Airline Loyalty Rewards
Air New Zealand Airpoints Loyalty Program Review
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Air New Zealand Airpoints
Auckland (AKL), Christchurch (CHC), Wellington (WLG)
Air New Zealand International Lounge in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Nadi, and Rarotonga
Air New Zealand Overview
Air New Zealand is the flagship airline of New Zealand that was founded 78 years ago.
The airline operates the majority of its flights out of its hub in Auckland (AKL) to destinations around the world.
Air New Zealand is a Star Alliance airline member joining airlines like ANA, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, and United Airlines.
Star Alliance membership comes with several important perks. The primary benefit is that Air New Zealand members can use Airpoints for flights on partner airlines.
Airpoints is the airline’s frequent flyer program that allows members to both earn and redeem miles for various things including award flights.
Elite tiers require members to earn a certain number of Status Points within any 12 month period. After a member earns said tier, the benefits are valid for 12 months from the date the member reaches that tier.
Air New Zealand uses a calculator to determine the amount of Status Points earned on your flight. The points that you earn are based on the route and the fare class of the purchased ticket.
Members also earn Airpoints Dollars in addition to Status Points. Airpoints Dollars are the equivalent of airline miles and can be used for an award flight.
If using Airpoints Dollars for free flights isn’t your thing, Airpoints Dollars can be used for rental cars, upgrades, and lounge access.
Bottom Line: In summary, Air New Zealand isn’t the most competitive frequent flyer program, but can be useful for members who fly the airline on a regular basis.
Joining Airpoints
An Airpoints membership is free by using this link to sign up for an account.
With a completed application, members have the opportunity to both earn and redeem Airpoints.
How to Sign in to Your Air New Zealand Airpoints Account
The login page will require either an Airpoints number, username, or email, and a password to access your account.
Hot Tip:Depending on the flight, Air New Zealand may require you to call to book or you may be able to login to your account to the book the flight.
Viewing Your Account Activity
Follow these easy steps to check out the mileage activity in your account:
- Log in to your account
- Click “Your Balances”
Points Expiration
Each year on the anniversary of the date a member joined the Airpoints program, the member’s account is reviewed and any Airpoints Dollars earned more than four years earlier will expire.
Air New Zealand Airpoints Program
Airpoints Elite Status
There are three elite tiers in the Airpoints frequent flyer program.
Members who move to higher elite tiers unlock additional benefits such as lounge access, higher mileage earn rates, and fast track security status.
When reviewing the benefits within each tier below, it’s important to note that higher elite tiers include all of the benefits of the preceding elite tier:
Silver: Airpoint’s lowest elite tier providing members with these benefits:
- 2 single-entry lounge passes each membership year
- 1 cabin upgrade each membership year
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 10% of your offer
- Discounted long haul business class fares
Gold: The middle elite tier that comes with the following perks:
- Access to Air New Zealand, Star Alliance and partner airline lounges
- 1 Air New Zealand, Star Alliance, and partner airline lounge guest pass
- 2 (1) cabin upgrades each membership year
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 30% of your offer
- Excess baggage allowance
- Priority check-in and boarding
- 1 room category hotel upgrade at a participating hotel in New Zealand and Australia
- 1 car rental car upgrade at participating locations in New Zealand and Australia
- Airpoints Dollars don’t expire
- Star Alliance Gold
Elite: Air New Zealand’s highest elite tier where members have these benefits:
- 5 guest passes for any Air New Zealand International or Domestic Lounge
- 1 guest pass for a Air New Zealand Regional Lounge, Partner Lounge or Star Alliance Lounge
- 2 long haul flight upgrades
- 1 short haul flight upgrade
- Fixed rate Airpoints Dollars cabin class upgrades
- Ability to gift upgrades or Airpoints Dollar upgrades to other members
- OneUp offers will be upweighted by 50% of your offer
Air New Zealand has an additional tier called Elite Partner. An Elite Airpoints member nominates this individual who then receives benefits like lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, and excess baggage.
For those wanting a deeper dive of the benefits, head to the frequent flyer tier benefits page.
Bottom Line: Aim for the Gold and Elite tiers to unlock the most valuable benefits in the Airpoints program.
Value of Air New Zealand Status
6 guest lounge passes and 3 flight upgrades are what you’ll find at the Airpoints Elite tier.
Earning Airpoints Gold provides Star Alliance Gold and your miles don’t expire, however, it’s best to consider if you value both of these benefits.
For those who find value in lounge access, upgrades, and Star Alliance elite status, aim for earning Elite status.
Bottom Line: The elite benefits of Air New Zealand are not as competitive as what you’ll find elsewhere on top of the fact that Airpoints are challenging to earn.
Earning Airpoints Elite Status
Elite status is determined by the route that you fly and the cabin class that you book on Air New Zealand and partner airline flights.
The program uses an Airpoints calculator to estimate both the Status Points (elite status) and Airpoints Dollars (airline miles).
A member needs to earn the following number of Status Points for each tier: 450 Status for Silver, 900 for Gold, and 1,500 for Elite status. In the subsequent qualifying year, the Status Points required drops to 405 for Silver, 810 for Gold, and 1,350 for Elite.
