Small business tips to quickly earn and spend frequent flyer points

Why should small businesses care about points?

Short answer: Frequent flyer points can be a small business's secret weapon. Savvy owners have used the everyday activity of their businesses for years to build up large points balances, and those points can be used for far more than cheap flights: business lunches, staff gifts, accommodation, client rewards and a well-earned treat for yourself.

Rewards programs (frequent flyer programs) are not only for travel. If you haven't started yet, or don't have many points at the moment, the good news is that building a "frequent flyer system" into your business is easy.

Earn without changing how you run your business

The best tips for earning points complement your business activities rather than change them. Anything that takes a lot of effort to introduce is unlikely to be used consistently. At B2Bpay we believe in keeping things simple, so every tip below is quick to put in place and doesn't change your day-to-day operations.

Use points to grow your business

Once you know what points can and can't be used for, you'll see how much they can do for incentives and rewards across your business. Points can be spent on products, accommodation and other services:

• Spend on food and wine for business lunches
• Spend on gifts for employees
• Spend on accommodation for business trips

Further down, we explain how to use these in your business.

Reward yourself, too

As a small business owner, the last person to get paid is often you. There's no shame in using points to reward the hard work and long hours you put in.

By following the steps below you can quickly build up more than 100,000 points: enough to upgrade yourself and your partner to business class the next time you fly, or to cover a getaway to Lord Howe Island. Or improve things around the house with a new TV, top-of-the-line appliances or garden equipment; the options on Qantas Shopping are endless.

How to earn points quickly

The one thing to know about earning points quickly: it's mainly linked to money going out of and coming into your business. Find the areas where you already spend, and layer a rewards program on top. That's the most effective way to start stacking points.

1. Take up an entry offer on a business credit cardMost decent credit cards come with a rewards program, for example 1 frequent flyer point for every $1 spent. The trick is to look for new cards that offer large sign-on bonuses. You can expect between 60,000 and 120,000 points for signing up to a new card and reaching the minimum spend, which is generally $2,000 to $4,000 over the first 2 to 3 months. You can reach that easily by putting recurring business expenses on the card, or by signing up to a payments provider such as B2Bpay and paying your billers through it. Learn how to earn Qantas Points or credit card rewards points on all the business bills you pay.
2. Put business expenses on your credit cardOnce you've received your sign-on bonus, you keep earning points on every expense, and that adds up fast. Take the approach that no expense gets paid without earning a reward point, and everyday business spending starts to deliver a real return. Many owners use several cards across different parts of the business; consolidating those payments through a system such as B2Bpay means you can earn points from your credit card and from the payment provider.
3. Link a company fuel cardIf your business uses a lot of fuel, or you use your car for work, a company fuel card can bring considerable points and other benefits. With petrol costs rising significantly, making that spend work for you can send a wealth of points back to your business. There's a wide range of cards, so shop around and use comparison sites to find the one that suits your business. Fuel Card Comparison is a good starting point.
4. Earn points when you get paid, with B2BpayOne industry secret that small businesses underuse: you can earn points when you receive payments. With B2Bpay you earn 1 Qantas Point for every $20 paid to you by Visa or Mastercard,* and introductory offers have included 10,000 bonus points when you receive your first $10,000.** All you need to do is sign up and add B2Bpay payment details to your invoices, which you can do in your accounting software. When customers pay their invoices, you earn points. Learn more about receiving payments with B2Bpay.

Spending your points

Now the exciting part of any rewards program: spending your points. By following the steps above, business owners can expect to build up well over 100,000 points within the first few months.

Points aren't just for flights

Flights are the obvious use for points, but not everyone has the time for air travel. Rather than sitting on a mountain of unused points, you can use them in your business in other ways. If you do want to put your points towards affordable flights, these articles explain the best ways to do it:

• Major announcement for Qantas Business Rewards members
• Using your points for travel

Staff retention

Good staff have never been harder to find, so keeping your key people is a priority for any business. Points give you many ways to reward good performance, create incentives and celebrate milestones: a thoughtful gift from Qantas Shopping, a voucher for a spa retreat or a wine package, tailored to each employee.

Incentives and rewards for clients, partners and suppliers

The incentives and rewards you offer employees can easily be extended to the other people in your business: clients, partners and suppliers. You might run a competition to grow your social following with a prize paid for in points, or thank a customer for a client referral with a more memorable, personalised experience.

There's a wealth of opportunity here, and we encourage every small business owner to explore the ways to spend points through the links in this article.

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