"Points Hacking”. No, you don’t need to be a coder or great with computers - you just need to be a little bit savvy to get more points to travel, and maybe even in a better flight class. Over the next few weeks in several articles I’ll be talking about the best methods to get more points in methods sanctioned by airlines.

But first, what do you mean by points hacking?

All I’m referring to here is being able to “hack the system” or find the best methods to gain more points with airlines as quickly as possible. There’s nothing illegal with the methods I’ll be explaining - but simply “points hacking” is simply a turn of phrase.

Callum, give us a very brief, idiot’s guide to airline loyalty

I am not an expert on airline loyalty or points, I am just a mere enthusiast. Airline schemes include the following:

• British Airways Executive Club

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

• Lufthansa Miles + More

• and many many others

They all exist to do one thing: make you loyal to that airline and their partners, increasing their revenue from you as a customer/passenger. Even though loyalty schemes, be it via an airline or supermarket, exist to make more money from you - you can still extract a lot of value back, depending on how much work you want to put into it.

And to be clear, when I reference points this could refer to what you may call airmiles or a brand’s name for their points scheme e.g. for BA it is Avios, AsiaMiles for Cathay Pacific.

What’ll be covered in the coming weeks?

We’ll be covering a number of topics relating to points hacking. These include:

• financial products & the basics of earning via credit cards and bank accounts

• earning additional points when shopping

• when is the right time to buy points

• how should I spend my points

• what are my future goals and strategies for points earning

Hopefully you will all find some use out of these articles - and particularly if you’re somebody who otherwise doesn’t collect points. There is the possibility for all of us to get cheaper, better travel experiences by spending a bit of time to investigate how we can earn points - believe me when I say it’s a lot easier than you’re thinking.