Getting started with points, miles and credit cards to travel
Editor's Note
Using points and miles instead of cash to pay for flights and hotels sounds like a dream come true for any frequent (or even semifrequent) traveler. Actually taking your first steps into this hobby, however, can feel daunting.
I remember putting off using the points and miles I'd accumulated for a while since I felt overwhelmed by all the possible ways to use them. I'm glad I eventually got over that, though, since I ended up using those points to pay for my flights and hotel stay for a great trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, at Christmas.
There are innumerable guides out there about credit cards, earning and redeeming points and miles, maximizing award travel and more. Trying to digest it all is a great way to burn out as a beginner and turn yourself off from ever actually getting into points and miles.
That's where this guide comes in. If all you know about award travel is that you can use credit card rewards to book travel, you're in the right place. I'll walk you through everything you need to know to get started so you can get your feet wet without diving in up to your chin.
What are points and miles?
So you've probably heard of them, but what are they exactly? Points and miles are types of rewards currencies offered by many credit cards. The only difference between a "point" and a "mile" is in the name; they function the same.
Airline award tickets and hotel award nights each cost a certain number of these points or miles.
If you have enough rewards to cover the cost, you can redeem them for flight tickets and hotel nights without paying the full cash price (though you'll usually still pay taxes and fees). When you do this, the ticket you receive or the hotel night you book is referred to as an award ticket or award night.
For example, you could book a one-way flight on Alaska Airlines from New York City to Miami for 7,500 points and $18.10 in taxes and fees or on Delta Air Lines for 8,900 miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees.
As points and miles enthusiasts, we often use the term "transferable rewards" when discussing award travel. Major credit card issuers, such as Chase, American Express, Citi and Capital One, offer cardholders the ability to earn points or miles via their credit cards that can be sent to their airline and hotel partners.
Not all points and miles work this way. You can also earn rewards directly with airlines and hotels, but these currencies are typically tied to a single program. In most cases, they can't be transferred to other brands in the same flexible way as credit card points and miles.
Related reading:
- Why transferable points and miles are worth more than other rewards
- 'Just start' your points and miles journey: TPG's millennial staff shares credit card tips
- Points and miles aren't just for the good times. They can be a godsend in an emergency, too
Why points and miles are worth caring about
When you ask an award travel enthusiast why they do it, a likely answer you'll receive is: "Because without points and miles, I wouldn't be able to afford to travel as I do."
That's exactly why I invest so much time and energy in points and miles. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to afford to spend 10 days in Germany, staying at excellent hotels like the Andaz Munich Schwabinger Tor.
I redeemed 40,000 World of Hyatt points for a two-night stay at this property; I acquired those points by earning a welcome bonus on my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees).
I certainly wouldn't have been able to afford a lie-flat business-class seat from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) for that trip. That particular redemption cost 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points (plus $58 in taxes and fees), which I earned through the American Express® Gold Card's welcome offer.
Multinight stays in higher-end hotels or business-class flights often cost thousands of dollars. Points and miles allow you to experience them without paying much, if anything at all, out of pocket.
Even if you prefer to travel in economy class and stay in budget hotels, points and miles can save you a lot of cash. Paying just a few dollars in taxes and fees for a one-way domestic flight, for example, is a world away from paying a few hundred dollars for the same ticket.
Related reading:
- How (and why) you should earn transferable credit card points
- Why the best point redemptions are sometimes the most practical
- How I transitioned from cash-back rewards to my points and miles card strategy
How to earn points and miles
The easiest and most efficient way to earn points and miles is through credit card spending. You'll earn the most rewards at once from earning a welcome bonus.
Issuers offer welcome bonuses on their credit cards to encourage new applications. For the majority of cards, you'll need to spend a certain amount of money in a certain time frame to earn the welcome offer.
For example, this is the current welcome offer on the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
After earning a card's welcome bonus, you can continue to earn more points or miles by spending on your card. Each card earns points or miles at a different rate, so it's important to pick one that matches your spending habits.
For instance, the Sapphire Preferred earns a great 3 points per dollar spent on dining and streaming services, but it doesn't earn bonus rewards at grocery stores. If you spend a lot at grocery stores, a card like the Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) may be a better fit, since it earns 3 points per dollar spent on groceries.
