.:-:. How Much Is An AirAsia BIG Point Really Worth? .:-:.

AirAsia’s encouraging tagline, “Now everyone can fly!” may not be true for everyone anymore. With the rising cost of living, vacations may seem like a luxury that not everyone can afford. All of us are looking for ways to cut down on our expenses and save money, just to survive in today’s economic climate.

However, everybody needs a break once in a while. But with the rising petrol prices, the days of scoring cheap flight for a vacation are rare. 

Which is why more savvy consumers are going the Miles way, by accumulating Miles points through their various purchases in the hope of redeeming a flight ticket for free!

With AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme, consumers can now spend and accumulate BIG Points to fly for free to any AirAsia destination. To take the best advantage of the programme, one must know how it works and how much a point is really worth. We have done the homework for you:

How can I earn AirAsia BIG Points?

First of all, to earn AirAsia BIG Points, you need to be a BIG SHOT! To sign up it’s free and you can easily do it online. However, if you would like to get a BIG Prepaid Visa Card, a one-time fee of RM10 is applicable.

As a BIG SHOT, there are two ways you can earn BIG Points:

1. Credit card spending on AirAsia flights, add-ons and BIG partners’ services.

Points that you will earn differs according to various AirAsia flights and BIG partners’ services.

Make sure to quote your BIG Shot ID when you purchase flight tickets online in order to accumulate your BIG Points. 

However, if you have already travelled on those flights, you can submit a claim form to accumulate your BIG Points within 30 days from your departure date. 

If you do not do either, then you will lose out on your BIG Points. You can get a head start by applying for a Standard Chartered WorldMiles credit card, which is now giving away 25,000 AirAsia BIG Points upon sign-up.

2. BIG Prepaid Visa Card spending on AirAsia flights, BIG partners services or in any of the Visa accepting outlets worldwide.

You earn 1 BIG Point for every RM4 spent on AirAsia flights with no add-ons* while you earn 1 BIG Point for every RM2 spent on AirAsia flights with add-ons*.

*add-on services are premium seats, baggage, meal, AirAsia travel insurance, sports equipment and comfort kit.

For example, an AirAsia two-way flight with add-ons from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney can earn you approximately 1,174 BIG Points while without add-ons will only fetch 379 BIG Points.

Do note that airport taxes, fuel surcharge and other fees are not redeemable using BIG Points. It is only applicable on ticket prices, add-ons and other services you purchase.

BIG Points are valid only for a maximum expiry period of three years and cannot be extended.

What can I redeem AirAsia BIG Points for?

1. AirAsia flights with a minimum of 500 points and top up the remaining amount using cash under the Redeeming Points + Cash Redemption option.
2. Stay at Tune Hotels.
3. AirAsia e-voucher of RM10, RM50 and RM100.
4. AirAsia merchandise such as the AirAsia miniature plane.
5. AirAsia lifestyle products such as home appliances, IT gadgets, health and beauty, travel equipment and accessories.
6. Gain priority access to AirAsia lowest fare sale with exclusive ZERO BIG Points and hot deals on new routes launches and special redemption campaigns.
7. AirAsia flights on behalf of your loved ones as a gift.

How much are BIG Points really worth?

Using the same example from above, an AirAsia two-way flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney costs RM2,513.

Using BIG Points, we can redeem the same flight for 176,000 BIG Points with RM783 paid for airport taxes, fuel and other fees.

It may seem quite impossible to accrue 176,000 BIG Points within three years, making it unattractive for travellers who wish to redeem free long haul AirAsiaX flights such as Australia or Japan.

For this flight, each BIG point is worth 0.98 sen:

AirAsia BIG Points may work best for people who travel more on AirAsiaX and able to gain extra points to redeem for free shorter trips to nearby cities such as Krabi, Bali or Singapore. 

Travelling to these cities would require fewer BIG Points when redeemed, but the value may differ depending on the destination.

For this flight, each BIG point is worth 1.1 sen:

Based on the calculation in the examples above, the value of BIG point is slightly higher for the shorter flight to Krabi compared to Sydney.

It would be best if you used your BIG Points to redeem a flight at a regular rate and not a discounted rate, as BIG Points are redeemed based on Regular Rates.

On some special promotional periods, you can save more by redeeming your flights for free with ZERO Big Points. You only need to pay for the airport taxes and fees.

This BIG Points reward system provided by AirAsia will definitely play a significant financial role in your travelling expenses especially when you are an avid traveller. 

By using your BIG Points wisely, you will not only be able to save, but you may be able to fly to your favourite destination for (almost) free.

Now that you know how much a BIG Point is worth, find out everything you need to know about Enrich Miles!