Gaming the Machine
MANY BUSINESSES NOW USE REWARDS CARDS AND POINT SCHEMES TO STRENGTHEN CUSTOMER LOYALTY. Everybody likes a bargain, of course, and loyalty schemes create the illusion of free stuff when in fact, the rules of the game have been rigged in favour of the company,... there are some ways to "game the machine".
Buy discount Woolworths wish cards when they are on sale! CashRewards can be a good place to find them!
FLYBUYS
Start an account at Velocity, and transfer FlyBuys miles there with a 15% bonus. At a later date, I could transfer them to KrisFlyer with a similar bonus!
From time to time, FlyBuys offers to double your point earning capability for a limited period of time if you link your Velocity account.
According to Keith at Point Hacks, 2.5 Flybuy Points = 1 Etihad Mile. FlyBuys can be transferred to the Etihad program. On top of that, there is a 500 mile bonus for signing up with Etihad!
ALI BABA, AUSTRALIA
Sign up for an Ali Baba rewards card and you will get enough points for a free kebab. They will also give you a free kebab on your birthday!
Card Cash: Website here.
Recommended by One Mile at a Time. Even though it is an American site, it may be possible for purchase etickets from abroad. The last time I checked, there were Hotels.com vouchers available for a 7% discount. What's more, you can pay with Bitcoin!
COMMONWEALTH BANK REWARDS: website here.
Download the bank's app, which can be used to store your loyalty cards.
KATHMANDU: .
Outdoors clothing from New Zealand.
MENULOG: .
Once I move into the Halfway House, I will be hitting this service. It seems possible to earn 1 Flybuys point with $1 purchased on Menulog, but it is better to use Cash Rewards as a gateway instead.
NANDO'S: .
Buy a Westfield gift card at Coles and then claim FlyBuys and Amex points (2% discount). Then dine at Nando's and accrue Nando's points!. Perhaps I could even buy a Coles card at Woolworths and accrue some Qantas points in the process!
WOOLWORTHS: .
With Amazon coming, discounts might become more audacious. Even without discounts, there are savings to be had from ordering online, in bulk. I found an ad online promising 1500 bonus points for joining their rewards program. In general, 2000 points equals 10 Woolworths dollars. So, only 500 points to go, before I get a discount! They can also be transferred to the Qantas points system at a rate of 870 Qantas points for every 10 Woolworths dollars.
As of June 2017, Woolworths is running an offer on Groupon where you can get $5 off the final $30 of an online order of more than $120. On top of that, the groceries will be delivered to your home for free. I am not sure if this means $150 of groceries for $125, or $120 for $95. If the former is true, it represents a discount of 17%!