How I use Points and Miles to Travel Better

I don’t know about you, but my travel dreams are always bigger than what I have the budget for. I save what I can and have adjusted some of my monthly expense to allow me to save a little bit more. But it still isn’t enough. 

If you’re just starting to plan your first solo trip, don’t let the cost stop you before you even begin. There are ways to make travel more affordable, from choosing the right destination to finding ways to save on flights, accommodations, and activities.

I want to travel more but spend less money doing it. A lot less.

That’s where using credit card points and miles comes in. My favorite point earning card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred!

Hey, if I can travel better by using a credit card that rewards me with travel benefits that I can ACTUALLY USE, and I can do it with normal everyday spending, I’m in! 

What are Points and Miles?

“Points and Miles” is a common term when talking about travel credit cards. It’s a reward system that credit cards use.

For every dollar you spend on the card, you earn 1X or more in points or miles. $1 = 1 point. Some cards go as high as 5X the points for every dollar! 

You receive these points or miles simply by using the credit card.

You probably already have one or two of these types of travel credit cards.

I used a sign-up bonus to fly roundtrip to Switzerland!

Sign-up Bonuses

Many credit cards will offer you an attractive sign-up bonus. This is where you would earn a pretty hefty number of points for spending a certain amount of money within a specified time frame.

A sign-up bonus will look something like receive 60,000 points by spending $4,000 within three months. 

This is where it’s at! This is how I get at least one free trip a year.

When you are trying to reach the minimum spend for a sign-up bonus, DO NOT buy things that you wouldn’t otherwise buy. There isn’t any sign-up bonus worth going into debt for.

To make it easier to reach a sign-up bonus, try to plan the opening of any new credit card around larger expenses like appliance purchases, car repairs, insurance premiums, or holiday shopping.

You’ll be surprised how quickly you can reach a sign-up bonus!

Which Rewards Card is Best?

There are several rewards cards out there. Each one has its own benefits, and I wouldn’t even say that one is better than the other. 

It’s just about finding what works best for you.

For me, I use Chase credit cards and focus on earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points. 

Here’s why I like Ultimate Rewards:

• The points don’t expire.
• The points can transfer to several airline and hotel partners including United, Southwest, and Jet Blue.
• It’s super easy to earn Ultimate Rewards points!

I stayed four nights for free in Thailand by using points earned with my IHG credit card.

How to Earn Points and Miles

Every card I have earns points or miles for every purchase, no matter what the purchase is. Depending on what it is, I may earn 1X or I may earn 5X or more.

Essentially, I put everything I can on a credit card. Pack of gum? On a credit card. Power bill? On a credit card. Car insurance? On a credit card. You get the idea.

I also try to be strategic with which card I use. I want to use the card that will give me the most points for the purchase. 

For example, I have a $600 car insurance payment due. My Chase Freedom Flex card is currently offering 5X points on PayPal purchases. So, I will add my Freedom Flex card to my PayPal account and then pay my car insurance through PayPal. 

That single transaction will earn me 3,000 points! $600 x 5 points = 3,000.

Between sign-up bonuses and my everyday spending, it doesn’t take long before I have a free flight!

Once I have my points ready to use, I still compare flights carefully to make sure I’m getting the best value. Finding affordable flights is one of the biggest parts of planning a solo trip.

I can also earn additional points if a friend signs up for a credit card using one of my links further down in the post. Hello new friend! 🙂

I transferred points over to United and flew to Maine for free! The flight normally would have cost me $450.

How to Redeem Points and Miles

Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for cash back, transferred to airline or hotel partners, or used to pay for travel through the Chase travel portal. 

Many people choose cash back and there is nothing wrong with doing that. I’ve certainly cashed in points when I needed a little extra money. For every 100 points you redeem for cash, you would get $1.00. That’s one cent per point. 

However, I usually find that I get more value when I transfer my points to an airline.

Now you may be thinking, why not just use the cash back to pay for the flight?

Good question!

Take a look at this “Wanna Get Away” flight on Southwest Airlines flying from Orlando, FL (MCO) to Denver, CO (DEN). They are the EXACT same flight. One is the cost in dollars and the other is the cost in points.        

If I wanted to redeem my Ultimate Rewards points for cash back and use that to pay the $220 for the flight, I would need to redeem 22,000 points. (remember, 100 points = $1)

Or I could transfer 15,834 points to Southwest Airlines to pay for the flight, essentially making the flight $158.34.

Which would you choose? I hope you said transfer the points to Southwest Airlines! 

That’s a savings of over 6,000 Ultimate Rewards points. Points that could be used towards more travel….or, yes, even redeemed for $60 cash back!

Mind blown, right?

How Long do you Keep the Card?

After receiving the sign-up bonus for a travel credit card, you may wonder if it’s still worth it to keep the card. Well, that depends.

Here are the cards I use that help me travel for the least amount of money.  

Chase Personal Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred

My most important travel credit card. 

*Sign-up bonus of 40,000 points!

Using the Sapphire Preferred card I earn 3X points on restaurants, 3X on streaming services, 3X on online groceries, 2X points on travel. There’s also a $50 hotel credit every year, no foreign transaction fee, Global Entry/TSA Precheck credit, car rental insurance, free DoorDash DashPass, free Instacart membership, and so much more.

Having this card also “unlocks” the ability to transfer points to airline and hotel transfer partners and lets you combine Ultimate Reward points from different cards!

I initially signed up for the Freedom Flex card for the ridiculously easy to earn sign-up bonus and there is no annual fee.Because I have the Sapphire Preferred card (above) though, I was able to choose 20,000 Ultimate Rewards instead of the $200 sign-up bonus. 

I decided to keep this card because there is no annual fee, I get free cell phone insurance, AND I can earn 5X points on bonus categories like gas, PayPal, Target, wholesale clubs, etc. 

Chase Co-Branded Cards

Co-branded cards are cards that are affiliated with another company as well as with Chase Bank. 

They earn points or miles to use within their airline or hotel company. They do not earn Chase Ultimate Rewards.

United Explorer

*Sign-up bonus of 140,000 points. I signed up for the IHG Premiere card because the points earned from the sign-up bonus would cover a week’s worth of hotel nights! IHG gives you the 4th night free when you book 3 nights using points, they credit your statement for the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee and they give you a free hotel night every single year!

Chase Business Cards

Chase Ink Business Cash

Now that I’ve started blogging, I have a business. (Yay!) This Chase Ink card gave me 90,000 Ultimate Rewards points (or $900) for the sign-up bonus and since it has no annual fee, I’ll be keeping it.

Points and Miles have Literally Opened up the World!

From earning points through my everyday spending to redeeming them for unforgettable adventures, I feel like I am finally able to explore the world without a financial burden.

Saving money is one of the biggest pieces of planning a solo trip. When you know where your money is going and how to stretch it further, travel starts to feel much more possible.

Where would you go with your points and miles?

I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below.