Calling the 44-year-old Barry Collins a “scorer” feels like an understatement given his level of dedication to the craft. Exactly, you are a millionaire points after completing the challenge set in the closing months of 2024 by the Scandinavian airline SAS – to travel around the world using routes operated by 15 members of the SkyTeam Alliance.
Defining experiences like TVs Race Around the World excluding cameras, Barry's odyssey collection costs £3,950 and includes 21 economy flights, many of which are long-haul. This has given him 1mn EuroBonus points which – if used wisely – could be worth £10,000.
Barry says: “Every woman I've talked to about this says: 'That sounds so good' but every woman wonders: 'And. WHO are you taking care of your children?'”
The SAS promotion has attracted a lot of attention from note lovers around the world, as well great criticism from environmentalists.
SAS declined to reveal the number of passengers who completed the million-point challenge, but some travel blogs estimate it could be in the hundreds. Many, like Barry, were doing it for the fun of the chase. On one flight, from Guangzhou to Nairobi, he discovered that his 10 passengers – nine men and one woman – were all on the same mission.
I find this darkly interesting. What is it that causes many men to enter the pot with points? What lengths will they go to to maximize their collection points and redemption skills – and if you're tempted to go it alone, is it really worth it?
Customer outrage this week over British Airways' decision to shake up its Executive Club loyalty scheme from April shows just how important these things are to a certain type of traveller.
The improvement of the articles business creates an addictive allure, says Rob Burgess, a former banker. Go to the articlestravel website dedicated to frequent flyers and hotel points plans.
We met for lunch in the Square Mile, but the day before he took his teenage son to Paris (with points) and they ate at a dirty sushi place empty handed using a $150 Amex Platinum dining out card.
“It's human nature to enjoy beating the system,” he says with a smile. The 40,000 people who subscribe to his Saturday newsletter certainly agree. But to beat the system, you have 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 annual fees; High interest is charged if you don't clear your balance in full each month and the temptation to overspend since the points are always there.
And if more people get too good at gaming the system, airlines can remove the poles. Rob thinks BA's changes will make it “much, much harder” for leisure travelers to achieve the coveted 'gold' status in the future.
However, January is the peak time of the year for collection points to begin. The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card offers a bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points if you apply before January 14th (these can be exchanged for Avios, and millions of other airline and hotel points schemes).
Spend £25,000 on your card in your first year, and you'll earn an extra 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?
However, few are able to get the best value from points plans, he notes. As a former banker, he is an expert at doing the math. What is the important lesson? Trading your points for business or first class flights gives you the highest redemption value.
When paying with points, first class fares cost three to four times more than economy. But if you pay in cash, it can cost 10 to 20 times as much – so a premium bed is (surprisingly) a much better value.
“If you're the type of person who pays £3,000 to fly first class, this means you've got it. indeed save £3,000 of your money,” he said. Understanding that this need is about getting the best value, rather than the lowest price, explains why many wealthy people like to collect points. Plus, if you travel a lot for work, the points you collect on flights and hotels are free.
Barry, a property developer and kitchen designer, was opened to a collection point 10 years ago by a business owner who was using a lot of work-related expenses with credit cards. He has never paid for a posh flight in his life, but in the last ten years, his entertainment has driven his family first or business class to Orlando, Cancun, the Caribbean and many other places without tax payments and flights at their expense. seats.
It is sad to learn that I have never run anything but economics. I rarely fly, and I'd rather give up lounges and flatbeds to spend money on a first-class experience in my chosen destination. You can't miss something you never had.
Yet another hidden benefit of paying for air fares in points is flexibility. Give 24 hours' notice, and most airlines will only charge a £30 fee to change your flight. Forums are full of tips for booking a flight, such as using SeatSpy to announce the arrival of new seats or SeatGuru to check flight seating plans.
Double or triple stacking is Barry's top tip for maximizing your article collection in 2025. Use British Airways' Where to buy Avios as a portal to the websites of other sellers, and you will collect more points. At the time of writing, you can get 16 Avios per £1 spent at Harvey Nicks, and 18 at Diptyque. Good news if you're the type of person who doesn't mind blowing £85 on a posh candle. But there are always deals on hotel bookings, travel insurance and other essentials that you can buy.
Next, Barry selects one of his 10 cards from a wallet app called wallet It's curvedwhich adds another potential layer of points or a collection of cashback – so finally, there are points in the card transaction itself.
Nectar card points can be converted into Avios; you can find them on Uber rides. Did you enjoy the little one? Wine Flyer always has good Avios deals. Energy companies including Octopus will let you pay your bill with Amex (forums suggest setting up a low-cost debit, then top it up). You can even pay your council tax bills using a Visa or Mastercard debit card.
Yet Barry warns: “To collect the right points, you have to do everything, every time. It's all in or don't bother.”
Few of my FT colleagues – all of them men – are very interested in this topic. I mean, I think it even makes Christmas shopping fun for some of them!
This brings me back to Barry's wife, Cheryl. She was happy to look after the kids so Barry could get on the plane, and she has a solo swimming holiday in Turkey booked – and now she gets to share a 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