Getting Started With Points & Miles
Hello friends! The world of travel points & miles can be daunting. How do I earn points? How do I redeem them for flights? How many do I need? Is this even worth it?
No worries, I’m happy to help!
I’ll try and some up some of the basics here for those of you just getting started collecting miles or looking to improve your points game.
Many people are surprised that you don’t have to travel to get started collection points & miles. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the points I earn are not from travel. There are a few different ways I earn points…
Flying
I collect points when I fly, the old school way. The airlines used to award ‘miles’ based on how many miles you actually flew but now that number is more likely attributed to how much you paid for your ticket, with additional bonuses for elite members of the airline’s loyalty program. You can also use airline partner programs to earn miles on other airlines, for example on a flight you booked on Air Canada you can earn United miles because they have a partnership.
Shopping Portals
Many airlines have shopping portals that award extra miles/points. When shopping online I love using Rakuten and you can learn more about it in this article here.
I often use the United MileagePlusX app when shopping. The way it works is you buy a gift card through their free app when you checkout, ideally for the exact amount of your purchase down to the penny, then the merchant scans the barcode on the app and they process it like a gift card. The downside is there is no cash refund, only a store credit, but the upside is you can earn a lot of additional points on everyday purchases like pizza! You’ll see these miles instantly credited to your account.
Everyday Spending
As I mentioned earlier most of my points do not come from travel, they actually come from everyday spending on travel reward credit cards. Personally I have a few cards for both personal and business use, both airline cards like the United Explorer card as well as high-benefit travel cards such as the AmEx Platinum Card. I always try to use the card that will earn the most points per purchase, and never ever do I use a debit card! I do pay cash at the local diner, they are pretty old school but otherwise it’s almost always cards. Most travel reward cards have annual fees and are bundled with great benefits, however both American Express and United currently offer travel reward cards with no annual fees. Be sure to pay off your balances every month to avoid interest charges! I’ve linked some of my favorite cards with more info on this page.
Bonuses
I use different types of bonuses or special offers to increase the number of points. One example would be a bonus offer from opening up a new card, such as 100k points for the Capital One Venture X card after you meet initial spending requirements. That type of bonus could be worth $2k or more in travel when you transfer points to airlines! I also look out for transfer bonuses and these are somewhat popular with AmEx points. For example last summer they were offering 40% additional points when transferring to British Airways for a limited time. Some programs such as the KLM/Air France Flying Blue program offer discounts on points/mileage bookings to select destinations.
So let’s get started!
The first thing you’re going to do if you haven’t already done so is setup a free account with your favorite travel company. This is almost always absolutely free to do and doesn’t require any commitment to travel to get started. I have 20+ loyalty accounts and many for airlines I’ve never even flown with, because often times you’ll need an account to search for mileage deals.
Step 2 is you’re going to want to do a little research on how to earn miles, and the best place to start is on that company’s website. And of course you’ll want to be subscribed to HDjeff on YouTube!
If you’re interested in earning points from credit cards there are two different approaches. You can go with a card that earns specific points such as the United Explorer Card which earns United miles. The other option is you could go with a card that earns points you can transfer such as the AmEx Platinum Card or Capital One VentureX card. These points can be redeemed through the credit card companies but you’ll typically get more value per point by transferring them to airlines.
Whatever you decide to do with your points and miles don’t be afraid to use them! I would advise against hoarding points as they can sometimes lose value over time thanks to programs devaluing their points. Currently most points are worth between 1-2 cents each, so collecting points can be a great way to stretch your travel dollars further and have a better experience along the way.
Happy travels! ✌️
-Jeff
