Many of you will have amassed thousands of miles and points over the years, redeeming such travel currencies for flight discounts, upgrades or hotel stays. That is, until the year of 2020, when earning and redemption cycles were scuppered due to the grounding of flights, closure of hotels and restrictions on global travel as a result of Covid-19. Thankfully those days are now behind us, but they did shine a light on alternative ways to redeem your loyalty, from discounted transport to once-in-a-lifetime experiences and charitable donations. Here we look at some of the non-traditional opportunities to use your hard-earned miles and points with frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes.
On the go
Accrued miles and points can make your life more comfortable from the moment you leave the house.
Members of airline loyalty programmes often get lounge access by joining or achieving a certain rank: Silver and Gold members of British Airways' Executive Club, or Sapphire and Emerald oneworld members enjoy this perk, for example. Some hotel groups additionally provide this benefit. Radisson Hotel Group's loyalty programme, Radisson Rewards, for instance, enables members to redeem 160,000 points for Priority Pass Standard Plus Membership, which includes ten free visits a year to more than 1,000 airport lounges in 500 cities across 130 countries.
You could also use your points to secure free transport to and from the airport. The Miles + More programme, which has 40 airline partners including carriers within the Lufthansa Group, gives members the option to exchange miles for Avis car hire, provided that they have at least 7,500 miles. Meanwhile, Avios, the currency for reward programmes of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Qatar Airways, can be used for Avis or Budget car rental at thousands of worldwide airport and non-airport locations.
Avios can also be used for an end-to-end trip experience. Since March 2023, customers can use points as part payment on British Airways Holidays packages. BA Executive Club members, can reduce the price of their next holiday from as little as 1,000 Avios.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/6680201680.jpg]
Eager to experience
With demand for experiential travel on the rise, airlines and hotels are also increasingly offering loyalty members a range of exclusive experiences - from tickets to sports championships and stadium concerts to cultural attraction tours or cooking lessons.
Marriott International's loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy has a platform dedicated to such experiences. Marriott Bonvoy Moments gives members the option to bid or buy experiences (up to five per calendar year) and search for these based on their interests, date and location. Upcoming experiences include the chance to be both a player and spectator at London's The Hurlingham Club, complete with VIP hospitality and an afternoon of tennis at The Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, plus two nights' accommodation in London (June 29-July 1). At the time of writing, bids stand at 50,000 points and close on June 14. Car enthusiasts can also catch the Formula 1 action at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9, benefitting from prime seats in the Grandstand thanks to the group's support of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. Bids run until June 8, with further F1 Moments set to go live in the Netherlands and Italy this summer.
Accor's All Live Limitless (ALL) has a similar platform, Limitless Experiences, which has the tagline "Money can't buy" though apparently loyalty can. Members can make the most of the hotel group's collaborations with global sporting events, from the Rugby World Cup 2023, which kicks off in France in September, to the forthcoming 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/2688061018.jpg]
The group has also been a major partner of football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since 2019 and reserves a number of tickets for ALL members. Last year Accor extended its commitment to the club for a further four years, with a focus on providing unique experiences to ALL members worldwide. You can score opportunities such as meeting high profile players over a game of karting or yoga, or secure early-bird tickets for certain PSG matches at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Points can also be used for access to the ALL VIP box, where guests enjoy highend hospitality services.
If you're more of a music fan, miles and points can also be used for front-row tickets to concerts around the world. Members of ALL benefit from packages at the hotel group's Accor Arena in Paris and festivals such as British Summer Time Hyde Park in London. Virgin's rewards club Virgin Red, meanwhile, gets you access to the private Virgin Red Room at AO Arena Manchester. This month's line up of events includes comedian Jack Whitehall (30,000 points) and musician Peter Gabriel (65,000 points). If you prefer the classical genre, the Miles+More opportunity programme is offering the to see Madame Butterfly at the Areni de Verona opera house in Italy on August 12 (79,000 miles).
Culture seekers, meanwhile, can access a variety of unforgettable experiences using Avios. Film buffs can explore iconic James Bond filming locations during a private taxi tour, including a photostop outside Pinewood Studios (from 85,500 Avios).
Stateside, they can tour New York's Hudson Yards development followed by a dizzying sky-high visit to The Edge, the city's new observation deck (from 16,950 Avios). Further afield in Tokyo, members can take part in a Samurai course at a real dojo (from 20,200 Avios).
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/1102115052.jpg]
Adrenaline junkies
With experiences becoming an increasingly important part of membership schemes, groups are starting to up the ante and compete to offer even more extreme packages, with some out-of-this-world (literally) opportunities emerging.
