Air New Zealand Airpoints™ terms & conditions

The following terms and conditions are important and affect your rights as a Member of the Air New Zealand Airpoints™ Programme. They form part of your Membership Agreement, and you should read them carefully.
Last updated 9 August 2024

1. Summary

2. Your obligations

3. Privacy statement

4. Email communications

5. Application for Airpoints Membership

6. Deceased Airpoints Member account closure

7. Airpoints Card

8. Australian residents

9. Airpoints Member benefits

10. Earning Airpoints Dollars and Status Points

11. Claiming missing Airpoints Dollars and Status Points

12. Qualifying flights

13. Qualifying purchases

14. Airpoints Dollars expiry

15. Spending Airpoints Dollars

16. Flight rewards

17. Non-Flight Rewards

18. Gifting Rewards to members of your household

19. Status Points

20. Shairpoints

21. Fees associated with your Airpoints Membership

22. OneSmart

23. Airpoints Dollars top-up

24. Direct Earn Financial Products

25. Credit and charge card rewards

26. Notice and contact details

27. Tax

28. Changes to these Terms

29. Termination

30. Limitation of liability

31. Disclaimers

32. Laws of New Zealand apply

33. Translations

34. Miscellaneous

35. Definitions

In these Terms:

The terms used in these Terms and Conditions have the following meanings:

Account means the record we maintain of the Airpoints Dollars you have earned through Qualifying Flights and Qualifying Purchases, the Airpoints Dollars deducted from your Account following the redemption of your Airpoints Dollars for Rewards, and also includes a record of the Status Points you have earned.

Airpoints Mall means an Airpoints branded online shopping mall at https://airpoints-mall.co.nz.

Airpoints Programme means the customer loyalty programme for Airpoints Members operated by Air New Zealand in accordance with these Terms.

Airpoints Upgrade means the various Airpoints Upgrades that may be available to Elite, Gold and Silver Tier Status Members in accordance with these Terms. The types of Airpoints Upgrades available may vary from time to time in accordance with the Airpoints Upgrade information published on our website. An Airpoints Upgrade is as allocation of a seat for one Sector of your Journey in a Service Class of travel for that is one Service Class higher than the Service Class shown on your Ticket for that Sector. Airpoints Upgrades are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.

Air New Zealand, Air NZ, we and us means Air New Zealand Limited.

Air NZ Account means the online Airpoints account that you may access as a registered user of our website with your Airpoints login and password to view your Airpoints balance details.

Air NZ Operated Flight is a Journey taken only on a Flight and Flight number pursuant to an Air NZ Ticket that is operated by Air NZ, Air Nelson Limited, Mount Cook Airline Limited (excluding Mount Cook Airline Scenic Flights) or an Airshare Flight.

Airpoints Advance means the Airpoints Advance facility offered to Nominated Earners of certain Direct Earn Financial Products, and to eligible account holders of select Participating Retailer accounts, in accordance with these Terms.

Airpoints Card means the digital and/or physical card that we issue to you with your name and Airpoints Number on it.

Airpoints Dollars means the Airpoints Programme frequent flyer loyalty points that you earn as a Member of the Airpoints Programme through your purchase of Qualifying Flights and Qualifying Purchases in accordance with these Terms; being the Airpoints Dollars that Air NZ accrues to your Account and deducts from your Account when you use your Airpoints Dollars to redeem a Reward or when your Airpoints Dollars expire in accordance with these Terms.

Airpoints Member Benefit means Rewards, Tier Status Benefits, the ability to join a Shairpoints Account and the various other benefits associated with your participation in the Airpoints Programme that we will change and update from time to time.

Airpoints Partner means any company, business or organisation that:

  • sells Qualifying Purchases or Qualifying Flights that Airpoints Members may purchase to earn Airpoints Dollars;
  • offers Rewards that Airpoints Member may redeem using their Airpoints Dollars; and/or
  • provides a Direct Earn Financial Product

Airshare Flight is a Flight with a block of seats available to be sold by Air New Zealand (and treated as if it were an Air New Zealand Flight number and aircraft) on another carrier's aircraft e.g. Aircalin NZ362 and NZ365.

Australian Member is an Airpoints Member who resides in Australia and who supplies us with an Australian residential/home address.

Award Ticket is a Ticket issued by Air NZ for travel on an Air New Zealand Operated Flight in exchange for you redeeming a specified number of Airpoints Dollars.

Cash means any payment method that is accepted by the relevant vendor (such as approved credit cards, cash, or EFTPOS) but excludes payment with Airpoints Dollars or with the frequent flyer or loyalty points of any other loyalty programme and also excludes cash vouchers that may be purchased using Airpoints Dollars from time to time for use with certain Airpoints Partners.