For Elite members, 900 of the 1,500 year 1 points need to come from Air New Zealand operated flights or qualifying partner airline flights. In year 2, that 900 number drops to 810.
If you’re looking to add to your Status Points balance, Air New Zealand provides an avenue to earn these points through credit card spend.
Bottom Line: A combination of flying and credit card spend can earn you elite status in the New Zealand Airpoints program.
How to Earn Air New Zealand Airpoints
Air New Zealand does not make it easy to earn its miles by only partnering with 1 transferable point program, Marriott Bonvoy.
Even with the Marriott partnership, members have 2 key items working against them when converting points into airline miles – 1) transfers from Marriott to Air New Zealand are at a 200:1 transfer ratio, and 2) transfer times take 2 days.
Obviously, you want to avoid transferring points from Marriott to Air New Zealand so let’s focus on other ways to earn miles in the Air New Zealand program.
Earning Miles Through Flying
Calculating the amount of Airpoints Dollars that you’ll earn by flying is easy by using the Air New Zealand Airpoints calculator.
The calculator determines that amount of Airpoints Dollars that you earn by the route of the flight and the fare class.
By selecting the Advanced Search option, you can determine exactly how many Dollars you will earn for your flight.
Calculating the amount of Airpoints Dollars on partner airline flights is straightforward as well.
Head to the Airpoints calculator page and select Partner Airline Flights. Next, enter the route and airline that you will be flying to see the amount of Airpoints Dollars that you’ll earn.
Air New Zealand also has airline partnerships in addition to the Star Alliance. These airlines include Aerolinas Argentinas, Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Qantas, SilkAir, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Australia.
For non-Star Alliance airlines, simply select the airline in the dropdown menu, and then enter the route and fare class to determine the amount of Airpoints Dollars you’ll earn.
Earn Miles With Credit Cards
Air New Zealand’s Marriott partnership sounds great on the surface when you think about the 5,000-mile transfer bonus, but unfortunately the transfer ratio is terrible.
Outside of Marriott, Air New Zealand has financial partnerships that you allow you to earn Airpoints Dollars, however, the transfer ratios with these partners are also bad.
To sum up, earning Airpoints Dollars from credit card spend is not a strategy we recommend.
Earning Bonus Miles in Other Ways
Another way to earn Airpoints Dollars is to leverage the Air New Zealand rental car and hotel partners.
A listing of the benefits of these partnerships can be found on the travel partners page if you want to see how to earn more Airpoints Dollars.
The last way to potentially earn Airpoints Dollars is to keep up with the Air New Zealand Facebook, Twitter, and Flight Deals pages.
Hot Tip: If you add your airline loyalty program number to other services such as car rental companies and hotels, you typically won’t also earn status points with these entities.
Branded and Partnered Credit Cards
A transferable point credit card from Marriott is going to be the best way to earn Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars that doesn’t involve flying.
Air New Zealand has a number of co-branded credit cards, however, the issuers of these cards require that you are a resident or are authorized to work in New Zealand to apply.
Air New Zealand Credit Cards
Kiwibank is Air New Zealand’s credit card partner and can be a great supplemental option to Marriott credit cards if you meet the application criteria.
The 3 credit cards offered by Kiwibank do earn Airpoints Dollars, but unfortunately do not come with a welcome bonus.
With that said, we recommend checking out the products offered by Marriott if you’re looking to earn Airpoints Dollars
Marriott Credit Cards
The Marriott Bonvoy program is the most efficient way to earn Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars for an award flight.
Yes, the transfer ratio of Marriott points to Air New Zealand Airpoints is horrendous, but it’s the only transferable point program that partners with Air New Zealand.
What makes the Marriott Bonvoy program unique is its bonus structure when transferring points to its airline partners.
For every 60,000 Marriott points that are transferred to an airline partner, you’ll receive a 5,000-point bonus in the form of airline miles.
Most of the Marriott to airline transfer ratios are 3:1, however, in the case of Air New Zealand the transfer ratio is 200:1. Ouch!
60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points become 375 Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars with the 5,000-point bonus (60,000 / 200 = 300 * 25% bonus = 375).
A great option for Marriott hotel fans who want a no annual fee card and automatic Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Why We Like This Card
Casual travelers who like to frequent properties that are part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection of brands may want to consider the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card.
The Marriott Bold card rewards cardholders for Marriott stays and gives them a boost towards Marriott Bonvoy elite status.
Pros & Cons
- Up to 14x points per $1 on Marriott purchases
- 2x points at grocery stores, rideshare, select food delivery, select streaming, and internet, cable, and phone services
- 5 Elite Night Credits each year
- Lower point earn rate than other Marriott Bonvoy cards
- Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status is the lowest status tier
Card Highlights
- APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees:
Marriott loyalists will love this card's annual Free Night Award, automatic elite status, and up to 17x points per $1 on Marriott hotel stays.
