“I try not to spend a single cent if it doesn’t drip into my account with miles,” said George Clooney’s character Ryan in the movie Up in the Air. At work, Ryan took at least one flight almost every day, by the end of the film he managed to accumulate 10 million miles and receive lifetime privileges from the airline. If this lifestyle is not for you, then the benefits of earning miles may not be as obvious.

Nevertheless, airline loyalty programs are popular with passengers. 7.5 million people (30% of all passengers) participate in the Aeroflot Bonus program from Aeroflot - 2.5 million people, 1.7 million people participate in Status from Utair, Ural Airlines participates in the Wings program - more than 20% of passengers. “However, not everyone really uses the accumulated miles: according to our estimates, only 20–25% of loyalty program participants have accumulated enough bonuses to be able to spend them,” says Maxim Shapirovsky, Deloitte Digital CIS manager.

Perks are not for everyone

Each carrier has its own system for accruing bonus miles. Their number may depend both on the distance of the flight and on the price of the ticket. For example, Utair can earn 3–7% of miles from the ticket price depending on the status of a member of the loyalty program, while Air France and KLM can earn from 4 to 8 miles for every euro spent on a ticket. Lufthansa has the same system, but with a factor of 4–6. Depending on the distance, fare and service class, miles are credited, among other things, by Aeroflot, S7 and Emirates. Usually, miles are credited immediately after the client has made a flight (Aeroflot, Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France, Utair) or checked in for a flight (Ural Airlines). To receive Aeroflot miles, the loyalty program member number must be entered in the booking or when registering for the flight, after the flight this can also be done within three months, the company representative specified.

The best privileges go to those who fly enough to earn one of the elite statuses in the loyalty program. For example, in order to reach the minimum - "Silver" - level in the Aeroflot Bonus program, you need to make at least 25 flights per year or earn 25,000 qualifying miles (an average of 1 qualifying mile per 1 mile of flight in economy class), in "Wings" from Ural Airlines - 20 flights per year, and Miles & More from Lufthansa - 30 flights or 30,000 miles. In addition to various privileges (an extra piece of baggage, check-in at a separate counter, etc.), statuses increase the amount of bonuses compared to ordinary members of the loyalty program. Since August, S7 has introduced new statuses for passengers in addition to the elite Silver, Gold and Platinum (achieved after 20, 50 and 75 flights per year): Junior, Master, Expert and Top - after 4, 8, 12 and 16 flights, respectively. However, on the first two levels, only an additional 10-15% of bonus miles are available for such customers from all the benefits.

Help a friend

Bonus miles are divided into qualifying - allowing you to qualify for an increase in the status of a frequent flyer, giving additional privileges - and ordinary, which are accrued, as a rule, for using the services of airline partners or in the form of additional bonuses for members of elite level loyalty programs. Most carriers give miles for hotel reservations, car rentals and other purchases from their partners, for spending on co-branded cards of partner banks. For example, Aeroflot has four partner banks, depending on the type of card issued by the bank, you can receive up to 2 non-qualifying miles for every 60 rubles spent. /1 euro/$1.

Some companies have other ways to earn miles. S7 also credits them for online check-in for a flight, use of a business lounge, service class upgrade, etc. For example, you can even buy extra miles from Turkish Airlines - 1,000 miles will cost $30.

You can also earn (and spend) miles with carriers that are members of the same international alliance. The three largest alliances are Skyteam, Oneworld and Star Alliance. Of the Russian airlines, Aeroflot is part of Skyteam, among whose 20 members there is also Air France - KLM, Alitalia and Delta. S7 is part of the Oneworld alliance along with British Airways, American Airlines, Finnair and others. Star Alliance companies include Lufthansa, Swiss, Air China and Turkish Airlines.

“The miles of the alliance partners are also qualifying, that is, they bring them closer to the [elite] status in the loyalty program of the “native” airline,” explains Ilya Shatilin, the creator of the frequentflyers.ru portal.

However, the number of miles received from different carriers of the same alliance for a flight over a comparable distance in the same class may differ, and quite significantly, warns the creator of the resource aviablogger.com Konstantin Parfenok.

“Often, the transfer of miles from one air carrier to another within the same alliance is not free - payment is calculated on an individual basis between air carriers and can be charged both in the form of miles and in monetary terms,” Shapirovsky states. Sometimes an airline won't credit miles at all, he adds, most often with the low-cost tickets themselves, which are what most passengers are interested in.

Loyalty Award

“It makes sense to start earning miles only if you fly more than 5-10 times a year and are ready to choose one airline or several airlines from one alliance. Moreover, it is advisable to buy tickets at high fares, which allow you to earn more miles, and get a [co-branded] bank card, to which miles are credited for purchases - then you will be able to accumulate miles faster,” says Parfenok.

For example, a businessman who flies from Moscow once a month on business to Yekaterinburg and does not have an elite level in the loyalty program will receive a maximum of 4,446 bonus miles for one round-trip flight with Aeroflot. To do this, he must buy a Premium ticket in a business class, which at the time of preparation of the material cost more than 40,000 rubles. To buy a business class ticket Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Moscow for bonuses once, you need to spend 30,000 miles - a businessman will accumulate them after seven business class flights at the Premium fare on the same route. If he has the highest status in the program (“Platinum”), he will need six such flights. But in order to save up for a business class flight to the Maldives and back, a businessman at the Platinum level will have to fly Moscow - Yekaterinburg - Moscow 23 times. If he made monthly flights to Berlin, he could buy a ticket to Male in 20 flights.

When flying from Moscow to Yekaterinburg and back in economy class at the Budget fare, an Aeroflot Bonus member receives a maximum of 2,222 miles. It turns out that he will be able to buy the same ticket for miles only for the tenth such flight. It will cost him the same amount to upgrade to business class.

Some companies make it possible to pay for a ticket partly in cash, partly in miles - such a system operates in the Skywards program from Emirates, as well as in the programs of Utair and Ural Airlines. The last two even equated miles to rubles, essentially introducing a cashback that can be used for air travel and other services.

Unobvious benefit

The rate of write-off of bonus miles is much worse than the rate of accrual, states Shatilin. In addition, the number of tickets available for purchase with miles is most often limited - according to Shatilin, there are no more than 1-2% for each flight: “To popular destinations and in the [high] season, keep track of tickets that can be purchased for bonuses, it is necessary strongly in advance; besides, they may not exist at all. The exception is monetary programs that work on the principle of cashback, he adds. In addition, as a rule, you can pay with miles not the entire cost of the ticket, but only the fare without fees, reminds Parfenok: “Fees can reach up to 20,000 rubles, most often, the longer the flight and the higher the class of service, the larger they are.” For example, an Aeroflot business class flight on the Moscow-Paris route in September this year will cost 50,000 miles and 22,749 rubles. fees. Flying the same route in Air France Business Class will cost you a minimum of 52,000 Flying Blue miles plus fees. Members of one alliance provide passengers with the opportunity to spend bonus miles of their airline on partner flights, but this is completely unprofitable. For example, a business class flight from Moscow to Paris with Air France will cost 90,000 Aeroflot Bonus miles plus fees.

Before spending miles on a flight, you need to make sure that it is not possible to buy an air ticket at a lower price for the same destination from another carrier, Shatilin warns: it is often cheaper than paying your airline's fees and paying extra miles for a fare.

You need to be careful if the flight is code-share (one company operates the flight, and its partners can sell tickets for it under their own code. - Vedomosti), adds Shapirovsky: “Let's say if you fly with Air France, which shares code with Aeroflot from the same alliance, then Air France points are not fully converted into Aeroflot points, since in the understanding of the carrier they may have different values. If Aeroflot operates a flight and shares the code with Air France, then you will receive your Aeroflot Bonus points in full.”

Accumulated miles may expire. For example, Emirates and Air France miles live for three years from the date they are earned. Utair writes off 100 accumulated miles every month if the passenger has not flown with the airline's aircraft for six months. Aeroflot miles are completely burned out if the participant has not made a single flight in two years. “Also, the airline can change the number of miles needed to buy a ticket at any time, so it’s better to spend miles: if you save them for a long time, you can never save up for something significant,” explains Parfenok.

Tatyana Solomatina

Aeroflot Bonus program: how to earn and spend miles?

Hello dear readers and guests of my blog! How often do you fly by plane? If this happens at least two or three times a year, then this information will be not only interesting, but also useful. Because today I will introduce you to the Aeroflot Bonus loyalty program, which, under certain conditions, allows you to save a lot. However, this offer is unfortunately not for everyone.

How beneficial is participation in the program for you? Look for the answer in this article. It contains comprehensive information on the topic: what the program is, what privileges and opportunities it opens up, how to become a member, who and under what conditions will be able to save in this way, and how to spend Aeroflot Bonus miles. I am sure that everyone will find something useful here.

Aeroflot Bonus is a loyalty program developed by the Russian airline Aeroflot. This accumulative system is not as banal as those offered by supermarkets or boutiques. Here the possibilities are much wider, and the result is much more pleasant.

After accumulating a certain number of miles, you will be able to:

1. Enjoy all the delights of flying in business class.
2. Dinner on board an aircraft is no worse than in a luxurious restaurant.
3. Take advantage of the added benefits of Business Class service.
4. Good to book a hotel.
5. Purchase useful products, as well as partner services, or select them from the "Rewards Catalog".

What do you want? Risotto with seafood in the sky on the way to Italy or an interesting little thing for your own pleasure? Or maybe you want to live in a luxury hotel at a more interesting price? With the Aeroflot Bonus program your trips will become bright and memorable. Believe! It has already been verified by more than one Aeroflot client. And this is not a joke!

How to get involved?

Each passenger over 12 years old can become a member of the loyalty program. But the airline also cares about its tiny customers. Therefore, similar privileges are provided for them - Aeroflot Bonus Junior (for children from 2 to 12 years old). With participation in this program, the flight for your baby will be an exciting adventure that will give a lot of positive emotions. Sweets, toys, children's clothes and other goods, great deals from airlines - that's what a child can get by using "miles". A very tempting offer, isn't it?

How to get involved? To do this, you do not need to stand in a tedious queue and waste precious time. It is enough to go to the official website of Aeroflot and go to the "Aeroflot Bonus" tab, or just click here. Then fill out an online form. No internet access? In this case, the next time you fly with a company aircraft, ask the flight attendant for a paper version of the questionnaire and fill it out right on board. You can also register for the program by visiting Aeroflot representative offices or by contacting program partners, for example, banks: Sberbank, Alfa Bank, Otkritie, Citi, SMP. Then, earn miles and spend them with pleasure!

Attention! Remember that a temporary card is issued on board the aircraft and from partners, which must be activated on the website in your personal account.

What are miles earned for and how can they be redeemed?

To begin with, it is worth clarifying that a particular partner will credit you with a certain amount of virtual bonuses. For example, by renting a room at the Minor Hotel, you will receive 500 miles for one night of your stay, or by making purchases at Moskhoztorg, 1 miles will be credited to your card for every 40 rubles spent. Here are some of the favorable payment terms. It turns out that earning miles is not so difficult. Rather the opposite. Well, very easy.

So, you have registered in the program and are ready to earn miles? Don't quite understand how they are calculated? I explain. You can get coveted miles:

• For flights with Aeroflot, as well as partner airlines (see the full list here), miles are awarded depending on the ticket booking class and flight distance. If the range is less than 500 miles, then you will receive 500 miles to your personal account. Do not forget to present your Aeroflot Bonus card when booking/purchasing or when checking in for a flight. In addition, miles are also credited when booking a flight on the airline's website. You only need to indicate that you are a member of the program by entering your card number.
• For services, goods, works offered by Aeroflot partners. There are a huge number of them. These are restaurants, boutiques, supermarkets, hotels, and online stores. Would you like to know if your favorite clothing boutique is a partner of the program? Here you can search by category and see how many miles are credited. Follow the link, don't be shy. I think you are a regular customer of at least one partner for sure. And this is already a certain number of accrued miles.
• Also, earn and spend miles with more than 500,000 hotels around the world. You can learn more about how it works by clicking here.

I’m revealing a little secret: there is a special calculator on the Aeroflot website, with which you can calculate how many miles you will earn during the flight, or you can spend the ones you have already accumulated by enjoying a trip in Business class. To issue an award ticket or upgrade in service class, you need to have at least 15,000 miles on your account, which are easy to accumulate with program partners.

I want to warn you about one piquant moment - not all tariffs earn miles. Only for those participating in the loyalty program. How not to miscalculate? Group fares (GV), special fares (FX, BRV, MED), subsidized fares (SO, GO, MFRF, GC, GA), as well as premium fares and those issued in O, X, F, G classes are not eligible for earning miles. It's a pity of course, but these are the conditions of the program. In addition, the airline has not stinted on pleasant bonuses for its customers. Do you agree?

Conditions for redeeming miles

There is no need to describe in detail how to spend miles. I think, from what I read above, it became clear - accumulate miles and get bonuses. The only thing you should pay attention to is that in addition to having the required number of miles, in order to receive awards, you must have made at least 1 paid flight on a regular Aeroflot flight over the past 2 years at a fare that is included in the accrual of miles. Here is such a “hard” condition put forward by the airline.

To spend miles with loyalty program partners, you need to provide an Aeroflot Bonus card and enter a PIN code that can be generated in your Personal Account. Everything is quite simple and clear.

Don't know how many miles you have accumulated? Account information is available in real time on the airline's website in your personal account. Or you can contact the Aeroflot call center consultants.

Enjoy shopping, culinary masterpieces, travel in comfort! With the Aeroflot Bonus program, flying by plane is not only affordable, but always pleasant.

How to level up and become a member of the Elite Club?

You will receive a basic membership card after earning 2,000 miles. It is made within 2 weeks and automatically sent to the postal address you specified during registration. Delivery is made by Russian Post. Estimated waiting time is about 6 weeks.

But the Aeroflot Bonus program provides for something else interesting - the transition to the Elite levels, where you get more cool privileges. For example, additional discounts from partners or various amenities during the flight.

You must earn the required number of qualifying miles within a calendar year to advance to a higher tier. What is this?

• Qualifying miles (hereinafter referred to as K-miles) are those that you earn while traveling on regular flights of both Aeroflot and partner airlines.
• Non-qualifying (hereinafter referred to as N-miles) - those that you additionally earn for partner services, special program offers and additional elite miles earned in the Elite Club. These miles are available for redemption only. However, keep in mind that they do not affect the transition between levels in any way.

I wonder how to become a member of the Aeroflot Elite Club? I will not languish. In addition to the basic level, there are also Silver, Gold and Platinum, the transition conditions between which are quite real to fulfill. Look, it's simple:

1. You can upgrade to Silver by earning 25,000 K-Miles in a calendar year or by flying 25 scheduled flights at a mileage-earning fare (called a flight segment).
2. On Golden - 50 thousand K-miles or 50 flights in 1 calendar year.
3. For Platinum - 125 thousand K-miles or 50 flights in Business class in 1 calendar year.

That's it! Agree, it is very cool to travel and receive additional privileges in the form of miles for this, which can be spent not only on the services of the airline itself, but also at your own discretion, thanks to the variety of offers of program partners. What do you think?

How else can you use miles?

Optionally, you can gift your award in the form of an upgrade, a free ticket, or partner services to another person. To whom? Yes to anyone! Mom, sister, grandfather, friend.

In addition, you can do a useful thing that will add a million pluses to your karma - make a donation to charitable foundations that are partners of the Aeroflot Bonus loyalty program. The minimum donation amount is 100 miles. But you can do such a good deed only if you have already accumulated 3,000 miles on your account. All details are in the section "Mile of Mercy". Don't hesitate to go. The only caveat is that such opportunities are not provided for Aeroflot Bonus Junior members.

I also want to draw your attention to the fact that participation in the program is exclusively individual. That is, if your grandmother is going to visit Paris, then her miles cannot be credited to your account.

Another important point is that if you bought a ticket, but did not board it, miles are not credited.

Who benefits from participating in the program?

So, if you often travel by plane and want to get the most out of it, be sure to register with the Aeroflot program. Why not? No risks, no downsides, nothing bad. This is not a credit card! It's much cooler than the usual discount program and much nicer than a simple 10% discount in any boutique. It even seems that the Aeroflot Bonus card is almost omnipotent. Seriously speaking, this is certainly not the case, but you will undoubtedly appreciate her privileges.

If you do not fly on airplanes, then of course there is no point in participating in the Aeroflot loyalty program. However, life is unpredictable. And maybe in a month you will want to get acquainted with the culture of Laos and buy your first plane ticket. Then do not forget to register with Aeroflot Bonus. It will not take much time, but it will give a lot of positive emotions!

Travel! There are so many beautiful and interesting things in the world that it takes your breath away. Don't believe? Then here are a few articles that will be interesting to read at your leisure:

Now I say goodbye for a while, until we meet again!

Tatyana Solomatina

Greetings to all readers of my blog! Today, the next step is to continue the review of bank cards, perfect suitable for travel. In past reviews, we considered which option is better to choose for shopping abroad, and the issue of banking products for travel was also touched upon ( advantageous purchase of tickets). Today I will dwell in more detail on how to earn miles, and what offers are best suited for this.

How are miles calculated?

Personally, I managed to try out the offers of Alfa Bank and Tinkoff. For example, at Alpha bank even the name says that the product is positioned as a travel option - Alfa Miles. Read more about the conditions of work with her below.

In fact, this is an ordinary debit / credit card, but the bank allows you to accumulate bonus funds and use them to buy railway / air tickets, book hotel rooms, that is, pay for everything related to travel. Conditions vary from bank to bank. For those who are planning a trip abroad, I recommend - you can good to save by reducing the cost of converting money into the desired currency.

In fact, this is a regular bonus that many banks charge for various purchases. It's just that the name of the bonus funds is chosen so that it immediately indicates that the product is aimed specifically at travelers. Besides:

• Increased bonus it is offered for payment from plastic for the purchase of different types of tickets;
• Bonus miles can be used to pay 100% of the ticket price. Payment of other expenses related to travel depends on the bank, some allow it, others do not.

As for how to accumulate such a gift from the bank, I advise use plastic more to pay for everyday expenses. If you need to buy a ticket, be sure to pay for it with a card. I, for example, for 2 months unbeknownst to himself, he accumulated a bonus on the Alfa Bank card, which was enough to pay for 100% of the cost of an air ticket in Russia.

How much can you earn

There are a number of restrictions on accruing funds to the bonus account (depending on the specific bank). They do not allow customers, for example, to abuse this service by simply transferring money from one account to another. In addition, not all categories of purchases are taken into account by the bank, some are not charged. I recommend before opening a card with miles carefully study the conditions jar.

For example, Alpha has Not will be charged:

• For withdrawing money from any ATM;
• For money transfers to the accounts of other banks and the accounts of the AB itself. The replenishment of EPS wallets (Qiwi, Poison, WebMoney, and so on) is not taken into account.
• For paying bets in casinos/sweepstakes;
• For payment in favor of pawnshops, insurance companies, any financial institutions;
• If plastic was used for purchases in favor of legal entities. For example, the purchase of equipment and furniture for the company - you will not receive anything for such a waste.

