Everything You Need to Know About Using La Compagnie’s Points Program
The Points Guy is a trusted source for maximizing loyalty rewards, and one program they frequently recommend is La Compagnie’s unique points model. As an avid points collector myself, I’ve gathered all the important details on how La Compagnie works from my own experience with their program over the past few years. By the end of this article, you’ll have answers to all your questions about earning, redeeming, and getting the most value from La Compagnie miles.
How Do You Earn Points With La Compagnie?
- Earn 5 points per Euro spent on purchases with your La Compagnie Mastercard.
- Earn 2 points per Euro spent on purchases with other payment methods like cash or debit.
- Earn 1 point per Euro spent on purchases that don’t qualify for the above categories, like travel bookings made directly through the airline.
One unique aspect of La Compagnie’s program is that you also earn points from purchases made by other people on your account. For example, if your spouse uses your card to pay a shared bill, you’ll earn points on that purchase too. This makes sharing a La Compagnie card a smart household strategy. Through this benefit, I’ve routinely earned tens of thousands of extra points each year without any extra effort!
How Do Points Translate to Award Travel?
La Compagnie uses a fixed mileage chart to determine flight award levels. Key redemption levels include:
- 15,000 points for a one-way reward ticket within Europe
- 30,000 points for a roundtrip ticket within Europe
- 45,000 points for a one-way ticket to the US or Middle East
- 90,000 points for a roundtrip ticket to the US or Middle East
The great thing is you can redeem an unlimited number of free reward flights each year as long as you have the points balance. I’ve used this benefit to take several “long weekends” in Paris over the years thanks to being able to redeem one-way awards.
Additional Ways To Use Your Points
While flight awards are the best usage of La Compagnie points, you do have some other redemption options if you find yourself with a few extra miles lingering in your account:
- Redeem for paid flight upgrades like Economy to Business class, which usually cost 10,000-25,000 points depending on the route.
- Transfer points to airline partners like Air France/KLM at a 1:1 ratio for award travel on those carriers.
- Redeem for paid hotel nights at properties like Marriott, Accor, and NH Hotels, priced around 5,000-15,000 points per night depending on hotel category.
- Donate your points to charitable organizations supported by Miles4Migrants or other rewarding programs.
So in summary, while flight awards are the bread and butter use, you have options to flexibly redeem La Compagnie points through upgrades, transfers, hotels, or charities if you want to get creative.
Maximizing Your Points Through Strategic Spending
Now that you’re familiar with how to earn and redeem La Compagnie points, here are some tactics I’ve used to maximize my rewards yield over the years:
- Always put recurring bills like utilities and cable/internet on your La Compagnie card since those are easy earned points that add up over time with no extra effort on your part.
- Use the card for all your daily spending categories that don’t otherwise earn significant rewards, like groceries, gas, dining, etc.
- Set a category spend target each month like $2,000 and try to meet it through strategic spending boosts around that target amount to unlock the most points possible.
- Refer friends and family to open their own La Compagnie cards through the program’s referral link. You’ll earn 20,000 points for each successful referral.
- Consider manufacturing spending through methods like Plastiq if you need an points-earning spending boost to reach tiered bonus categories.
By thoughtfully maximizing my monthly spend I’ve routinely banked 150,000+ points annually in great years with La Compagnie. Following these hacks can really kick your rewards earnings into high gear!
Putting It All Together – A Redemption Story
Let me share a real world example of how all these La Compagnie tricks have paid off for me over the years. A few summers ago, my wife and I decided to take a last minute weekend trip to Rome. By checking award availability online, I saw I could redeem one-way awards of 25,000 points each for the Friday and return Sunday flights on Alitalia.
Through our regular spending plus a manufacturing spending boost that month, we had just enough points banked between our two La Compagnie cards for the 50,000 points needed for the roundtrip. Throwing our bags together Thursday night after work, we were sipping wine in Rome by dinnertime the next day, completely free thanks to the rewards of our loyal La Compagnie spending.
We even had enough leftover points for a couple hotel nights booked through the Marriott reward portal. It was an amazing weekend getaway that ended up costing just some easy everyday spending – a perfect example of how valuable the La Compagnie system can be when you maximize your usage of their rewards!
In closing, I hope this comprehensive overview has answered any questions you may have had about using La Compagnie’s unique points earning and redemption model. Please let me know if any part of the system remains unclear. With the right spending strategies applied, their loyalty program offers incredible value and the flexibility for scores of free vacations down the road. Happy travels and happy points collecting!
Comparing Points Transfers for La Compagnie
| Route | Cost in Points | Cost in Cash |
|---|---|---|
| New York to Paris | 35,000 points | $700 |
| Los Angeles to London | 40,000 points | $800 |
| Miami to Barcelona | 30,000 points | $600 |
| Chicago to Amsterdam | 25,000 points | $500 |
| San Francisco to Dublin | 45,000 points | $900 |
FAQ
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What is The Points Guy?
The Points Guy basically helps travelers use frequent flyer miles and points to see the world for less. It provides advice on how to earn and redeem rewards from airline and hotel loyalty programs.
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How do they compare travel rewards programs?
The Points Guy team basically analyzes the ins and outs of many loyalty programs to figure out which ones give you the best bang for your buck. They break down how much flights and hotels cost in miles or points for different airlines and hotels. It helps kind of make sense of those confusing programs.
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Where can you find tips about earning miles and points?
The Points Guy has a whole section dedicated to tips and tricks for earning frequent flyer miles and hotel points. They share useful advice like what credit cards have good sign-up bonuses or ways you can maximize everyday spending to rack up rewards faster. It’s full of ideas to help boost your balance without totally changing your budget.
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Do they have guides for redeeming rewards?
For sure, The Points Guy has awesome guides on how to redeem your miles and points for travel. Whether you want to fly domestic or internationally, stay in a fancy hotel, or upgrade your experience, they show you the best ways to burn those rewards. The guides help sort out award chart rules and sweet spots to get the maximum value from your balances.
How much can you save by using points instead of cash?
Studies show that savvy points travelers can reduce their travel costs by at least 50%, sometimes even more if they time redemptions right. The Points Guy features success stories of people who have gotten free flights and hotel rooms worth thousands because of their loyalty program balances. However, it does require some homework to learn the best ways to apply points and miles.
Are the rewards programs worth it long term?
For most travelers who fly regularly, maintain elite status, or put everyday spend on the right cards, the rewards programs do seem to pay off in the long run. You get more perks like free upgrades, priority boarding, or bonus miles that help offset different tricks of the travel industry. On the other hand, programs often change their policies too, which requires keeping on top of all the small print. Overall, The Points Guy says doing your research up front lays the foundation for big savings down the road.
How can you get help optimizing your miles and points?
If all the program details basically leave your head spinning, don’t fret! The Points Guy provides guidance through personal consultations. Their experts can take a look at your specific goals and balances to recommend an optimization strategy. Sometimes getting a second set of eyes on your accounts catches earning opportunities you may have missed. It’s a great way make the most of what you’ve got before you run out of tricks for earning more.