Considering the current economic climate, saving money has never been more important. We’re not talking about putting money into a savings account (though that is important too); we’re talking about saving money on purchases and rarely paying full-price for some of your major purchases again.
Many retailers will offer discount vouchers or discount codes you can redeem in-store or online to secure money off your purchases. These can be great, and can really help you cut back… but there are other options that can help you save even more money, on a wider range of purchases; Air Miles is one we’re going to look at here.
Air Miles is a popular loyalty programme which involves companies rewarding their customers for the purchases they make. So, for example, every time you fill your car up with petrol/diesel, you can collect Air Miles (at certain garages)… or every time you shop at certain high-street retailers, you will be offered Air Miles according to the value of your purchase.
These Air Miles can then be used to secure discount on products/services offered by companies signed up to the Air Miles reward scheme. To put it simply, as an individual, you make a purchase, collect Air Miles and redeem them to save money.
OK so we’ve briefly covered how you could save money using Air Miles as an individual, but how could you make savings as a business?
Aside from saving money on purchases like you would do as an individual, saving money as a business using Air Miles can be just as easy.
If your business regularly purchases flights for its staff to travel to meetings, for example, Air Miles can be collected on these purchases. Schemes such as Star Alliance Company Plus offer companies the chance to collect Air Miles, which can be redeemed against a range of travel upgrades and other purchases. For example, business Air Miles can be used to pay for flights in the future, to upgrade pre-purchased flights, airport parking and hotel rooms (among other things).
Air Miles were originally intended to be used in this manner, by both individuals and businesses, and your business could seriously cut its costs by simply taking part. You’ll often be able to join an Air Miles scheme (like the one mentioned above) for free, which is just another reason to take part. What’s more, by joining a scheme like this, you’ll usually be rewarded with welcome points, which can be enough for flight upgrades or parking charges for example.
Even if your business only takes one or two flights per year, it can be worthwhile taking part in a scheme like this, as points earned are usually valid for several years; meaning you can obtain discount on flights in the future.
There are a range of airlines who take part in schemes like this, including Air Canada, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss International Airlines – so no matter which airline you fly with, there’s a high chance you’ll be able to collect Air Miles when you buy.
If your business isn’t yet signed up to an Air Miles scheme, it’s certainly something worth considering – particularly with on-going drives to reduce costs!
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