As a frequent flyer it is no secret that flying on one airline or alliance will increase the number of points/miles significantly and the status that you earn will provide benefits such as lounge access, priority boarding and upgrade to premium cabins.

But does it make sense to be loyal to one airline when you only fly once or twice a year on points? I would say with 100% certainty it makes no sense as you would not fly enough to gain any status or benefit. Maybe they throw in some frequent flyer points – but that’s about it.

It’s better to look for deals with the huge range of airlines these days to see who can give you the best price, value and also if there is a promotion during that time to double or triple your points. Remember that is not always about price. Paying for budget airlines is probably also a way to go. For example when I recently flew Air Asia to Kuala Lumpur – I purchased the ticket using my Amex card which had a promotion of 10x more bonus points per dollar that I spent. So spending $2000 for 4 tickets provided me with 22,000 Amex points in total. So if I value each point to be 5c – then this would equate to receiving $1100 value back if I were to redeem a business class flight.

For hotels – it probably makes a bit more sense to having loyalty in at least a couple of chains. The reason being that when you go for that overseas trip – say you needed to book 2 weeks of hotel nights in 3 different locations – then by strategizing properly with the ongoing promotions – you could earn enough points for 2 free nights in the same chain later. Also you can fast-track the status as there are promotions to reach that elite status quicker by staying 12 nights in 90 days for example to reach Hyatt Diamond or Hilton Gold. Both these programs provide Breakfast, room upgrade and executive lounge access that can virtually double the value of the base room price you pay.

The name of the game though is that you must be on top of the promotions that are available so you know which hotel chain is the best for you. Like everything else that you spend money on - my strategy is always to earn the most number of points every time. Spending money on hotels is a great way to boost your points in both hotels and airlines (you can “double-dip” into both).

You can also predict how many points/miles you will receive so can understand what the value of it at the end of the trip is.

My advise will help you to think how to how to use frequent flyer points in such a manner, that in the result you could return your hard-earned cash. It’s not always about price. Loyalty only counts for so much in an airline depending on how many flights you take per year. With hotels – there is more of a case to be loyal.

If you accumulate enough points/miles to redeem a business class flight then you won’t even need status as flying in a premium cabin will provide you with all those benefits so for me who is an avid points collector it makes no sense for me to be loyal to any airline. It all depends on how good their cabin, service, flight experience and value is going to be. 

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