Business rewards and frequent flyer programs can be confusing terrain to navigate, especially for small businesses unsure of which programs provide the best benefits.
Many think of travel loyalty programs as a personal perk, however, in the past few years both Qantas and Virgin have developed very effective points earning solutions for micro and smaller companies to help manage travel costs.
Travel is often a core need for startups and SMEs for business growth, yet the cost can place a burden on an already tight cash flow, and it can be an additional expense that can blow out without careful monitoring.
But ensuring points are collected at every opportunity — not just from travel — in a company’s spending cycle can help mitigate travel budget headaches.
There are plenty of tangible benefits available for SMEs. Here’s a list of the top 10 tips to ensure your business is not missing out on collecting valuable points that can be redeemed for both domestic and international flights for your business trips.
1. Sign up for both Qantas Business Rewards (QBR) and Virgin Australia Business Flyer to reap SME benefits. These programs are designed for the company to benefit and collect points, and are not just for individual travellers who have their personal membership. Keep an eye out for free sign-up deals, which are often available (QBR is offering free sign-ups until October 31, 2024, normally valued at $89.50, while the Virgin program offers free membership year-round).
2. Do you need to purchase a staff or client gift? Purchasing from a wide range of gift cards or wine offers through the airlines’ membership portals is a great way to collect points, with frequent bonus points offers on wine purchases a hot fast track tip.
3. Having a points-earning credit card, or cards to cover business expenses, certainly fast tracks frequent flyer points collection, but if you are a small business just starting out they aren’t the only way to collect points, so don’t be disappointed. It’s not how you pay for something, it’s where you buy it from.
4. Are you collecting points on your energy bills? Both Qantas and Virgin have resource partners like AGL and Red Energy that offer bonus points on sign-up and ongoing monthly points on the cost of business bills.
5. Are you a small family business? Add your family members to Qantas Business Rewards or the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program and accumulate points off personal travel too.
6. Every business needs toilet paper, consumables and often printing. Check out the airline’s program partners like Who Gives A Crap, Nespresso, Snap Printing and others to accrue points on monthly spend items.
7. Do you operate company cars or do your staff undertake road trips for work? Ensure loyalty cards are being scanned for fuel discounts and point collection at fuel stations like BP, Coles Express, Ampol and 7-Eleven.
8. Use the airlines’ business portal for hotel bookings and car hire. With points accrued per dollar spent, this can quickly fast-track points on business spends.
9. Everyone loves a visit to the Qantas Lounge pre-flight, and with QBR members receiving up to 30% off the yearly rate, you might be tempted to join up!
10. You can also accumulate points when collecting and processing business payments:
If your business doesn’t have a demand for travel, points collected through your monthly spend can also be redeemed for personal flights or even products from a vast range of retailers.
Business rewards and frequent flyer programs may seem confusing at first, but they become easier to navigate with use. Consider designating a “points pro” in your business to ensure no points are left behind from monthly business costs.
With a domestic redemption flight (Melbourne/Sydney) averaging 8000 points one way and an international economy flight (Brisbane to Los Angeles) one way at 41,900 points, companies can easily accrue a large volume of points every month from everyday spending, which can be redeemed for business travel.
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Deena Shanahan is the founder of Committed To Collect and an expert in frequent flyer and loyalty programs.
