How this Aussie mum flew her family to Hamilton Island for free!
- Replies 8
Loyalty programs have been around for decades, and until very recently, most Australians (including ourselves) didn't give them a second thought.
However, now that we're contending with limited grocery discounts, the increased cost of living, and product shortages – as well as higher petrol prices – we're looking to save everywhere we can. So now utilising reward programs to their fullest potential is an absolute must.
A rewards-program devotee and mother of three, Julie Wang, admitted that she was inspired by the prospect of boosting her savings at an early age. She revealed that people should always be a part of a loyalty program, adding that ‘every time you make a purchase at a new retailer, sign up for their loyalty scheme if they have one’.
Julie Wang has built up enough loyalty rewards program points to take her family on a tropical holiday. Image source: Yahoo.
Ms Wang flew her entire family to Hamilton Island on points alone. She partially paid with Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) points and paid the remainder with American Express (Amex) points. She explained that her QFF points were accumulated by claiming a range of promotions, and her Amex points through her credit card transactions.
Ms Wang disclosed that she currently belongs to no less than 50 loyalty programs, explaining that this figure was amassed over several years.
She went on to disclose that if customers scrutinise the terms and conditions thoroughly, there is a high probability that they will be able to maximise the points that they earn under each program, but if they don’t understand the terms and conditions, they could be doing more harm than good.
When asked about her best tips for fellow users and participants in loyalty programs, Ms Wang suggested the following:
Know the perks of the program
Do you know what reward programs you are a part of offer? If you’re anything like me, you just scan your Woolies Rewards Card or Coles Flybuys cards when you're in-store without putting too much thought into how you can actually take advantage of these perks. Well, Ms Wang says we need to ‘have a good understanding of how each retailer's point system works and their conversion from loyalty points to dollar discount.’
‘For example, 2,000 Everyday Rewards points equal $10, and 2,000 Flybuys points equal $10.’
Everyday rewards vs. Flybuys. What’s your pick? Image source: The New Daily.
If you understand how the reward programs benefit you, you should join as many as you can.
Join multiple programs
The rewards enthusiast stressed that every frequent shopper must sign up for multiple programs.
‘There are so many out there now, not just retail but insurance companies and even commercial suppliers,’ she said. ‘Few people know this, but they do not call or spam you and most webmail hosts send promotional emails to its individual folder, away from the inbox.’ Which is a hot tip for those of us that don’t want to receive hundreds of emails a day (other than the Seniors Discount Club’s daily newsletters, of course).
Pay attention to promotional events
‘Read your promotional emails; just the subjects will do,’ she continued. ‘They'll usually indicate whether there is a gift voucher or discount code inside.’
‘If you think a certain brand has a very beneficial program (for example, birthday gift vouchers, referral vouchers) then get a household member to sign up as well, to take advantage.’
Buy discounted gift cards
‘Purchase gift cards that go on sale,’ Ms Wang recommended.
‘Check supermarket catalogues each week. A lot of physical gift cards earn you bonus points, which can be converted to discounts,’
I think this is a great tip - but also one that you should be cautious of. Although gift cards are great, make sure you’re only buying the ones that you or your loved ones will actually use. Also, be sure to check the expiry dates when purchasing discounted gift cards. They rarely ‘expire’ but they may have a limit of three or so years.
Purchase the amount that you will use
‘If you are certain you will be purchasing from a particular retailer that has a gift card on sale, purchase the amount that you're likely to make use of,’ said the mother of three.
Think ahead
‘Plan and think of ways to increase your discount further. For example, waiting until a special occasion like Easter, the end of the financial year, Boxing Day etc, where companies are likely to have a promotion.’
When do you try and take advantage of sales? Image source: Shutterstock.
I know for me personally, I always wait until Black Friday sales to buy my Christmas presents, but it’s also important to be hyper-aware of these ‘sales’ and make sure you’re actually checking the price of certain products frequently. Sometimes ‘major’ sales aren’t that major at all.
Her final piece of advice was, ‘make use of discounted gift cards combined with loyalty points’. Which makes a lot of sense! Potentially you can use your points to buy discounted gift cards, or you can use your credit card so you’re accumulating points and getting a discount simultaneously!
What are your thoughts on all of this advice? Do you agree that every shopper should join more programs? Or are you of the opinion that ‘loyalty’ programs aren’t worth your time - after all, we all know that points programs like the Qantas Frequent Flyer programs are nowhere near as good as they used to be!