Virgin Red gives you the chance channel your inner Maverick from Top Gun and fly an ex-military T67 Firefly fighter aircraft (105,000 points), compl...
On the go
Accrued miles and points can make your life more comfortable from the moment you leave the house.
Members of airline loyalty programmes often get lounge access by joining or achieving a certain rank: Silver and Gold members of British Airways' Executive Club, or Sapphire and Emerald oneworld members enjoy this perk, for example. Some hotel groups additionally provide this benefit. Radisson Hotel Group's loyalty programme, Radisson Rewards, for instance, enables members to redeem 160,000 points for Priority Pass Standard Plus Membership, which includes ten free visits a year to more than 1,000 airport lounges in 500 cities across 130 countries.
You could also use your points to secure free transport to and from the airport. The Miles + More programme, which has 40 airline partners including carriers within the Lufthansa Group, gives members the option to exchange miles for Avis car hire, provided that they have at least 7,500 miles. Meanwhile, Avios, the currency for reward programmes of British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling and Qatar Airways, can be used for Avis or Budget car rental at thousands of worldwide airport and non-airport locations.
Avios can also be used for an end-to-end trip experience. Since March 2023, customers can use points as part payment on British Airways Holidays packages. BA Executive Club members, can reduce the price of their next holiday from as little as 1,000 Avios.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/6680201680.jpg]
Eager to experience
With demand for experiential travel on the rise, airlines and hotels are also increasingly offering loyalty members a range of exclusive experiences - from tickets to sports championships and stadium concerts to cultural attraction tours or cooking lessons.
Marriott International's loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy has a platform dedicated to such experiences. Marriott Bonvoy Moments gives members the option to bid or buy experiences (up to five per calendar year) and search for these based on their interests, date and location. Upcoming experiences include the chance to be both a player and spectator at London's The Hurlingham Club, complete with VIP hospitality and an afternoon of tennis at The Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic, plus two nights' accommodation in London (June 29-July 1). At the time of writing, bids stand at 50,000 points and close on June 14. Car enthusiasts can also catch the Formula 1 action at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 9, benefitting from prime seats in the Grandstand thanks to the group's support of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team. Bids run until June 8, with further F1 Moments set to go live in the Netherlands and Italy this summer.
Accor's All Live Limitless (ALL) has a similar platform, Limitless Experiences, which has the tagline "Money can't buy" though apparently loyalty can. Members can make the most of the hotel group's collaborations with global sporting events, from the Rugby World Cup 2023, which kicks off in France in September, to the forthcoming 2024 Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/2688061018.jpg]
The group has also been a major partner of football club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) since 2019 and reserves a number of tickets for ALL members. Last year Accor extended its commitment to the club for a further four years, with a focus on providing unique experiences to ALL members worldwide. You can score opportunities such as meeting high profile players over a game of karting or yoga, or secure early-bird tickets for certain PSG matches at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. Points can also be used for access to the ALL VIP box, where guests enjoy highend hospitality services.
If you're more of a music fan, miles and points can also be used for front-row tickets to concerts around the world. Members of ALL benefit from packages at the hotel group's Accor Arena in Paris and festivals such as British Summer Time Hyde Park in London. Virgin's rewards club Virgin Red, meanwhile, gets you access to the private Virgin Red Room at AO Arena Manchester. This month's line up of events includes comedian Jack Whitehall (30,000 points) and musician Peter Gabriel (65,000 points). If you prefer the classical genre, the Miles+More opportunity programme is offering the to see Madame Butterfly at the Areni de Verona opera house in Italy on August 12 (79,000 miles).
Culture seekers, meanwhile, can access a variety of unforgettable experiences using Avios. Film buffs can explore iconic James Bond filming locations during a private taxi tour, including a photostop outside Pinewood Studios (from 85,500 Avios).
Stateside, they can tour New York's Hudson Yards development followed by a dizzying sky-high visit to The Edge, the city's new observation deck (from 16,950 Avios). Further afield in Tokyo, members can take part in a Samurai course at a real dojo (from 20,200 Avios).
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1685026392/articles/H-H-81mhF1685084898759/1102115052.jpg]
Adrenaline junkies
With experiences becoming an increasingly important part of membership schemes, groups are starting to up the ante and compete to offer even more extreme packages, with some out-of-this-world (literally) opportunities emerging.
Virgin Red gives you the chance channel your inner Maverick from Top Gun and fly an ex-military T67 Firefly fighter aircraft (105,000 points), compl...
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Business Traveller Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, June 2023