We’re visiting all 50 US states and have barely spent a penny on flights – our trick saved us over £8k
SAVVY HOLIDAYMAKERS are shaving thousands of pounds off their travel costs with a shopping hack – and anyone can sign up.
For his whole life, 55-year-old electrician Kirk Williams had dreamed about visiting all 50 states in the USA, but knew he wouldn’t be able to afford regular trips across the Atlantic.
But Kirk, from near Manchester, has now ticked off his 44th state after discovering a savings hack a few years ago, and he hopes to visit the remaining six next year with the same trick.
In 2020, Kirk signed up to a rewards scheme called Virgin Red, which allows you to earn points for shopping online that can then be converted into rewards, such as free flights.
Anyone can sign up to the scheme and it is completely free to use.
Since then, Kirk has managed to amass enough “Virgin points” by putting all his online spending through his Virgin Red account to redeem a return first-class flight for both him and his wife.
They flew with Virgin Atlantic from Manchester to Atlanta in Georgia, then with Delta, an American airline, from Atlanta to Denver in Colorado.
Flights from Manchester to Denver with Virgin start from £651, but their first class flights would have cost around £4,100 each – meaning they saved over £8,000.
You still have to pay any government-imposed taxes or admin fees, which vary from country to country.
The Virgin Red scheme is linked to over 150 retailers and companies and you earn points back if you shop by clicking on the retailers through the Virgin Red website.
Kirk does his online food shopping, orders for his garden and any other purchases he can through the site.
Shoppers can then convert their points into a range of rewards including flights, cruises and hotel stays.
Kirk also regularly earns Tesco Clubcard points through his son’s mobile contract and by topping up fuel, which he is then able to convert into Virgin points to get freebies.
And he earns some Virgin points by using his Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Credit card, earning him 1.5 Virgin points for every £1 he spends.
Remember that you should only spend on a credit card if you can afford to keep on top of the repayments, as credit cards typically charge interest if you don’t pay your balance off within one month.
Kirk said: “It’s been my dream to visit all 50 states of the USA ever since I visited America for the first time with the Navy in 1986 and fell in love with the country.
“I’ve been set on boosting my Virgin Points balance to make this dream happen and am pleased to say I’ve now visited 44 states, which has only been made possible by using my points towards flights to the US with Virgin Atlantic.
“My most recent trip in April was a month long and quite the adventure through the southern states including Georgia, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma.”
“Our Virgin Points balance meant we could fly Upper Class, too, which made the experience even more special,” Kirk said.
“My wife and I hope to complete the dream on a big trip to the US next year, also using points to buy our flights. We’ve saved Hawaii and Alaska until last so we can end with a bang.”
The rise of reward schemes
Kirk and his wife are among thousands of people in the UK who have bagged free holidays just by shopping with a rewards account or credit card.
In 2020, a freedom of information (FOI) request to the government revealed UK citizens had travelled 3.2million miles by plane via the Air Miles loyalty scheme.
And 80% of people in the UK said they used a loyalty scheme while shopping in December last year, according to data firm Mintel.
Research by Virgin Red found its users saved an average of £257 a year in 2022 by using loyalty programs.
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Virgin Red is Virgin’s rewards club, but there are dozens of similar schemes to choose from.
For example, you can shop through a cashback website like TopCashBack to earn physical cash when you shop, which you could use to spend on treats like holidays.
The number of rewards credit cards on the market is also on the rise – now 58 in total, according to data website Moneyfacts.
These cards let you earn points you by spending on your credit card, which you can then convert into rewards like Air Miles.
“My tip is to get a credit card that will give you rewards for the way you spend already,” said Kara Gammell, personal finance expert at comparison site MoneySupermarket.
“For example, an air miles credit card is useful if you’re a regular flyer, but if you’re not planning any trips, a credit card that gives you cashback for everyday spending could be a better option.”
With the average Brit spending £765 a month on their credit card, according to stats from analytics firm FICO, you could be earning over £100 a year in cashback.
