Agoda asked me to check out their new Points Max system and give it a review. I don’t know much about points systems or frequent flier miles although I try and try to stay up to date on these things.
Agoda Points Max Review & Introduction
I’ve always used Agoda to book hotels and you’ve probably noticed every time I link to a hotel I’ve stayed at on my travels, I link to the Agoda page. They usually have the lowest deals although I do check other sites and compare.
When you make an account you link in the frequent flier miles programs that you use.
“PointsMAX is a new way to earn benefits when you book accommodation on Agoda.com. It’s simple – choose your favorite loyalty program, and you’ll earn points toward that program with every booking you make with us.” – Agoda
Step 1: Choose one of the 36 loyalty programs they have working with them
Step 2: Book your hotel on Agoda
Step 3: Earn points after completing your stay
So since I already book on Agoda, it’s basically just taking that first step of selecting the frequent flier mile program I use so that I can get more points in my program and earn miles! You do have to do a little research as not every room gives points.
They have all the big airlines like United Mileage Plus, American Airlines AAdvantage, Delta, AVIOS, British Airways Executive Club, and more.
If you’re in Asia or traveling in Asia a lot they have Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Asia Miles, Etihad Guest, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus and lots more.
How many points can you earn? It’s endless. Travelers around the world have earned over 242 million points through PointsMAX.
To see the lowest room rates the Agoda offers you HAVE to sign up and make an account. Reason being, they promise their hotels on the site they don’t show their lowest rates to the public. So, once you sign in it’s not the public and they can show those lowest rates.
At this point, I think I am only a member of United (I know, I really should be signed up for more). So, I went in and added my membership ID (after searching my gmail back to 2012 to find it). It took two seconds to add it.
I added a little blue arrow below to show you where you’ll see Points Max when you log in at the top right. So you can click there and select the frequent flier mile program you want to search while using. What I’ll do is search a hotel without “turning on Points Max” and I’ll search with it turned on to United and see if it’s a better deal + what points I’ll get. From what I’ve read, it’s not always a better deal but that’s because you are getting so many points.
I searched for the Drury Inn, which is a hotel I stayed at this summer for a wedding in Columbus, Ohio. I figured it would be best to try a search in the USA since it’s United Airlines.
One thing I like about Agoda is it shows you all the room options and price differences. With Points Max, you’ll also see a points difference with each room option.
I’ll compare a “Deluxe 2 Queen Beds” room. With the Points Max turned on for United MileagePlus, it is $200 +165 MileagePlus miles.
I did the same exact search but this time without the Points Max turned on. You simply click the tab up top that I showed you before (with the blue arrow) and click “turn off Points Max”. With it off, the price was the same $200, but I got no points (obviously).
From what I’ve read it isn’t always this simple. Sometimes you’ll see that you get a lower rate and lots of points, others you might get a higher rate but SO many points that it is worth paying that higher rate.
If you are totally clueless about points, never want to join a program, and don’t want to learn more, then I suggest that you do not turn on the Points Max function as you may end up paying higher for a room.
If you are using frequent flier miles, then make sure that you compare hotel rates with and without Points Max turned on, so that you can see if the bonus points are worth the rate your paying (in the chance that it is higher).
I am hoping to make it a goal in 2017 to really get involved in frequent flier programs and utilize Points Max so that I can get points on my hotels too. This guy shares how many extra points he got using it on his flight to Dubai. I love this review that really explains how he found his deal.
For me, it’s a no brainer to go ahead and add my frequent flier information and have it on file for future bookings. I think it’s worthwhile to learn how to make the most of this, but I’m sure if you’re anything like me, you have 100 things on your to-do list. I’ve always said keeping track of miles seems difficult, so it’s great when things like this come along to make getting points that much easier.
Make sure you sign up for an account. If you find a good deal, I’d love to know about it. I plan to come back to this post and share examples of points I have racked up over the year! So, where to next?
Thanks for breaking down the Agoda process. Most helpful.
Your welcome!
Thanks Rachel. I just learned about this because of your post. I always use Agoda for hotel booking. Will check out that frequent flyer incentive they have. Thanks for the walkthrough
Oh good, I hope that you get some good deals.
Hey Rachel, how on earth do you redeem these pesky points? Easy enough to link a programme but I can’t see how on earth you redeem them?
Thanks for an awesome post.
Krissflyer no longer offer points in Agoda