4 Mistakes People Make With Their Rewards Cards and How to Avoid Them

This article is sponsored by Flybuys.

Rewards cards are sweet. Who wouldn’t want free flights or cool gadgets or just straight-up discounts on items? The great thing about programs like Flybuys is they basically reward you for spending money you would’ve already spent anyway. Love that.

Though for all the good that comes with rewards programs, there are a few mistakes people make when using them that can be easily avoided. To save you the pain of learning those lessons firsthand, we’ve compiled a few of our best tips on what not to do with your rewards card. Enjoy.

Diving in without understanding the program

Look buster, no two rewards programs are the same — sure they may all share the basic premise, but the details make the riches my friend, and if you want to get the most out of your card, you’re going to want to have a squiz at the card’s website or welcome email.

If you still have questions, a good shout is heading over to the FAQ sections of your rewards card website — Flybuys has a great one. And if you’re still unsure, well it never hurts to get in touch with your rewards card provider and talk to an expert. 

Letting your points expire

Oh man, if there’s a rewards program equivalent of throwing money down the drain, this is it. The best remedy? Well, just like the previous point: inform yourself. Know exactly when your points expire. Alternatively, join a rewards program that makes this scenario almost impossible.

Flybuys points basically ‘never’ expire — which is quite handy for the forgetful among us. The only way your Flybuys points will expire is if you don’t scan your rewards card for an entire year. So yeah, scan away and you’re pretty safe on that front.

Blowing your budget to earn points

Hey look, I get it, that item up for grabs that’s worth bonus points right now — it’s tempting. But if you can’t afford it, then you can’t afford it. No amount of bonus points should cause you to spend more than you can.

Think of rewards programs as handy tools for you to get the most bang out of your buck, but as soon as you start spending more buck than you should just to get extra points, then you’re entering a slippery slope my friend.

One man who personifies this ethos is Queenslander Claudio, a member of the Flybuys 50 (think Fortune 500, but for Flybuys members). He made the list thanks to his ability to resist temptation and rack up those extra points to spend on fun end of year goals like an extra special Christmas ham. As a little mini game, he tries to top each year’s ham with an even better one the next year. What’s the lesson here? You want the big ham, be like Claudio — like I always say: slow and steady wins the ham.

Blowing your points before they accumulate

While it can be tempting to start using your points right away, good things come to those who wait. It’s a cliché for a reason — keep looking out for bonus point deals, scan religiously, and keep tucking those points away and soon enough you’ll have enough for something big, something well worth the wait.

If you’re keen to learn some more everyday spending hacks, then head on over to the Flybuys website and see who else made the Flybuys 50. Go on, you know you want to.