Describing 44-year-old Barry Collins as a “points nerd” seems completely inappropriate given his level of dedication to the craft. More precisely, he became a points millionaire after completing a challenge set by the Scandinavian airline SAS in the last months of 2024 – to fly around the world using routes operated by the 15 members of the SkyTeam alliance.
He described the experience as being like television Race all over the world Without the cameras, Barry's points-collecting journey cost him £3,950 and involved 21 economy flights, many of them long-haul. This netted him 1 million euro bonus points, which – if spent wisely – could be worth up to £10,000.
“Every man I've told about this says, 'That sounds so cool,' but every woman asks, 'W from Do you take care of your children?
The SAS promotion has attracted huge interest from point enthusiasts around the world, as well as Severe criticism Environmentalist.
SAS declined to reveal how many passengers have completed the million-point challenge, but some travel bloggers put the number in the hundreds. Many, like Barry, were doing 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 mission.
I find this darkly fascinating. What makes so many men complain about points? How long would they go to maximize your point collection and recovery technique – and if you're tempted to do it yourself, is it really worth it?
This week's consumer outrage over British Airways' decision to change its Executive Club loyalty program from April shows you just how important these things are to a certain type of traveler.
Rob Burgess, a former investment banker behind Point Making, says the point making game creates an addictive appeal. Head to the pointsa travel site dedicated to frequent flyer points plans and hotels.
We met for lunch in the Square Mile, but the day before he had taken his teenage son to Paris (on points) and they had eaten at a swanky sushi restaurant for next to nothing using his £150 Amex Platinum foreign dining credit.
“It is human nature to rejoice in the defeat of the regime,” he says with a smile. The 40,000 people who signed up for his newsletter on Saturday certainly agree. But to beat the system, you need to invest time in understanding it.
There's free money to be had – but there's also money to be lost if you take your eye off the ball. Most cards have an annual fee; Ridiculously high interest rates are charged if you don't clear your entire balance each month and the temptation to overspend in the pursuit of points is always there.
If too many people become too good at gaming the system, airlines could move the goalposts. Rob believes that the changes made by British Airways will make it “extremely difficult, almost impossible” for leisure travelers to achieve the coveted “gold” status in the future.
However, January is the peak time of year for beginners to start accumulating points. The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card offers a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points If you submit an application Before January 14 (can be redeemed for Avios, as well as countless other airline and hotel points programs).
Spend £25,000 on your card in your first year, and you'll get another 12,500 points. There are double points on foreign spending and airline transactions. Do you see how easy it is to get sucked down this rabbit hole?
However, he points out, only a few manage to get very good value from point charts. As a former banker, he is an expert at calculating points. The main lesson? Redeeming your points for business or first class travel gives you the maximum redemption value.
When paying with points, a first class ticket costs three to four times more than an economy class ticket. But if you pay cash, it can cost you 10-20 times as much, so a premium cabin with a flat bed is (oddly) much better value.
“If you're the kind of person who pays £3,000 to fly first class, then you've done it truly “You've saved £3,000 of your own money,” he says. Understanding that this quest is about getting better value, rather than lower prices, explains why so many wealthy people are obsessed with collecting points. Plus, if you travel a lot for business, the points you collect from flights and hotels are virtually free.
Barry, a real estate developer and kitchen designer, was commissioned to collect points 10 years ago by a fellow business owner who funneled much of his work-related spending through points cards. He's never paid for a luxury flight in his life, but for the past decade, his hobby has been flying his family first or business class to Orlando, Cancun, the Caribbean and many other places for no more than taxes and airfare on their flights. Seats.
It's sad for him to know that I've never flown in anything other than economy class. I rarely travel by plane, preferring to forego lounges and lie-flat beds to spend money on first-class experiences in my chosen destination. You can't miss what you never had.
However, one of the hidden benefits of paying for airline tickets with points is flexibility. Give 24 hours notice and most airlines will only charge a small fee of £30 to change your flight. Forums are full of flight booking tips, such as using… SeatSpy To notify you of the immediate appearance of new seats or Guru seat To view airline seating plans.
Double or triple stacking is Barry's best tip for maximizing your score in 2025. Use the British Airways program Avios shopping site As a portal to other retailers' websites, you will collect additional points. At the time of writing, you can get 16 Avios for every £1 you spend at Harvey Nicks, and 18 at Diptyque. Great news if you're the type who doesn't mind spending £85 on a luxury candle. But there are always offers on hotel booking sites, travel insurance and other necessities you might need to buy anyway.
Next, Barry selects one of his ten cards from the eponymous mobile wallet app curvewhich adds another potential layer of points or cash back — and then finally, there are the points included in the card transaction itself.
Nectar Card Points Can be converted into Avios. You can also earn it on Uber rides. Enjoy a drink? Wine Bulletin Always has good Avios offers. Energy companies, including Octopus, will let you pay your bill on Amex (forums recommend setting up a low-value direct debit, then increasing it). You can also pay your council tax bills using a Visa or Mastercard points card.
However, Barry warns: “To accumulate a decent amount of points, you have to do it everything, every time. It's all in or don't bother.
There are quite a few of my colleagues at the Financial Times – all male – who care deeply about this topic. Dare I say it, I think it made Christmas shopping fun for some of them!
Which brings me back to Barry's wife, Cheryl. She was happy to look after the kids so Barry could get off, and she's booked a solo sea swimming holiday in Türkiye – plus now she can share the million points with him.
Claire Barrett is consumer editor at the Financial Times and author of “What they don't teach you about money'. claer.barrett@ft.com Instagram @clairb
