Using loyalty points and rewards to cut travel costs

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What loyalty points and rewards programmes are

Loyalty points and rewards programmes are free membership schemes that an airline or hotel group runs. You earn points, sometimes called miles, for money you spend with that airline or hotel group. Later, you can exchange those points for flights, hotel nights, upgrades, or other travel benefits.

Joining is free for every major programme covered in this article. Some Australian and New Zealand residents pay a one-off joining fee for Qantas Frequent Flyer. Qantas often waives the fee when you join through an online application form. Residents of other countries typically join Qantas Frequent Flyer without a fee.

The two kinds of programme

Most travel rewards fall into one of two types. Airline programmes, often called frequent flyer programmes, reward you mainly for flights. You generally spend the points on flights, seat upgrades, or extra baggage allowance. Hotel programmes reward you for paid stays. You generally spend the points on free or discounted room nights, and sometimes a room upgrade.

You can join as many of these programmes as you like at no cost. Still, it is far easier to build up enough points with one airline programme and one hotel programme. Spreading your travel across several makes that harder.

Loyalty points and rewards programmes worth knowing, in your part of the world

How loyalty points and rewards work depends partly on which country you’re in. Which programme suits you best depends on where you usually fly from and which airlines serve your regular routes. Here is the main loyalty programme in each of the five countries SeasonedRoamer covers.

United Kingdom

British Airways’ loyalty scheme is called British Airways Club. It recently changed its name from the British Airways Executive Club. Its reward currency, Avios, is unchanged. Four other airlines also use Avios: Iberia, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, and Finnair. You can spend Avios from any one of the five airlines with any of the others.

Australia

Qantas Frequent Flyer is the loyalty programme of Qantas, a member of the Oneworld alliance. You can earn and spend points with more than 500 partners, covering flights, hotels, car hire, and everyday shopping.

Canada

Air Canada’s programme is Aeroplan, relaunched in its current form in November 2020. You earn points with Air Canada and with Star Alliance partner airlines. You can spend them on flights, hotel nights, and car hire.

New Zealand

Airpoints is Air New Zealand’s loyalty programme, and its reward currency is Airpoints Dollars. A feature called Shairpoints lets New Zealand based Koru members pool their Airpoints Dollars with up to nine family members and friends. That can help a household reach a redemption faster.

South Africa

Voyager is South African Airways’ loyalty programme. It remains active in 2026 and is free to join. You can spend its points, called Voyager Miles, with more than 30 partners. These include the wider Star Alliance network, as well as car hire and other non-airline partners.

All five of these airlines belong to one of two global airline alliances. British Airways and Qantas belong to Oneworld. Air Canada, Air New Zealand, and South African Airways belong to Star Alliance. Belonging to an alliance means you can often spend points from one member airline on flights with any other member. This matters most if your trip connects through a hub city outside your home country.

Hotel programmes worth knowing

The five largest global hotel loyalty programmes are all free to join. They are Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, and ALL, short for Accor Live Limitless. Any of these is a reasonable choice if you tend to book through one of these hotel groups, wherever in the world you’re staying.

IHG’s programme has changed its name twice. It was called Priority Club until 2013, then IHG Rewards Club, and has been IHG One Rewards since April 2022. If you’ve seen either of the older names somewhere, it’s the same programme under a newer name.

Accor also sells a paid membership called ALL Accor+ Explorer. For an annual fee, members get two free nights a year at participating Accor hotels in Asia and the Pacific. They also get up to 30% off food at participating restaurants in that region. Other benefits are 15% off public room rates at participating Accor hotels worldwide, and Gold status in the ALL programme. Its benefits focus on Asia and the Pacific, so it suits readers in Australia and New Zealand best. Check the current fee on the ALL Accor+ website and compare it with how often you stay in Accor hotels before you join.

How loyalty points and rewards get spent

The two most common ways to use points work like this. You book a flight or hotel night directly with points instead of cash. Or you top up a booking with a mix of points and cash, where the programme allows it. Every programme covered in this article lets you search and book with points directly on its own website, once you log into your account.

A growing number of airline programmes now price some reward flights dynamically, meaning the number of points needed can rise or fall with demand, much like a cash fare does. Air Canada’s Aeroplan works this way, as does Qantas Frequent Flyer’s newer Classic Plus Flight Rewards.

Hotel programmes are changing too, though not always in the same way. World of Hyatt has kept a published award chart. That means it sets the points cost for each hotel in advance, rather than changing it with demand. But from 20 May 2026, it expanded that chart from three pricing tiers to five. At the same time, it moved many individual hotels to a higher tier. The practical result for a reader is similar either way: don’t assume the points cost you saw for a specific flight or hotel last year still applies. Check the current cost before you commit to a redemption.

Making loyalty points and rewards go further as a couple or family

For a couple or a family, pooling points is often the fastest legitimate way to reach one reward booking. Otherwise, each of you holds a smaller, separate balance. Several programmes support this directly: British Airways’ Household Account, Air New Zealand’s Shairpoints, and Qantas Frequent Flyer’s family transfer options all let you combine points with people you name on the account.

Keeping loyalty points and rewards from expiring

Most programmes cancel unused points after a period of no account activity, rather than on a fixed calendar date. How long that period is differs by programme. British Airways allows 36 months of inactivity before Avios expire. ALL, Accor’s programme, allows 12 months. South African Airways’ Voyager miles are valid for three years, with an option to pay to extend them if they’re about to lapse.

The exact rule varies and can change, so the safest habit is the same everywhere. Earn or redeem at least a small amount on each account every year. Check the programme’s own current terms, rather than a number you remember from an earlier trip.

A simple way to do this in the next year

You don’t need to join every programme mentioned here. A short, low-effort way to begin:

• Pick one airline loyalty programme tied to how you already fly, based on the alliance that covers your usual routes.
• Pick one hotel loyalty programme tied to where you usually stay.
• Join both. They’re free.
• Use them every time you book, rather than spreading the same amount of travel across several different programmes.
• Set a yearly reminder to earn or redeem something small on each account, so your points don’t quietly expire.

Loyalty points and rewards are only one lever for cutting the cost of a trip. For another, see our guide to packing light without sacrificing comfort, which covers avoiding baggage fees.

For more trip planning help, see our travel guides.