With over 10 million cardholders across the country, flybuys is Australia’s largest loyalty program. It’s owned by Wesfarmers (the parent company of Coles, Kmart and Target, among others) and allows members to earn and redeem points for spending in a range of categories including grocery shopping, general retail, travel, petrol, insurance and banking. You can use this guide to discover how you can earn flybuys points on everyday spending and what you can redeem them for.

What's in this guide?

Earn flybuys points on travel bookings

flybuys has its own online travel booking service, flybuys Travel, that allows you to earn and redeem flybuys points for flights, accommodation, car hire and travel packages. When you’re logged in and make a booking on the flybuys Travel website, you’ll earn one flybuys point per dollar spent. If you’re a member of a frequent flyer or hotel loyalty program, it’s also possible to earn points by providing your relevant membership number on your flybuys Travel booking. In addition to flybuys Travel, there are a number of travel and transport-related program partners you can earn points with directly.

• Budget. This car hire company allows you to earn three flybuys points per dollar spent on base rental charges within Australia.
• Kmart Tyre & Auto Service. Earn one point per dollar spent on car servicing, tyres, brakes, suspension, batteries and mechanical repairs.

Lifestyle

flybuys has a growing range of lifestyle partners, particularly partners focused on health and fitness. You can earn flybuys points with the following companies:

• Fitbit. You can earn 10 flybuys points per dollar spent on any Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker. Note that you must buy your Fitbit online at flybuys.com.au/fitbitstore and you must enter your flybuys card number at the time of purchase.
• Garmin. If you have a Garmin activity-tracking device, you can link it to your Medibank and flybuys accounts to earn 10 points per 10,000 steps. Occasionally, Garmin may also offer other benefits for flybuys members, such as bonus points or discounts.
• Goodlife. Earn two points per dollar spent on your gym membership with Goodlife.
• OPSM. This optometrist and eyewear company offers one point per dollar spent in store on frames, glasses, contact lenses and tints when you present your flybuys card at the time of purchase.
• Weight Watchers. Earn one point per dollar spent on a weight-loss plan from Weight Watchers. You can also get 5,000 bonus points for signing up to an online coaching or group coaching plan before 30 June 2017.

Some rewards, such as flybuys Travel redemptions or movie ticket vouchers, allow you to use a combination of points and cash. Known as Points + Pay, this option gives you the flexibility to make redemptions when you want, but minimum point amounts still apply. Below, we’ve outlined the key categories for flybuys rewards.

Money off your shop

If you’re interested in getting cashback, flybuys offers two different options:

• Money off your shop. You can redeem flybuys for cash off your shop at program partners including Coles, Kmart, Liquorland, First Choice Liquor and Target. In terms of point value, this reward has one of the highest rates, with 2,000 points equalling $10 worth of flybuys Dollars (or 1 point equalling 0.5 cents).
• Gift cards. flybuys offers a wide range of gift cards for everything from shopping to entertainment and dining. Most of these redemptions start from 10,000 flybuys points for a $50 gift card.

Travel

You can use flybuys points for a variety of travel rewards, including the following:

• Day cruises and travel experiences. Use your points to book day cruises and entry passes for other travel experiences. For example, Cruise Tasmania’s Heritage Morning Cruise costs 49,400 points, while an adult pass to SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium costs 6,800 points.
• flybuys Travel. You can use points or a combination of points and cash to pay for flights, accommodation, transport or packages booked through flybuys travel. Redemptions start from 2,000 flybuys points and are available in increments of 200 points thereafter, with a dollar value of 0.5 cents per point.
• Velocity frequent flyer points. The flybuys and Velocity partnership allows you to transfer flybuys points to the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, with 2,000 flybuys equalling 870 Velocity points. To transfer flybuys to Velocity, you need to link your accounts via the flybuys website. This also allows you to earn Velocity Status Credits for spending at Coles, First Choice Liquor and Liquorland, which can help you achieve a higher membership level in the frequent flyer program.
• Etihad Guest Tier Miles. If you have previously linked your flybuys and Etihad Guest accounts, you can earn 1 Etihad Guest Tier Mile per $1 spent at Coles, First Choice Liquor and Liquorland.
• Budget car rental. You can use flybuys points to hire a car through Budget, with redemptions starting from 16,400 points for a one-day Holden Spark or similar (Group A) car hire in Australia.

Entertainment and experiences

You can use flybuys points for the following entertainment and experience rewards:

• Movie tickets. flybuys offers movie voucher rewards for both HOYTS and Village Cinemas, including Gold Class options. Redemptions in this category start from 4,800 for a HOYTS National e-Cinevoucher (Mon-Thu) for two adults.

• Theme parks. You can use flybuys points to get passes for Dreamworld, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild or Warner Bros. Movie World. Redemptions start from 10,000 for a one-day child ticket to Dreamworld, with Points + Pay available from 4,000 points.

• Food and dining experiences. Some of the food and dining rewards include Good Food restaurant gift cards, restaurant and cruise buffet breakfast vouchers, De Bortoli or Black Swan wine tasting and dining experiences, and high tea bookings.

