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From The Sunday Times
August 16, 2009
The best frequent-flyer schemes
There are a rash of new schemes - but the old ways are the best says Richard Green
Richard Green

You may have noticed that some of the no-frills airlines are trying to get in on the frequent-flyer act.

Jet2, German Wings, Air Berlin and Flybe have all recently launched initiatives to encourage repeat business.

The most high-profile, however, is EasyJet Plus. For an annual fee of £100, plus a £25 joining fee, members get unlimited free Speedy Boarding Plus benefits for a year. That means priority boarding and separate check-in where available. And that’s it. Speedy boarding starts at £6 per flight, so breaking even could take 21 flights.

A damp squib, then, but there are schemes you should sign up to — and they don’t cost a penny to join. BMI’s Diamond Club is probably the most generous. Paid-for flights earn points, which can be exchanged for free flights (excluding taxes and charges).

The bigger the spend per flight, the more points you earn: four full-fare economy tickets to Amsterdam would get you enough for a free return, but with discounted tickets, you’d need 11 returns.

If you don’t have quite enough points for a free flight, the club allows top-ups at £12 per 1,000. You can also pay partly in points, partly cash. BMI has an Amex-affiliated credit card, which awards a start-up bonus of 20,000 points — enough for two return flights to Europe — and 1.5 points per £1 spent on the card thereafter.

Finally, points can also be earned and spent with BMI’s co-members in the Star Alliance. These include Air Canada, Swiss, Singapore Airlines and 17 other carriers.

If you live near one of the 34 UK airports served by Flybe, it’s worth signing up to its admirably simple Rewards4all scheme. The airline gives one point per one-way flight, no matter how cheap the fare.

A free domestic flight needs 16 points, a flight to Europe 24. Flights with the family can accrue points into one pot and points don’t expire.

The British Airways Executive Club has three tiers: entry-level Blue, then Silver and Gold, which allow lounge access but need some serious frequent flying to achieve.

With the airline’s current concentration on the leisure traveller, the club has become more flexible — for example, members can now buy top-up points for an upgrade. BA is in the OneWorld Alliance, which includes Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Iberia.

Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club overcomes the fact that it isn’t in a big airline alliance by being more creative in the ways members can earn and spend points. You can get miles by shopping on eBay or with John Lewis, for example, and spend them on Eurostar or balloon rides.

Extra miles cost £30 per 1,000 and there are miles-plus-cash fare options. Points can buy upgrades, too — 20,000 from economy to premium, 60,000 to Upper Class. The scheme’s credit card comes with a 3,000-mile bonus and earns one point for every £1 spent (more if you pay an annual fee). The scheme has a few useful partners, including Air New Zealand, BMI and Continental.

Tough times for airlines mean good deals for members. Virgin has return flights from London to New York for 25,000 points (usually 40,000), and if users of the BMI Amex card spend £300 by the end of August, they get an extra 2,000 points.

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A free domestic flight needs 16 points, a flight to Europe 24. Flights with the family can accrue points into one pot and points don’t expire.

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