Airpoints
Kiwis have an obsession with loyalty programs. Stores have them, banks have them, gas stations really have them, and Air New Zealand really, really has one. It’s called Airpoints, and you’ll notice it everywhere as soon as you start thinking about moving to New Zealand. Because Kiwis are obsessed with travel, there are all sorts of ways to earn Airpoints to make getting out of town for a vacation a little less expensive. One Airpoint equals one New Zealand dollar when it is redemption time. Want to spend $400 on a flight? That will cost 400 Airpoints. There aren’t 15,000 points needed for a cheap flight or 75,000 points needed for a flight you actually want to take like some other airlines. However, accumulating points is a bizarre, convoluted process, and even though we’ve been signed up as Airpoints members since before moving to New Zealand, I just started to dive into how we can earn more points. As it turns out, there are lots and lots and lots of ways to get points, if you’re willing to put forth a little effort. There are four key avenues:
Fly with Air New Zealand or one of the Star Alliance partners. (That includes: Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, SAS, Shenzen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Swiss International, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines, and United.)
Unfortunately, it isn’t entirely clear how many points you’re entitled to for any given trip. For example, checking on flights from Auckland to Houston, you can earn anywhere from 12 to 458.
The exact number of Airpoints you’ll earn on any given flight will appear when you are purchasing tickets. It will be in small print under the cost for the ticket(s) and visible prior to finishing your booking. These points will rack up directly to your account, and they slowly add up over time.
2. Use an Airpoints Credit Card. Amex, ANZ, KiwiBank, and Westpac all offer credit cards that collect Airpoints. Here’s a big disclaimer: read all of the fine print before signing up for any of these cards. Their annual fees, perks, and interest rates are all different, and it is important to know exactly what you’re getting. However, in terms of Airpoints earned per dollars spent, Amex is the winner. Ironically, Amex isn’t accepted in many places throughout New Zealand.
3. Spend at Partner Retail and Hospitality sites. There is a whole list of retailers, hotels, and restaurants that are partnered with Airpoints. The trick is to remember to present your Airpoints card so you can be properly credited. To save you the trouble of clicking through all of the websites, I’ve consolidated as much as I can into one spreadsheet. As there is always fine print, please check to ensure you meet the requirements for each place, and please understand that these details may have changed since I compiled the list.
4. Shop at the Airpoints Mall. The Airpoints Mall is a portal that connects you to popular online retailers. Oddly, there are quite a few retailers on this list that don’t have a physical presence in New Zealand (I would’ve found the local Anthropologie and Saks Fifth Avenue within about 2.2 seconds of landing if they existed.) This is an easy way to collect points if you plan on online shopping and can remember that it exists - though I wonder how this “mall” will fair after the customs/duties/GST changes take place in December.
So there you have it. All of the different ways to earn Airpoints. The fastest way we’ve accumulated points is by using an Airpoints credit card. It is the easiest, too, as I never have to remember to pull out my Airpoints card and ask if I’ll get any points when out shopping. That’s the problem with these loyalty schemes - you really have to work to take advantage of all of the perks, and I rarely have the brainpower for that.
