The average Australian adult spends around $170 at the supermarket and $50 on petrol, every week. But during a cost-of-living crisis, everyone is looking for the opportunity to make their money go further.
That's why travel loyalty website Pointrs has shared the five simple steps that every traveller can follow to set them on the flight path of enjoying a free trip to Bali every 18 months.
If you're already grabbing your passport and packing your bags then these steps to save money are for you.
Step 1: Obtain and use the American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card
The American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card earns 3 American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) points for every $1 spent at major supermarkets and petrol stations, uncapped. This means that it is arguably the best card to use at supermarkets and petrol stations.
Even better, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) points to airline loyalty programs, which is the key to spending the least number of points and miles on flights.
You can transfer points to programs including Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer (2:1), Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer (3:1), Cathay Pacific Cathay (2:1), Qatar Airways Privilege Club (2:1), Emirates Skywards (3:1), Etihad Airways Etihad Guest (2:1), Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (2:1) and Malaysia Airlines Enrich (2:1) resulting in 1 or 1.5 airline loyalty program points or miles for every $1 spent at major supermarkets and petrol stations.
This is at least 33%-100% more than you generally earn with Visa and Mastercard
Step 2: Use Your American Express Platinum Edge Credit Card For All Your Major Supermarket Shopping And Petrol Spend
Major supermarkets include Coles, Harris Farm Markets, IGA and Woolworths. Major petrol stations include Ampol, BP, Caltex Woolworths, Metro, Shell, Woolworths Petrol and 7 Eleven.
Note: you can use the card for other expenses as well, although the earn rate is not as high as some other credit cards.
Step 3: Determine Which Loyalty Program To Use
Once you have spent $17,334 at major supermarkets and petrol stations, you will have earned 52,000 American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) points. You can then transfer these points to an airline loyalty program as this is by far the cheapest way to fly using your points.
Which airline depends on where you are flying from and to, who you are flying with, and what class you’re flying in. Normally, you would need to do hours and hours of research to work out the cheapest loyalty program to use. But with Pointrs you don’t need to.
Simply bring up the flights you want to take and Pointrs will immediately tell you which loyalty program is the cheapest! Don’t have enough points? No worries! Pointrs will also tell you how you can easily earn those points.
Step 4: Transfer Your American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) Points To Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Now that you know that Qatar Airways Privilege Club is the cheapest loyalty program to use, you now just need to transfer your points from American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) Points To Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
From time to time, there will be special bonus promotions for transfers from American Express Membership Rewards (Ascent) to Qatar Airways Privilege Club – most recently there was a 10% bonus promotion in Jun 2024 and a 20% bonus promotion in Jul 2023.
With a 20% bonus in place, you would only need 15 months instead of 18 months to earn enough points to fly to Bali – bonus!
Step 5: Book Your Flights!
Use your 26,000 Qatar Airways Privilege Club Avios, along with any taxes, fees and surcharges, to book your flights and go! To make this even easier, you can use Pointrs to see all flight options you can book using your points. And then rinse and repeat in 18 months’ time!
Not keen on Bali? You can do similar to fly to Fiji and New Zealand! You can also earn additional Qantas Frequent Flyer Qantas Points or Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer points along the way by using an Everyday Rewards or Flybuys card at certain supermarkets and petrol stations allowing you to fly even more often!
Thank you for reading and make sure to subscribe. We're constantly exploring new destinations and share our stories, tips, and the beauty we discover along the way.
