Top 5 apps for frequent flyers
Airline interfaces are now an essential part of managing travel and points balances but they are not all made equal.
Travellers are increasingly turning to technology to handle all aspects of holidays and business trips. The latest generation of apps can be used to manage frequent flyers points, book seats and indulge in a little retail therapy. In the case of Qantas, it can even reward you for looking after your health. The following apps are popular with frequent Aussie flyers. Read on to find out what they might do for you.
Qantas and Qantas Wellbeing
The Qantas app is popular among frequent flyers because it’s essentially a “one stop shop”, with everything needed to book or manage flights, as well as hotel and car-hire bookings. Users can see upcoming trips, request upgrades, select seats and check in digitally ahead of a flight. The app also tracks status credits and points activity, and provides frequent flyers with opportunities to earn and redeem points. A recent app update added a baggage-tracking function across 10 Australian airports, with more to come in 2024. New-look digital boarding passes were also part of the update, making it easier for crew to help customers. A second Qantas “wellbeing” app rewards physical activity and even sleep with points, making it attractive to frequent flyers seeking to boost their balances. Its primary function is to help Qantas Health Insurance members to manage policies and make claims but any frequent flyer can download the app and earn points from stepping and sleeping.
United Airlines
Voted the world’s best at the 2023 World Aviation Festival, the United Airlines app offers in-flight entertainment options, planning for trips, check-in, the ability to change seats or flights, and information on airport terminals to help navigate to the gate. Customers planning a trip can upload pictures of their desired destination to the app, which will then provide suggestions about the closest airport. There’s a flight tracking function, including a useful countdown to departure time, and a talk, text or video mode connecting users to an agent for extra assistance. Travellers can enrol in United’s frequent flyer program Mileage Plus, manage their account, and even use miles to book award travel in the app. A bag drop shortcut provides another fast track through check-in, and a credit card can be uploaded to the app’s digital wallet for in-flight purchases. Given United Airlines now operates more non-stop flights between Australia and the US than any other carrier, including Qantas, it’s worth downloading ahead of travel.
Singapore Airlines Kris+
Unlike the United Airlines app, Singapore Airlines’ Kris+ app is designed for use on the ground rather than in the air, offering opportunities to build up miles, and unlock “user privileges” such as shopping and dining discounts. First launched in 2020, the Kris+ app has been downloaded more than two million times globally, including more than 100,000 downloads in Australia. It’s affiliated with more than 1500 partners across Singapore, and about 100 businesses in Sydney and Melbourne have signed on, offering users up to three miles for every dollar spent. Alternatively, members can redeem miles at participating bars and restaurants, at a rate of 150 miles for $1 off their bill. While the number of Australian partners is relatively small at present, Adele Eliseo, publisher of online travel and finance website Champagne Mile, predicts that figure will grow significantly this year, with Australia home to the largest base of KrisFlyer members outside Singapore.
TripIt
It’s not a frequent flyer app as such but TripIt is considered an extremely useful tool for those who travel regularly for work or leisure. It’s fairly straightforward to use – simply forward flight and accommodation bookings to plans@tripit.com and the app formats an itinerary, ensuring all those details can be easily found in one place. Digital boarding passes, PDFs and photos can be uploaded to the app and there are map-related tools for use on the go, even advising on the safety of different neighbourhoods and providing recommendations for eating out. The basic version is free to download, and there’s also a TripIt Pro for about $50 a year. The pro app can share flight status alerts, navigate through airports and track frequent flyer program activity.
Another appealing aspect for users is that the details of each trip are saved on the app for future reference, so it’s easy to search if you want to return to a particular hotel or restaurant.
tripit.com
Virgin Australia’s Velocity
The Velocity app is popular among Virgin Australia’s frequent flyers but unlike the Qantas version, it operates separately from the airline app. VA has seen the Velocity app user base more than double in the past 12 months, with the upward trend continuing as members choose to manage their points through the portal. As well as keeping tabs on points’ balances, members can track bags on almost all its domestic and international departures, search and book reward seats with VA and its airline partners, redeem points with the likes of Myer, and shop from more than 200 online retailers. The digital card on the app can also be used to access Virgin Australia lounges.
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