Air New Zealand Air Points - Can an award be bought with a combination of Air dollars and real $ ?

A friend wants to come over to visit, and is soon taking a flight to USA and back which will get her 250 Air Point dollars.

A return to MEL will apparently cost her 300 Air Point dollars. Can she supplement the 250 Air Point dollars with real $s? Alternatively, are the other good value/quick ways of getting another 50 Air Point dollars?

International awards can only be paid in airbucks (airpoints dollars), with taxes in cash/credit card. Otherwise cannot mix and match.

There are not really any cost effective ways to get the 50 airbucks from flying (will cost more than the money she saves on the $300 airfare). If she doesn't have a Air NZ-linked credit card and planning on spending ~5000 then she'd get the airbucks with only extra spend being the credit card airbucks fee(s).

Depending on the fare class of her trip to USA, it may be possible to increase earning for not too much extra (but normally this is only the case if booked in a high economy fare and there is discounted premium economy available to buy into).

It would be nice to have a points-plus-pay option. I wonder if such a fare would earn any airbucks? Pro-rated perhaps? Nah, the NZ IT guys would dump it in the too-hard basket :p

justakiwi

I think the Airpoints scheme does need a revamp. I think this would be ideal!

I think the Airpoints scheme does need a revamp. I think this would be ideal!

Don't forget that every revamp over the last decade has made the scheme less rewarding and less useful (but more rewarding for the airline)... so why would another revamp necessarily make it better?

Agree. The less change the better.

The sneaky ones in the charts (earning and burning) in the past few years have also contributed to a steady devaluation. These they have not publicised - merely updating the website is deemed to be sufficient notification :(

Very True, possibley I used the wrong choice of wording.

For starters, they definently need to let us earn airpoints on all flights. Main Priority #1. Im sure our mate Rob Fyfe can fix that up :-)

Can you donate any miles to charity?

I've used up my last airbicks but still have about 50 sitting there and want to close my account

Dont think so :-(

I've used up my last airbicks but still have about 50 sitting there

This is what grabaseat deals are for! A quick flight to Wanganui or Rotorua on a rainy afternoon and those fifty will be gone...

It would be nice to have a points-plus-pay option. I wonder if such a fare would earn any airbucks? Pro-rated perhaps? Nah, the NZ IT guys would dump it in the too-hard basket :p
BD has a scheme which lets you pay half in points and half in cash. It redeems into the same class as full points redemptions so you don't earn points on these flights.