10/25/24

Unlock the Power of Points Pooling for Maximum Travel Rewards

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Leverage Letter, where we dive deep into strategies that help you make the most of your travel rewards. This week, we’re focusing on points pooling—a simple, powerful way to combine points from multiple accounts and unlock premium travel faster.

Let’s break it down and show you how this strategy can help you reach your travel goals.

Can you relate to the problem below?

You’ve saved points for months, but your balances aren’t large enough for high-value redemptions. You end up either:

• Letting them sit and expire.

  

  Air France miles expiring soon.

• Settling for lower-value redemptions that don’t maximize their worth.

It feels frustrating because you could upgrade to business class, book a luxury hotel stay, or take that once-in-a-lifetime trip with just a little more.

I’m sure many people can relate. Let me help you find creative ways to combine points from various sources for more valuable redemptions.

Points Pooling in 3 Simple Steps

1. Combine Small Balances into Big Redemptions
Points pooling allows you to merge miles and points from multiple accounts into a single “pool” to unlock premium travel. Think of it as a team effort—by combining resources, everyone benefits.

• Example: You have 50,000 miles but need 60,000 for a business-class flight. By pooling with a partner, you both can book that flight instead of having individual, unusable balances.

2. Leverage Programs that Support Pooling
Not all programs offer points pooling, but some airline reward programs make it easy and cost-effective.

• JetBlue TrueBlue: Pool points with up to 7 people (friends or family).

• Hilton Honors: Pool points with up to 10 people—perfect for luxury stays.

• British Airways Executive Club: Great for families, letting up to 7 members combine Avios.

3. Maximize Premium Travel Opportunities
Pooling points accelerates your path to high-value redemptions. Whether a business class flight or a five-star hotel, pooling makes premium travel much more accessible.

• Example: You can book a business class flight from Zurich to New York for 50,000 miles instead of paying $5,000 in cash.

Here’s a Delta One Business Class from Zurich to New York that can be booked 

Same Delta flight, at different rates:

Note: Where and how you book matters. Optimize your points, and start with Freemium Traveler.

 How to Maximize Your Points Pooling Strategy

1. Pool for Premium Flights
   Pooling points helps you reach high-mileage thresholds faster, unlocking premium travel at a fraction of the cost.

2. Book Hotels for Group Trips
   You can use pooled points for extended hotel stays or multiple rooms, making family trips or group vacations more affordable.

3. Check Award Availability First
   Always confirm award availability before pooling your points to ensure the redemption you want is available.

Transform Your Points into Premium Travel

Points pooling is a simple but powerful way to turn small balances into big rewards. Whether flying business class or staying in luxury hotels, pooling points can help you unlock premium travel experiences faster and with less hassle.

Freemium Traveler is committed to helping you maximize your rewards.

Are you ready to pool your points and start traveling better?

Consult with us for expert guidance.

P.S. You can book an award flight even when you don’t have points. Check out last week’s letter on when it makes sense to purchase points here.

Happy travels,

Ade O.
The Leverage Letter