You can find out whether you will receive a replenishment of the bonus account by Merchant ID, on the Alpha website there is a list of transaction codes for which miles are not credited to your account.

Concerning limit by the number of accumulated bonus-miles, then it is not. So the more actively you spend money, the faster the bonus account will grow. You can calculate miles using the online calculator on the bank's website.

The accrual will not occur instantly, but 1 time per month You can track the status of the bonus account through your personal account. Welcome Miles will only be credited if you make your first purchase within 45 days after its release.

What and how to spend

The options for how to spend bonus miles depend on the bank. Some allow them to pay only for the purchase of air or railway tickets, others for renting a hotel room. This may also apply to the purchase of goods/services from a bank partner.

For example, in the case of Alfa, you can purchase a ticket for the accumulated miles directly through the Aeroflot website. Just in the ticket booking window under the field with the choice of currency there is an appropriate option. When booking hotels through the Aeroflot website, this option is also available.

There is a calculator on the bank's website, you can figure out what the accumulated bonus will be enough for. The cost of the ticket in miles is not displayed in it, it is only marked for which trip there will be enough bonus savings. In general, it is quite possible to pay for an air ticket in Russia or neighboring countries, even if your average monthly expenses are at an average level.

If you are planning actively shopping abroad, think about Alfa Bank's dollar card, and points accumulate quickly, And you don't have to pay for the conversion. this issue is considered separately.

Options on the market

Alfa and Tinkoff offers - not the only, but these banks have them organized most intelligently + I have personal work experience with them, so I will dwell on them in more detail. The cards are really worth it.

Offers of Alfa Bank

Alpha offers to buy a ticket for miles with 100% payment of its cost with bonus funds. There are several options suitable for travel, I will compare them in tabular form.

If payment with miles is not possible due to the fact that there are not enough points, you can buy them in addition. This offer applies to all types of cards.

The table above shows the conditions for working with debit cards, but Alfa Bank also issues credit cards of such a type. The main conditions for them (the order of accrual, the number of welcome points) same as debit, therefore I will focus only on their "credit" characteristics.

If you plan to store large amounts of money on plastic, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with.

There is another interesting option - Russian Railways proposal, it is also considered a good way to travel. True, unlike the previous ones, miles are not accrued here, but work is being done with regular points. There is also an option with debit cards and credit cards, I will give a table for credit cards.

For all credit cards of this type, the rate is equal to 23,99% , grace period - 60 days. It begins to count after the first purchase at the expense of borrowed funds.

Get a credit card Alfa Russian Railways

In addition to the above proposals, Alpha also has an offer Aeroflot. According to it, the accrual reaches 2 miles for 30 rubles / $ 1 / € 1. I have not worked with her yet, the conditions are similar to Alfa-Miles. If you are planning a trip abroad, I would recommend thinking about multicurrency map, don't miss it. This way you won't overspend on conversions.

Consider one nuance, I didn’t immediately pay attention to it - points will be awarded only for an amount that is a multiple of 30 rubles / $ 1 / 0.8 € (or other amount indicated in the description). For example, you made a purchase on 115 rubles, in this case, Alfa-Miles will credit you with 3 miles, and the balance (not a multiple of 30 rubles, that is, already 25 rubles in this example) will be discarded and ignored by the system. A trifle, but the size of the final accrual affects. Advice on how to earn miles former - spend more money, and with the growth of expenses, the growth rate of the bonus account will also increase.

What will please Tinkoff?

Although I put this bank in second place on the list, but in my personal rating, he is on a par with Alfa Bank, taking first place. The main offer of Tinkoff is travel card All Airlines(there is both a credit card and a debit card).

Bonuses

• 8% - booking a car, paying for a hotel room;
• 3% - air and railway tickets;
• 1.5% - other categories of expenses;
• up to 30% on special offers of partners.

Maintenance cost

299 rubles per month, if a bank loan is taken in cash. With a balance of 100 thousand maintenance free.

What can you spend bonuses on?

Buying tickets.

Additional features

• Travel insurance;
• When withdrawing more than 3000 rubles Tinkoff does not charge a commission (this also applies to cash withdrawals abroad);
• When transferring up to 20,000 rubles per month to cards of other banks zero commission;
• 6% per annum on the balance.

This is not the only option for the traveler. Good option - S7, miles on it are credited approximately in the same amount as in the offer from Alpha, but there is an advantage in the form of free cash withdrawal. Occasionally arranged closed ticket sales, I have not yet received such offers, but judging by the reviews of other bank customers, there is a chance to buy the right ticket much cheaper than the market price.

