Are you thinking about collecting Airpoints? Or maybe you are just curious about Airpoints. We have done some digging to help you decide if it is worth collecting Air New Zealand Airpoints.
What is Airpoints?
Airpoints is Air New Zealand’s loyalty programme which anyone can join at no cost. Membership allows you to accumulate Airpoints Dollars™ in several ways including by booking flights, and accumulated Airpoints can be used towards flights, rental cars, and other things that enrich your life and travel experience.
How to earn Airpoints?
You can earn Airpoint dollars in several ways as detailed below.
- Book flights with Air New Zealand, Star Alliance airlines or other Air NZ partner airlines
- Use Airpoints Credit Cards for purchases
- Shop with 40+ Airpoints Partners including the likes of New World and Caltex
- Use a OneSmart card
Tip: some credit cards that earn Airpoints offer signup bonus Airpoints. As of this writing the Amex Airpoints Platinum Credit Card offers the highest signup bonus Airpoints of 300 bonus Airppoints. It also has the highest earn rate of all platinum credit cards in New Zealand.
How much are Airpoints worth?
One Airpoints Dollar is equivalent to $1 NZD when redeemed with Air New Zealand or Air New Zealand partners. As part of the Airpoints scheme you also earn Status points for booking eligible flights with Air New Zealand or its partners and with airlines that are part of the Star Alliance. The number of Status points you earn within a 12 months period moves your membership tier into Silver, Gold and Elite membership status, and each memberhsip tier comes with a raft of benefits such as free lounge access, extra luggage etc.
Is Airpoints worth it?
Yes, the Airpoints programme is a great scheme from Air New Zealand which allows you to earn Airpoints by booking eligible flghts with Air New Zealand and with many other Air New Zealand partner airlines including members of the Star Alliance. The Airpoints programme also allows you to earn Airpoints by shopping with many Air NZ partners such as New World, Caltex and Mitre 10. There are also many credit cards that allow you to earn Airpoints simply by using your credit card for purchases. The Airpoints programme is also very easy to understand because 1 Airpoints Dollar is equal to $1 NZD when used to book Air NZ flights or make purchases from the Airpoints Store.
According to Air New Zealand over 2,700 flights are booked daily using Airpoints which means many New Zealanders are taking advantage of the Airpoints programme, but why exactly is the Airpoints programme so popular, and it is worth collecting Airpoints? Below are some of the reasons we have found why Airpoints are so popular.
Many ways to earn Airpoints
One of the main reasons why Airpoints are so popular is that there are many ways to earn Airpoints in New Zealand. You can earn points by booking flights with Air New Zealand and its many partners, shopping with Air New Zealand partners such as New World, or using Airpoints-earning credit cards or a OneSmart card for traveling. This makes it possible for you to rack up points even if you don’t fly that often.
Airpoints offer a decent earn rate
Our investigation shows that an economy flight with a seat plus bag from Auckland to Christchurch with Air New Zealand would earn you 15 Airpoints dollars plus 32 status points. That’s not bad for a domestic flight. For a long haul flight from Auckland to London you get 128.80 Airpoints. If you tend to do a few of these flights a year you can easily rack up a few hundreds dollars in savings, and if you don’t fly you can still earn Airpoints by shopping at the likes of New World, Mitre 10 and Caltex.
As of this writing, if you spend $150 at New World you earn 1.11 Airpoints Dollars. The earn rate will be different across the different partners but this is just to give you and indication of what to expect.
Airpoints are easy to understand
One thing we really like about the Air New Zealand Airpoints scheme is that it is very easy to understand how much your points are worth because one Airpoints Dollar is worth $1 NZD when redeemed with Air New Zealand or its partners.
Double earning
You can double earn Airpoints by using Airpoints credit cards when booking your flight or shopping with Air New Zealand partners such as New World and Caltex. This is because you will earn points from the store or airline but also earn Airpoints from the credit card provider allowing you to doule earn Airpoints.
Airpoints Advance
Some Airpoints Credit Cards allow you to get access a few extra Airpoints to complete an Airpoints purchase if you are just short of the Airpoints required to complete the purchase. These extra Airpoints are called Airpoints advance. The number of advance Airpoints you can get would depend on the credit card.
How do I redeem my Airpoints?
You can redeem your Airpoints in several ways as detailed below.
Flights
The most obvious way to redeem Airpoints is by booking flights. You can use your Airpoints to book flights with Air New Zealand, Air New Zealand partners, or members of the Star Alliance. If you do not have enough Airpoints to pay for your flights or purchase, you can use Airpoints Flexipay, which allows you to pay using a combination of Airpoints and cash. However, you need to pay for at least 20% of your purchase with Airpoints to use Airpoints Flexipay.
