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The Points Guy believes that credit cards can transform lives, helping you leverage everyday spending for cash back or travel experiences that might otherwise be out of reach. That's why we publish a variety of editorial content and card comparisons: to help you find a great card to turn your goals into reality.
Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
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How TPG's points and miles team first got into cards and loyalty programs
Nick Ewen is TPG's editor-in-chief and helps readers leverage credit cards (he has more than 25 of them) and loyalty programs to travel more for less. He's been at TPG for over 11 years.
December 24, 2020 • 12 min read
The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don't cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
TPG staffers share personal stories about how they began collecting points and miles, highlighting the transformative impact on their travel experiences.
The article emphasizes that anyone can start earning travel rewards by joining loyalty programs and exploring transferable point currencies.
Recent trends show increased award availability, making it an opportune time to engage with points and miles strategies.
Practical steps for beginners include signing up for major airline and hotel loyalty programs, upgrading to cards with transferable points and leveraging shopping portals and dining programs.
What to consider
Some offers and opportunities mentioned may no longer be available, as noted in the article update.
Award redemption values and requirements can change over time, affecting the cost of premium travel experiences.
Building a strong points and miles strategy requires ongoing research and adaptation to evolving program rules.
What you'll miss from the article
Personal insights from TPG experts on how to start and maximize your own points and miles journey, including actionable beginner steps.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
I first started collecting points and miles in college, mainly with Delta SkyMiles and US Airways Dividend Miles while flying back and forth between North Carolina (Go Deacs!) and my home state of New York. This continued after graduation, when I moved to Las Vegas to join Teach For America while my girlfriend at the time (now wife) attended law school at the University of Florida. These programs came in handy for taking nonstop Delta Song flights to Florida and utilizing the large network out of Las Vegas created by US Airways' merger with America West.
In 2007, I took a job that required extensive travel, and I began racking up a ton of points and miles. However, what really cemented my love for travel rewards came in 2011. I had just discovered a website called The Points Guy and one day, I read an article about a way to sign up for two American Airlines credit cards in a single day to take home 150,000 AAdvantage miles after meeting the minimum spending requirements. I went ahead and applied for both, as did my wife.
Screenshot courtesy of Citi
At the time, you could book a round-trip, first-class flight to Southeast Asia for just 135,000 miles — though sadly, that price is now 220,000 miles. So exactly one year (to the day) after getting approved, my wife and I sat down in the first-class cabin of a Cathay Pacific 777-300ER in New York-JFK for a flight to Bali and back.
Needless to say, I was hooked.
I began contributing to The Points Guy in May 2012 and joined as a full-time editor in March 2018, and points and miles have helped me visit nearly four-dozen countries with little out-of-pocket travel expenses.
Like Nick, I first got into points and miles back in 2011, after a three-week trip to Afghanistan, Dubai and Germany. This was my first proper international trip (not counting Canada or Mexico) since I moved to the U.S. in 1997. It completely changed my priorities and way of thinking. When I returned home, I began googling things like “how to travel for free” and came upon an NPR article about people who were buying U.S. Mint coins with their credit cards to earn frequent flyer miles. From there, I came across FlyerTalk and fell down a rabbit hole of points and miles blogs.
I began consuming every bit of information I could and got myself a Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, along with a few others. All of the research paid off about seven months later when I finally redeemed my first award: Four tickets to Europe and the Middle East using AAdvantage miles and Delta SkyMiles — during the summer too, which is no easy feat. I think if I’d known what a hassle booking those flights would be, I would have thrown in the towel right away.
Still, using my miles to fly business class for a fraction of what I’d paid for in coach just a year ago was a thrilling experience. It gave me a small inkling of what’s possible and reinforced my dedication to this hobby. Almost a decade later, it has seeped into every aspect of my life and changed my career trajectory. I couldn’t be more grateful for this niche little segment of the travel industry I stumbled across back in 2011 and the ability to share it with TPG readers.
Visiting family in Prague was a key goal that led Andrew Kunesh into points and miles. (Photo by Frank Chmura/Getty Images)
I got into points and miles when I was 18 and looking for ways to save money on international airfare. Most of my mom’s family lives in Prague, Czech Republic and I wanted to visit them more often. However, I didn’t have the funds to do so as a college student.
After some poking around the internet, I found a message board dedicated to points and miles. This inspired me to open a United Explorer Card and earn the welcome bonus by paying my rent through Plastiq. I used the miles to fly from Chicago to New York City to visit a friend, and then continued on my first solo international trip — one that included stops in London, Paris, Prague and Berlin.