However, now that we're contending with limited grocery discounts, the increased cost of living, and product shortages – as well as higher petrol prices – we're looking to save everywhere we can. So now utilising reward programs to their fullest potential is an absolute must.
A rewards-program devotee and mother of three, Julie Wang, admitted that she was inspired by the prospect of boosting her savings at an early age. She revealed that people should always be a part of a loyalty program, adding that ‘every time you make a purchase at a new retailer, sign up for their loyalty scheme if they have one’.
Julie Wang has built up enough loyalty rewards program points to take her family on a tropical holiday. Image source: Yahoo.
Ms Wang flew her entire family to Hamilton Island on points alone. She partially paid with Qantas Frequent Flyer (QFF) points and paid the remainder with American Express (Amex) points. She explained that her QFF points were accumulated by claiming a range of promotions, and her Amex points through her credit card transactions.
Ms Wang disclosed that she currently belongs to no less than 50 loyalty programs, explaining that this figure was amassed over several years.
She went on to disclose that if customers scrutinise the terms and conditions thoroughly, there is a high probability that they will be able to maximise the points that they earn under each program, but if they don’t understand the terms and conditions, they could be doing more harm than good.
When asked about her best tips for fellow users and participants in loyalty programs, Ms Wang suggested the following:
Know the perks of the program
Do you know what reward programs you are a part of offer? If you’re anything like me, you just scan your Woolies Rewards Card or Coles Flybuys cards when you're in-store without putting too much thought into how you can actually take advantage of these perks. Well, Ms Wang says we need to ‘have a good understanding of how each retailer's point system works and their conversion from loyalty points to dollar discount.’
‘For example, 2,000 Everyday Rewards points equal $10, and 2,000 Flybuys points equal $10.’
Everyday rewards vs. Flybuys. What’s your pick? Image source: The New Daily.
If you understand how the reward programs benefit you, you should join as many as you can.
Join multiple programs
The rewards enthusiast stressed that every frequent shopper must sign up for multiple programs.
‘There are so many out there now, not just retail but insurance companies and even commercial suppliers,’ she said. ‘Few people know this, but they do not call or spam you and most webmail hosts send promotional emails to its individual folder, away from the inbox.’ Which is a hot tip for those of us that don’t want to receive hundreds of emails a day (other than the Seniors Discount Club’s daily newsletters, of course).
Pay attention to promotional events
‘Read your promotional emails; just the subjects will do,’ she continued. ‘They'll usually indicate whether there is a gift voucher or discount code inside.’
‘If you think a certain brand has a very beneficial program (for example, birthday gift vouchers, referral vouchers) then get a household member to sign up as well, to take advantage.’
Buy discounted gift cards
‘Purchase gift cards that go on sale,’ Ms Wang recommended.
‘Check supermarket catalogues each week. A lot of physical gift cards earn you bonus points, which can be converted to discounts,’
I think this is a great tip - but also one that you should be cautious of. Although gift cards are great, make sure you’re only buying the ones that you or your loved ones will actually use. Also, be sure to check the expiry dates when purchasing discounted gift cards. They rarely ‘expire’ but they may have a limit of three or so years.
Purchase the amount that you will use
‘If you are certain you will be purchasing from a particular retailer that has a gift card on sale, purchase the amount that you're likely to make use of,’ said the mother of three.
Think ahead
‘Plan and think of ways to increase your discount further. For example, waiting until a special occasion like Easter, the end of the financial year, Boxing Day etc, where companies are likely to have a promotion.’
When do you try and take advantage of sales? Image source: Shutterstock.
I know for me personally, I always wait until Black Friday sales to buy my Christmas presents, but it’s also important to be hyper-aware of these ‘sales’ and make sure you’re actually checking the price of certain products frequently. Sometimes ‘major’ sales aren’t that major at all.
Her final piece of advice was, ‘make use of discounted gift cards combined with loyalty points’. Which makes a lot of sense! Potentially you can use your points to buy discounted gift cards, or you can use your credit card so you’re accumulating points and getting a discount simultaneously!
What are your thoughts on all of this advice? Do you agree that every shopper should join more programs? Or are you of the opinion that ‘loyalty’ programs aren’t worth your time - after all, we all know that points programs like the Qantas Frequent Flyer programs are nowhere near as good as they used to be!
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