While the existence of frequent flyer miles is pretty common, many people think they are too much trouble to get into using them particularly in a business setting. There are some great ways to turn the common work expenses that are going onto your business credit card into frequent flyer rewards points without much effort at all, though.

1. Know the Restrictions that Might Apply
Some credit cards and airlines apply restrictions to their rewards plans. It is extremely important to look into the card’s terms before applying. Some plans have pretty wide blackout dates that extend over popular times, such as holidays, weekends, and peak travel periods. They do this so that they can maximise their profits, allowing paying flyers to have first choice, and reduce the traffic into tourist destinations. These blackout dates can change around the year, as well, so check them often.

2. Know How Much Your Miles are Worth
The most confusing thing about frequent flyer miles is that they don’t actually mean what it seems like they should mean by miles. They don’t have anything to do with how many actual, distance miles that your flight travels. Typically, an airline will offer you a free ticket for every 25,000 to 50,000 miles that you have to spend. This depends on the company, though. This means that your business credit card, which typically offers one mile per dollar that you spend, will have to have at least $25,000 charged to it before you can obtain your free airline ticket. The actual, monetary value assigned to a frequent flyer point ranges from one to three cents for a single mile.

3. Know the Status of Your Card
Business cards are not all the same. Some will bring you far more rewards than others, so don’t simply take the first card you are offered. For example, your basic credit card will not bring you as many frequent flyer miles as a platinum business card will. Doing a bit of research will help you a great deal. The better cards also sometimes include travel insurance at no cost as well as other benefits.

4. Making the Most of Your Business Credit Card
Use your business credit card for everything you possibly can, including bills, travel, groceries, hotel expenses, etc. This will help you to build up miles on it. Just make sure that you don’t purchase more than you can pay for when the bill comes each month, or you won’t actually be saving money.

5. Use Tools Offered Online
The Frequent Flyer site and Frequent Flyer Club website have features that help people to redeem their accumulated points. The best thing about these? They’re free. They can also help you to figure out exactly how your points translate into miles. Many people are at a loss when it comes to figuring up how many miles it takes to make a plane ticket. These sites are also a great help when it comes to getting information that will allow you to make the most of the points on your business credit card.

6. Transferring Your Points
Many people trying to build up frequent flyer points don’t know that they can transfer those points to different airlines. However, if you are considering this, make sure that you are not losing out. Some airlines don’t value points as much as others, meaning that you might lose quite a few miles. Be sure that you won’t end up with a worse deal by transferring your miles before converting them.

7. Consider the Exchange Value
When you decide to spend your frequent flyer points, consider how much they are worth. For instance, it might be a better value to pay for your own ticket rather than spend all of the points you have accumulated on a very short flight, if you would be spending a large portion of them. This can vary between cards, as well; one card might use 40,000 frequent flyer miles for a $200 airline ticket, while another might provide you with a $500 flight for 25,000 points. You may get much more for your money by holding out to use your points on longer, more expensive flights, or other upgrades altogether.

For more information on how to get a frequent flyer card for your Australian business, click here.

This is a guest post by David Boyd. David is co-founder of CreditCardCompare.com.au where he has reviewed many of the top company credit cards available to Australian small to large businesses.

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