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It can be an exciting mix of possibilities and an uneasy feeling if you're new to the world of award travel.
The bad news is that you ended up in the wrong place. We will help you get to where you want to go. It's possible to save a lot of money on travel expenses by using points and miles.
If you are looking for a way to visit your family during the holidays without breaking the bank, or if you are dreaming of an overwater bungalow, we can show you how to use points and miles to get you there.
We will show you how to use points, miles and rewards credit cards. We will point you in the right direction, covering everything from terms to inspiration for where points and miles can take you. We will show you how this new way of travel can change your life.
If you are new to the points and miles hobby, there are a few terms and brands you need to know. We have a full glossary but here are some of the most common terms.
There are 9 people in this picture.
Bill and Josh were at The Point.
It is time to understand the players in the points and miles game. We will look at the top U.S. airlines, hotel chains and credit card issuers.
One of the three.
Bill and Josh were at The Point.
There is always more you can learn even after you know the basics of points and miles. There is an A-to-Z breakdown of the travel terms you need to know to maximize the points and miles game.
You may be wondering what value you can get from points and miles now that you know the key terms. Most loyalty program currencies aren't worth much. It is possible to redeem points and miles for a lot of value, but it can be hard to know when you are getting the best price.
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Each month, we publish our own points and miles valuations that show how much we value certain airlines, hotels and credit cards. You can use the calculator to compare the value of using miles or points versus cash for any trip you want to take.
The value of your points and miles depends on how you use them. We currently value Chase Ultimate rewards points at 2 cents per point, which is higher than most other loyalty program currencies. It doesn't mean you will get 2 cents per point when you use those rewards.
You can redeem your Chase points for anywhere between 1 and 1.5 cents each through the Chase travel portal, or you can transfer American Express points to an airline for business-class flights and get 2.8 cents per point.
We will outline some of the ways you can redeem your points later in this guide, and you can keep up with our latest articles to learn more about how people are using their points for travel.
Credit card rewards, hotel points and airline miles can change your life. Points and miles can lead to flights, suites and trips you never dreamed of.
For some, that means taking an international flight in a lieflat seat, where you can sip champagne in the sky while on your way to an overwater villa on a far flung island. We can show you how to achieve that goal.
Points and miles can be used in different ways. You can use your points to go to Disney World, travel across Europe, jet off to Hawaii, stay at a hotel near a national park, or take a vacation with your family.
You can often use your points for other things, like covering the cost of gift cards, trading them for statement credits or cash back on your credit cards, or even treat yourself to dinner or merchandise.
There are no inherently good or bad ways to use rewards as long as they are unlocked.
If you don't know what you want to do with your points, it's okay. There are some real-world examples of what other people did with theirs.
If you want to see how this all works, there is an example showing how some readers can use their points and miles to travel to Costa Rica.
Everyone was new to this at one point, but here are some guides from people who used to be new to this.
You don't have to be on the road every week in order to accumulate points and miles for a vacation. There are a number of ways you can earn rewards for travel.
Spending on a credit card is an easy way to earn points.
Most of the miles we earn are earned using our credit cards. You can get a substantial head start from the welcome bonus you can earn when you first get a card, but you can also accumulate points by charging everyday purchases.
It's best to use a rewards-earning credit card for as many purchases as possible, as they will do more than just give you rewards. More consumer fraud protections are offered by these cards. They help you with your credit score. Make sure you pay your bill on time. We will return to this point in more depth soon.
If this is new to you and you are just starting with credit cards, here are a few guides to check out.
Traveling is a good way to accumulate points and miles. When you pay for a flight or hotel stay with a brand you have a free loyalty account with, you will earn points or miles that can be used for future travel.
You can get elite status with certain airlines and hotel brands if you travel a lot. Points and miles can be earned at an accelerated rate once you get elite status.
Signing up for loyalty programs will help you begin your journey towards elite status. Hotels and airlines are linked to these.
You don't want to miss out on points, miles and awards if you start one of the popular programs.
Airline loyalty programs are popular.
Hotel loyalty programs are popular.
Travel rewards can be earned without actually traveling. It's possible to rack up rewards without leaving home. Points and miles can be earned by clicking through a shopping portal.
Many major airlines, hotel chains and card issuers have shopping portals where you can earn additional rewards If you want to earn those types of rewards, you can find shopping portals that give cash back.
What's the best part? You can double dip and earn points and miles through both your credit card and a shopping portal if you have a credit card.
You can learn how to earn points and miles while shopping online.
The easiest ways to earn points and miles are with credit cards, travel and shopping portals. You can take surveys at home and earn points and miles from dining programs.
One of the easiest ways to increase your earning potential is by using a rewards-earning credit card. When a big welcome bonus is deposited in your account, you go from having zero points in your account to tens of thousands of points ready to use for travel.
There are some important things to keep in mind before you add a rewards credit card.
These credit cards are not for people who plan on carrying debt on the card. If you need to park a large purchase somewhere for a while, look for a card with a low or even zero interest rate.
If you are paying interest or buying more than you otherwise would on your credit card, it will cost you real money in the end. If you want to enjoy the points and purchase protections you get, you'll want to make sure you pay off your balance each month. If you know you will be able to pay off your cards each month, shift some of your daily expenses to them.
It's important that you have good credit to get approved for some of the more premium rewards credit cards. If you're just starting to build or rebuild your credit, these credit cards are a good place to start.
