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points N places - travel rewards guides and insights

points N places

Guides & insights on how & when to use travel rewards points

Welcome to points N places, your ultimate resource for mastering the art of smart travel.

We believe that every journey should be an enriching experience that doesn't compromise your well-being or your bank account. Whether you are a seasoned globetrotter looking to optimize your loyalty program strategy or a wellness-conscious traveler seeking to maintain balance on the road, our mission is to equip you with the knowledge you need.

Here, we bridge the gap between the technicalities of points and miles and the holistic joy of discovering new destinations, ensuring you travel further, better, and healthier.

Top Tips For Travellers' Health

Travel can be stressful! Ideas to keep your travels happy and healthy. There's an ever-expanding body of scientific evidence that (whether behind a desk at work or during a long plane trip or train ride), being seated for prolonged periods can be harmful. We provide tips to boost your health and reduce the harmful impact on your body while travelling.

TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELLING TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELLING

Using Your Travel Points

Sunglasses, camera, compass, notepad and guides laid out for your next trip

We show you how to extract the greatest value for your travel using both cash and rewards points.

HOW TO BEST USE TRAVEL LOYALTY PROGRAMS HOW TO BEST USE TRAVEL LOYALTY PROGRAMS

Travel Rewards - News & Views

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Black Friday, Cyber Monday deals

Black Friday, Cyber Monday deals

Yes it's that time of year again (already !)   Strange things happen.  Including some amazing offers for all manner of deals.  We list ones that offer exceptional value for travellers, from special rewards points offers, discounted accommodation, to sales on items to make your travel more pleasurable, such as noise-cancelling headphones (great on planes), luggage and even sun-glasses. New offers will be added as we find them (so make a note to revisit our page).  All are available for a very limited time.  We hope you don't miss out!


Qantas and Accor have announced a deeper partnership that will see mutual members of their loyalty programs being able to double-dip for rewards points in the APAC region. 

The newly minted crossover feature is scheduled to launch mid-2021.

While similar to other crossover programs (eg Marriott and both Emirates and United; Shangri-La and Singapore Airlines; Hyatt and American Airlines), it will be the first partnership of its kind between an airline and hospitality group in the Asia Pacific region.

Will it be an attractive feature?  Read on for our thoughts.

…


Congratulations to QANTAS.  Today is the centenary of its launch!

Originally the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service, it was born as an idea around Winton in Queensland and later moved to Longreach, although the company was originally registered in Brisbane.

It has grown and evolved to become Australia's iconic international airline, with its headquarters now located in Mascot, near Sydney Airport.

QANTAS is a member of the OneWorld alliance, which it co-founded in 1998 with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Congratulations to the management and all staff of QANTAS.  To survive so long and be a leader in such a competitive industry is an achievement earned by many folk from the tarmac upwards.

Best wishes for many more and hopefully less tumultuous ones than 2020 which has been overshadowed by the covid-19 crisis and its impact on our world.

To learn more about Qantas' history, you can watch its official video.

Take care. …

Gremlins - apologies for our site being temporarily unavailable.

Gremlins - apologies for our site being temporarily unavailable.

Apologies to our regular readers.  As you likely saw, we had some technical issues in the last few days. They even kept me out of being able to get inside to see what was going on.

Thankfully, with some specialist tech help, the issue has now been found, fixed and shouldn't recur.

Thank you for your patience.  

It felt like Gremlins were starting to appear everywhere - maybe it's the time of year?


There was an article in Le Figaro (later syndicated through Reuters) saying that Accor was looking closely at IHG with a view to takeover or merger.  How would that look ?  Where are the overlaps?  What might it mean for the respective programs of Accor Live Limitless and IHG Rewards Club? …


This heart-warming short (2 min) video from @VisitScotland.com hits the right note.  Times are difficult right now, but soon we will once again be able to see the folk and places that are near and dear to us. Scotland and its people have not only a braveheart, but a full and warm heart. The video is a great reminder of what makes Scotland so special. …


Happy holidays!  Best wishes to you and yours.  We will be returning in 2020 with a new format & enhanced  usability for our readers. …


Latest news & views:
* Virgin Atlantic merger with Air France/KLM called off
* Alaska Airlines points on sale - handy for flying Qantas on selected routes at a very tasty discount.
* Air New Zealnad named best airline …


Our regular update on the world of hotels and their loyalty programs.  Best Western sneaks in a points devaluation - possibly related to WorldHotels | Hilton offers a new way to redeem points (but don't) | Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt all running points offers with discounts, but do they offer value? …


In a hit to Virgin Australia's loyalty members, Velocity Frequent Flyer has announced it will be raising its carrier charges on rewards seat redemptions, only a year after introducing the charges. …


Our Rail news views and FAQ's for 30 Nov 2019 | New Caledonian Sleeper trains to serve Highlander routes from October …


Our regular round-up of items relevant for travellers & loyalty programs for 13 September 2019. Summarised with our views and interpretations. …

News and Views

News and Views

Our regular round-up of items relevant for travellers’ loyalty programs for 6 September 2019.  Summarised with our views and interpretations.


News and views is a short piece giving you a regular round-up of items relevant for travellers’ loyalty programs. Summarised with our view attached on each item. …


Surprising access to luxury hotel stays following the integration of WorldHotels into Best Western. How to status-match to use elite status from other hotel programs to fast-track. …