Frequent flyer points often conjure up fantasies of sipping cocktails in farflung locales, or carving up the slopes at a ritzy resort . Unfortunately, for many travellers this dream never materializes. Marketers want you to want points, but secretly hope you'll let them rot in some forgotten account. And all too often, that's exactly what happens.
If you can't keep on top of your frequent flyer points (along with the variety of loyalty programs you belong to), you're not alone. Thousands of busy people, like you, have no idea how many points they've accumulated by flying, sleeping in hotels, shopping and generally abusing their credit card. And they worry their points may expire before they can be put to use.
Now you can turn to two Ontario-based websites for help. Both Points.com (www.points.com) and LoyaltyMatch (www.loyaltymatch.com) keep running totals of passengers' points in various frequent flyer programs, free of charge. That way you can watch online as your points build towards the specific rewards you hope to claim. LoyaltyMatch is the more encompassing of the two, managing over 400 loyalty programs for subscribers. So whether you're a gas-guzzling motorist, shopaholic clothes-horse, or on-the-town foodie, you'll find many of your favourite retailers represented. The breadth of LoyaltyMatch's frequent flyer programs is similarly impressive - from Aeroméxico to Virgin Atlantic, your flights are covered. While Points.com has noticeably fewer participating companies, popular rewards programs by Starbucks, HBC, and Aeroplan make this site viable for many point-savvy Canucks too.
Photo Credit: Guillermo Perales Gonzalez
You can also use the sites – for a fee – to make profitable use of any points you’ve collected but will likely never redeem. Instead of letting them expire, you can trade them in for usable points in a different reward program. Or you can even turn them into cash.
Say, for example, you have 10,000 Delta Airlines SkyMiles. That’s not enough to claim a free flight, and you are unlikely to earn any more soon as you rarely fly with the carrier. On the other hand, you are only 10,000 points short of claiming a flight with Air Canada’s Aeroplan. Using a new GPX barter platform on the Points.com site, you may be able to find someone with the same dilemma, but in reverse, and work out a trade that will solve both your problems.
If you want to exchange your unwanted points for cash, or for rewards that are available only through programs you don’t belong to, LoyaltyMatch is the site for you. And if you are a member in an organization that’s looking for a unique fund-raising plan, you might want to follow the example of The South Gloucester United Church. The Ottawa church is asking parishioners to turn miles into cash through LoyaltyMatch to help them expand their property. A divine solution indeed.
By Doug McArthur
Daily Dispatches
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