Airpoints Store
The Airpoints store is a another option to redeem your points. You can shop across a huge variety of products from many brands. Make sure you checkout the Airpoints store before you decide to start collecting Airpoints to get an idea of the kinds of goods you can get from the Airpoints Store.
Vouchers/e-Gift Cards
If you can’t find a product you like on the Airpoints store you could opt to get vouchers or Gift cards from the Airpoints Store instead.
Pro tip: there is no specific page or category for gift cards or vouchers on the Airpoints Store. To find available gift cards and vouchers on the Airpoints Store use the search bar of the website to search for “gift card” and “voucher” to see available gift cards on the site. Once you’ve selected a gift card you can then select the gift card amount which usually ranges from $10 to $1,000.
Flight Upgrades
You can use your Airpoints to request for upgrades which usually have to be booked at least 3 days before the flight. You can also use your Airpoints to request for upgrades with airlines that are members of the Star alliance.
Car rental
You can use your Airpoints to book rental cars with Avis and Budget. You would need enough points to book the whole thing.
Travel Insurance
You can use your Airpoints to purchase an Air New Zealand travel insurance policy. Tip: some credit cards offer comlimentary travel insurance so it is worth checking if your credit card offers this.
Wine Store
You can use your Airpoints to purchase wine from the Air New Zealand wine store.
Air New Zealand Merchandise Gifts
You can use your Airpoints to purchase Air New Zealand Merchandise as gifts on the Air New Zealand Merchandise store.
Airpoints Frequently Asked Questions
How does Airpoints work?
The Air New Zealand Airpoints programme allows you earn Airpoints for booking eligible fights with Air New Zealand or one of its many partners including flights from members of the Star alliance. Airpoints can also be earned by shopping with Air New Zealand patners such as New World, Mitre 10 and Caltex or by using credit cards that earn Airpoints. Airpoints can be redeemed for flights or other goodies from the Airpoints Store. One Airpoints is equivalent to $1 New Zealand dollar when used to book flights or used at Airpoints Store.
How much is one Airpoint worth?
One Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollar is worth the same as 1 New Zealand dollar when spent to book Air New Zealand flights or at the Airpoints Store which makes it very easy to understand.
How do I earn Airpoints?
You can earn Airpoints dollars through a variety of methods. These include booking eligible flights with Air New Zealand, Star Alliance airlines, or other Air New Zealand partner airlines. Additionally, using Airpoints Credit Cards, shopping with over 40 Airpoints Partners such as New World and Caltex, and utilising a OneSmart card are all effective ways to accumulate Airpoints dollars.
What is the earn rate for Airpoints?
The earn rate for Airpoints is likely to take in a few factors but to give you an indication an economy flight with a seat plus a bag from Auckland to Christchurch with Air New Zealand will earn you 15 Airpoints dollars and 32 status points, which is quite good for a domestic flight. For a long-haul flight from Auckland to London, you earn 128.80 Airpoints dollars.
How much Airpoints do I earn at New World?
As of this writing, spending $150 at New World earns you 1.11 Airpoints dollars. The earn rate varies across different partners, but this should provide an indication of what to expect.
What can I redeem my Airpoints for?
You can redeem your Airpoints for flights, goods from the Airpoints store, car rental, travel insurance and Air New Zealand merchandise.
How do I get Airpoints Silver Membership?
When you book flights with Air New Zealand and other airlines that are part of the Star Alliance you earn Status points which determines your Airpoints membership tier. To get an Airpoints Silver membership you would need 450 Status point within 12 months. To retain your Airpoints Silver membership you would need to earn 810 Status poins every 12 months.
How do I get a Gold Airpoints Membership?
When you book flights with Air New Zealand and other airlines that are part of the Star Alliance you earn Status points which determines your Airpoints membership tier. To get an Airpoints Gold membership you would need 900 Status point within 12 months. To retain your Gold membership you would need to earn 810 Status poins every 12 months.
How to get an Elite Airpoints Membership?
When you book flights with Air New Zealand and other airlines that are part of the Star Alliance you earn Status points which determines your Airpoints membership tier. To get an Airpoints Elite membership you would need 1,500 Status point within 12 months. To retain your Elite membership you would need to earn 1,350 Status poins every 12 months.
What does Airpoints Advance mean?
Some Airpoints Credit Cards offer a feature called Airpoints Advance, which allows you to access a few extra Airpoints to complete a purchase if you are just short of the required amount. The number of advance Airpoints available depends on the specific credit card.
For more information and tips to help you choose the best credit card in NZ, visit our website Credit Cards Compare.
