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 Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.