Codeshare Flight means an international Flight that a Ticket shows as being the service of one airline but that is provided by an aircraft operated by another airline under an agreement between the two airlines.

Direct Earn Financial Product means a credit card, charge card, home loan or other financial product or facility, that is approved by Air NZ to be a 'Direct Earn Financial Product', and is issued by an Airpoints Partner in New Zealand to a New Zealand resident, use of which enables the Nominated Earner of the Direct Earn Financial Product account to earn Airpoints Dollars and/or Status Points based on the actual value of purchase transactions made using the Direct Earn Financial Product and/or earn Status Points based on a Qualifying Flight and in accordance with these Terms and the terms and conditions of the issuing bank.

Discounted Long Haul Redemption Fares are long-haul fares (international sectors, other than between NZ and Australia, the Pacific Islands or within the Pacific Islands) on Air NZ Operated Flights that are only available for purchase with Airpoints Dollars and may only be booked in limited booking classes.

Eligible Purchases means purchases made either with your OneSmart Account or your Direct Earn Financial Product (as applicable), excluding:

  1. purchases of Airpoints Dollars using Top-Up or Airpoints Advance facilities (if available as a benefit of your card),
  2. fees or interest,
  3. balance transfers,
  4. credit card repayment insurance**,
  5. gambling chips,
  6. cash advances or cash withdrawals made from ATMs or financial institutions (over the counter cash at a bank,
  7. money orders, travellers cheques and foreign currencies in cash,
  8. any transaction that is reversed, refunded or charged back or other adjustments,
  9. "Peer to Peer" transfers (between OneSmart Accounts),
  10. any flights purchased directly from Air New Zealand using your OneSmart Account, and
  11. any other purchases that are excluded in the OneSmart or Direct Earn Financial Product terms and conditions.

    ** As of 1 April 2021, customers are no longer able to apply for Credit Card Repayment Insurance Policy when opening a new credit card account. 

Flight means any One Way travel (without a Stopover) on an airline's operated scheduled air service that keeps the same Flight number even if there is a change of aircraft. Travel on the same aircraft but with a Flight number change qualifies as two Flights.

Flight Reward means any Reward comprising Flight travel.

Giftee means a person listed as a Giftee on your Gifting Register, at your request, being a person whom you may gift certain Rewards pursuant to these Terms.

Gifting is where you authorise Airpoints Dollars to be deducted from your Account so that you can redeem them for a Reward Ticket for a Giftee. Non-Flight Rewards may not be Gifted.

Gifting Register means the register of your Giftees as shown on your online Air NZ Account.

Grabaseat Fare means any promotional fare identified as a grabaseat fare on the grabaseat website www.grabaseat.co.nz or on www.airnewzealand.co.nz.

Household means the residential dwelling and household in which you and those living with you reside. Persons living in your Household for less than 3 consecutive months are deemed to be guests and not members of your Household.

HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card means a credit card available to Australian residents, in which cardholders may earn Star Alliance points and Star Alliance status as part of the Star Alliance Rewards Program.

Infant Ticket means any Ticket issued to an infant, being a person who is less than two years old.

Journey means a Flight or a series of Flights from a point of origin to a point of destination, including Transits and Stopovers.

Lounge means the various Air NZ operated and branded Lounges for which Elite, Gold and Silver Tier Status Members may have certain access privileges (and in the case of Elite and Gold Tier Status Members, also includes select Star Alliance lounges) in accordance with these Terms, and as part of the frequent flyer privileges published on our website and updated from time to time.

Member, you and your means a person who has joined the Airpoints Programme and whose name is on an Airpoints Card.

Membership Year means each 12 month period commencing on the day you joined (or the annual anniversary of the day you joined) the Airpoints Programme.

Nominated Earner means is an Airpoints Member who is the account holder of a Direct Earn Financial Product that is linked to their Airpoints Account in accordance with the Direct Earn Financial Product issuer's terms and conditions. Airpoints Members with a joint Direct Earn Financial Product may only have one Nominated Earner at any one time. Only those Members that have a joint Direct Earn Financial Product may change the Nominated Earner and such changes must be made in accordance with the Direct Earn Financial Product issuing bank's terms and conditions. For full details contact your Direct Earn Financial Product issuing bank.

Non-Flight Reward means any Reward that does not include air travel.

Non-Qualifying Flight means Flight travel on: charter Flights; free Tickets (including Ticket coupons issued as Award Tickets); travel industry-rebated Tickets; competition prize Tickets; Tickets acquired at auction; unused Tickets; discounted Tickets in booking classes not eligible to earn Airpoints Dollars; Tickets that are subject to any provisions that exclude the earning of Airpoints Dollars and/or Status Points; and Tickets not issued in your name (even if paid for by you); or any other Tickets that we may specify from time to time.

