Points & Miles Basics!
If you have known me for any amount of time, you know I love to travel. It is in my bones. It is in my genes. I am always being called to drift away...
But as my family has grown, it has become increasingly more costly to travel, as you can imagine. There's no question that I would still find the time, energy and money to make it work. But finding the "Points & Miles Game," as I like to call it, has been a game changer for being able to afford multiple trips throughout the year to places we might only be able to dream about otherwise.
I found the Points Talk Squad in the summer of 2023. I don't remember how, but I started listening to their podcasts voraciously. I joined their Facebook group to be part of a group of like minded people. And the rest is history!
Since then, I have told many people I know about this "hobby" that sounds too good to be true. I am either met with enthusiasm or skepticism, and I understand both. Before learning more about it, I had a few credit cards that earned some points, and I didn't really know how, where or when I would ever use them to travel. I probably worried that opening up a lot of credit cards sounded irresponsible, bad for my credit score, and unnecessary. I use my credit cards responsibly, have a credit score consistently over 800, and I get to travel for free or greatly discounted. WIN-WIN!
Use Points & Miles to book an almost free vacation (still have to pay taxes and fees), or just use them tor a portion of your travel to make it more affordable.
The first and most important aspect to consider when contemplating this hobby is if a person/family is responsible with money, and they can pay off their balances every month. There are multiple reasons for this:
-If you are paying interest, you are not traveling for free
-If you are not responsible with money, I fear opening up new credit cards would be a slippery slope
If you've decided the Points & Miles Game is for you, here are some basics! The Points Talk Squad website and podcast has an endless amount of free information. I have gathered some of this information from other podcasts, other travelers and other groups as well. This is a recap of things I have learned, and a snapshot to share with my friends and family.
The Gist:
If I wanted to jump straight in without wasting any time, this is what I would do:
1. Read this blog post, but quit if you feel overwhelmed. This is meant to break it down simply, but it is still a good amount of information that you may or may not have a frame of reference to understand what I am talking about. I promise a lot of things will make more sense once you get further in this journey.
2. Open a credit card and start earning points for the money you are spending NOW! The undisputed best credit card for beginners is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. The points are flexible, valuable and easy to use. More on this later... But if you want to dive in, apply via this referral link, and I will get some Referral points in return! This link will give you the option of applying for the Chase Sapphire Preferred (Annual Fee of $95) or the Chase Sapphire Reserve (Annual Fee of $795). I recommend starting with the Preferred.
3. If you are ready to dive deeper, start listening to Travel Points Squad Podcast now. They taught me everything I know and can teach you too! They also have an Award Travel Academy you can pay for that is probably super valuable if you are short on time. But I never purchased the course and was able to be very successful in this hobby without it. Totally up to you! You can also join the Travel Points Squad Facebook Group. I have found it helpful!
The Game:
The game of acquiring points is based opening new cards in order to acquire SUBs (Sign Up Bonus'). Credit cards often have an offer to receive X amount of points by spending X amount of money in X amount of time. An example is the current offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred: Spend $5,000 in 3 months to receive 75k bonus points. Annual fee is $95. For reference, 75k bonus points is worth a minimum of $750 (1 cent per point) but can get you more than double that when booking travel.
Besides the bonus points, you also get points for the dollars you spend. In general, you can expect 1 point/mile per dollar spent, with credit cards offering higher points per dollar on certain categories, for example 2X on gas and groceries. I don't want to get too deep into all of that, but just know you can maximize your categories if you wish once you get farther into this game.
The other main way to earn points is through referring others to open a credit card via your referral links. Example: Chase Sapphire Preferred offers 15k points per referral with a maximum of 100k points per year.
Credit Card Companies and Points Systems:
There are 4 main credit card companies in the Points & Miles Game. Here is a list of them and their points/miles currencies:
1. Chase - points are referred to as UR or Ultimate Rewards
2. Capital One - points are referred to as Miles
3. American Express (AmEx) - points are referred to as MR or Membership Rewards
4. Citi - points are referred to as ThankYou Points
Each of these banks offer multiple bank branded cards, as well as co-branded hotel and airline cards that offer other types of rewards. An example of this is a United Airlines credit card that earns United miles.
There are many other banks that offer points and miles, this is just a list of the most popular, most valuable and easy to use bank options.
