I have to admit this is almost as much an introduction for me as it is for you.  I’ve been in Flybuys for many years since it was once the only shopping rewards program in Australia although it didn’t get interesting until it revamped a few years ago and started sending out targeted email promos.  They’ve also added a lot of new partners I wasn’t aware of since I wasn’t really paying attention to the program as I was chasing Qantas points with Woolies.

Using these promos and the quarterly coupon books they mail out is the secret to acquiring large amounts of Flybuys points in a short time.  You usually get triple points or a target of (for example) spend $120 for bonus 1000 points.  These offers can also appear on the bottom of your shopping docket so you have to save the docket to scan the offer next time.

Last year, I redeemed about 50k Flybuys on 4 Photobooks using a double value rewards and a weeks worth of free groceries so I started out with zero this year and now have just over 20k without even trying by shopping at the Flybuys partners, espcially Coles.

I wasn’t trying because I had been focusing on Woolies Everyday Rewards program to get Qantas points which I deemed more valuable.  Now that that option is coming to an end, it’s time to take a 2nd look at Flybuys and especially their latest partner – Etihad.  You can redeem in increments of 10,000 Flybuys points for 4000 Etihad miles.  Flybuys also has some introductory offers to earn triple tier miles on Etihad which you can read about here.  This is mostly of interest to those who are cashing status as you would need some flights to get you to a silver tier even with these bonus points.

Tomorrow, we take a closer look at Etihad and ways to maximize it as it deserves its own post!