Points/loyalty programs are a waste of time.
That’s what I used to tell myself. I had joined all types of
such programs in my twenties as I traveled all over the world with whatever vacation
time I had available. From all these efforts, I could not even get a free soda.
Then one day my co-worker Joe was telling me of a family trip
he had scheduled for Europe (London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Zurich, Munich, Prague, Athens, Santorini, Dublin) all paid for by points (airfare, hotels, trains, buses,
tours) for four weeks in the middle of the peak summer season. Now Joe is known
for being a thrifty guy who buys all his clothes at Ross and Target so it had
me second-guessing my own beliefs about points.
I had to know how Thrifty Joe did it so I researched more
and more about the subject. Soon my wife was doing her own research as she
knows Thrifty Joe as well and could not believe it either. Free?!? We entered a
new level of points/loyalty programs with credit cards, targeted offers,
bonuses, status matching, codes, etc. A level that not only offered free
flights but flight upgrades, lounge access, meals/drinks, etc. for the whole
family.
Points/loyalty programs are NOT a waste of time.
We started the Points for Asians blog to share our own
experiences and tips with points/loyalty programs and help you maximize the
benefits. My wife and I are both proud Asian-Americans who mostly travel to
Asia so our experiences and tips may be particularly useful for those wanting
to visit Asia.
Arun
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