If you've been flying without signing up to loyalty programmes, you've been leaving free money on the table. I don't say that to be dramatic. My parents flew for 20+ years without bothering with any points programme. When I finally sat them down and did the maths, they'd missed out on something like 200,000+ Avios over the years. That's enough for multiple return flights to the US in business class. Gone. For no reason.

Don't be like my parents. Here's how it all works.

The Basics

Every major airline has a loyalty programme. BA has the Executive Club (you earn Avios). Virgin Atlantic has Flying Club (Virgin Points). Emirates has Skywards (Skywards Miles). They're all free to join. Takes about 2 minutes to sign up online.

When you book a flight, you enter your loyalty programme number. After you fly, points automatically land in your account. The amount you earn depends on where you're going, what fare you bought, and the airline's specific earning rules.

Once you've got enough points, you use them to book free flights (called "award flights"). Simple as that.

Picking Your Programme

Rule 1: Go with the airline you actually fly. If you take BA 3-4 times a year, join the Executive Club. If you're always on easyJet... well, budget carriers don't really do proper loyalty programmes, but you can still earn through other means (more on that later).

Rule 2: Think about alliances. Airlines group into alliances: oneworld (BA, Qantas, Cathay, American Airlines), Star Alliance (United, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines), and SkyTeam (Air France-KLM, Delta). Join a programme in an alliance and you earn points no matter which alliance member you fly. So your BA Avios account earns from BA flights, Qantas flights, Qatar flights, and any other oneworld airline. Everything goes to the same place.

Rule 3: Consolidate. 50,000 points in one programme gets you a very nice free flight. 10,000 points across 5 programmes gets you absolutely nothing. Pick one, maybe two max, and funnel everything there.

What Are Points Actually Worth?

Depends on how you use them. Rough valuations for the main UK programmes:

BA Avios: around 0.8-1.5p each (so 50,000 Avios = roughly £400-750 in value). Virgin Points: about 1-1.8p each. Emirates Skywards Miles: roughly 0.8-1.2p each.

The big variable is what you redeem for. Use points for a business class flight that would cost £2,000 in cash? Excellent value, maybe 2-3p per point. Use the same points for economy flights or, worse, merchandise from the catalogue? Maybe 0.5p per point. Rubbish.

As a beginner, don't overthink valuations. Just start earning. You'll figure out the optimal redemption strategies later. The worst mistake is not earning at all.

Earning Points Without Flying

This is where it gets interesting. Flying is the obvious way to earn, but for most people it's not even the biggest source of points.

Credit cards: The BA Amex earns 1 Avios per £1 spent on everything. Put £2,000/month through it and that's 24,000 Avios a year from your normal spending. Groceries, petrol, subscriptions, bills. The sign-up bonus alone is usually 25,000+ Avios. You don't need to fly at all to earn a free European flight.

Shopping portals: BA has one, Virgin has one, most programmes have one. You click through to a retailer (M&S, ASOS, Apple, whatever), buy what you were going to buy anyway, and earn bonus points on top. I earn a solid 3,000-5,000 Avios per year just from Christmas and birthday shopping through the BA e-store. Takes literally 10 seconds.

Hotel and car rental partners: Staying at a Marriott? You can often choose to earn airline points instead of hotel points. Renting from Avis? Same deal. It all adds up.

Amex Membership Rewards: If you have an Amex Gold or Platinum card, you earn Membership Rewards points that can transfer to loads of different airlines. This gives you flexibility: earn general points on your card, then move them to whichever airline programme offers the best deal when you want to book.

Dining and lifestyle stuff: Some programmes offer points for eating at partner restaurants, subscribing to services, or even completing surveys. These tend to be small earners but they're free points for stuff you might do anyway.

Status: The VIP Track

Separate from your spendable points, there's a status system. Fly enough and you move up through tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold (the names vary by airline). Each level unlocks perks.

The big one everyone wants is lounge access, which usually kicks in at Silver/mid-tier. If you've ever walked past those fancy airline lounges at the airport wondering what's inside: free food, free drinks, comfortable seats, showers, WiFi, and a generally calm environment away from the chaos of the terminal. Once you've experienced it, you never want to go back.

Status is earned through "tier points" or "qualifying segments" rather than the redeemable points in your account. So you earn both types on every flight: redeemable points for free flights AND tier points toward your next status level.

Realistically, status requires quite a lot of flying (25-50+ flights per year for Silver at most airlines). It's not for everyone. But knowing it exists helps you understand why some people make seemingly odd booking choices, like paying more for a specific fare class just to earn double tier points.

Mistakes That Cost You Points

Forgetting your membership number: No number on the booking = no points. Always add it when you book. If you forget, most programmes let you claim retrospectively within 6-12 months, but it's a hassle.

Letting points expire: Most programmes expire your balance after 18-36 months of inactivity. Inactivity means zero earning AND zero spending. Even buying something small through a shopping portal resets the clock. Set a reminder every 6 months.

Spreading too thin: Already mentioned this but it's worth repeating. Consolidate. One programme. Maybe two.

Not having a points credit card: If you use a credit card for daily spending (and you clear it monthly), using one that earns no points is madness. You're spending the money either way. Might as well earn something for it.

Redeeming badly: Don't blow 20,000 points on a £80 economy flight if you could save them and put them toward a £500 flight later. Patience gets you way more value.

Your 5-Minute Action Plan

1. Join the loyalty programme of whichever airline you fly most (free, 2 minutes).

2. Add your number to your next flight booking.

3. Look into a points-earning credit card if you don't have one.

4. Bookmark the airline's shopping portal and use it for online purchases.

5. Download the airline's app so you can track your balance easily.

That's it. You're now earning points on everything. In 6-12 months you'll have enough for your first reward flight, and you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.