Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
13/07/2015
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
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Airplane made of money: value of expired points in loyalty programs rose more than 50% in two years
The value of the points expired on credit card loyalty programs has not stopped growing since the beginning of 2013 until the end of last year, according to Central Bank report (BC).
While in the first quarter of 2013 the volume of points that expired reached 6.4 billion reais in the fourth quarter of last year this figure rose to 13.7 billion reais, an increase of 53.29%.
To be able to convert the card points to miles and redeem airline tickets before they expire, the consumer has available alternatives that may prolong the period of validity of the score or decrease the number of miles required for redemption of tickets.
Here are some tips to better use their miles and avoid the loss of the benefit:
1) Stay tuned for changes in the regulation of program
The first thing you should do to not let their expired miles, obviously, is to check the program regulation to check their validity periods. Although the contract reading is almost torture for many people, these documents often have valuable information that shows how make the most of the program's benefits and avoid its disadvantages.
If the information does not become clear, contact the program's customer service to check how long your miles must win and if there is any guidance to prevent them from expiring.
The frequent flyer program agreements usually provide for the possibility of changing the rules for the accumulation score at any time. However, any change must be communicated to the consumer in advance.
It remains the traveler monitor any changes to verify that rescue will get the ticket before your score expires. If you believe you can not use the miles accumulated on time, should seek alternatives mentioned in previous posts to avoid losing score.
2) Focus spending on a card
Experts recommend that consumers focus spending on just one credit card to accumulate points faster. So the chances to convert points to miles and redeem air tickets before the expiry date increase.
Participate in only one loyalty program also allows the consumer can more easily monitor your score. That way, you can better plan the use of miles, preventing them expire (see the best and worst credit cards to accumulate miles).
3) Keep an eye on promotions
Frequent flyer programs usually offer promotions that reduce the miles needed to redeem airfares on some stretches. These offerings can allow participants can make use of miles that are about to expire, but are not sufficient to recover the full value of a ticket.
It is highly recommended that monitoring of offers to be made before transferring the credit card points for a given mileage program. That way, consumers can search in several promotions frequent flyer programs, which increases the chances of getting a related offer the period and the destination of your choice.
But before you decide to convert points to miles to take advantage of a promotion, it is indicated analyze the regulation of supply. The transfer of credit card points for frequent flyer program usually takes two to five business days, the offer may end before the miles can be used.
4) Search flights on partner companies
In seeking the lowest values for redemption of airline tickets, which are worth researching airlines associated with each frequent flyer program. They may require fewer miles for ticketing than the company that owns the program.
These companies, usually international airlines usually charge a fixed number of miles for redemption tickets each way, while domestic airlines only stipulate a minimum and maximum amount of miles that may be required.
This characteristic of Brazilian mileage programs complicates the estimated score required to issue tickets, since the amount charged can increase at any time. In this case, the risk that the most miles expire.
Some national mileage programs do not disclose on its website what the partner airlines, according to a survey by the website specializing in promotions airline tickets Top Destinations. In this case, it is indicated that the consumer seeks program service center to carry out research.
5) Use the miles to get discounts in the ticket price
Who are unable to accumulate enough miles to redeem the full value of the airfare can use them to shoot down the value of the ticket in some frequent flyer programs.
Samy Dana, an economist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV), warns that the discount amount is low. In other words, use the score to get discounts will be a good deal only if the consumer has fewer miles to make a planned trip and this score is about to expire.
6) Convert points in miles only when necessary
One way to increase the shelf life of the miles is to transfer the points accumulated on the credit card for the frequent flyer program only when they are close to maturity in the financial institution's loyalty program that issues the card.
When performing the transfer to the airline's program, the points converted to miles now have a new expiration date, as if the miles had been issued from that day. Thus, the consumer gets more time to accumulate the miles required to redeem the air ticket.
7) Enjoy benefits for frequent travelers
Some airlines extend the validity of miles for customers traveling with the company more frequently. Miles that would mature in two years can be extended to a period five, for example.
But this advantage often require the consumer not only achieve a minimum score of miles, and keep certain score during the validity of the card for the category of frequent customer. Otherwise, the user returns to a lower category, and the validity of your miles back to decrease.
Consumers should verify that, in fact, be able to maintain the high score to move to a better class of the program without making unnecessary expenses. Vale also check the amount of miles that the program requires for each stretch is advantageous to justify to take all his trips by the company.
8) Sell your miles
Who has miles about to expire can sell them on websites specializing in this type of marketing.
These services buy the miles to resell them to travel agencies and mediate the transaction between sellers and buyers. In the first case, the consumer must have a minimum score to be able to commercialize it.
Despite frequent flyer programs prohibit the sale score in their regulations, this parallel market is not illegal. Moreover, it is difficult to identify these transactions. That is, little can be done by companies to curb the practice.
Who sells miles may need to provide, in addition to personal data, the password for the loyalty program, necessary for the site can send buyers' names on tickets. In case of fraud, the traveler may lose the right to compensation of value for frequent flyer program, should it be found that authorized third party access to your account.
9) Plan the redemption ticket
The minimum number of miles required to make the trip may be less if the ticket is issued in advance. This price difference can make it possible to use the score before you lose the expiration date.
Airlines usually sell fewer seats with miles on the busiest stretches. So if the destination is busy, the sooner the customer seeking the passage, the higher your chance to redeem the ticket on time.
The site Top Destinations recommends that the rescue of international tickets with miles is done with 90 to 180 days prior to the date of travel, if the flight is conducted during the high season or holidays. In the off season, the site recommends the ticket to be issued within 30 to 120 days before the flight date.
10) Be flexible dates for travel
Just like buying a common air ticket, the greater the flexibility of dates for the trip, the more likely the frequent flyer program require fewer miles and you get to rescue the passage before they expire.
Flight characteristics may also decrease the amount of miles required to redeem the ticket. Daytime flights and connections often require lower scores than non-stop flights. Another tip is to use the miles to buy round-trip flights and around the same time as the airlines usually charge more miles when the ticket is purchased for each section separately.
Source: Survey
To access the exam site, click here.
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.