Air New Zealand Airpoints Frequent Flyer Program

Airpoints is Air New Zealand’s frequent flyer program. It allows members to pick up Airpoints Dollars when they fly with Air New Zealand or with one of its 30+ Star Alliance airline partners, book accommodation, car rental and more. Once you’ve racked up enough Airpoints Dollars, you can use them to redeem flight rewards, upgrades and other travel perks. Plus, the more Airpoints you earn, the quicker you’ll climb the tiers and the more perks you can expect.

Whether you want to know the best ways to earn and spend your points or how to ascend the tier levels, our guide will help you get the most out of the Air New Zealand Airpoints frequent flyer program.

How to join Airpoints

You can join Air New Zealand’s frequent flyer program for free online. You’ll just need to complete and submit the form on the airline’s website. The application should only take a few minutes, but you’ll need to include some personal information including your contact details and some info to verify your identity.

How to earn Airpoints Dollars

Flights

Air New Zealand flights

You can earn Airpoints Dollars and Status Points every time you fly with Air New Zealand.

The number of Airpoints Dollars and Status Points you could earn will depend on where you’re travelling to and the cabin class you choose. For example, if you fly from Sydney to LA in Economy Flexi, you could earn between 69.50 and 104 Airpoints Dollars and between 102 and 161 Status Points. If you booked the same flight in business class, you’d earn between 312.10 and 447 Airpoints Dollars plus 299 to 449 Status Points. You can use the Airpoints calculator on the Air New Zealand website to discover how rewarding your next flight could be.

Flights with partner airlines

You can also earn Airpoints when you fly with any of Air New Zealand’s 30+ airline partners. This includes Virgin Australia, Etihad Airways, Cathay Pacific and Star Alliance partners such as Air Canada, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines and more. You should note that although you’ll earn Airpoints Dollars, you may be unable to earn Status Points with some partner airlines.

You can compare the full list of airline partners below:

Star Alliance members

Co-operation partners

Points from eligible travel should appear in your account within 72 hours of each completed flight.

Credit cards

If you have an American Express, ANZ, NAB or Westpac rewards credit card, you can exchange your points for Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars. You can compare the different exchange rates below:

Compare rewards credit cards that can transfer to Airpoints

• American Express Membership Rewards Cards
• NAB Rewards Cards
• Westpac Altitude Rewards Cards

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Name	Product	Purchase rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Minimum Income
American Express Business Explorer Credit Card - Online Offer		16.99% p.a.	$0 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($395 p.a. thereafter)		ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Get 100,000 bonus points and a $0 annual fee for the first year. Plus, complimentary insurance and lounge passes.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card		20.74% p.a.	$195 p.a.	$50,000	Receive a yearly $200 Travel Credit and complimentary domestic and international travel insurance, plus earn up to 3 Membership Rewards Points per $1 spent.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Platinum Business Card		N/A	$1,750 p.a.		ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. Get 150,000 bonus points and up to 2.25 points/ $1 spent on eligible business purchases.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Platinum Card		N/A	$1,450 p.a.	$100,000	Receive 80,000 bonus Membership Rewards Points, a $450 annual Platinum Travel Credit, dedicated personal service and luxury travel perks.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
American Express Gold Business Card		N/A	$169 p.a.		ABN holders w/ $75,000 revenue. A business card with no pre-set spending limit, data feeds to MYOB and up to 51 days to pay for purchases.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card		19.99% p.a.	$295 p.a. annual fee for the first year ($395 p.a. thereafter)		Collect up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points. Get 100k when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases in the first 60 days and 30k after 12 months.	Go to site More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
NAB Rewards Signature Card		19.99% p.a.	$295 p.a.		Earn up to 120,000 bonus NAB Rewards Points when you meet the spend criteria. Plus, a points booster and uncapped rewards earning potential.	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
NAB Rewards Platinum Card		19.99% p.a.	$195 p.a.		Collect 60,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 within 60 days of account opening. Plus, receive complimentary travel and purchase insurances.	More Info	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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Hotels

If you’re earning Airpoints on flights, you may as well earn them on hotels too!

You can collect 1 Airpoints Dollar for every $75 you spend with Expedia. You can also earn Airpoints with over 10,000 partner hotels around the world, with rates starting from 1 Airpoints Dollar per NZD$12 spent. Some of the partner hotels include Hilton, Langham Hotels & Resorts, AccorHotels, InterContinental Hotels and the Pacific Resort Hotel Group.

Car rental

Whether you’re going on a road trip or your car’s in the shop, you can earn three Airpoints Dollars per rental day when you rent a vehicle with partners including Budget Rent a Car, Apex Car Rentals and Avis.

JR/Duty Free shopping

You can earn Airpoints Dollars when you purchase duty free products on arrival and departures from Wellington and Christchurch. You’ll earn 1 Airpoints Dollar for every NZD$50 you spend at JR/Duty Free when you present your Airpoints card at the checkout. Please note that you can’t earn points on tobacco products.

Status Points and frequent flyer tiers

You’ll earn Status Points on eligible Air New Zealand and partnered airline flights.

The Status Points you earn will allow you to move up to the Silver, Gold and Elite tiers and take advantage of exclusive benefits including lounge access, upgrades, extra baggage allowances and more. You can compare how many Status Points you’ll need to reach each tier and the perks you can expect below.

How to climb the Status tiers

You’ll need to earn the following Status Points in a 12-month period to reach or maintain your Status tier.

What perks can I ask from each tier?

