bonus: American Airlines doesn’t just have airline partners with its alliance; it has so many others you can earn and spend points with, such as Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, Westjet, Hawaiian Airlines
How to join SkyMiles: You can join AAdvantage by enrolling on the AAdvantage page on the American Airlines website.
Choose the Best Frequent Flyer Program for your Business
Frequent flyer programs present many possibilities for travel managers and travelers. By understanding the nuances of these programs, you can make informed choices, stay proactive, and unlock many benefits, ultimately leading to smoother, more enjoyable, and cost-effective travel experiences.
If you want ways to leverage your frequent flyer miles, look no further than ITILITE. ITILITE is an advanced SaaS-based corporate travel management company that makes business travel seamless. In ITILITE App, you can enter your frequent flyer number associated with the respective airline, and the loyalty program will automatically be implemented. This way, you can take advantage of your frequent flyer numbers without hassle.
To know more about how ITILITE can help you take full advantage of frequent flyer miles, contact our experts now!
