A Brief Introduction Guide to Points and Miles Travel

Are you willing to learn more about the world of travel points and miles? You’ve come to the right place. You will be able to get a better understanding of hotel points, airline miles, as well as credit card points. In this article, we are going to share useful tips on how to earn miles and points, what types of travel rewards exist, and how to redeem them.

What You Should Do Before You Dive into Miles and Points

If you are a beginner in the topic of travel rewards, you should consider the following tips:

• Have a decent credit score. Do you know what your current credit rating is? Many Americans aren’t aware of this three-digit number though it plays an important role not only in qualifying for the best installment loans for bad credit but also getting travel rewards credit cards. Consumers with ratings of 720 and higher can qualify for travel rewards credit cards. Those who are poor credit holders will have issues if they want to get more perks and rewards. In this case, you will need to improve your credit before you can apply for such credit cards and enjoy their benefits. Remember that credit utilization, payment history, recent credit requests, and length of your credit history affect your credit rating.
• Limit usage of cash. If you don’t use cash too often, you will be able to maximize your point and miles earnings. The key here is to utilize your credit cards more frequently. If you do so, you will be able to increase point rewards and miles. Have a travel rewards credit card and take it with you when you go somewhere.
• Pay your monthly bills on time. A particular minimum spending demand should be met if you want to open a travel rewards credit card. If you meet this requirement, you will get a welcome bonus. Consider meeting the minimum spending demand within the particular time frame.
• The US General Services Administration provides privately owned vehicle (POV) mileage reimbursement rates for 2022. For instance, the rate per mile for an airplane is $1.81, while the rate per mile for a motorcycle is $0.605.

How You Can Earn Points and Miles

There is no need to travel every week to rack up enough miles and points for the vacation of your dreams. There are many ways and options for you to get rewards that can be utilized for travel without even flying.

Credit Cards

This is one of the fastest ways to get miles and points. If you have a travel rewards credit card, you will be able to earn bonuses. There is an attractive welcome bonus when the client first uses the card. It may be worth $1,000 or even more in travel and this sum depends on the card. The points can also be accumulated if you make daily purchases with the help of your credit card.

Go shopping, visit the doctor, fill up your gas tank, or pay the phone bill using your credit card to gain bonuses. A rewards-earning tool can be utilized for different purchases. Besides, such credit cards offer additional fraud protection to consumers compared to debit cards. Furthermore, they help individuals improve their credit rating in case it’s less-than-perfect.

Shopping Portals

You may receive travel rewards and points even when you don’t travel. How can you achieve such perks? By having strategic shopping on the web you may do that. Click through a shopping portal to obtain miles and points. You can do it even if you don’t have a special credit card.

Various card issuers, hotel chains, and even airlines have shopping portals. If consumers spend money and purchase something on these portals, they will be able to earn bonuses. Besides, cash back is another perk of this shopping. So, if you already have a travel rewards credit card and use it for shopping, your points will be doubled.

Travel

Although this isn’t the only way to get miles and bonuses, it’s certainly one of the most pleasant options. Each time a person pays for the hotel or flight, he or she will receive miles and bonus points that can be used for future travel.

It will be easier to get elite status with particular hotels and airlines if you are a frequent traveler. Individuals will be able to earn miles and points at a speed rate once they qualify for this status. Does it sound exciting? Then you need to ensure you sign up for loyalty programs offered by airlines and hotel brands and utilize these programs when you travel.

According to Statista, the total number of air traffic passengers has increased since 2006. The number of air passengers traveling to and from the USA was just 99 million in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, passenger revenue generated by the US airline industry boosted between 2009 and 2019, but it lowered sharply to 49 billion US dollars in 2020, due to the pandemic.

Dine at Restaurants

Dining at restaurants across the USA is a perfect way to obtain perks and bonuses. You may get hotel loyalty points and airline miles if you dine at certain participating places. What should you do? You need to sign up and open an account with a particular dining program. Make sure you add your credit card to this account.

Every time you pay with this credit card at a participating restaurant, frequent flyer miles will accumulate on your account. Nowadays, you may enjoy these bonuses offered by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, IHG, Hilton, Spirit, JetBlue, and Delta. Extra points can be earned for signing up for a new account.

The Bottom Line

Do you want to take advantage of miles and points? Get a travel credit card to suit your travel needs and use our tips to maximize your travel bonuses. There are several ways to get points and miles even if you aren’t a frequent traveler as you may opt for dining at participating restaurants or shopping at certain portals.