Why We Like This Card
If you’re a frequent traveler and a Marriott loyalist, there’s a lot to love about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. The card comes packed with several great benefits like a free hotel night once a year, automatic Silver Elite status (with a fast-track to Gold Elite status), and multiple options for redeeming points.
Pros & Cons
- Earn big when you use your card at thousands of participating Marriott Bonvoy hotels
- Earn big at grocery stores, gas stations, and dining
- Automatic Silver Elite Status
- $95 annual fee
- Marriott Silver Elite Status is the lowest status tier
Card Highlights
- APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees:
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesThe Marriott Bonvoy Bevy card gives you automatic Marriott elite status and helps you earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on your everyday purchases.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Why We Like This Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, the latest mid-tier offering in the Marriott Bonvoy lineup of cards, offers cardholders automatic elite status and ways to earn more Marriott Bonvoy points on each of their stays and daily purchases.
Pros & Cons
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 4x points per $1 at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases per calendar year, then 2x points)
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- $250 annual fee (rates & fees)
- Free Night Award certificate is not an automatic benefit
Card Highlights
- Earn 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- Earn 4X points at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on up to $15,000 in combined purchases at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets per calendar year, then 2X points).
- Earn 2X points on all other eligible purchases with the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card.
- Marriott Bonvoy 1K Bonus Points Per Stay: Earn 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points per paid eligible stay booked directly with Marriott for properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy.
- With complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elites status, earn up to 2.5X points from Marriott Bonvoy® on eligible hotel purchases with the 25% Bonus Points on stays benefit, available for Qualifying Rates.
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Free Night Award: Earn 1 Free Night Award after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ Card in a calendar year. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at a hotel participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- 15 Elite Night Credits: Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express Card® you can receive 15 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express. Terms apply.
- Plan It® is a payment option that lets you split up purchases of $100 or more into equal monthly installments with a fixed fee. Plus, you'll still earn rewards the way you usually do.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Terms Apply / Rates & FeesA premium card for Marriott fans who want perks like an annual statement credit and Free Night Award, plus a fast track to Marriott elite status.
Apply With Confidence
Know if you're approved with no credit score impact
If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
Why We Like This Card
The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card is a premium card designed with road warriors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists in mind.
So is the card a worthwhile addition to your wallet?
Pros & Cons
- 6x points per $1 at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy program
- 3x points per $1 on flights booked directly with airlines and restaurants worldwide
- 2x points per $1 on all other purchases
- Steep annual fee of $650 (rates & fees)
- 6x points per $1 is the same earn rate offered with lower annual fee alternatives like the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
Card Highlights
- Earn 95,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when available at select properties and booked with a Qualifying Rate.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass™ Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
- Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Other Hotel Partner Credit Cards
Air New Zealand also partners with Hilton, but the transfer ratio is even worse than Marriott at 500:1!
For this reason, we don’t recommend transferring Hilton points to Air New Zealand unless you are looking to top off an account or are in a (serious) bind.
How to Redeem Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars
The way to yield the most value with your Airpoints Dollars is to redeem them for an award flight. It’s important to note that 1 Airpoints Dollar is equal to 1 New Zealand Dollar.
The current conversion rate to USD is approximately 1:0.68, so 1 New Zealand Dollar is equal to $.68 U.S. Dollars.
Air New Zealand doesn’t use award charts for its own flights, so this means that the cash cost of the flight will be the amount of Airpoints Dollars that are required.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that you’ll have to call the Air New Zealand call center to book the flight.
Redeeming Airpoints Dollars is made difficult by the fact that the majority of award flights have to be booked over the phone.
Sweet spots in the program will only be available when the cash cost of the flight is low, so be on the lookout for opportunities when that is the case.
Hot Tip: If you’re looking to fly to New Zealand, we have an entire post on the best ways to fly to New Zealand with points and miles.
Star Alliance and Other Partner Awards
For Star Alliance flights, it doesn’t get any better. A phone call is required to book these flights as well.
The one positive for some travelers is that a handful of partner flights, shown below, can be booked on the Air New Zealand website:
- United Airlines operated flights between Auckland and San Francisco
- Air China operated flights between Auckland and Beijing
- Cathay Pacific operated flights between Auckland or Christchurch and Hong Kong
- Qantas operated domestic Australia flights purchased in conjunction with an Air New Zealand international flight
All other partner airline flights will require a phone call to the Air New Zealand call center.
Booking Online
The majority of flights using Airpoints Dollars can’t be booked on the Air New Zealand website, so you’ll need to find award space elsewhere before calling Air New Zealand.
Certain routes, like United between Auckland and San Francisco, can be booked online, but you’ll need to call 800-262-1234 to book most flights.
When searching for award flights, keep these general rules in mind to make the search process easier:
- Search the British Airways and Qantas websites for Oneworld flights
- Use the Delta and Flying Blue (Air France or KLM) websites for SkyTeam flights
- Search the United and Aeroplan websites for Star Alliance flights
Hot Tip: Expert Flyer is the best tool to use for flights that do not appear on the search engines mentioned above.
Featured Image: Courtesy of Shutterstock
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
The information regarding the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® card, click here.