Silver

• Two complimentary single-use Air New Zealand lounge passes per membership year, which can be used when departing on an Air New Zealand ticketed and operated flight
• One recognition upgrade per year (valid for one year and can be used to upgrade one cabin class for one flight sector, for example to upgrade from premium economy to business premier)
• 10% OneUp Upgrades upweighting, which means your bid for an upgrade will be upweighted by 10%
• You can also take advantage of priority waitlisting and priority airport standby
• Discounted business class fares are available in limited quantities to Silver members

Gold

• Full access to Air New Zealand lounges, Star Alliance and partner-airline lounges prior to departure on Air New Zealand and Star Alliance ticketed flights
• Complimentary frequent flyer seating, which is located towards the front of the cabin on most Air New Zealand flights
• Two recognition upgrades per year (valid for one year and to be used to upgrade one cabin class for one flight sector)
• 30% OneUp Upgrades upweighting, which means your bid for an upgrade will be upweighted by 30%
• One extra carry-on bag and one extra checked bag
• Priority check-in, baggage claim and boarding on all Air New Zealand flights and most Star Alliance flights
• Complimentary hotel voucher for one-room stays and upgrades at participating hotels in New Zealand and Australia
• Complimentary voucher for a car-rental upgrade, which you can use at participating locations in New Zealand and Australia
• Discounted business class fares
• No points expiry
• You can nominate an additional two people to join your gifting register

Elite

• Full access to Air New Zealand lounges, Star Alliance and partner airline lounges prior to departure on Air New Zealand and Star Alliance ticketed flights. As an Elite member, you can invite up to five guests to join you in any Air New Zealand international and domestic lounge.
• Complimentary frequent flyer seating, which is located towards the front of the cabin
• Two long-haul recognition upgrades and one short-haul recognition upgrade each time you reach or retain Elite status (the upgrades are valid for 12 months)
• You can request an Elite Airpoints Dollar upgrade for one cabin class (eg, upgrade from premium economy to business premier) using Airpoints Dollars at set rates
• The ability to gift your recognition upgrades or Elite Airpoints Dollar upgrades to other Airpoints members who are on your gifting register
• 50% OneUp Upgrades, which means your bid for an upgrade will be upweighted by 50%
• Two extra carry-on bags and one extra checked bag on New Zealand domestic and international flights
• Star Alliance lounge access, priority check-in, extra baggage allowance and priority boarding
• Complimentary hotel voucher for one-room stays and upgrades at participating hotels in New Zealand and Australia
• Complimentary voucher for a car-rental upgrade, which you can use at participating locations in New Zealand and Australia
• Discounted business class award fares
• Five evouchers for complimentary valet parking each year. You can use these for Air New Zealand valet parking in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.
• You can take advantage of Status Points roll over, meaning surplus points can be rolled over to retain your tier level for the following year
• When you earn more than 2,400 annual Status Points, you can store Status Points to use when you don't meet the points requirement for the Elite tier
• You'll be rewarded with complimentary gifts, including hotel stays, fine dining experiences or short-haul upgrades, when you reach 3,000, 5,000 and 7,000 annual Status Points
• Make use of the elite partner membership to nominate a family member or friend to enjoy Elite Partner privileges on Air New Zealand flights

Spending Airpoints Dollars

From flight rewards to upgrades, here are some of the travel perks you can redeem with your Airpoints Dollars.

Flights

• Air New Zealand flights. You can spend your Airpoints Dollars on available seats on any Air New Zealand flight. One Airpoints Dollar is equal to one Australian dollar and you can redeem your points for flights by booking online, over the phone or via a travel agent.
• Partner flights. You can also use your Airpoints Dollars for a range of flights with Star Alliance partners and other partner airlines including Virgin Australia, Etihad and Jet Airways. With partner airlines, just make sure to quote your Airpoints membership number and that the flight number begins with NZ.
• Companion tickets. If you’ve already purchased a Business Premier, Premium Economy, Economy Flexi, Flexi Works or Flexi Works Deluxe, you can purchase a discounted ticket with your Airpoints Dollars for a travel companion.
• Onboard purchases. You can use your Airpoints Dollars to purchase food and beverages, merchandise, movie upgrades and more once onboard. Just sign into your Air New Zealand account to compare your rewards options.

Flight upgrades

If you’ve already booked an Air New Zealand flight, you can request to use your Airpoints Dollars to pay for an upgrade to a higher cabin class.

Koru membership

You can also use your Airpoints Dollars to pay for a Koru membership. If you haven’t ascended the Status tiers, a Koru membership can be a good way to travel in style. The benefits range from lounge access to priority check-in and boarding. You can compare the different points below:

The prices are the same in Airpoints Dollars and New Zealand dollars.

Car rental

You can use your Airpoints Dollars to book a car rental with Avis, Budget and Apex. You also won’t be charged any booking fees when you use your points.

How does Air New Zealand Airpoints compare to other frequent flyer programs?

Air New Zealand’s Airpoints frequent flyer program offers a number of benefits and rewards, but how does it fare against other schemes? To give you an idea, we’ve compared the benefits you can expect when you reach Silver status with Airpoints, with Qantas Frequent Flyer and with Velocity Frequent Flyer.

Although Air New Zealand Airpoints offers a number of perks, its Silver status tier doesn’t pack as many perks as Qantas or Velocity. However, it does have a longer expiry than the other two, so it could be better if you like to save up your points over time.

Pictures: Air New Zealand and Shutterstock