Is a Points Concierge Worth It for a Business Owner?

For most business owners, a points concierge is worth it once you book more than a trip or two a year, or you need more than one seat on the same flight. One business class award can take a full working day of skilled work once you count card setup, searching, transfer timing and the rebook when a seat vanishes. If you enjoy that work and have the time, doing it yourself costs you nothing but hours.

How many hours does one business class booking really take?

A rough estimate is 7 to 12 hours for one round trip for two people, and more the first time. Here is a typical booking: two people, Toronto to Rome in business class, with a few days of flexibility. The hours are rough guides. Yours will vary with skill and luck.

1. Card setup (about 2 hours the first time). You pick cards that earn points you can move to airlines, such as American Express Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. You learn which airline programs each one sends points to.
2. Award search across programs (2 to 4 hours). You check Aeroplan for Air Canada and its Star Alliance partners. Then you check other programs your points can reach, because the same seat can cost very different amounts in different programs.
3. Finding two seats (1 to 2 hours). Award seats often show up one at a time. You may need to try nearby dates, other routes, or split the two travellers across two bookings.
4. Transfer timing (30 minutes plus waiting). You move points only after you see the seats, because transfers are final. Some transfers land in seconds. Others can take a day or more, and the seat can disappear while you wait.
5. Booking and paying taxes (30 minutes). You book, pay the taxes and fees in cash, and check that both names match the passports.
6. The rebook when a seat vanishes (1 to 3 hours). Airlines change schedules and pull seats. You find a new flight, call the program, and fix the trip.

That adds up fast. Now do the math with your own time. If your hour is worth $200 and a booking takes 8 hours, that trip used $1,600 of your time before you even packed.

What are your other options?

You have four main paths, and each fits a different kind of traveller.

• Do it yourself (DIY). Free, apart from your time. Best if you like puzzles, travel a few times a year and have flexible dates. Our guide How Do I Book Air Canada Business Class With Aeroplan? is a good place to start.
• point.me. A search tool that shows which of your points can book a given flight and where to transfer them. It cuts down the search step. It also offers paid booking help, so check its site for current plans.
• Prince of Travel Concierge. A booking service well known in Canada, with deep Aeroplan knowledge. You pay when they book for you. Check their own page for current pricing.
• Per booking award services. Several companies will find and book one award for a set fee. You hand over the search, then come back next time with a new request.

A full travel concierge goes further. It looks at your cards, your spending and your trips for the year, not just one flight.

What does a points concierge cost?

You will see two fee models: a fee per booking, or a yearly fee. Prices change, so always check the provider's own page before you sign up.

• Per booking. You pay each time you book, often per passenger. This is the cheapest choice if you take one big trip a year.
• Yearly fee. You pay once a year and book as often as the plan allows. This tends to win if you travel often, fly with family or staff, or want help with cards and changes too.

A simple test: add up what per booking fees would cost for all the trips you plan this year, times the number of people flying. If that total is more than a yearly fee, the yearly model is the better deal. Also ask whether changes and rebooks cost extra, since that is where per booking costs can grow.

Do I keep my points and cards?

Yes. With a good service, your points and cards stay in your name the whole time. The cards are yours, the accounts are yours, and your points only leave your account when you transfer them for a booking you have approved.

A few things to ask before you start:

• Will the booking sit in my own airline account, so I can see and manage it?
• Who moves the points, and when?
• How do you protect my logins?

Never share card numbers or passwords with anyone who cannot give you clear answers to those three questions.

What happens when there are no seats?

A good concierge widens the search rather than giving up. That means other dates, other airports, other routes through a hub, and other programs that can book the same airline.

Here is what that looks like in practice:

• Alerts. They watch the route and pounce when seats open, which often happens closer to the travel date.
• A backup. They may hold a refundable cash fare or an award you can cancel. Many programs return your points when you cancel, sometimes for a fee.
• A swap. If business class never opens on your exact day, they may book you one day earlier or later and add a hotel night.

One more thing to ask: do you pay anything if nothing gets booked? The answer tells you a lot about how a service works.

If you run a business, you may already spend enough to fly business class more often than you think. You can see what your spending buys and find out how many trips are already sitting in your monthly bills.