Many of you will have amassed thousands of miles and points over the years, redeeming such travel currencies for flight discounts, upgrades or hotel stays. That is, until the year of 2020, when earning and redemption cycles were scuppered due to the grounding of flights, closure of hotels and restrictions on global travel as a result of Covid-19. Thankfully those days are now behind us, but they did shine a light on alternative ways to redeem your loyalty, from discounted transport to once-in-a-lifetime experiences and charitable donations. Here we look at some of the non-traditional opportunities to use your hard-earned miles and points with frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes.
On the go
Accrued miles and points can make your life more comfortable from the moment you leave the house.
Members of airline loyalty programmes often get lounge access by joining or achieving a certain rank: Silver and Gold members of British Airways’ Executive Club, or Sapphire and Emerald oneworld members enjoy this perk, for example.
