Corporate Fares and Miles: Benefits for Belarusian Companies

Business growth is impossible without international business trips. New sales markets, sourcing quality materials, and signing profitable contracts — all of this requires business travel. To make flights more affordable, you can use airline mileage accrual programs. We’ve put together a few tips on saving on business trips, and for organizing business travel, use the TravelHub service.

How mileage accrual works: personal vs corporate accounts

Any reward points can be accrued to either personal or corporate accounts. Personal accounts work well for key employees — directors or top managers. But in most cases, it’s more cost-effective and convenient to sign a corporate agreement, under which all reward points will accumulate in the company account. This makes it possible to centrally accrue miles from the company’s overall flight volume and use them as needed for all employees. Use the TravelHub business travel management service to save even more. 

Value analysis

Airline loyalty programs for business are beneficial if a company flies regularly — more flights, more points. This way, you can use accrued miles to get discounts on airfare for your organization or to upgrade the class of service. With infrequent travel, loyalty programs are less effective due to mileage expiration and restrictions on how miles can be used. And to avoid mistakes with planning your business trip hotel bookings, choose the best options on TravelHub.

Overview of corporate fares

Different airlines offer special corporate fares with mileage accrual or other rewards. For example, the “Belavia Leader” program has two tiers — Silver (from 20 flights per year) and Gold (from 40 flights per year) — and allows you to accrue points in your employees’ personal accounts. These points can be used to select a seat on board at no charge, access a comfortable lounge, check in at the business-class counter, and much more.

Flydubai’s corporate program offers companies the services of a dedicated account manager, advantageous fares for group travel, and flexibility in booking options. And “Aeroflot” offers business customers, within its loyalty program, points worth up to 3% of the ticket price for flights. These points can be used to cover 100% of the cost of subsequent corporate tickets — an excellent way to optimize business travel expenses.

Specific considerations for Belarusian companies

Belarusian companies need to account for important nuances: international sanctions and the small number of airlines in the domestic market. The best option under these conditions is to work with local agencies, their partners, or travel management companies for businesses. They can help select the optimal programs for accumulating and using points, taking into account the specifics of your business travel routes. For example, if employees frequently fly to Russia, it makes sense to choose Aeroflot and use its program, but for travel to Asia, it’s better to choose another airline’s loyalty program. 

Legal and accounting aspects

Using reward programs requires a careful approach to tracking airfare purchase costs and financial reporting. Consulting with legal and accounting professionals will help you avoid mistakes and properly document the use of points.

Step-by-step setup instructions

• Determine your company’s business trip frequency and primary routes.
• Review airlines’ business fare terms and choose the right loyalty program.
• Register a corporate account on the airline’s official website.
• Accumulate points and use them as needed.
• Train employees and monitor the use of rewards.