Budget Travel - How Reward Schemes Can Help You Travel and Other Tips!

Are you looking to travel more in 2024? Are you looking to find ways to save money for travel? Are you a bargain hunter? This article has some top tips to help you with all of the above!

Rewards for flying

Did you know you could be earning airline points on every purchase you make? I’ve had the BA Amex now for just over a year and have bagged myself a free flight using their Avios points scheme.

In the UK, there are various credit card options offer rewards for both frequent flyers and anyone who is interested in getting discounted flights, allowing them to accumulate points towards flights and other travel benefits. Most of the cards operate on a points-based system, where users earn points or miles for every pound spent on eligible purchases. The British Airways Amex card, for instance, also gives you points for things such as shopping online at your favourite retailers through the Avios portal!

It’s really important to understand the risks of credit, as these cards can typically have high borrowing and APRs, but if you use it to only spend what you have (and pay it straight off from your normal bank account) it has the potential to save you a lot of money on flights in the long haul!

Popular UK-based credit cards such as the British Airways American Express card, Virgin Atlantic Reward card, and the Avios Rewards credit card offer rewards tailored to the needs of travelers. With perks like bonus miles upon signup, companion vouchers, and priority boarding, these cards provide so many different opportunities to maximise travel rewards. You can even use your points to buy seats and in-flight snacks with eligible airline partners!

Additionally, some cards offer flexible redemption options, allowing users to transfer points to various airline partners or redeem them for flights, upgrades, hotel stays, and more. For instance, the One World alliance features British Airways, Qatar, Japan Airlines, Qantas and many have the option to transfer points between them. I recently did this between BA and Qatar for our Japan trip and it worked perfectly!

For frequent flyers seeking to make the most of their spending, these credit card options offer a convenient and rewarding way for you to enhance and (even fund!) travel experiences while accruing valuable points along the way.

Rewards whilst you stay

Alongside cards, there are many other travel reward schemes to consider such as:

Booking.com’s Genius discount -

Genius Level 1 - This is the entry-level tier of the program, accessible to all Booking.com users. To qualify for Genius status, you need to complete at least two stays within the last two years through Booking.com. Once achieved, you will gain access to exclusive discounts of 10% on rooms, 10% off hire cars and benefits on select properties.

Genius Level 2 - Users can upgrade to Genius Level 2 by completing five stays within the last two years through Booking.com. Once users reach this level, they unlock additional perks such as enhanced discounts of up to 15%, free breakfast on select stays and other exclusive offers.

Genius Level 3 - The highest tier in the Genius Rewards program, this status is attained by completing fifteen stays within the last two years through Booking.com. With this tier you can enjoy the most significant benefits, including 30% discount, free room upgrades, and other VIP amenities such as priority support on all stays.

This program is a great way to get discounts as you travel, and can mean saving quite a bit of £££ as you go!

It’s also worth looking at specific hotel reward programs such as Hilton Honours, World of Hyatt and Wyndham Rewards if you frequently visit the same hotels. This may not be the best option for those who are looking for variation as it means staying at the same chains a lot but it’s definitely an option for those who like to stick to what they know!

Searching for cheap flights

Reward schemes aside, you can find cheaper flights through various different tools - my favourites are SkyScanner and Google Flights.

Using these two search engines can help you optimise your flight search and find the cheapest dates alongside the best times to fly. Google flights has a handy calendar that shows you peak days (more expensive) and also cheaper alternative dates to fly:

SkyScanner, also allows you to look for the cheapest flights and will also filter by flight time. You can set alerts on SkyScanner so that it can keep you up to date with cost changes! This is super helpful when you have your eyes on specific dates.

Finally, another other option for cheap flights is to take advantage of sales. RyanAir for instance, frequently have sales on their already low-cost flights for key events such as Black Friday, summer, and January sales. Download the app to get the most out of these and be flexible with location! You never know where a £20 flight might take you!

There are plenty of ways to save money when travelling, along with managing your budget. I’ll follow up with a guide on how I budget and save for my trips in the coming weeks. Check back soon!