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To call 44-year-old Barry Collins a “dots nerd” would feel a bit disingenuous given his devotion to the craft. More precisely, he’s a points millionaire after completing a challenge to fly around the world by 2024 using the Scandinavian airline SAS – routes operated by 15 members of the SkyTeam Alliance.
describing the experience as TVs Competition around the world Without a camera, Barry’s point-collecting odyssey cost him £3,950 and involved 21 economy flights, many of them long haul. This earned him €1 million in bonus points which – if spent wisely – could be worth £10,000.
Barry says: “The singles I’ve talked to about it say, ‘That sounds great’, but every woman asks. World Health Organization Does he take care of your children?’
The promotion of SAS has attracted a lot of interest from point fans all over the world as well High criticism from environmentalists.
SAS declined to reveal the number of passengers who completed the million point challenge, but some travel bloggers estimate it could be in the hundreds. Many, like Barry, did it for the thrill of the chase. On one flight, from Guangzhou to Nairobi, he discovered that 10 of his fellow passengers – nine men and one woman – were all on the same quest.
I find this very surprising. What causes many men to struggle with points? How far will they go to maximize their points collection and redemption technique – and is it really worth it if you’re tempted to have a go yourself?
The consumer fury this week at British Airways scrapping its Executive Club loyalty scheme from April shows just how important these things are to a traveller.
The hype of the points industry is addictive, says Rob Burgess, the former investment banker behind it. Go to pointsa travel website dedicated to frequent flyer and hotel points schemes.
We met for lunch in the Square Mile but he took his teenage son to Paris the day before (on the dot) and ate at a nondescript sushi place using a £150 Amex Platinum dining out credit.
“It’s human nature to enjoy beating the system,” he smiles. The 40,000 subscribers to Saturday’s newsletter would surely agree. But to beat the system, you need to spend time understanding it.
There’s free money – but there’s also money to lose if you take your eye off the ball. Most cards have annual fees; If you don’t clear your balance every month and try to overspend to chase points, you’ll pay incredibly high interest rates.
And if too many people get too good at gaming the system, the airlines can move the goalposts. BA thinks the changes will make it “difficult, if not impossible” for leisure travelers to earn ‘gold’ status in the future.
However, January is the peak time of year for new starters to start collecting points. The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card offers up to 30,000 Membership Rewards points If you apply Before January 14th (these can be exchanged for Avios and many other airline and hotel points schemes).
Spend £25,000 on your card in your first year and you’ll earn another 12,500 points. There are double points on foreign spending and airline transactions. See how easy it is to get sucked down this rabbit hole?
But only a few manage to get the best value from points plans, he explains. As a former banker, he is an expert in working out the points. main course? Trading your points for business or first class flights will give you the highest redemption value.
When paying with points, first class fares are three to four times higher than economy fares. But it can cost 10 to 20 times more if you pay in cash – so the flat-bed premium cabin is (surprisingly) much better value.
If you’re the type of person who would pay £3,000 to fly first class, then you have this. Really He saved £3,000 of your money. Understanding that this mission is about getting the best value, rather than the lowest prices, explains why many wealthy people are obsessed with collecting points. Plus, if you travel a lot for work, points collected from flights and hotels are effectively free.
Barry, a property developer and kitchen designer, 10 years ago was a business owner who converted many of his work-related expenses into a collection of points cards. He’s never paid for a flight in his life, but over the past ten years, the hobbyist has flown his family first or business class to Orlando, Cancun, the Caribbean and many other places for less than tax and airline fees. Seats.
He was devastated to learn that I had never flown other than economy. I don’t get to fly much, and I’d rather give up lounges and flat beds to spend first-class training wherever I choose to spend the money. You can’t lose what you don’t know.
However, one hidden benefit of paying airfares on points is flexibility. Give 24 hours’ notice, and most airlines charge just £30 as a standard fee to change your flight. Forums are stacked with flight booking tips like usage. SeatSpy To notify when new seats appear or When you talk To view airline seat plans.
Double or triple stacking is Barry’s top tip to maximize your points collection in 2025. Use British Airways’ Avios marketplace As a login to other retailers’ websites, you will collect additional points. At the time of writing you can earn 16 Avios per £1 on Harvey Nicks and 18 on Diptyque. Great news if you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind blowing £85 on a posh candle. But there are always discounts on hotel booking sites, travel insurance and other essentials you might want to buy anyway.
Next, Barry selects one of the 10 cards from the mobile wallet app CurveThis adds another potential accumulation of points or cash – and then finally, there are the points on the card transaction.
Nectar card points Can be converted to Avios; You can also get them through Uber rides. Enjoy a tipple? The wine leaflet It always has great Avios deals. Energy companies including Octopus allow you to pay your bill on Amex (forums recommend setting up a low cost direct debit and then top up). You can pay Council Tax payments using a Visa or MasterCard points card.
Yet Barry warns: “To collect a good amount of points, you have to do everything, every time. All in or don’t bother.
I have a few FT colleagues who are very interested in this topic – they are all male. Dare I say, I think Christmas shopping is even fun for some!
This brings me back to Barry’s wife, Cheryl. She was happy to take care of the kids so Barry could go out and booked a solo beach holiday in Turkey – plus now she could share the million points with him.
Claire Barrett is the FT’s consumer editor and author of ‘What they don’t teach you about money. claire.barrett@ft.com Instagram @Claerb
