FlyBuys privacy policy change

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neoporcupine

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Dec 7, 2005
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I advise anyone within the FlyBuys program to either quit or contact them immiediately and tell them you do not want to have your personal information released.

When I signed up for FlyBuys I was very dubious of the system. However I was assured that this information is kept confidential and that my specific information was to never be given to anyone and only aggregate data would be used for marketing purposes. Over the years I have cashed in my points and enjoyed some free accomodation in excellent hotels, and many free movie tickets. Nice.

However, the privacy policy is changing. As of 2006, the big corporations want the information that was collected by the Fly Buys company. They will also be able to disclose this information

"within their corporate groups (and to their service providers)".

That is just scary; how many companies belong to the "corporate groups"? What the hell is a service provider?

Check it out:
http://www.flybuys.com.au/information/privpol.asp

"You can, at any time, tell us not to disclose your name to Coles Myer Ltd (and its group companies) or National Australia Bank Limited (and its group companies). You can do this by writing to us or by calling 13 1116."

http://neoporcupine.blogspot.com/2005/11/privacy-and-fly-buys.html
 
You are absolutely right. I read the brochure yesterday and thought something was odd about it... while many companies do share your infomation...flybuys is making it VERY clear that they *SELL* your private data (as they already have been for quite some time)

How do I know this? My name on my flybuys account is "Mark FlyBuys" ..oh and what do you know.. I get other non-flybuys mail addressed to that name.

There are many other companies doing this exact same thing. The person who wrote the blog is SPOT ON with just about everything.... it's a good read actually.
 
I take "Service providers" to be firms that they contract out for services. Such as mail firms or telemarketing firms etc.
 
*bump*

I recall getting the notice on this over a year ago. I called the Service Centre and the operator knew what I was going to ask. I can only assume that alot of other people were doing the same thing.


Privacy Matters!
 
You are absolutely right. I read the brochure yesterday and thought something was odd about it... while many companies do share your information...flybuys is making it VERY clear that they *SELL* your private data (as they already have been for quite some time)

How do I know this? My name on my flybuys account is "Mark FlyBuys" ..oh and what do you know.. I get other non-flybuys mail addressed to that name.
I’ve looked into this thoroughly and although I think it’s very wise to question these companies closely, I reckon the fears are largely unfounded in this case.

Firstly, FlyBuys is OWNED by NAB and Coles Myer, so they are hardly likely to “sell” the data to them. And from speaking at length to the service centre, apparently the only change is that data is now shared with NAB and Coles Myer– hardly surprising given the ownership structure - and nobody else.

Interesting about the “Mark FlyBuys” thing – I get a few mailings that look as thought they come from companies related to FlyBuys – but when you look at the fine print it says it has come from FlyBuys even though it carries other branding.

I suppose at the end of the day you have to make a judgement of the benefits versus the risks. All I know is I've been in FlyBuys for 12 years and had heaps of rewards, and I don’t seem to get any more junk mail than my neighbours!
 
Pointburner said:
I suppose at the end of the day you have to make a judgement of the benefits versus the risks. All I know is I've been in FlyBuys for 12 years and had heaps of rewards, and I don’t seem to get any more junk mail than my neighbours!

How do you justify the earning rate of Fly Buys compared to ANY of the other schemes for earning points? i.e. many more points required to get mediocre rewards :!:
 
straitman said:
How do you justify the earning rate of Fly Buys compared to ANY of the other schemes for earning points? i.e. many more points required to get mediocre rewards :!:
As far as the information being used for sales purposes this has always been a tenet of FlyBuys. They use it to profile thier customers etc. Now with some separation of the entities it is more likely the data has to be exchanged for something or other; whether that's a finacial consideration on not irrelevant but is part of the reason why they had to inform FlyBuys members in some way and give them the choice of opting out.

FlyBuys does give you some level of reward, but unless one lives next door to a Coles/Kmart/Targét you're not gunna get much.
 
straitman said:
How do you justify the earning rate of Fly Buys compared to ANY of the other schemes for earning points? i.e. many more points required to get mediocre rewards :!:
But Flybuys points can be earned at the same time as other schemes (such as CC points). If making a purchase from a Flybuys establishment, earning Flybuys points does not stop you also earning points from another scheme.

However, I would not use a NAB CC to earn FB points as there are better value CC schemes for me. And I would not alter my shopping pattern to maximise Flybuys points earning.

And I am not a Flybuys user anymore. I cancelled my account when I was not earning enough points for an award before the points expired at the end of their 3 years.
 
straitman said:
How do you justify the earning rate of Fly Buys compared to ANY of the other schemes for earning points? i.e. many more points required to get mediocre rewards :!:
"The other schemes" are credit cards schemes and ALL charge (explicitly or indirectly) for the privelege. FlyBuys is still free. I participate in the other programs, but whywouldn't you have a FlyBuys card if you did a reasonable amount of shopping at Coles, Kmart, Target, Shell etc., particularly now they're offering awards from 2,500 points. I even seem to manage to fluke a few bonus points in there as well.
 
The Frequent Flyer Concierge team takes the hard work out of finding reward seat availability. Using their expert knowledge and specialised tools, they'll help you book a great trip that maximises the value for your points.

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