If you are brand new to points and miles, we recommend that you start with a credit card that comes with a good welcome bonus, has an annual fee of around $100 or less, and has a variety of options for when it comes time to redeem your points.
One of the best credit cards to start with is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.
The card has a $100 annual fee and earns 3 points per dollar spent on dining, streaming services and online grocery orders, plus 2 points per dollar spent on travel and 1 point for most other charges. Hyatt, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, British Airways and Marriott are just a few of the travel partners that can use those points.
You'll get a sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 in the first three months of your account.
The Capital One Venture rewards credit card is a good choice. A simple earning structure of 2 miles per dollar spent on all purchases is what it has.
The miles you earn can be used at a value of 1 cent each for travel or transferred to one of Capital One's hotel and airline partners. You can get a couple of annual passes to the Capital One airport lounges if you have this card.
The Capital One Venture rewards credit card has a sign-up bonus of 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.
If you aren't ready to get a new rewards credit card just yet, don't fret, it's not a requirement to start earning points and miles. Here is more information on how to find the right card.
What points and miles are and how to earn them have been looked at. Let's talk about how you'll be able to use them.
There is no need to start with a big redemption. If you are just beginning your earning journey, you don't have to use them soon. If you have an idea of how you will use your rewards, you will be smarter about earning them.
If you want to learn more and go bigger next time, we promise that as soon as you make the smallest redemption, that rush of excitement will be enough to propel you.
Airline miles are the best way to redeem them.
You can use miles for flights if you earn them with one of the airline's partners. If you earned miles with United, you could redeem them to fly on a Unitedoperated flight or on one tied to a United partner, such as Aer Lingus.
You simply log into the airline frequent flyer program where you have miles, click "redeem miles" and then run a search to redeem your earnings.
It used to be that award seats were sold out or not available, but not anymore. The airlines price their award seats in a way that is tied to the cash price of their own planes. The price can be high, but seats are often available.
By program, the tips and tricks to get the most out of your miles differ. There are a few guides that can help you start.
If you want to jump start your learnings, here are some mistakes to avoid when using your airline miles.
Like airline miles, your hotel points are the most valuable when booking a hotel stay with a particular chain. Hotels don't typically have partners available at the same scale as the airlines, but you can usually find a lot of options to book with various brands within that program.
If you have Marriott Bonvoy points, you can get award stays at everything from a fancy St. Regis or Ritz-Carlton property all the way down to a basic but convenient SpringHill Suites or a Marriott Inn.
The award charts are still used by some hotel programs to let you know how much points a night will cost in advance. Like cash rates, hotel program award rates vary nightly. It's harder to book a room if you don't know how much it will cost.
The hotel program is what makes this all work.
If you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for a free night in a hotel program. Resort fees will not be charged on stays booked solely with hotel points. You can save a lot of money at some properties. Marriott doesn't waive resort fees on award stays.
These stories about mistakes to avoid when redeeming hotel points and how to get the best value from your hotel points will help you get to expert level redemptions.
There are some huge advantages to focusing most of your effort on earning more credit card points and miles.
There are credit card-based rewards.
You have more options when it comes to cashing in these points and miles, so they are even more valuable than earning points or miles for specific airlines. Credit card earnings can be used for a variety of things.
While using points to book travel via a site like the Chase travel portal may be the easiest way to redeem your credit card points or miles, you can sometimes get more value per point than just a fixed value.
The best way to redeem your points and miles can be found in some of the math behind the calculator.
There is a video that will show you more about valuable points. You can subscribe to our channel so you don't miss anything while you're there.
The world is your oyster once you understand points and miles.
You can travel to amazing destinations, save money on that yearly trip home around the holidays, ditch economy seats in favor of long haul flights in business class, and so much more.
If you want to get just one rewards-earning credit card and use those points to cover travel expenses, you're doing well and there's nothing wrong with that approach. The learning doesn't have to end here. You can maximize your travels by knowing more about points and miles.
We created a list of things you can do to guide your way through the journey.
The best way to learn the points and miles is to earn and redeem points. Pick a redemption goal now that you know the basics.
If you accumulate enough points, your in-laws will be able to stay at a hotel over the holidays. It might be earning enough miles to book flights to Disney World. If you want to visit Paris, you can save up points by going all in. The goal is to pick an attainable goal that you can work towards.
You need to sign up for all of the loyalty programs associated with the airlines and hotels. Signing up for a loyalty program is free. Every time you travel, you will get rewards for doing so.
You can sign up for the major U.S. airline frequent flyer programs.
You can join the major hotel loyalty programs here.
Getting the first rewards credit card is a great way to get started. Make sure to pay off your sign-up bonus in full each month by using your card to make purchases. A single card in your wallet can affect your points and miles balance a lot.
This guide will show you how to apply for a credit card.
Our goal is to make travel more accessible by using points and miles. If you want to upgrade your travel experiences, grow your knowledge and meet your travel goals, you need to follow TPG.
Become a member of a community of fellow travel lovers.
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To figure out the best ways to use your points and miles, you can check out our tools.
You can use the free app to track your progress toward a dream trip, as well as to help you organize your feed.
It is a major accomplishment to make that first travel redemption, and we want to help you celebrate it.
Email tips@thepointsguy.com if you'd like to share your redemption success stories and if you'd like to show us how we can help you earn and burn points. We will be with you the entire way.
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