You can also earn airline points and miles and hotel points by spending with that airline or hotel brand. Earning airline or hotel rewards through your spending is a great way to supplement what you earn from credit card welcome bonuses and spending, so I recommend learning how this works for your chosen airline's or hotel's loyalty program.
Finally, it's important to mention that shopping portals and issuer offers can net you extra rewards as well. For example, you can opt to earn American Express Membership Rewards points (if you hold a Membership Rewards-earning card) or Bilt Points through Rakuten. I once used a Rakuten deal to earn 30,000 additional Membership Rewards points on a new TV, so I definitely recommend checking it out. Individual airlines and credit cards also offer shopping portals with elevated earning rates, as long as you shop through their links.
Issuers often offer bonus rewards for purchases made with select merchants, such as through Amex Offers or Chase Offers. You need to opt in to these offers manually, so make sure to check your account regularly for new options.
Related reading:
- Earn points, miles or cash back: How to maximize online shopping portals for your purchases
- Maximizing credit cards to become points-rich without spending a ton
- Best travel credit cards
How to redeem points and miles
Once you have a good stash of points or miles on hand, it's time to redeem them for part or all of a trip. If the rewards you've earned are directly from an issuer, your best bet is to transfer them to one of that issuer's travel partners.
Issuers don't have the same exact transfer partners, so make sure to do your research before investing in earning points or miles from a certain bank.
Let's use Citi as an example. Say you earned 60,000 bonus points on the Citi Strata Premier Card after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
You could transfer these points to one of Citi's 21 transfer partners; for this example, let's use American Airlines AAdvantage.
Once you've transferred your points to AAdvantage, they'll turn into AAdvantage miles. And once you've found a flight you like that costs the same number of miles that you have (or fewer), you can book it with those miles.
Transfers like this are always one-way, so we recommend waiting until you have a specific redemption in mind before transferring.
If you've earned points or miles from an airline or hotel brand, such as AAdvantage miles from the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees), you won't need to worry about transferring them to use them effectively.
Instead, you can skip straight to finding a flight or hotel booking that fits in your rewards budget.
The process of finding a great award flight or hotel stay is the most complicated part of the points and miles hobby, but we have a comprehensive guide to help you out.
I also encourage you to read through our guide to transferring rewards if you have a credit card that isn't associated with a specific airline or hotel.
If transferring points and miles feels too complicated at this stage, no need to worry. You can always redeem your points or miles through the issuer's travel portal. This usually won't give you as much value as transferring them, but sometimes simplicity is better than anything else.
Related reading:
- 10 mistakes to avoid when redeeming airline points and miles
- How (and why) to calculate award redemption values
- Points and miles deals: Earn more with these offers
What are points and miles worth?
Here at TPG, we use valuations to provide a snapshot of how much points and miles are worth across major airline, hotel and credit card loyalty programs.
As always, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. The value you get from your points and miles depends on how you redeem them, but our valuations are designed to give you a realistic target when planning your travel.
Transferable currencies continue to deliver some of the strongest value, generally landing around 1.6 to 2.2 cents per point or mile, while most airline points and miles fall in the 1.1 to 1.6 cents range. Hotel points tend to come in lower, often under 1 cent apiece, though programs like World of Hyatt still stand out.
How TPGers used points and miles to take incredible trips
Once you've read through this guide, I encourage you to check out some of the incredible trips we at TPG have been able to take thanks to points and miles:
- This Alpine destination has underrated wine, Michelin-starred dining and epic hikes — and I used points to get there
- How the Chase Sapphire Preferred has helped me travel to 20 MLB stadiums
- How I booked a Hyatt hotel for just 2,000 points per night
- How I turned my pet's emergency vet bills into a free night in London
- How I booked my first business-class flight on points
Bottom line
Award travel is intimidating, but it isn't difficult to get into once you understand a few key fundamentals. Now that you've read through this guide, hopefully you'll have a better idea of what, specifically, you need to learn more about.
Whether you're curious about how to pick the right credit cards for your spending, what transfer partners each issuer has or something else entirely, we have plenty of guides to help you as you continue to navigate this rewarding hobby.
And before you know it, you'll be enjoying your first lie-flat business-class seat or checking into an incredible luxury hotel that would've cost you thousands out of pocket without the help of points and miles.
To learn about building up your points and miles balance, check out our beginners guide to credit cards.