How to Maximize Your Travel Points Credit Cards
4 Min Read | Last updated: October 19, 2023
Get the most out of your travel points credit cards, from booking early, traveling off-peak, and utilizing points bonuses. Read on to learn more before your next trip.
At-A-Glance
- It’s a smart move to aim for one cent—or more—in travel value per point to maximize free travel perks.
- Traveling in the off-peak seasons, booking early, and taking advantage of points bonuses can also help you maximize your travel benefits.
- It may be worth exploring your travel credit card perks—and using them in as many ways as possible.
A key advantage of a travel credit card is that you rack up points you can exchange for travel experiences like free flights, hotel stays, and other perks as you spend. If you’re like most travelers, you probably want to convert the points you’ve earned into as much travel as possible. Fortunately, there are simple techniques you can use to make your credit card points go further when planning your next vacation. Your points can help you swap a local vacation destination for a trip to Hawaii or upgrade from an everyday hotel to a luxurious resort experience.
7 Ways to Utilize Your Travel Credit Cards
Traveling can be an expensive, which is why maximizing your credit card rewards can go a long way in making it more affordable. Here are seven ways you can get more from your travel credit card points and open the door to free flights and hotel stays all over the world.
1. Maximizing Redemption Value Per Credit Card Point
One guideline for spending your travel credit card points wisely is to look for the maximum cash value per point. To do this, you simply compare the price that an airline or hotel charges in cash with the number of points you need for the same flight or hotel stay. It’s a good idea to aim for at least one cent in travel value per point, but estimate that the travel value can reach two cents per point with some cards.1,2
2. Travel During Off-Peak Seasons
Traveling off-peak is another good way to get more from your rewards points because it allows for greater availability. When there’s high demand, airlines, and hotels may limit the availability of award seats, even though many no longer officially impose blackout dates that block you from using credit card points. And with off-peak travel, you may need fewer points for your journey. That’s partly because many airlines are moving away from fixed award pricing, where the number of points required for each flight is fixed and published in advance. Instead, they’re moving towards a dynamic pricing approach in which the number of award points needed to “buy” a ticket may vary continuously based on the current dollar price of the tickets—which in turn is based on factors such as availability.3 So, at times when ticket demand is low, award prices may fall and vice versa.
3. Book Flights Early
Booking award flights early may help you to get the best deals, as well as the greatest seat availability and choice. Many airlines allow you to book awards seats almost a year in advance, although they may not release all seats at the same time. The exact schedule varies depending on the airline. So, marking your calendar with a reminder to start searching when the airlines start making seats available could help you get more for your points.
4. Take Advantage of Bonuses and Deals
Many travel cards offer one-time or periodic bonuses that can maximize your points and miles. For example, some cards offer welcome offers, which can be generous and may help you to jumpstart your points earning potential. Typically, you may need to spend a threshold amount in the first few months of owning the card. Once you’ve acquired the card, it can pay to stay alert for the offers and deals that appear from time to time. These may include transfer bonuses, which effectively increase the value of your points on specific airlines by letting you exchange them for a larger number of miles in those airlines’ frequent-flyer programs.
5. Keep Rewards Points Active
It may be best to keep your credit card points from expiring so you can use them for travel. Keeping your points active is much easier than it used to be, although it varies depending on the card and the loyalty program. In fact, with a general-purpose travel credit card, the points you accumulate in the card issuer’s program may never expire as long as you maintain an open account in good standing. With airline and hotel loyalty programs, unused points may still expire after a specific period, but you can avoid losing your balance by continuing to make eligible purchases with your travel card. Check your card’s terms and conditions to learn more about if, and when, rewards points expire.
6. Consider a Card That Aligns With Your Purchases and Preferences
You may already have a credit card, but looking out for one that offers additional points for your typical travel purchases can be a great way to maximize your points earning potential.
Some credit cards, like the no annual fee Hilton Honors American Express Card4, allow you to earn points on eligible everyday purchases during your stay, and when you’re back home as well. You can earn 7X Hilton Honors Bonus Points for eligible purchases at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio, along with 5X Points on dining at U.S. restaurants including takeout and delivery, and 5X Points at U.S. supermarkets and U.S. gas stations.5 Whether it’s eating out on a Saturday night, buying groceries for a night in, or filling your car up with gas – the points you’re earning now can be redeemed for future stays at Hilton hotels and resorts.
This type of card can be a great option if you’re loyal to a certain hotel chain and would like to get rewarded for your stays. Visit the card page for more details and to learn more about the terms and conditions.
7. Explore All of Your Card Perks
It’s worth carefully combing through each travel credit card’s complete list of perks because you could uncover minor treasures that may be worthwhile travel savings. For example, some cards include free car and baggage insurance, eliminate foreign transaction fees, and provide credits toward ride-share services and airline fees. Other credit cards, such as airline co-branded cards, sometimes offer discounts when you use miles to book award travel on qualifying flights through the airline’s website or app. Each card is different, so be sure to check the card page for more details along with the card’s terms and conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes there may be limitations to using travel points. These will depend on the card issuer and their redemption policies. Limitations may include seat restrictions and limited flight availability. Additionally, some points for certain credit cards may expire if they are not used within a specific timeframe. Note that American Express Membership Rewards points do not expire.
The number of credit card reward points you can earn depends on a few factors, such as the type of credit card you have, your spending habits, and the rewards program itself. Cash back rewards programs typically offer a percentage of your purchases back as statement credit, while travel rewards programs offer points for certain travel related purchases. Some credit cards come with welcome offers, or allow you to earn extra points for specific purchases, like dining out or buying groceries.
The Takeaway
Simple techniques can help your travel points credit card take you farther and help you travel in style. Seeking out the biggest redemption value per point, taking advantage of early and off-peak pricing, capitalizing on points bonuses, and exploring all your card’s benefits are all ways that can help translate your points into more travel.
1 “Redeeming Credit Card Travel Points: What You Need to Know,” ValuePenguin
2 “What Are Points & Miles Worth? August 2023 Monthly Valuations,” The Points Guy
3 “How Many Miles for a Free Flight, Broken Down by Airline,” NerdWallet
4 For more on Rates & Fees for the Hilton Honors American Express Card, click here.
5 For more on Offer & Benefit Terms for the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card, click here.
Mike Faden has covered business and technology issues for more than 30 years as a writer, consultant, and analyst for media brands, market-research firms, startups and established corporations.
All Credit Intel content is written by freelance authors and commissioned and paid for by American Express.
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