Infinia Smartbuy vs airmiles

[infinia_finally]

Hi
I couldn't find info in search. But if there is prior discussion on this, please point me to the thread

Assuming for a particular flight, smartbuy price is same as external websites (and let's just assume, there aren't great discounts externally for any modes of payment that I have),

Then what is preferred? Buying tickets using RPs through smartbuy OR converting RPs to 1:1 airmiles on some airline and purchasing from airline website?

(I have never converted to airmiles)

 

[techt]

The reality of Smartbuy is that your points are not actually worth 1 rupee / point. When you redeem points, you dont get the 16.5% or the 33% points back.

Assume for calculation sake that for every flight you book, you pay 50% through points , rest 50% through payment (I know it allows 70% but you are constantly flying and you're getting RPs from other transactions to cover only half a ticket every month). ticket costs 5000 rupees.
You get 412.5 RPs. which is only 8.25% of the ticket cost. If 70% redeemed everytime, you get lesser. Its RP. not cashback.

Why DCB and smartbuy still make sense? Well, firstly, u can compare on all websites. 800 rupee difference if u see below :



Secondly, Of course : I Paid only 1000 rupees for this flight by redeeming 70% RPs! - The psychological factor. Thats much better than saying I got all my flights this month at 9% discount.
Thirdly, DCB gives 3.3% on almost every swipe except rent and insurance I think. This is better than most of the cards since it is consistent.
Fourthly : IF you are doing multiple booking, the OTA discounts are heavily capped and are of lesser value than 9% discount. Hence smartbuy flat discount upto CAP makes sense.

I prefer to pay while hotel booking and redeem points while booking air tickets. 33% back on hotel which can be redeemed against flights. IF u do otherway round, its a win for smartbuy.

If u get 0.9 rupee valuation on your air miles, it is genuinely a good deal.

This is little confusing to understand your point as you are talking about DCB.
Is this what you want to say. Smartbuy is good even though effectively the RP is 0.9INR worth for DCB(and infinia as well?).

 

[Firewing224]

This is little confusing to understand your point as you are talking about DCB.
Is this what you want to say. Smartbuy is good even though effectively the RP is 0.9INR worth for DCB(and infinia as well?).

IF used correctly. If you earn on all transactions and redeem for flights, yes. If you pay for flights and redeem on hotels, no.
If redeemed for items, definitely no.
If you earn on all and convert to points transfer, yes. If you have excess points and redeem for better hotels than what you would pay for, yes.

DCB & infinia are super premium travel cards. its value is immense in using for daily activities (Gyftr) and redeeming for free flights. Very few cards will give this kind of value. However, if you use it sparingly, then you are better off using other cards as money saved at the end of the year is more or less the same. (amex trifecta might be better)

 

[dexter_greycells]

Hi
I couldn't find info in search. But if there is prior discussion on this, please point me to the thread

Assuming for a particular flight, smartbuy price is same as external websites (and let's just assume, there aren't great discounts externally for any modes of payment that I have),

Then what is preferred? Buying tickets using RPs through smartbuy OR converting RPs to 1:1 airmiles on some airline and purchasing from airline website?

(I have never converted to airmiles)

I have used SmartBuy for around 3 flights and 4 hotel bookings, all domestic, in the last 6 months. I have found that at least a few times SmartBuy is even cheaper than MMT, goiBiBo. SmartBuy shows upfront costs whereas the travel aggregators are shady and show the true cost only on the payment page. SmartBuy also tends to avoid showing the cheapest rooms which again gives an impression that the rates are higher.

Even if the rates are indeed 5-10% higher, I wouldn't waste a second and go ahead and use SmartBuy because not only I can pay 70% with my points (which I always have in plenty) but also because the remaining 30% via my card again gets me 5x RPs on flights and 10x RPs on hotels. That is probably the #1 reason why SmartBuy will be better than 1:1 Airmiles conversion.

I find Airmiles too confusing, too risky and not worth my time especially because I never travel internationally and every post that I have seen about getting good value for Airmiles involves international travel/stay.

 

[NikhilTravelLover]

I agree on the points that, while going domestic, use smartbuy.

But if you are planning international, atleast once give a chance to see if you can get a better deal with award flights. People here have sealed beutifull deals with Airmiles game. It's slightly risky game, but rewading too.

So try your luck..

 

[tuktuk1]

I typically reserve hotels through SmartBuy Infinia due to the clear articulation of their refund policies. However, I remain hesitant to book flights, particularly international ones, as the conditions for refunds, rebooking, and cancellations are not detailed, merely labeled as refundable or non-refundable. To gain clarity, do you contact customer service? Up to this point, I have been reluctant to book flights via SmartBuy.

 

[Firewing224]

I typically reserve hotels through SmartBuy Infinia due to the clear articulation of their refund policies. However, I remain hesitant to book flights, particularly international ones, as the conditions for refunds, rebooking, and cancellations are not detailed, merely labeled as refundable or non-refundable. To gain clarity, do you contact customer service? Up to this point, I have been reluctant to book flights via SmartBuy.

They're mostly non refundable tickets. I tried to cancel and cancellation charge was more than what I paid for ticket.

 

[Lobogris]

I agree on the points that, while going domestic, use smartbuy.

But if you are planning international, atleast once give a chance to see if you can get a better deal with award flights. People here have sealed beutifull deals with Airmiles game. It's slightly risky game, but rewading too.

So try your luck..

I have never seen any good value on international flights via points either. Much better to choose and directly buy via Smartbuy.