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Earning points and miles has become more difficult over the last decade. There are more travel credit cards than ever and many offer massive welcome bonuses. However, some banks have implemented rules restricting the number of credit cards you can get approved for, so you'll want to be sure you can stretch a bonus as far as possible.
You can do this by being savvy with how you redeem points and researching ways to book travel for less. Not all loyalty programs are the same and with a little research and flexibility, you can get further with fewer miles. Here are some ways to stretch your points and miles further for travel redemptions.
Shop Around
As with any purchase, you can save a lot of points by shopping around. Not all airlines require the same number of miles for a flight. By having miles with multiple programs, you have more options. Meanwhile, hotel loyalty programs have a vast range of redemption rates in the same city (and even the same neighborhood). This is where a well-diversified points portfolio comes into play. It provides options so you can book the cheapest possible.
By shopping around, you might find cheaper flights and hotels than if you stick to one program. For example, United MileagePlus® often charges around 12
Recommended Travel Credit Cards
Credit Card | Intro Bonus | Annual Fee | Rewards Rate | Learn More |
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60,000Chase Ultimate Rewards Points
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: $1,380 (60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points * 0.023 base) |
$95 |
1x- 5xPoints
Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. |
Apply Now |
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$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: |
$69 |
1x - 2xPoints
Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. Earn 2X points on Rapid Rewards® hotel and car rental partners. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, and phone services; select streaming. Earn 1X points on all other purchases. |
Apply Now |
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$200Cash Bonus
Earn $200 in cash back after you spend $1500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. |
$0 |
1% - 5%Cashback
Earn 5% cash back on purchases in your top eligible spend category each billing cycle, up to the first $500 spent, 1% cash back thereafter. Also, earn unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. Special Travel Offer: Earn an additional 4% cash back on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on Citi Travel℠ portal through 6/30/2026. |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
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75,000Citi ThankYou® Points
Limited Time Offer: Earn 75,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com. Dollar Equivalent: $1,350 (75,000 Citi ThankYou® Points * 0.018 base) |
$95 |
1X-10XPoints
10x on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked through CitiTravel.com 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Restaurants 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Supermarkets 3x -- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent on Gas and EV Charging Stations 1x -- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on All Other Purchases |
Apply Now Rates & Fees |
Book Longer Hotel Stays
Several loyalty programs offer
Also make sure to check the offers section when booking on a hotel's website, as specials may be available when redeeming points or to earn additional points during your stay that you can apply towards a future trip.
5 Easy Ways to Get Free Hotel Rooms
Off-Peak Pricing
Most loyalty programs have adopted some form of dynamic pricing, raising point rates when demand increases and dropping them when demand lowers. Some programs even publish award charts with clearly defined travel dates for peak, off-peak and standard awards. If you can be flexible with your travel dates, you can save a lot of points and enjoy fewer crowds during your travels.
Off-peak pricing varies depending on the loyalty program and destination. For example,
A great tool that many airline miles or points programs offer, including Southwest Rapid Rewards®, is the low-fare calendar for award travel, where you can view which days have the lowest required miles or points. Sometimes, the airline's online booking system will show you automatically—for example, United displays the cost for each day of the week you have chosen to travel. So, if you chose Wednesday for your flight and it is 30,000 miles one way, but you see that it is 15,000 on Tuesday, you could decide to change your travel date and save a great deal of miles.
The difference can be tremendous
Compare Southwest Consumer Credit Cards
Credit Card | Annual Fee | Intro Bonus | Perks | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|
|
$69 |
$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: |
|
Apply Now |
Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card |
$99 |
$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: |
|
This product is currently not available via Slickdeals. All information about this product was collected by Slickdeals and has not been reviewed by the issuer. |
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$149 |
$400 statement credit + 40,000 pts.Southwest Rapid Rewards Points
Earn a $400 statement credit and 40,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 4 months from account opening. Dollar Equivalent: |
|
Apply Now |
Discounted Award Tickets
Some airlines run award ticket sales that can help you save a lot of miles. The most prominent example is Flying Blue's Promo Rewards, which knock the price of airfare
American Airlines doesn't publish a list of Web Special awards, but you can stumble across one-way fares as low as 5
Companion Passes
Traveling solo can be rewarding in many ways: You can go where you want, do what you want and redeem fewer miles. But if you decide to bring a travel companion along, nothing will stretch your miles like a companion pass. You can save as much as 100% on the cost of a companion's airfare by taking advantage of these passes.
The most famous one is the Southwest Companion Pass®, which
But Southwest isn't the only airline offering a companion pass. American Airlines and British Airways also have companion passes that you can redeem towards award flights.
American Airlines
The CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard®, from our partner Citi, issues a companion pass every y
The Com
British Airways
The great thing about the British Airways Travel Together Ticket is that you can use it for solo travel. You'll sav
This companion pass is different from the others because you can use it on international travel, rather than being limited to domestic flights.
Southwest Rapid Rewards
The Southwest Companion Pass is perhaps the most well-known companion ticket and the most coveted. You can earn the Southwest Companion Pass after completing 100 one-way flights or earning
The Southwest cards are issued
A Complete Guide to the Southwest Companion Pass
Redeem Points Through Travel Portals
Sometimes, redeeming points through a travel portal is cheaper than transferring them to an airline or hotel loyalty program.
Ifyou have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, your points are worth 1.5 cents for travel, so you would only need roughly 17,725 points. With the Chase Sapphire Preferred®, points have a value of 1.25 cents each, making this stay cost 21,200 points. With either card, the highest rewards rate is earned from purchases through the travel portal.
By choosing to book through the Chase portal instead of transferring points to Marriott Bonvoy, you could save nearly 30,000 points or more.
Bottom Line
Points and miles can open up a world of travel opportunities. With the right strategy, you can see the world and make lasting memories, even on a budget. Follow these tips and you'll save your hard-earned points or miles and get to travel more, which is always the goal.
Featured photo courtesy of Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa