HfP EXCLUSIVE: 3,000 BenefitPoints for joining the Star Alliance small business scheme

Since British Airways devalued its On Business scheme for small and medium sized companies last May, it has become irrelevant for many SMEs.

The fact that £30,000 of BA spending is required to get off the basic membership tier – which is a lot of travel if your business does not involve long-haul flights – is a sign of how much you are valued.  It is also substantially harder to earn a free flight under the new structure.

There is an alternative.  PartnerPlusBenefit, previously Star Alliance Company Plus, is the Star Alliance equivalent of On Business, aimed at companies in the UK and Ireland.

What makes PartnerPlusBenefit more powerful than BA’s On Business is that flights from 10 airlines earn points. The participating airlines are Air Canada, LOT, Lufthansa, Eurowings, Austrian, ANA, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, United and TAP Portugal.

There is also a wider range of redemption options than On Business offers. As well as flight redemptions and upgrades, you can also redeem for Lufthansa FlyNet internet vouchers and Sixt car rental credit amongst other things.  You can even ask them to redeem your points for cash when you reach certain thresholds.

HfP sign-up exclusive – double bonus

The general sign-up offer for PartnerPlusBenefit is 1,500 BenefitPoints.  This consists of an immediate bonus for registering (1,000 BenefitPoints) and an additional 500 BenefitPoints for linking at least one credit card to your account.

You need to register a credit card as this is the main method they use for tracking flight purchases made by your company.  It will pick up your purchases even if you book via a corporate travel agent.

If you join via this special link or via the ad in the Head for Points sidebar (on desktop) or on the mobile site, you will receive an additional 1,500 BenefitPoints when you credit your first flight.

That would give you a total welcome bonus of 3,000 BenefitPoints.

3,000 points are enough for:

a one-way upgrade to business class within Europe on a discounted economy ticket, or

two one-way upgrades to business class within Europe on flexible economy tickets, or

quite a few items from the Lufthansa WorldShop mail order catalogue, or

a £50 Sixt car rental voucher, or

3 x Lufthansa FlyNet 24-hour internet access vouchers, amongst other things.

PartnerPlusBenefit is part of AwardWallet so you can keep track of your points via the business version of their app or website.

You will not see any reference to this offer when you click through but you will, in the URL in your browser, that the click is being tracked as coming from HfP and you will receive the bonus after your first flight is credited.

Regular special promotions

Once you are a member there are a variety of special offers available.  At present these are:

Double points until 31st December on flights from the UK to Japan booked with ANA, Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian

25% off ALL flight redemptions and upgrades until 31st December – a flight from the UK to Germany in Economy would be just 2,625 BenefitPoints instead of the usual 3,500 for example.

10% off Heathrow Express tickets

Summary

If you run your own company, or are the travel manager for someone elses, it is worth signing up to PartnerPlusBenefit.  You may find the benefits are more useful than heavily devalued On Business points.

The sign-up page is here.  Travellers will still receive their standard miles in their personal accounts when they fly, so it is a genuine extra benefit on top.  You will see receive 1,500 points immediately and then the additional 1,500 points – assuming you use the link on this page to join – when you credit your first flight to the programme.