Quick Points: Earn bonus points or miles on events, attractions and more with Undercover Tourist
No matter how far you travel to attend a concert, theme park or sporting event, you probably won't earn bonus travel rewards on your purchase. These purchases typically code as entertainment despite the fact that these are the types of purchases commonly made when we travel for vacation.
However, there is a not-so-secret way to buy tickets to theme parks like Disney World, Disneyland and Universal Orlando, along with Broadway shows, aquariums, museums and other attractions, and have the purchases code as travel. This unlocks the ability to earn extra points or miles on cards that offer bonus rewards for travel purchases, use travel credits or use points or miles to cover travel expenses.
Rather than buying these tickets directly from the retailer, you can purchase them from Undercover Tourist.
Undercover Tourist is an authorized third-party reseller that sells tickets to theme parks, events and attractions across the country, oftentimes for less than you'd pay at the gate. It also has a generous return policy (where applicable), the option to choose paper or electronic tickets and additional discounts when you bundle tickets with a hotel or rental car.
I've used Undercover Tourist to buy Disney World tickets in the past, but I wanted to test this tip with a more recent purchase. I love going to our local soccer team's matches, so I was thrilled to find tickets for an upcoming home game available on Undercover Tourist.
Similar to other platforms, I was able to view a map of the stadium with pricing for different sections to help me choose my ticket. Once my order was complete, I received a confirmation email from Undercover Tourist and another from SeatGeek with a link to access my actual ticket.
I waited a couple of days for the charge to clear on my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, and, sure enough, it coded as travel. I didn't earn bonus miles above the 2 Capital One miles per dollar spent that this card earns on most purchases, but it did give me the ability to redeem Capital One miles to cover the purchase.
With the Venture X Rewards, you can redeem miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each for eligible travel purchases made in the last 90 days. You can do this with several other Capital One cards as well.
Or, if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees), which comes with a $300 annual travel credit, a purchase at Undercover Tourist will trigger the credit because it codes as travel. You can offset all or part of your purchase this way.
Lastly, you can benefit from buying tickets through Undercover Tourist if you use a card that offers bonus points or miles for general travel purchases. The American Express® Green Card, the Bank of America® Premium Rewards® credit card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) are great options.
The information for the Amex Green has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
If you are looking for ways to maximize your travel purchases, check to see if what you're looking for is available through Undercover Tourist before making your next ticket purchase.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | Earn 2X miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere |
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- Simple earning structure
- Bonus categories
- Annual credits
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible redemption options, including transfer partners
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Fewer bonus categories than some competitors
- Lacks premium perks
- Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app