Merchandise

The flybuys rewards store has a wide variety of merchandise you can purchase with your points or a combination of points and cash. We’ve highlighted some examples of redemptions in key categories below:

• Fashion and accessories. Options include jewellery and watches from popular brands such as Swarovski, sunglasses from Maui Jim, and wallets or bags from brands such as Fossil and MANZONI.
• Home and garden. This category includes items such as baby monitors, toys, kitchen utensils, bathroom scales and lawn mowers.
• Technology. You can use flybuys to get a new phone, computer, tablet, headphones, speakers and many other items, with brands including Apple, Panasonic, Xbox and Samsung.
• Travel accessories. Options include suitcases, travel bags and even luggage-tracking devices.
• Wine and spirits. You can redeem your flybuys points for wine bundles or a bottle of spirits, with redemptions from as little as 4,500 points for half a dozen bottles of wine. Alternatively, you could use your flybuys points to get cash off wine, spirits or other alcohol at First Choice Liquor or Liquorland by redeeming flybuys Dollars.

Key program details to consider

Here are the important details to keep in mind when looking at the flybuys rewards program:

• Point expiry. flybuys points don’t expire as long as you collect or redeem them at least once a year. If you don’t earn or redeem any points on your account for a period of 12 consecutive months, then your points will automatically expire and your membership may be terminated.
• Eligible purchases. While most purchases with a program partner will earn flybuys points, there could be specific exclusions. For example, you won’t earn flybuys points at Coles for gift cards, iTunes cards, charitable donations or smoking/tobacco products.
• Account management. You can manage your account online via the flybuys website. Alternatively, you can call the customer service team on 13 11 16.
• Redemption value. In general, most rewards offer a dollar value that ranges from 0.4 cents to 0.5 cents per point, but it depends on what you choose to redeem.
• Additional cardholders. You can add a cardholder to your flybuys account. This allows you to pool your rewards and benefits with a partner or family member/s.

The flybuys program is free to join and offers you benefits when you purchase from program partners. Membership offers the most value when you regularly spend with partners such as Coles, First Choice Liquor, Kmart, Liquorland, Target and flybuys Travel. If you don’t frequently spend money with these program partners, it may be worth considering other loyalty or frequent flyer reward programs to find one that’s more convenient for you.

Common questions about flybuys

• Can I still earn points if I forget to swipe my flybuys card when shopping?

  Yes. If you shopped at Coles, just return to the same store within seven days of your purchase with your receipt and flybuys card so a customer service member can add the points to your account. For spending with other partners, contact the flybuys service centre on 13 1116 Monday to Friday 9am-7pm AEST. Please note limitations apply.

• Do all flybuys members get the same offers?

  No. flybuys occasionally trials offers for selected members. You can log in to your flybuys account to view offers available to you. Alternatively, signing up for emails from flybuys will allow you to receive offers directly to your inbox.

• How do I redeem flybuys points for money off at Coles?

  Follow the steps below to redeem your flybuys points for flybuys Dollars that you can use at participating Coles stores. You can also use flybuys Dollars at First Choice Liquor, Kmart, Liquorland and Target.

  1. Sign in to your account at flybuys.com.au
  2. From the main menu choose “Rewards”, then “Money off shop”, then select “flybuys Dollars” and “Get it Now”.
  3. Complete the required information, and set up a 4-digit PIN.
  4. Select how many points you want to exchange for flybuys Dollars.
  5. Choose “Redeem now” and the flybuys Dollars you requested will be loaded onto your flybuys card.

  Once you have redeemed your points for flybuys Dollars, swipe your flybuys card and enter your PIN at the checkout when paying for your items to receive cash off your shop.

• I signed up for flybuys at Coles and got a temporary card. What do I do now?

  If you’ve just signed up, you’ll need to complete your membership by following these steps:

  1. Go to the flybuys website.
  2. Click on the “Activate Card” option.
  3. Enter the number on your card (your “Member Number”).
  4. Click “Activate card” and follow the prompts to complete your membership. Note that you will be required to create a password so that you can log in to your account in the future.

• How do I log in to my flybuys account?

  Go to the flybuys website, select “Log In” and enter your card number and password. This allows you to check your point balance, make redemptions, browse special offers and update your details.

• How can I earn frequent flyer points through flybuys?

  If you’re an Etihad Guest or Velocity frequent flyer member, you can earn points by linking your account to flybuys using the following steps:

  1. Log in to your flybuys account at flybuys.com.au
  2. Click on “My Account” and then select “Linked Accounts”.
  3. Select the frequent flyer program you wish to link to, provide your membership details and hit “submit” to complete the process.

  After you have linked your flybuys and frequent flyer accounts, you can choose to redeem flybuys points for frequent flyer points. You can also earn Velocity Status Credits or Etihad Guest Tier Miles for eligible spending through flybuys program partners.

• Can flybuys points be transferred?

  No. You cannot transfer, sell, or give your points to any other card or person. If you want to share your points, you can request an additional cardholder on your account.

• Can additional cardholders redeem points?

  Yes. If you have an additional cardholder on your account, they are able to redeem points for rewards. An email notification will be sent to the primary account holder for all redemption activity.

• Do flybuys Dollars expire?

  flybuys Dollars can expire if you don’t earn or redeem flybuys points within a period of 12 consecutive months.

Pictures: Shutterstock and flybuys.