Frequent Flyer Numbers: A Comprehensive Guide

A frequent flyer program is a loyalty scheme by airlines to reward frequent travellers. The program offers advantages to both employees and travel managers, such as cost savings, streamlined bookings, and enhanced travel experiences. But there’s more! Read on to find out:

Why Join a Frequent Flyer Program and Get a Frequent Flyer Number?

A frequent flyer program is a customer loyalty scheme from an airline to reward passengers for their continued business. It is a tactic to encourage patronage and a stable customer base. Passengers signing up for frequent flyer programs collect loyalty points, which they can then redeem for air travel, hotel stays, car rentals and more.

To know more about how a frequent flyer program works and its benefits to employees and travel managers of an organization, read the blog below:

How Does a Frequent Flyer Program Work?

As a member of a frequent flyer program, you earn reward points for purchasing flight tickets from the airline and also the services of the company's partners, such as:

• Making purchases with an airline-affiliated credit card 
• Dining at a participating restaurant
• Renting a car through a qualifying company 
• Staying at a partner hotel

For example, say an airline has a tie-up with a five-star hotel. If you stay at the hotel on your business trip, the airline awards you five travel points for every INR 100 spent at the hotel. An airline may provide such opportunities to accumulate points and receive benefits and perks such as:

• Priority check-ins and boarding
• Excess baggage allowance
• Lounge access
• Complimentary seat selection
• Fee waivers on domestic flight cancellations
• Early flights

In conclusion, the more you fly, the more you earn. Additionally, as a business traveler, there are many opportunities to accumulate such rewards. Therefore, you can expect to benefit from joining a frequent flyer program, as explained below. 

Why Join a Frequent Fyer Program?

Business travellers who sign up for frequent flyer programs benefit in many ways.

What's in it for Business Travellers?

Enhanced Travel Experience

A frequent flyer program that offers lounge access provides the relaxation you need to arrive refreshed to your destination. Perks like priority check-in save time while preferred seating options allow for a more comfortable travel experience. You also have the choice to use your airline miles to upgrade to a higher service class for a more luxurious and better all-round experience. 

Productivity On The Go

Most airport lounges offer workstations that you can use to catch up on work, review your presentation or get any important task done in comfort. Some lounges also offer printers and other business equipment that can come in handy when trying to achieve business goals. 

Cost Savings

Accumulating points qualifies you for cost savings on flights and upgrades. You can redeem airline miles for hotel stays or gain a waiver on resort fees. 

How to Get Started with a Frequent Flyer Program?

Joining a frequent flyer program is a matter of completing a few simple steps, as explained below.

Select an Airline and Go Through its Frequent Flyer Program

Company travel policies generally balance savings with employees' airline preferences. Offering multiple choices in airlines allows companies to optimise travel spend while giving employees flight options. Common considerations made when selecting airlines include:

• Route network
• Quality of services 
• Availability of flights to frequently visited destinations. 

Additionally, the frequent flyer program is also among the factors companies and employees look at to enjoy cost savings and travel perks. 

How to Choose a Frequent Flyer Program?

All airlines offer reward points for using their services and have tie-ups with other businesses to allow customers to collect more points and get the option to claim different types of rewards. At the same time, a frequent flyer program that works for one business traveller may be less suitable for another. So, a comparison is necessary to identify the right frequent flyer program. Here are some things to consider:

Travel Frequency

Choose a frequent flyer program based on the routes the airlines operate and the class of service you typically fly in. An airline that offers the most direct flights, lower fares and multiple departure times is cost-effective and convenient. The travel experience should also be comfortable.

Benefits 

Some programs may only allow you to redeem your miles for booking airfare. Others may focus on complimentary upgrades and priority services. Determine a program that works best for your needs and preferences. 

Ease of Redeeming Miles

Airlines actively manage the award availability on each flight. If a flight is expected to depart without filling up, airlines may allow passengers to book seats with miles. But if the flight is expected to sell out, then it might not be difficult to avail the benefits of frequent flyer points. This means some frequent flyer programs may have limited availability on routes or the number of miles to book flights during peak travel periods may increase significantly. So, it's worth spending time on reviewing an airline’s restrictions and fees on redeeming miles for flights.

Airline Alliances

Airline alliances are partnerships among airlines that allow them to cooperate on earning and redeeming miles through each other's rewards programs. Choosing an airline that belongs to an airline alliance network can offer the convenience of earning and redeeming miles across multiple airlines. 

