Should i get an Air New Zealand Airpoints card?
 

Hi, I am planning on going from Auckland to LAX via air new zealand and i was wondering if it was even worth getting an Airpoints card.
I may not go travelling for 2-3 years after that trip and wont get much points (I wouldnt think)

Is it worth it or not?

No harm in it. It's free to join.

You can always use your points earned in the shopping mall .....

Don’t waste your time, it’s a dreadful ff programme. Get a UA ff card instead...as long as you aren’t travelling on a very low fare, you should be able to credit the miles to your UA programme. There are usually plenty of good cc deals to spice up your choices.

Er - lots of credit card deals???? I assume you’re US based as there is very few if any NZ credit cards that give points to UA (I’m not aware of any, but maybe some of the Amex ones might go to UA?).

Either way, it’s not as practical as you suggest to use UA - assuming Riley is an NZ based flyer then NZ is an okay programme for an infrequent flyer to start off with...

You haven’t said what class you’re flying.

if in economy then Air Points will only be worth 25-40 NZD. If in business from about 250 dollar to 400 NZD depending on booking class bucket/ fare paid.

if in business you could joint just to use the points for a small gift to treat your self.

Airpoints (anything) is better than nothing- but not much. Better off with UA Mileage Plus and use NZ Airpoints for those fare basis which do not get UA miles.

That would pay for grabaseat AKL-WLG $35!

No, Amex does not allow you to transfer MR to UA. You say there are few if any cards that credit MP in NZ, I'm not aware of any.

That said. if you can meet the requirements, US banks are happy to issue you credit cards even as a foreigner. I hold a USD bank account with Citi and they were quite happy to offer a ThankYou card during account opening (though I really didn't want a credit card that requires too much effort just to pay the bill, so declined to apply).