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Want to book a reward seat or flight upgrade but don't have enough points? Some frequent flyer programs allow you to buy points or miles when you don’t have enough saved up for the redemption you want. This option can also help you avoid losing your points if they have an expiry but you don’t have enough to redeem the reward you want.
Here, we look at how you can buy frequent flyer points for a range of airline loyalty programs, including Qantas and Velocity. We also look at the costs of buying points and other factors you need to consider before deciding if you want to pay to top up your points balance.
There are usually a lot of terms and conditions around buying points or miles for a frequent flyer program. For example, almost all airline reward programs state that you cannot buy points off another member or from an unauthorised source (ie online). The other requirements vary significantly between programs, so we’ve outlined details for a range of popular frequent flyer programs below.
The Qantas Frequent Flyer program offers “Top-up Points” for members if you meet the following conditions:
Qantas Top-up Points prices are based on the amount of points you buy and range from $20 (for 500 points) to $557.50 (for 20,000 points), As this table shows, the more you spend, the greater the points per $1 value of the transaction.
Points | Price | Dollar value |
---|---|---|
500 | $20 | $1 = 25 points |
1,000 | $40 | $1 = 25 points |
2,000 | $77.50 | $1 = 25.8 points |
4,000 | $147.50 | $1 = 27.1 points |
8,000 | $275.00 | $1 = 29 points |
16,000 | $480.00 | $1 = 33.3 points |
Complete list of the price of Qantas point purchases
If you meet all the requirements, you can purchase your points by contacting the Qantas Frequent Flyer Service Centre on 13 11 31 between 7am and 7pm (AEST), Mondays to Sundays. Select “4” when prompted and make sure you have your frequent flyer membership number and PIN ready, as well as a valid payment option.
The Virgin Velocity Frequent Flyer program allows members to buy points when they don’t have enough for a specific reward. The key requirements for a “Velocity Points Booster” purchase are:
Velocity Points Booster prices are based on the number of points you buy and range from $18 (for 500 points) to $1,172 (for 50,000 points). As this table shows, the more you spend, the greater the points per $1 value of the transaction.
Points | Price | Dollar value |
---|---|---|
500 | $18 | $1 = 27.7 points |
1,000 | $36 | $1 = 27.7 points |
2,000 | $68 | $1 = 29.4 points |
4,000 | $135 | $1 = 29.6 points |
8,000 | $264 | $1 = 30.3 points |
16,000 | $469 | $1 = 34.1 points |
Full list of the prices for Velocity Points Booster purchases and any other information
To purchase Velocity points, call the Velocity Membership Contact Centre on 13 18 75. Make sure you have your membership details, redemption information and the minimum 80% points required to be eligible for a Velocity Points Booster transaction.
If you’re a Cathay Pacific frequent flyer you can buy additional Asia Miles when you have a specific reward in mind and meet the following requirements:
To top up your Asia Miles account using this option, call 1800 129 264 (in Australia) or email memberservices@asiamiles.com. You will need to provide your account details and the reward you want to redeem.
The Asia Miles rewards program also allows you to buy “Gift Miles” for friends and family, with the following conditions:
You can buy Asia Miles Gift Miles by logging into your account online, going to “Your Account”, “Other Services” and selecting “Asia Miles Gift Miles”. Then just follow the prompts to make your purchase. Note that you will need the name and details of the Asia Miles member you want to transfer points to for this option.
Emirates Skywards program members can purchase Skywards Miles if you haven’t earned enough for a reward of your choosing, or if you want to give miles to another member. The conditions are:
You can purchase Skywards Miles online by logging in to your account and going to the “My Account” section. Alternatively, you can request your Miles purchase by calling the Australian Emirates Contact Centre on +61 1300 303 777.
Etihad Guest only allows businesses to buy Guest Miles as an incentive for customers or employees. It does not list prices, and assesses applications on a case-by-case basis. If you have a business that is interested in buying Etihad Guest Miles for corporate reasons, you can do so using the following steps:
Award your Etihad Guest Miles. You can assign Etihad Guest Miles to customers or employees online or through printed certificates.
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer frequent flyers can buy miles if they don’t have enough points for an award flight or upgrade. It has the following requirements:
To purchase additional miles for your KrisFlyer redemption, log in to your account and follow the prompts. Alternatively, you can fill out a Miles Top-up Request form, although this option takes at least three days to process.
While the terms and conditions for each frequent flyer program vary, here are the key details to consider before you buy points or miles:
If you have a specific reward you want to redeem right now, there’s a few other ways you may be able to get it. These include:
Emil wants to use Qantas Frequent Flyer points for a flight from Sydney to London in six months’ time. He needs 60,000 points for a one-way economy ticket, and currently has 54,000 points saved.
Emil is considering either purchasing the remaining points, or getting an HSBC Qantas Platinum credit card that earns 1 Qantas point per $1 spent*. The upfront costs for each option are:
To work out which option provides better value for him, Emil looks at his current spending habits. He calculates that he would spend an average of $1,000 per month on the HSBC Qantas Platinum card. This would earn him 1,000 Qantas points per month, or 6,000 points in 6 months, for an upfront cost of $199.
In this scenario, it is more affordable for Emil to apply for the HSBC Qantas Platinum credit card than to buy points. But if Emil had less than six months before his flight, purchasing points would be a better option.
*Earning rewards point as of 12 September 2016
Buying frequent flyer miles can be a convenient way to get the rewards that you want, when you want them. But before paying for your points, make sure you consider other options so that you can choose the most affordable and flexible option for your circumstances.
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