Partnerships with Other Travel-related Companies

As already discussed, you can earn miles by making purchases from your airline's travel service partners. By opting for a frequent flyer program that has tie-ups with hotels, car rental companies and other travel service providers, you can accumulate points more quickly. 

Customer Support

A frequent flyer program that offers responsive customer support is preferable as it gives some measure of assurance that any questions or issues around redeeming points or making changes to travel plans will be handled efficiently. Check reviews of the customer support offered to make an informed choice. 

Completing Your Frequent Flyer Registration

When you have selected an airline, sign up for their frequent flyer program on their website. It requires filling basic information such as:

• Your name
• Birth date
• Email address 
• Phone number

You can sign up with a frequent flyer program even at the time of booking a flight with an airline. Upon completing the registration process, you will receive your frequent flyer number. 

What is Frequent Flyer Number?

Frequent flyer number means the unique identifier assigned to each member of an airline's loyalty program. It is a unique sequence of numbers and/or letters that is used to monitor travellers and the number of points they've accumulated over time.

The frequent flyer number or FFN may be included in an email from the airline or the monthly rewards statement. It may also be mentioned on flight bookings or itineraries. 

Collect Frequent Flyer Miles

Reward points are primarily accumulated based on three factors:

• Flying with the airline 
• Based on the distance flown 
• Type of fare class (economy or business). 

Flying first class or business class will often help you earn more points/miles. Other ways to accumulate points include making purchases using qualified credit cards, hotels, car rentals, and retail stores. Some credit cards may additionally provide bonus miles for certain categories like eating, gas or travel. Airlines may offer bonus miles for booking certain routes. 

Redeem Miles

When you have sufficient miles, you can start redeeming them for rewards. Some use their miles for upgrades to first or business class. Others prefer using their frequent flyer miles to cover the partial or even full cost of a flight if they travel on business very often and gather lots of miles. However, it may not be possible to fly for free so to speak and there will be some fees and costs at the time of redemption. 

Upgrade Status

Serious flyers can consider upgrading to a higher membership status, which comes with more perks and benefits. Moving to a higher tier may require fulfilling some requirements, such as accumulating a certain number of miles within a certain period. The conditions vary by airline, so it's necessary to check their website to understand how to upgrade to elite status. 

How to Maximise Benefits from Your Frequent Flyer Program?

Here are some tactics to maximise frequent flyer benefits:

Select the Right Credit Card

You have two options: 

1. Co-branded credit card 
2. General travel credit card

A co-branded card is linked to a specific airline. It offers benefits such as bonus miles on flights with that airline, lounge access, and priority boarding. This option is better for travellers who fly frequently with the same airline. 

A travel focused credit card is not tied to an airline but offers reward points redeemable for flights across various airlines and other perks. It is the better option for travellers that do not have any carrier preferences. 

Make the Most of Introductory Offers

Many travel and co-branded credit cards offer welcome bonuses, which include free flight vouchers. The free tickets are offered after you meet a specific spending milestone within the initial months of opening your account. Think about whether you will be able to meet the spend thresholds and make the most of this feature. 

Where Possible, Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates

It's not uncommon for business travellers to deal with changes in their schedules due to shifting project deadlines, urgent client meetings or unexpected situations at work or in their personal lives. So, being flexible with travel dates is nothing new but a change in flight plans can result in cancellation fees. Whenever you have more control over trip planning and can choose your schedule flexibly, consider travel periods that expand your redemption options and don't require higher points for flights. 

Claim More Benefits with myBiz

With myBiz, users can record their FFN to never miss out on the miles earned. Additionally, using our travel management platform enables you to receive special corporate rates on flights, get additional benefits like free seats, reduced cancellation fees on last-minute cancellations and free meals.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q1. How to get a frequent flyer number?

Ans. You can get a frequent flyer number by signing up for an airline’s frequent flyer program through their website. Registration is usually free and quick.

Q2. Do I need to use my frequent flyer number every time I book a flight?

Ans. Yes, you should use your frequent flyer number every time you book a flight to ensure you earn miles or points for your travel.

Q3. Can I have multiple frequent flyer numbers with different airlines?

Ans. Absolutely! You can sign up for frequent flyer programs with as many airlines as you wish, but each program will issue its own unique number.

Q4. Are frequent flyer numbers the same for all travel alliances?

Ans. No, each airline or travel alliance has its own frequent flyer program and therefore, a different frequent flyer number. However, you can often use one membership to earn miles across alliance partner airlines.

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