Using travel points and airline rewards miles are great ways to offset the costs of your trip – enough miles and you can land a free plane ticket.
There are several ways to earn these points, and figuring out how to get airline miles largely depends on your goals, how you spend, and which airline you fly on the most. Using travel points, and incorporating the best tips and tricks to budget for your trip, means your dream vacation can be a reality sooner rather than later.
How Do Credit Card Miles Work?
As you earn points and miles, they accumulate in the system. Some cards, such as those issued by the airline itself, earn frequent flier miles that can be redeemed for flights or upgrades as you travel to the top destinations and best places to visit this year. There aren't many cards that allow the points to expire, so even if you earn them slowly, they'll be there when you need them.
How to Earn Travel Points
With most credit cards that offer airline miles or points, there are two main ways to earn points: sign-up bonuses and spending. Obviously, you can only collect the sign-up bonus once, but then your spending helps you to accumulate points that can be used for travel.
Different cards will offer different bonus features. Some allow you to earn multiple points for each dollar spent, depending on what you're buying. For example, you might earn 5 points when you spend money on travel, 3 points on groceries, and 1 point for all other purchases. Finding the one that best fits your spending habits can rapidly increase your point accumulation.
How to Use Credit Card Points for Travel
In most instances, redeeming your points for travel is as easy as using your frequent flier miles. The cards often set "prices" for plane tickets (usually starting at 25,000 points for a round-trip domestic flight). You can quickly and easily swap points for the ticket when you have enough points.
However, these points aren't only good for discounted plane tickets. Some allow you to upgrade from economy to business or first-class, others allow you to book hotels or rental cars, and some can be used to access airport lounges. Airline-specific cards might allow you access just because you are an active cardholder.
Discover the perks of accessing the airline lounge and how it can make your travel much more pleasant.
Best Way to Earn Travel Miles
The best travel credit card is the one that will work with your preferred airline. With these cards, it's easier to accumulate points quickly, transactions tend to be a little more seamless, and you can end up with better rewards.
However, if you're not tied to a particular airline, there are plenty of points cards out there that can be used with a wide variety of different companies. This can be a better option for those who need more perks when they travel, or if they travel to areas not served by all airlines.
Travel points are a great way to see more of the world with less money out of pocket. There's such a wide variation in the different perks and benefits amongst the cards it's best to see which one will fit your travel style the best. Then use them to max out your points every year and discover more of your world.