Non-Spender means a member of a Shairpoints Account who is not a Spender or an Owner.

OneSmart Account means a prepaid MasterCard account facility, provided by EML Payment Solutions Limited as "issuer" to eligible Members who reside in New Zealand.

OneUp Upgrade means a Service Class upgrade on an Air New Zealand Operated Flight that is purchased by you and subject to the OneUp Terms and Conditions.

Origin to Destination means the point of departure to the final destination (the furthest point in your travels from the point of origin), no matter how many Sectors and Stopovers make up that Journey.

Owner means the Airpoints Member who sets up and opens a Shairpoints Account in accordance with these Terms.

Participating Retailer means any business, company or organisation who sells goods and or services which when purchased by Airpoints Members are Qualifying Purchases.

Partner Airline means an airline (excluding Air New Zealand) that sells Qualifying Flights and or offers Reward Travel to Airpoints Members.

Qualifying Flight means Flight or Journey taken on a Revenue Ticket paid by Cash on either an Air NZ Operated Flight or a Partner Airline Flight for which for which you are eligible to earn Airpoints Dollars and/or Status Points in accordance with these Terms. A Qualifying Flight does not include a Non-Qualifying Flight.

In the case of Status Points earned on a Qualifying Flight as a benefit of your Direct Earn Financial Product issued by ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited, the term Qualifying Flight has the same meaning as eligible flight in accordance with the terms of ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited.

To estimate the number of Airpoints Dollar and Status Points you could earn on a Qualifying Flight, refer to the Airpoints Look Up Table at www.airnzpoints.co.nz. Any Status Points to be earned on Qualifying Flights through your Direct Earn Financial Product will not show in the Airpoints Look Up Table.

Qualifying Purchase means a purchase of goods and/or services from either Air New Zealand or a Participating Retailer where such purchase qualifies you to earn Airpoints Dollars.

Recognition Upgrade is a type of Airpoints Upgrade awarded to Elite, Gold or Silver Airpoints Members in accordance with the Airpoints Upgrade information on our website. Recognition Upgrades are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.

Revenue Ticket means a Ticket for air travel you have paid for using Cash.

Reward means any benefits, services, goods and facilities (including Reward Travel and Non-Flight Rewards) that we may offer you in return for you redeeming a specified number of Airpoints Dollars in your Account. Rewards are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.

Reward Travel means air travel redeemed by you in exchange for a specified number of Airpoints Dollars. Reward Travel may include Award Tickets, Airpoints Upgrades and travel purchased using Airpoints Dollars on Partner Airline Flights.

Sector means an aircraft's single scheduled Flight between two different points without a transit or stopover.

Service Class means a cabin and service class of travel, for example: First Class, Business Premier Class, Premium Economy Class, or Economy Class.

Shairpoints Account means the Shairpoints account and benefits benefit as set out in paragraph 20 provided to Airpoints Members that allows them to combine their Airpoints Dollars for redemptions by the Owner and/or by a Spender(s).

Shairpoints Account Balance means in the aggregate of all Airpoints Dollars available for redemption (excluding any available Airpoints Advances) by members of a Shairpoints Account.

Spender means a member of a Shairpoints Account who has been nominated by the Owner to have the right to redeem any or all Airpoints Dollars from the Shairpoints Account Balance and such right has not been revoked by the Owner at the time of redemption.

Star Alliance Rewards Program means the loyalty rewards program available to Australian residents who are holders of the HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card.

Status Points means the points that we award you in accordance with paragraph 19 to determine if you are eligible to qualify or requalify for Elite, Gold or Silver Tier Status.

Stopover means a Flight stopover when a passenger arrives at an intermediate point and is not scheduled to depart within 24 hours of arrival. If it is less than 24 hours it is called a Transit.

Terms means these terms and conditions between Air New Zealand Limited and you, which govern membership to the Airpoints Programme, as may be updated from time to time.

Ticket means a paper or electronic Flight coupon(s) that entitles a passenger to be carried on a specified air service, and it includes electronic Ticket receipt(s) that identify carriage on a specified air service.

Tier Status means Elite, Gold or Silver Tier Status in accordance with these Terms.

Tier Status Benefits means the various benefits and privileges that may be available to Elite, Gold and Silver Tier Status Members in accordance with these Terms, and as published on our website and updated from time to time.

Transit means a change from the service of one carrier to another service of the same carrier or to the service of another carrier within a 24 hour period.

Turn-around Point means the point in your trip where outward travel stops and homeward travel starts.