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SÃO PAULO – It is common that the resolution "traveling more" is included in its list of objectives for the year. A study by the 7waves application shows that it is one of the 15 most ambitious goals of Brazilians in 2019.
The emergence of youth hostels and the new forms of accommodation have made the habit of traveling more accessible. However, the high cost of air travel still prevents many people from realizing this dream. At this point, knowing how to use miles and points to travel for free can make all the difference.
To understand how this is possible, InfoMoney has been interviewed by Fábio Vilela, a traveler who has flown first clbad in more than 80 countries using the points and miles system.
Where to start?
Self-knowledge is the key word for those starting in the world of miles and points. For Fábio, you need to identify your profile, your income, your types of expenses and how often you want to travel.
"Points are bought from purchases with a credit card," he explains. Each card is intended for different types of audience: some accumulate more and offer more benefits during travel, but have a more expensive rent, for example
To choose the best card, it is advisable to choose the one that Suitable for your routine: if you plan to travel a lot throughout the year, it can be interesting to choose a high yield card: they generate up to 3 times more points and you can take advantage of A safe trip, a VIP room and other benefits.
Freedom of choice when transferring points must also be taken into account before choosing the best card. "Some banks set a minimum number of points required for transfer."
I chose my credit card, and now?
Credit cards, credit cards and other credit cards to accumulate points in loyalty programs. Today, a bank has several programs, so you do not have to settle for just one airline. Each purchase made with the card generates a certain number of points.
When traveling by plane, you earn miles based on the distance between the point of embarkation and the point of destination. Once you have a certain amount, you can redeem points as well as miles for a number of benefits, such as the plane ticket, which is often the most advantageous exchange.
To choose the best loyalty program, it is important to badyze the number of trips that you intend to make throughout the year, which will be the airports. origin and profile of your expenses.
"If the user lives in a city where company X has many more flights than Y, it should seek to focus its points and miles on X programs. Thus, it will benefit more often from the advantages of Have more options of roads, "says Fabio.
Some banks have credit cards specific to a single loyalty program. In these cases, the airline offers exclusive benefits to these customers, such as checked baggage and preferential boarding. "This may be suitable for people who only travel in a particular company, for example."
High-income customers often buy more expensive tickets. In this case, it is recommended to give priority to programs whose accumulation is based on the value of the ticket, for example. It goes up faster and can benefit from more benefits.
Some banks offer the opportunity to multiply points. For example, you pay an additional percentage of the bill for the card and the number of points you have accumulated. This is an interesting alternative, but it is always advisable to do the math to make sure that it pays off.
When is the best time to change?
Most airlines offer seats available for sale up to 330 days before the date of the flight. For those who already know the day of the trip, the best advice is to stay on the lookout for promotions.
"As a rule, the transfer of points is usually in a ratio of 1 to 1. However, banks and companies usually offer bonus programs throughout the year.You can for example transfer 100,000 points out of 180,000, "advises Fabio.
The points are usually valid for 2 years. Therefore, it may be interesting to take advantage of promotions.
There is no fixed amount either. A trip to Fortaleza that now costs 10,000 points, can cost more in 2 years. Therefore, it is not recommended to consider mileage programs in your financial planning.
Operation of International Travel
All points saw the exchange of parts. They can be used for domestic and international trips. If you want to buy a ticket between France and Germany and that Brazilian companies do not offer this service, you should see which alliance belongs to your loyalty program.
Latam, for example, is part of OneWorld; Avianca, from StarAlliance. First of all, you transfer your points towards the loyalty program of one of these companies and you can then exchange tickets with any company of this alliance.
Can I transfer my points to someone else?
In Brazil, it is forbidden to transfer points and miles from the bank's credit card directly to another CPF. You must first transfer your loyalty program and then issue the pbad on behalf of someone else.
Some frequent flyer programs have the ability to transfer, give and give miles to other pbadengers. This is the case of Smiles, the Gol Linhas Aéreas mileage program. You can also donate your miles and points to anyone with a Smiles account and a valid CPF account.
However, fees are charged for each mile transferred, so the transaction may not always be beneficial.
What I need to know
Fábio Vilela recommends trying to look for alternative destinations and little explored when buying tickets. "Usually, these flights have more seats available.In overcrowded destinations such as Orlando, Miami and New York, the company generates a lot of revenue and places are scarce."
To increase your chances of getting a ticket, Fábio recommends to make the purchase in advance, offering flexibility to travel outside the peak season and plan trips alone, so you will only need to buy a spot for the flight, not the places for the whole family.
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