Air Malta KMiles – large point collection options

This website has already featured a posting on ‘lesser known’ collection options for KMiles, including restaurants.

However, while a healthy way of topping up your balance, alone, these are unlikely to earn you the major points needed for free flights or business class upgrades.

As such, this post looks at the options for collecting serious KMiles, to help you get that free flight or upgrade as soon as possible.

Flights

Yes, it’s an obvious one, but flying is Flypass’s principal method of granting points. Below, however, is a review of various methods of getting bonus points.

Permanent status

Getting to Flypass Permanent status carries a number of benefits. One of them is that you earn a 35% KMiles bonus on all your flights, and Diamond tier members earn a 50% bonus. While Diamond tier is probably unrealistic for many, this is another good reason to try to get to Permanent status as soon as possible.

Your economy category

Flights in economy carry different KMiles allowances (0.5 x distance, x distance or 2 x distance), depending on their status. While it obviously makes no sense to pay more for a flight  just to get a few more miles, this is worth bearing in mind if only certain categories of economy flights are available (i.e. you will get more KMiles), or if there is just a few Euro difference in price between the economy categories.

Fly business class

Again, more KMiles should never be your sole motivation for flying business class, but if you do, you get 3 x the distance flown in KMiles, a decent haul wherever you fly. Occasionally, you can get some solid offers in Air Malta business class, and they will of course be alerted on this blog, so keep an eye out.

Partner airlines

Don’t forget that you can earn KMiles when you travel with Lufthansa, Swiss and Czech Airlines. KMiles accrual rates are listed here.

Credit cards

Easy points

Aside from flights, the next best way to earn substantial amounts of KMiles is via a credit card. I have personal experience of the BOV Flypass credit card, which is a good option, offering 1 KMiles per Euro spent. However Banif and HSBC Premier offer a similar option with 1 KMile per Euro spend.

I suggest you avoid the HSBC Advance credit card, which offers 1 KMile per €2 spent.

Credit card options and application links (I don’t make any money if you click through to them) are discussed in detail here.

The credit card warning

The key with a credit card, and I cannot emphasise this enough, is to pay it off in full every month. There is no point in earning KMiles on your credit card if you pay a fortune in interest. I simply use mine to pay for all shopping, travel, restaurants etc, then pay it off at the end of the month. that way I bag KMiles on all my spending and don’t pay any interest.

Yearly free business class upgrade

It’s also worth remembering that the BOV Flypass credit card comes with a free “one way” business class upgrade. Depending on how you use it, that’s worth up to 12,000 KMiles (this year I used mine from Heathrow to MLA, so it was effectively worth 10,000 miles).