How can I redeem my points & miles?
-Book hotel and flights through the credit card's travel portal. Not always the best value, and this option is often looked down upon in many award travel groups. I wouldn't book flights through the portals due to them being a third party that would be difficult to navigate should there be any delays, changes or cancellations. But I have definitely used the portals to book hotels in places where the big chain hotels didn't have a presence, or where I wanted to stay in a smaller boutique hotel.
-Transfer points & miles to transfer partners. My most used example of this is transferring my Chase UR to United Airlines or Hyatt and booking direct through their portals. Usually deals and easier to make changes or cancel hotels and flights should you need to.
-Cash back - many cards offer cash back. That's not a terrible option if you need cash. But if you are interested in traveling, there is no debate whether the points are more valuable to book travel
-Purchase Eraser - Use your credit card for eligible travel purchases and get the purchase erased on your statement. Again, can be valuable if your goal is to spend less money on a trip. But using the points to book hotel and flights is often a better use of points. But always do what is best for you and your family! Capital One uses Purchase Eraser, and possibly other cards.
My trips since Summer 2023:
In an effort to show you what is possible, here is a quick list of where Points & Miles have taken me, with total points for reference of what is possible:
Belize 2024, 1 week, 4 people:
Flights from Denver to Belize City via United Airlines
Hotels on Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker via the Chase Portal
Total Points - 400k points
Santa Fe 2024, 4 people:
Flights only, Cheyenne to Denver to Santa Fe via United Airlines
Hotels purchased with Cash, as we had a specific hotel in mind that had free breakfast and parking with cash booking only and it made sense for us!
Total Points - 117k points (not a great deal as I had to switch flights due to a scheduling conflict)
Europe 2024, 2 weeks, 4 people:
Links to Blog Post:
Part 1: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Part 2: Zurich and Lugano, Switzerland
Part 3: Venice, Italy
Flights from Denver to Amsterdam and Venice to Denver via United Airlines
Local flights within Europe via AirFrance
Numerous hotels via the Chase portal. Finding boutique hotels with family rooms was helpful with 2 small children.
Total Points - 816k points
Miami 2024, 4 nights, 4 people:
Flights via United Airlines
Hotel (suite) via Hyatt
Total Points - 285k
Kauai 2025, 1 week, 4 people:
Flights from Denver to Lihue DIRECT!!! via United Airlines
Hotels via Hyatt (points) and Cap1 portal (cash)
Received a Guest of Honor (GOH) award from someone that got us free valet parking and free access to their Club for an awesome breakfast, snacks and drinks throughout the day, and hors d'oeuvres. Amazing for families!
Total Points - 320k points
Kauai 2026, 1 week, 4 people:
We leave in 2 ish weeks for another trip to Kauai! Last year the kids and I went with my husband, and this year we are taking my mom! Same flights, same hotels. We just loved everything so much, we didn't even feel like mixing it up!
Total Points - TBD (But will be high because my mom is BOUGIE and requested the Pool Suite at the Hyatt and upgraded seats on the plane!)
Plus multiple weekend trips to Denver throughout the years!
Some Tips that may help you along the way:
1. Get another player in this game (P2). This can be a family member or friend, but the most common P2 would be a spouse. It is helpful to have the same mailing address, as some points systems require that in order to be able to transfer points to each other. But transferring points to each other isn't necessary, so grab another family member or friend! You can refer each other to credit cards, thereby earning referral points.
2. New credit cards can be opened every 30-90 days. You will likely not be approved for cards too close together, and remember that you will need to meet the minimum spend for each card, naturally spacing out your needs.
3. Business Credit cards are an important part of the strategy. If you already have a legitimate side business, great! If not, no worries! There are legal ways to start small side hustles that make you eligible for business cards.
4. Pay your bills on time.
5. Never book Roundtrip flights. Book each way separately. It is easier to see how many points each ticket costs, and makes it easier to cancel or change only one portion of your trip.
6. Counterintuitively, points bookings are more flexible than cash bookings. Always read the cancellation terms when making a booking, but flights and hotel reservations are commonly more flexible and cancellable.
There is so much more information out there, but hopefully this is a quick recap of the basics for someone who is just starting their Points & Miles hobby! Let me know if you have any questions, or dive right in!
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