How do the ‘Flybuys 50’ approach points hacking?

Flybuys is one of Australia’s biggest loyalty program, active in various forms since 1994. There are more than 10 million members across the nation, earning points with Coles Supermarkets and many other partners.

Recently, Flybuys scoured its membership base and picked out 50 of its top points-earning members with interesting backstories. Nicknamed the ‘Flybuys 50’, this group are at the top of their game. We’ve taken a look at some of their stories and share with you the great lessons hidden within.

We’re so excited to introduce the inaugural ‘Flybuys 50’ list and we hope that everyone is inspired by our members’ amazing tips and tricks on how to ‘Give A Flybuys’ and take more rewards. Finding the ‘Flybuys 50’ amongst our community of over 8 million active members has been an incredible journey, and it’s been a pleasure uncovering the unique ways that members are collecting points and redeeming rewards.

– John Merakovsky, Flybuys CEO, 7 July 2021

1. Velocity Points are one of the best Flybuys rewards

We’re particularly drawn to Shady from NSW, ‘The Hustler’. He’s a self-described points guru and doesn’t fly in Economy ever since he started transferring Flybuys points to Velocity Frequent Flyer. Some of his tips include:

• Using the Coles Rewards Mastercard to double-dip on purchases
• He waits for transfer offers before sending points to Velocity
• He’ll swipe his card whenever he can, including with fuel and liquor

Point Hacks analysis: Shady’s strategies are essentially what we would recommend to our readers as well – Velocity reward flights can be one the best uses of Flybuys points.

Unfortunately, we don’t expect there will be many Flybuys-Velocity transfer bonuses anymore. This is because the conversion rate was permanently bumped to 2:1 in early 2021. Finally, always use a points-earning card with your purchases to ensure you earn points on the transaction.

Also read: how to upgrade your Virgin Australia flight with Velocity Points →

2. Flybuys Travel is your ticket to more points

Enter: Larry, ‘The Agent’ from NSW. He utilises a sneaky tactic that we wholeheartedly approve of – booking travel for other family members and collecting the points.

• With Flybuys Travel, he can make the booking and earn the points while the family member still pays with their own card
• He activates and uses bonus offers when shopping, rather than relying on normal spend
• He uses his Flybuys points for groceries at Coles, and creates points-funded ‘hampers’ for his boys every so often.

Point Hacks analysis: Larry’s on the right track with Flybuys Travel. He earns 1 Flybuys point per dollar spent, even for other people. Remember that the person travelling can still earn frequent flyer points from the flight itself, and bonus points through a rewards credit card. This example also highlights another decent use of Flybuys points – for discounts at the checkout. Read our Flybuys guide to learn more.

3. Bonus offers are the key to big rewards

Tuyen is ‘The Hacker’ from NSW. She’s also more affectionately known as ‘The Coles Girl’ by her friends. She brings a calculator to the shops and ensures she meets the minimum spend requirements for weekly offers.

• Tuyen activates offers both via email and through the app, as those deals might be different
• She does her research beforehand and knows what offers she’ll utilise before heading out
• Her household is linked under the same Flybuys account, so the points build up faster.

Point Hacks analysis: Bonus point offers are the best way to boost your Flybuys balance, otherwise you’ll spend a long time collecting one point per dollar at a time. We’re sure Tuyen is an avid user of the Coles four-weekly challenge which dishes out 10,000 bonus points if you meet a certain minimum spend per week.

Summing up

Flybuys has great potential – you just need to be able to utilise bonus point offers often. Be sure to pair any purchase with a points-earning credit card where possible, and also scan or enter your Flybuys number when spending at partners such as Coles, Kmart, Liquorland, Coles Express fuel and more.

You’re not locked into any particular reward, so we advise you keep your Flybuys points in your account until needed. Then, if you’re ready to travel, send some across to Velocity Frequent Flyer. Or, if you need some extra help with the grocery bills this week, then convert some to Flybuys dollars and spend away.

Point Hacks is not affiliated with Flybuys or the ‘Flybuys 50’.