If you prefer rewards, you could earn over 9,000 Amex points – which could get you a European flight, although you’d still have to pay taxes and fees.
These rewards are only freebies, though, if you avoid paying any interest on the credit card, so make sure to pay off your bill in full every month to avoid paying anything extra.
Interest rates on credit cards have risen sharply in the past 12 months. On average, you paid 31.2% APR in June 2023, according to Moneyfacts. That had risen to 35.3% APR this month.
'I used Virgin points to pay for dream honeymoon to the Maldives'
Sara, from Hertfordshire, is also a member of Virgin Red and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
The 43-year-old has recently started exchanging Tesco Clubcard points into Virgin points, which helped her pay for her dream honeymoon.
Sara signed up when there was an offer last year for a bonus 2,500 Virgin points upon signing up, and this is now a regular way builds her points balance.
The savvy traveller, who runs a retail consultancy business, got married last year and used her Virgin points to pay for her honeymoon in the Maldives with Virgin Atlantic Holidays.
Sara was determined to build up her points balance as much as possible to make the dream honeymoon happen.
On top of exchanging Tesco Clubcard points, Sara earned points through shopping with online retailers through Virgin Red and buying travel insurance with Virgin Money through Virgin Red.
She eventually earned enough points to save £1,000 – £2,000 on the trip.
She said: “Having my Tesco Clubcard points automatically exchange into Virgin Points is amazing as they contribute to my Virgin Points balance without me having to do anything!
“I often shop at my local Tesco and top up my fuel there, which has been a great way to regularly boost my points balance.
“My husband and I dreamt of a luxury water hut over the ocean in the Maldives for our honeymoon – and Virgin Points made this reality.
“Using Virgin Points to pay for a big chunk of the trip allowed us to add some extra luxury to our honeymoon and make it even more special.”
Top rewards credit cards
According to Money Saving Expert, if you’re looking for a cashback or reward card, your best bet is likely to be an American Express card.
These cards often come with big intro bonuses and ongoing rewards for customers, as long as the balance is paid in full every month.
The top Amex cards are:
- Amex Cashback Everyday: a free card that gives you 5% cashback for three months, plus up to 1% cashback afterwards. However, you need to spend a minimum of £3,000 per year to get the cashback. This card is ideal if you’re looking to make a big purchase or have a high-spending period coming up.
- Amex Rewards: another free card that gives customers 10,000 bonus points if they spend at least £2,000 in the first three months. The points can then be converted into vouchers or discounts on flights and hotels.
- Amex Preferred Rewards Gold: this card is free in the first year but costs £195 per year after this period. The welcome bonus changes over time but currently, customers can get £140 of Amazon, Sainsbury’s or M&S vouchers, £10 per month in Deliveroo cashback, as well as four free airport lounge passes a year.
- Amex Cashback: this card has a £25 annual fee and gives customers 5% cashback for the first three months plus up to 1.25% cashback after. It could make you earn more cashback than the Everyday card if you’re planning to spend over £10,000 per year on it.
- Amex Nectar: this card is free for the first year and then has a £30 annual fee after that. Customers can get 20,000 bonus Nectar points if they spend £2,000 in the first three months. These points can also be converted to Avios and be used as discounts on flights.
According to MSE, these are the best non-Amex rewards cards:
- Santander Edge Credit Card: it costs £3 per month and gives customers 2% cashback on most purchases up to £15 a month for one year. You can only apply for this card if you have a Santander current account. The cashback drops to 1% after one year.
- Asda Money Credit Card: with this card, shoppers get 5% cashback on Asda spending up to £50 in the first 90 days. They can also get an ongoing 1% cashback on shopping at Asda, including George.com and Asda petrol stations. Another bonus is that there’s 0.3% cashback on purchases elsewhere. Customers don’t receive cash directly but collect ‘Asda pounds’ that can then be converted into discount vouchers to be used online or in store.
- John Lewis Credit Card: shoppers can get five points per £4 spent at John Lewis and Waitrose, and one point per £4 spent elsewhere. In the first 60 days, customers get double points.
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