As someone who enjoys flying, you may or may not be aware of the numerous pilot incentives to anyone who flies a commercial or general aviation craft. Everyone knows that flights are expensive propositions, and even more so if you own your own craft. It only makes sense, then, to take advantage of any type of program which provides a reward in return for necessary expenditures.

Obviously the point of these pilot incentives programs are for a particular commercial operation or brand to garner the largest portion of the market. The one vital component to any flight is aviation fuel and this is also the commodity which can reap the greatest profits for sellers.

In recent years, a multitude of fuel rewards programs have cropped up, all of them vying for the greatest share of expenditures from pilots, airlines, flight crews, schedulers, dispatchers, and fixed base operators. Not all are created equal, however.

With so many programs to choose from, how can you be assured that the fuel rewards program you select is the best one for your needs? The first step in finding great incentives for pilots is to examine your buying habits and what you want to get from them.

First of all, are the costs of fuel coming out of your own pocket, or are you flying for a corporation or airline which picks up the cost of aviation gas? Either way, you can enroll in a program and earn points but if you are paying for the fuel yourself, you will want to find one which features the filling stations which average the lowest prices per gallon.

Another thing to consider is how much fuel you buy in any given month, or how much is consumed annually. Most fuel rewards programs require a minimum amount of points to be earned before they can be redeemed. As well, you will want to consider how long the points are available before expiration. The best programs will allow at least a two year period to use the accumulated rewards; Chevron’s FlyBuys rewards program is one such plan.

Will there be a fight in your organization over who gets to accumulate the reward points? If you share the responsibility for fueling an aircraft with other individuals, you may want to find a program which allows benefits to be spread across two or more members.

Points accumulated in exchange for gas purchases will provide the most benefit if they can be redeemed at a variety of retailers. If the options are limited, will you really use the reward? Obviously if you are unable to redeem points to purchase something you truly want, the reward is negligible at best.

So do your research before signing up with a program that provides pilot incentives. There is no need to settle for anything less than what you feel are essential rewards and receive the best benefits for purchasing aviation fuel.