Make a debit TCS All Airlines

The credit limit is set at 700 000 rub., interest on borrowed funds 18.9%, maintenance will cost 1890 rub. in a year. The grace period is 55 days from the beginning of the use of borrowed funds. Miles for purchases are credited a little more actively than for a debit card, for example, for booking a car, hotel rooms will accrue not 8%, but 10% of the amount spent.

Apply for a TCS All Airlines credit card

On the Aeroflot card, the bonus will be accrued much slower compared to Alfa and Tinkoff, if payments are made in rubles. So if you often make purchases in Russian currency, the offer from Sberbank is unprofitable - the accumulation will go twice slower.

I will note and high maintenance cost. According to this parameter, both Alpha and Tinkoff on the head bypass Sberbank. As for how to use the accumulated Aeroflot miles, they can be spent on buying tickets Aeroflot And skyteam, use to upgrade the class of service, purchase of goods of bank partners. They cannot be used, for example, to pay for renting a car or a hotel room. Another option - participation in a charity event.

VTB - map of the world

The bank is positioned as an ideal option for those who travel a lot by any means of transport.

Bonus miles

Depends on costs:

• 5-15 thousand - 1%;
• 15-75 thousand - 2%;
• over 75 thousand - 4%.

Within the first month of use the bonus is calculated in the amount 4% of any amount.

Maintenance cost

0 subject to active use.

What can you spend bonuses on?

• Purchase of tickets (air and railway), payment for hotel rooms. Work with 800 airlines and 100 thousand hotels is supported.
• Rent a Car.

Additional features

• The bank will accrue 7% per annum on the account balance;
• You can withdraw money without commission at any ATM in the amount of up to 150 thousand rubles;
• All online payments of the same amount are also free.

To pay for the ticket, the exchange rate is mile:ruble 1:1 .

In this proposal, among the shortcomings, I will note a small percentage at relatively low costs. It can only be recommended if you plan to make major purchases, in this case the bonus will be tangible, in all other cases Alfa and Tinkoff are preferable.

results

All of the above offers for travel are worthy of attention. Personally, I used Alfa Bank and Tinkoff, no comments. Compared to the same Sberbank or VTB, I personally liked Alfa’s more miles for ruble expenses, Tinkoff is also at a high level in this matter.

I advise you not to focus on the question of how to earn miles, but just use the card as usual. On a personal example, I was convinced that in a couple of months it is quite possible to accumulate bonuses for paying for a ticket.

With this, I conclude today's article. Thank you for your attention and don't forget subscribe to my blog, leave comments And share articles on social media. See you soon!

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Imagine, the first frequent flyer program appeared in 1972! I wasn't even around then. A few years later, American Airlines "finished" this project, and a system for accounting and accumulating miles appeared, which is known to everyone today. Even Russian Railways recently introduced a similar system for rail passengers, and miles are credited not only for flights, but also for spending on a bank card.

I have been using the Aeroflot mile program in my bank for a long time, but since February 1, they have changed the conditions for accruing bonus miles on debit and credit cards. If earlier one mile was charged for every 30 rubles, now the rate has increased to 60 rubles. It's sad, but understandable.

I have long wanted to write about miles and this system, and then an opportunity presented itself. Guys from Tinkoff Bank approached me with an offer to advertise them and provided me with financial analytics of current proposals for mile cards on the Russian market. This is very interesting data that shows the real situation in terms of the profitability of certain cards. Let's understand: what are miles, how they are accrued and spent.

Essence of miles

The airlines are simple. You fly, you earn bonus miles. After a few flights, you can spend those miles on tickets or services: an upgrade to business class, extra baggage, or something else. Banks do not accrue bonus miles for flights, but for card purchases. Miles can be spent on tickets, hotel reservations and other services, depending on the bank.

What is the point of banks doing this? When you buy something with a card, your seller pays a commission to the bank: on average, from 2% to 4% of the purchase amount. This commission is the economic basis of the card payment system. Everyone earns on it: your bank, your seller's bank and the payment system. It is beneficial for the bank that you use the card as often as possible. It is desirable that the card becomes your main payment instrument. Even if you have a credit card, it is not so important for the bank to receive interest from you as to encourage you to make purchases as often as possible. Banks do not earn on you, but on sellers.

In fact, miles are a certain type of cashback, the return of part of the funds spent for regular use of a bank card.

Miles accrual

If airlines accrue miles based on flight distance, class of service, etc., then miles on a bank card accrue based on the amount of your payments. On the All Airlines card of Tinkoff Bank, 2% of any purchases made on the card are charged. Other cards have the same mechanics. You spend from the card, you get a percentage of spending in the form of miles. But the rates for accruing miles for purchases are different. For the same purchases from different cards, a different number of miles will be returned.

Let's say you spend 70,000 a month - i.e. 840,000 a year. Let's take the popular mile cards and see how many miles are returned:

As we can see, the cards of Sberbank, Russian Standard and Raiffeisen banks brought the most miles. All Airlines from Tinkoff Bank returned only 16,800 miles to the owner. Against the background of other maps - not a very remarkable result. But let's figure it out: is 40,000 miles a lot or a little? In the US, some programs can earn you as much as 50,000 welcome miles. Here we come to an important point - the real value of miles.

