How to get an Airpoints card: A complete guide for Kiwis

Looking for a way to earn some rewards as you fly and shop? For many New Zealanders, joining the Air New Zealand Airpoints program is a smart way to earn rewards on their everyday spending and travel.

In this guide, we’re going to dive into what the Airpoints card is, including how to sign up and access it, and what the key features and benefits you’ll enjoy as a member are.

What is an Air NZ Airpoints card?

Airpoints is the free to join loyalty program offered by Air New Zealand, who are a member of Star Alliance.¹ Once you have an Airpoints card, you can use it or the membership number to earn Airpoints Dollars and Status Points.

How to get an Airpoints card?

To get an Airpoints card, the first step is to sign up for the Airpoints program on the Air NZ website. This involves filling out an online form with your personal details and creating a password secured login.

Once the sign up process is complete, you can get access to the Airpoints card, which also has your membership number on it. At the moment Air NZ is encouraging members to use the virtual card, which is available through the app. Here’s how you access it:²

1. Download the Air NZ app
2. Open and login
3. Press ‘Airpoints’ along the bottom of the screen
4. Tap the picture of the Airpoints card to bring up your scannable digital barcode²

You can also use the Air NZ app to check your current Airpoints balance and your Star Alliance status.

How does an Airpoints card work?

The Airpoints card is given to all members of the Air NZ Airpoints rewards program when they sign up. There’s two main perks to having the card and being part of the program.

• Earn Airpoints Dollars to spend on flights and rewards
• Earn Status Points to unlock flight and airport benefits

To earn your dollars and points, you need to make sure you scan your Airpoints card at the checkout, or provide your Airpoints membership number when making a booking or checking out online.

Now let’s take a look at each of these program perks in more detail, including the benefits and how to earn.

Airpoints Dollars

Starting with Airpoints Dollars, these are virtual points that can be earned as you fly and spend. There are a few ways to do that.¹

• Fly with Air New Zealand
• Fly with a Star Alliance airline or another Air New Zealand partner airline
• Shop at 40+ Airpoints Partner retailers
• Purchase products from the Airpoints Mall
• Spend with an Airpoints earning credit or debit card, or a OneSmart card¹

The Airpoints Dollars you earn can be redeemed on Air New Zealand flights or for rewards from the Airpoints Store. Here’s an idea of what you might be able to get from each.

What Air NZ Airpoints Dollars are worth

To keep things nice and simple, one Airpoints Dollar is equivalent to one New Zealand dollar.¹ That way, as you earn and spend your Airpoints Dollars, it’s easy to understand and keep track of the real-world value.

Do Airpoints Dollars expire?

Air New Zealand Airpoints Dollars do expire after a four year period. This means you want to check the expiry dates and be sure to use them before you lose them.¹ If you want to use them for a flight but don’t have enough, you may be able to pay with a combination of money and Airpoints Dollars through Airpoints Flexipay.

Airpoints retail partners

Airpoints have over 40 retail partners that allow you to earn on daily spending. It’s handy to know who these partners are, so you can maximise your point earning. Here’s a few of the major retailers that have partnered with Air NZ for the program.⁵

• Westpac
• ANZ
• Caltex
• Woolworths Everyday Rewards
• Hello Fresh
• LiquorLand
• Mitre10
• Petdirect⁵

Status Points

Along with Airpoints Dollars, Airpoints members can also unlock frequent flyer benefits by moving up through the three Air New Zealand Status Points tiers.³

• Silver
• Gold
• Elite

These status levels apply not just to Air New Zealand, but also to eligible Star Alliance, Cathay Pacific, Etihad Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights. Something unique to Air New Zealand though, is that Elite members can also nominate a family member to be their Elite Partner, gaining special privileges with Air New Zealand like full lounge access, an extra checked bag, and a guest pass to the lounge.³

Here are some of the benefits of being a Silver, Gold or Elite status points member when you fly with Air New Zealand.

There are also benefits for flying on Star Alliance partners, for example, Gold and Elite status members get extra baggage, priority boarding, lounge access and priority check-in.

Moving up tiers

The status points can be earned simply by flying on eligible Air New Zealand flights, and eligible flights with Star Alliance and partner airlines, provided you add your Airpoints membership number to the booking.⁴

The starting point is being an Airpoints member. Then, if you earn enough points within a 12 month period, you’ll move up and receive the next tier’s benefits for a 12 month period.

Here’s how many points you need to be able to reach and retain each tier.

There are some additional conditions to be aware of, like what percentage of flights need to be with Air NZ. You can check them on the Airpoints website.

Travel comfortably with the Wise Card and save on foreign transaction fees

Once you've got your Airpoints sorted and your travel plans locked in, the final step is to figure out the best way to manage your money abroad. The Wise card is a simple way to save up to 8x when you're spending internationally. You can spend in 150+ countries at mid-market rate — basically the rate you see on Google. With no foreign transaction fees and low, transparent pricing, Wise usually gives you the best value for your money.

Simply create a Wise account for free, order a card and top-up NZD to get started. Having a physical Wise card allows you to make chip and pin payments, as well as make some free ATM withdrawals each month for when you're abroad. You can get digital cards and add to your Google or Apple Pay wallet for instant use. Spend directly with the Wise account in NZD and let auto-conversion do the trick or convert in advance to your desired currency. You can hold and exchange 40+ currencies in your Wise account and spend the currencies you hold for free.

Wherever your travel takes you, the Wise card makes spending money abroad cheaper and easier.

🚀 Get your Wise card

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