Reward points are among the most beneficial features of credit cards as they help one get substantial discounts on movie tickets, gas, groceries, and other expenses. Some cards even offer airline miles or hotel points, which are even more valuable. After accumulating enough of these points, one can plan an entire trip. The points can be redeemed for travel-related expenses like flight tickets and hotel stays, helping one save a fortune on a holiday.
Know the Types of Travel Rewards
Before planning a vacation, individuals must know the different types of travel rewards they have accumulated.
Airline Miles
These reward points are earned by booking flights using credit cards that are co-branded with those particular airlines. Once enough miles have been collected, one can book flights using those points. One can also use airline miles to get upgrades on flights, such as business class seats, extra baggage allowance, or access to airport lounges. Planning trips with miles can help one save a huge amount on long-distance air travel.
Hotel Points
Like airline miles, hotel points are earned using credit cards to book stays at co-branded hotels. These points can be used to reserve rooms at participating hotels within the same brand or hotel group.
Transferable Points
As their name suggests, these points are flexible, meaning they can be redeemed either for airline bookings or hotel room bookings.
Knowing the different travel rewards can allow one to pool the right points to make bookings for their trip.
Choose the Right Card
Selecting the right credit card is crucial for earning maximum travel rewards. Certain cards are tied to certain hotel brands and airline companies, so the points they earn can only be redeemed with these partner companies. If someone is loyal to a specific airline or hotel chain, getting a card that partners with those brands is in their best interests. On the other hand, for those who prefer flexibility, a general travel rewards card would work. These cards offer transferable points that can be redeemed across multiple airline and hotel brands. Once the card is issued, one can use it smartly to collect travel points to redeem on their next trip.
Research Destinations and Flights
One must check a few important things before finalizing any trip using travel points or miles. For starters, one would need to check if there are flights to their preferred locations that accept miles for booking. Additionally, one would need to calculate the miles they would need to spend for round-trip bookings. Calculating the required miles allows one to check if they have enough to cover the trip. If one does not have sufficient miles, they can start acquiring them and plan the trip for a later date. When planning to travel only with credit card points and miles, it makes sense to prioritize destinations with flight prices that can be covered with points alone.
Leverage Airline Alliances
Airline alliances are partnerships between multiple international airlines. If points are earned through one airline’s co-branded card, those points can be redeemed for flights on partner airlines within the same alliance. For instance, Star Alliance is a major alliance that includes airlines such as Aegean, Air Canada, Swiss Airlines, and more. So, if one has earned miles on a card linked to any of these members, the miles can be used to book flights with other members. Leveraging airline alliances is a great way to travel on a budget with only credit card miles.
Plan Ahead
Most airlines start accepting bookings for their award seats (the seats booked only with miles) almost a year in advance. So, planning the trip well ahead of time will increase one’s chances of securing preferred flights using miles alone. Moreover, the longer one waits, the costlier the flight can get. Booking early will help avoid such price surges.
Be Flexible
To successfully plan a trip with miles alone, one also needs to be flexible with their choices. Airlines do not usually offer award seats for every flight. So, if one does not find a flight that can be booked solely with miles, they may have to change their plans slightly. Choosing an alternate route, for instance, or flying on a different date or time, can increase the likelihood of finding award seats. Flying mid-week instead of on weekends or selecting less popular travel times can also increase the chances of finding a flight that can be booked entirely with miles.
Combine the Purchase With Special Promotions
Looking for special promotions from airlines is a great travel hack that can lower ticket prices and thus help one save reward points. One can save a good chunk of reward points by timing the purchase to align with deals. To avoid missing airline miles deals, it is a good idea to subscribe to promotional emails and newsletters from preferred airlines. It is through those channels that they usually announce the offers.
Use the Points for Hotel Bookings
After booking a flight with credit card miles, one can book hotel stays with travel reward points that remain. One should look for hotel chains that accept reward points for bookings and check how many points are required for different types of rooms.