Miles value

Everyone has the same principle: first you accumulate miles, and then they turn into money. But each bank has its own conversion rate from miles to rubles. For example, 1 mile in Vanguard is 36 kopecks. Russian Standard has 1 mile equal to 50 kopecks. In the All Airlines card program, 1 mile is equal to 1 ruble. That is, 100 miles is 100 rubles.

Let's say you want to buy a ticket to Barcelona and back for 14,500 rubles. Here's how many miles you need to get such a ticket:

So far, it turns out that the most profitable cards are VTB24 Transaero Platinum (connected to the Transaero Privilege program) and All Airlines. Both cards outperform all other major competitors in terms of value from the same baseline.

But there are a few more important points that need to be said.

1. Taxes and fees. Not all reward programs allow you to pay the full price of the ticket in miles. The fact is that the ticket price consists of two components: the fare and taxes / fees. Typically, taxes and fees range from 20 to 50% of the ticket price. Ticket sites show us the final prices right away, but you can find out more about this on the airline sites. For almost all programs with airlines, you only compensate for the fare. Service fees and taxes will have to be paid by yourself. At All Airlines, service costs are compensated in the same way as the ticket itself. You won't have to pay.

2. The cost of annual maintenance. In fact, this is a subscription fee for using the card. Here again we have to turn to the data:

VTB24 Transaero Platinum costs 11,050 rubles a year, which is practically the cost of a whole ticket.

3. Choice of flights. Almost all bonus programs from the list have a significant limitation. The fact is that you cannot buy any ticket for miles. You will face restrictions by country, date, airline, or purchase method. With cards linked to Aeroflot, you can only fly with Aeroflot and partners. With Transaero cards (including VTB24) - only Transaero and its partners.

There are no such restrictions on ALL Airlines. You can buy with miles any ticket of any airline in any direction, on any date, in any place and through any search engine or agent. Including low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Pobeda, etc.). The only conditions are the payment of the ticket with an ALL Airlines card and the opportunity to compensate the cost of the ticket with miles only in full. There is no partial surcharge, as in some other banks.

But you will be able to "accumulate" miles after purchasing a ticket - no one else has such an option. While at other banks you need to know in advance whether to redeem miles, with All Airlines you will be able to refund your ticket within three months after the flight. During this time, you can earn more miles.

4. Validity of miles and "activation" of miles. Everything is simple here: for all cards from the list, inactive miles burn out every 2 years. Did not have time - lost the accumulated miles. ALL Airlines miles only expire once every 5 years. "Not in time" will be difficult. In addition, in order to use Aeroflot bonus miles, you must first fly somewhere with Aeroflot at your own expense. This "activates" the miles. You understand that this flight will also cost you money.

5. Accrual of miles for the bonus flight itself. For an ALL Airlines bonus flight, you will also receive miles from the airline itself, since for airlines this is a regular ticket purchased with your funds. No restrictions are placed on it. The benefit is twofold: you continue to earn Airline Miles on your flights and at the same time earn ALL Airlines Miles on purchases.

Bonuses

Each mile program has its perks. These can be welcome miles, increased birthday miles, discounts from partners, etc. In the case of All Airlines, you will be given an increased mileage cashback for spending in the travel sector. For example, for buying air tickets through travel.tinkoff.ru you get not 2%, but 5%, and 10% is returned for booking hotels and cars.

Example: you buy a ticket for 28,000 rubles, which you are going to compensate with miles. The ticket is free for you, but the bank will still refund you 5% - that's 1,400 miles. They can be used to compensate for the next flight. Spending 70,000 rubles per month on the card and 100,000 per year on the tourist category, you will earn approximately 21,000 miles. 21,000 miles is, if anything, a free ticket to Singapore and back.

Let's summarize.

The case is this: you spend 100,000 rubles a month from the card and are going to fly to Tel Aviv for 14,500 rubles. The ticket price consists of the fare (8,000 rubles) and airline fees and taxes (6,500 rubles).

Conclusions on the table:

Surcharge for fees. In most cards, you will have to pay a significant amount for tickets - airline fees and taxes.

How many of these tickets can you buy in a year. Some cards will not allow you to fly for free. It will take more than a year to accumulate miles (or you will have to spend more than 100,000 rubles per month from the card). With All Airlines, you will definitely get any ticket for free, and in the very first year of use. When you spend 15,000 on your ticket refund, you will still have 10,000 miles left. You can fly anywhere on them if the ticket costs less than 9,000 rubles.

How many miles you get for buying a ticket. Here All Airlines is in the lead: for the purchase of a ticket, you will receive an additional 1,200 miles that can be spent on the next ticket.