After this trip, I dove head-first into points and miles. It quickly became an obsession and — more recently — a career.
Almost every summer since 2010, my husband JT and I have traveled to a different international city for the RoboCup robot soccer competition. My university paid for my travel, but JT was looking for a cheaper way to get to the 2015 contest in Hefei, China. So, in 2014 he signed up for a Chase Ink Business credit card with an elevated sign-up bonus. After meeting the minimum spending requirements, he transferred the bonus' Ultimate Rewards points to United. Then, he used United miles to book two one-ways that included economy on Air China’s 747-8 and economy on Lufthansa's A380.
This redemption showed us the value of points, miles and credit card sign-up bonuses.
At the end of our trip to China in 2015, I visited Guilin, China. I redeemed online travel agency rewards to book a train from Shanghai to Guilin. Meanwhile, JT transferred some of his points to British Airways to book me the short Cathay Pacific business-class flight from Guilin to Hong Kong. This business class flight was a wonderful experience that further sold me on the value of points and miles — especially for premium-class awards.
Once I got back to the U.S., I dove into learning about points, miles and credit cards by reading articles, browsing message boards, attending Chicago Seminars and listening to the now-discontinued Abroaders podcast.
A friend's picture of Etihad's First Apartment spurred Vikkie into investigating the world of points and miles. (Photo by Nicky Kelvin/TPG UK)
I’m a part of a Facebook group for travelers of color, and I saw a member post a photo in Etihad's First Apartment. He said he only paid $30 for the ticket, and I had no clue what he meant. I was familiar with mistake fares and cheap deals but didn’t know much about earning points.
I soon learned that he booked the flight using American Airlines miles from a sign-up bonus (the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard). So I looked up the card and saw that it had a low annual fee. The bonus was also easy to earn, as it's one of the few cards with a welcome offer that requires just a single purchase. Then I started learning about other travel cards like The Platinum Card® from American Express, Chase Sapphire Preferred and American Express® Gold Card.
The information for the AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
TPG is the reason I got into points and miles. I initially came across the site through a YouTube video and knew right away that I wanted to learn more about how I could travel for (nearly) free. I quickly became hooked and started following TPG religiously.
Since I was 16 at the time — and you need to be 18 years old to open your own credit card — I told my mom which credit cards to open and had her add me as an authorized user so that I can reap the benefits. Our first card was the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card (now known as the American Express Gold Card), so we were earning a decent amount of points on popular categories like restaurants and U.S. supermarkets — though looking back, we should have probably applied for a Chase card first due to the issuer's 5/24 rule.
Whenever dining out with friends, I would offer to pick up the tabs in exchange for Venmo payments. Then, when moving to the other side of the country for college, I became loyal to American Airlines so that I could earn AAdvantage elite status and enjoy perks like free checked bags and upgrades when flying home. And now, I can share my strategies with TPG readers, helping them get the most out of their cards and loyalty programs.
There's one thing the above stories all have in common: Each one required no special access or insider tricks. You can get yourself into the world of points and miles and replicate the same strategies that we employ daily. Yes, it takes time to do so, but why not make this a New Year's resolution for 2021?
Here's a list of simple, tangible steps you can take now to unlock similarly-lucrative travel rewards:
Sign up for loyalty programs: Just about every loyalty program is free to join, and many currencies no longer expire. Now, that doesn't mean you need an account with China Airlines' Dynasty Flyer program. However, one with the major airlines (Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United) and hotel programs (Hilton Honors, IHG Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy and World of Hyatt) is a good starting point.
Upgrade your credit card portfolio: If you're still using that one card you've had for years, consider upping your game with a foray into the world of transferable point programs — like Amex Membership Rewards or Chase Ultimate Rewards. These can offer decent value for direct travel bookings but also have some of the best sweet spots through their array of transfer partners, a key step to unlocking incredible value for your points and miles.
Earn, earn, then earn some more: Finally, take some time to learn the incredible number of ways to earn as many points and miles as possible. Some simple methods include leveraging online shopping portals, joining a dining rewards program, maximizing bonus categories on your credit cards, and checking your Amex Offers and Chase Offers for extra points (or discounts) on your purchases.
The world of travel rewards has many layers of complexity, but starting small can still pay massive dividends when the coronavirus pandemic fades and we can get back to traveling. So take a page out of our books and start digging in. Soon, you'll be traveling the country (or world) at a fraction of the cost.
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