All Airlines is a value proposition for travelers or those who fly regularly on vacation. I fly frequently and will most likely continue to use both my bank card and the All Airlines card. There is a little trick here: the guys from Tinkoff Bank suggested that All Airlines does not interfere with using other bonus programs.

For example, I can still spend Aeroflot bonuses, and with the help of All Airlines, I can compensate for service fees for which I previously had to pay extra separately. Or I can compensate for the purchase of a ticket with the help of All Airlines, and Aeroflot bonuses will help me upgrade my flight to business class.

In addition, the card has a rich set of banking services:

— credit limit up to 700,000 rubles;
— interest-free period up to 55 days;
— 1000 miles as a gift (you need to make one purchase from the card);
- free travel insurance (will be used for obtaining a visa);

You can fill out an application for an All Airlines card

Due to the crisis, it has become more difficult to accumulate award miles for award flights - banks have increased their cost, and airlines have increased taxes and fees that are required to purchase a ticket. In addition, if there have been no receipts to the bonus account for several years, then the accumulated miles “burn out”. Not everyone knows that even a small number of miles can be spent.

Aeroflot

The cheapest bonus ticket under special offers from Aeroflot costs 15,000 miles. Moreover, if the account holder has at least 1,769 miles, then they can be used to purchase a certificate for a movie ticket (in a regional cinema). For Muscovites, the cheapest certificate will cost 2222 miles. You can also redeem miles for going to a restaurant, visiting a water park, bowling, various shops, etc.

Examples of awards in the Aeroflot Bonus program:

• gift certificate to the store "Ship" in the amount of 500 rubles. - 2208 miles;
• certificate of the network of restaurants "IL Patio" in the amount of 500 rubles. - 2298 miles (for 3000 rubles - 13650 miles);
• certificate of the Eldorado store in the amount of 1000 rubles. - 4490 miles (for 10,000 rubles - 45354 miles);
• TGI Fridays certificate in the amount of 1500 rubles. - 6783 miles;
• certificate for visiting the water park in the amount of 1500 rubles. - 6837 miles.

The full catalog can be found at the link -

Almost all airlines offer to spend the accumulated miles on charity. If there are more than 5,000 miles on your account, then at least 1,000 miles can be donated to the Gift of Life, Life Line, Spivakov International Charitable Foundation or the Kommersant Publishing House Help Fund. The miles will be spent on free transportation for children in need of medical care and air tickets for talented children.

Miles can be spent through your personal account on the site.

Utair

The second largest air carrier in Russia has a Status bonus program. In addition to tickets, miles can be used to purchase accommodation in expensive hotels. For example, a room in the Ambassador Hotel (St. Petersburg) will cost 36,000 miles per night in low season and 45,000 miles in high season. Two days in the Moscow hotel Baltschug Kempinski cost 45,000 miles, and in the Wellness Hotel Yugorskaya Dolina (Khanty-Mansiysk) for one night in a double room you need to pay 12,000 miles.

You can spend miles on the website.

Siberia Airlines offers to spend unnecessary miles in the Ordinary Miracle Children's Charitable Foundation and Rusfond. You can transfer them through your personal account or by calling the airline's call center (8-800-100-77-11). You will not be able to buy any items with the accumulated points.

TravelmilesiGlobe

Miles are credited to plastic cards by 15 banks, including Raiffeisenbank, Binbank, Uniastrum Bank, Rosbank, UBRD, Intesa and others. For points you can:

• book a hotel around the world (for example, three nights in Barcelona will cost 57,943 miles);
• rent a car (for example, a day in Yaroslavl will cost 4067 miles);
• buy an aeroexpress ticket (from Belorussky railway station to Sheremetyevo airport for 1772 miles);
• purchase a train ticket (from Moscow to St. Petersburg from 7910 miles).

You can pay for these and other services on the website.

milesandmore

Members of the Miles and more bonus program can purchase gift certificates in Eldorado, M.Video and Technosila for 500 rubles. for 3000 miles (for 750 rubles - for 4500 miles). Hotel stays start at 10,200 miles per night and car rentals start at 7,500 miles per day.

Shopping at gift voucher outlets in Belgium, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain will cost €25 for 7,500 miles.

Miles can also be spent on international charity - from 3,000 miles to educate teen migrants, 5,000 miles to feed 50 African children, 10,000 miles to feed 10 African children for a month, 20,000 miles to buy specialized products for two children from Africa enough for a month.

Alfamiles and compliments

Alfa-bank, where miles are accrued, and Uralsib bank, whose currency is “compliments”, have their own bonus programs for travel cards. Miles from Alfa can be spent on train tickets, car rentals, travel insurance, and donated to the Konstantin Khabensky Foundation. At Uralsib, compliments can be used to pay for a wide range of products: from Gillette women's shaving gel for 9,041 compliments to Withings Activite watches for 128,909 compliments.

If you are just about to start earning miles, we recommend that you read the rating.