The world of points and miles is complex. Someone who is well-versed in points and miles could use their day-to-day credit card spend to help them take multiple trips a year. By contrast, someone who lacks knowledge could take the same amount of spending and wonder why they can’t book a single round-trip flight. It’s all about maximizing your points earnings as well as maximizing the value of those points when you redeem them for travel. As with everything, knowledge is power.
To maximize your points strategies, it’s imperative to understand various points and miles programs. There are three main types of points and miles programs: hotel programs, airline programs, and transferable points programs.
Hotel Programs
Hotel programs are points programs that revolve around hotel groups. Most of these programs contain dozens of hotel chains. In my opinion, the most interesting of these programs are World of Hyatt, Marriott Bonvoy, IHG, and Hilton. Below are blog posts that I have written about these programs.
Hotel Credit Cards that are Worth it For Free Night Certificates
Credit cards offering free night certificates can significantly reduce vacation costs. Various hotel chains provide cards with different benefits, including elite status and annual fees, yet the value often surpasses the fee. Noteworthy options include Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton cards, which enhance travel experiences through redeemable certificates and points.
Vacasa and Wyndham are Divorcing, Now What?
Starting November 30, 2025, Wyndham points will no longer be redeemable for Vacasa vacation rentals due to the termination of their partnership after Vacasa’s acquisition by Casago. This change leaves Wyndham point holders seeking alternatives, as the previous redemption option was highly valued.
Airline Programs
There are seemingly an endless number of airline miles programs. It should seem simple that you use the airline miles in that program to book flights on that airline, but it can be more complicated than that. Many airlines have alliances and partner airlines. That means that you can often book flights on one airline using a second airline’s miles. What’s counterintuitive is that often it requires fewer points than booking using that airline’s miles.
In the end, it can be incredibly complicated to get the best possible deal on a flight. Understanding these programs as well as their alliances and partners can make the difference between getting a great or a bad deal. Below are the blog posts that I have written about these airline programs.
United Airlines adds European Routes for Experienced Travelers
United Airlines is expanding its seasonal routes in Europe, targeting experienced American travelers seeking unique destinations. New flights include daily service to Glasgow, Scotland; four weekly flights to Bari, Italy; and seasonal flights to Split, Croatia and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. These locations offer authentic experiences beyond traditional European cities.
American Airlines makes Citi Thank You Points Much More Valuable
American Airlines has partnered with Citi Thank You Points, allowing cardholders to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to AAdvantage Miles. This enhances the value of Citi points, especially given that they are now the only bank allowing this transfer. Earning AAdvantage miles through points accumulation will become more strategic for travelers.
The Aer Lingus Avios Sweet Spot Nobody Talks About
Aer Lingus Avios is a fantastic program that has some great award prices for economy class flights from the US to Europe as well as within Europe. Aer Lingus Avios are easy to earn and awards are available on most flights. It’s a great overall program that flies under the radar.
Singapore Krisflyer Saves Points on United Airlines Flights to Europe
In what is becoming a new family tradition, to celebrate our niece, Zoey graduating from high school, we are going to Europe to celebrate. Well, not really we, since I’m not going, but Jenn and her sister Misty are taking Zoey and our daughter Emma to Europe this summer. It is, however, my responsibility to…
Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles is (Almost) Dead to Me
The devaluation of the Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles program has effectively made a number sweet spots disappear. There is one decent use of Turkish Miles and Smiles remaining, however.
Flying Blue Free Stopover Isn’t Really Free
Traveling with companions that were booking other flights left us with a unique challenge for coordinating our landing times. Using an almost free stopover in Amsterdam with Flying Blue not only made it possible, but better.
We Booked A Trip to Costa Rica on American Airlines Miles
Flying to Costa Rica for spring break seems a little unorthodox, but the lure of this tropical paradise was too much to pass up. Even though it’s in the middle of high season, we were still able to book an affordable vacation using AAdvantage Miles.
Simple Ways to Save Thousands on Flights to Europe with Avios
Saving money on flights to Europe with a simple travel hacking strategy can open up vacation destinations that you would have previously not considered. The Avios program is used by Aer Lingus, British Airways, and Iberia Airlines and can be an ideal and simple way to save money on flights to Europe.
Transferable points
The most powerful points in points and miles are transferable points. These are issued primarily by banks. The most common of these are issued by Capital One, Chase, American Express, and Citibank. Each of these transferable point programs has different hotel and airline programs that you can transfer those points to so that you can book directly with those programs. This often allows you to shop multiple options and book the hotel or flight that is the best deal for those points.
Having transferable points adds an extra layer of complexity to points and miles, but it also gives incredible opportunities to book the best deals available. Below are the blog posts that I have written about transferable points programs.
Single Card Solutions – Citi Strata Premier
Travel hacking can be very rewarding, however, the amount of time and mental energy required can be daunting. Using a single card per year strategy can be the best way to get some benefits from travel hacking without having to spend so much time and mental energy on it.
Transferring Amex Membership Rewards Points to Alaska Airlines
The merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines has opened up the possibility to transfer points from American Express Rewards to Alaska, which didn’t exist before. I took advantage of this new arrangement to rebook a positioning flight previously booked with American Airlines.
Why I’ll Keep My Amex Gold But I won’t Recommend it
The American Express Gold Card, by raising its annual fee to $350 and adding statement credits, is becoming a niche card for travel hackers and not necessarily for average credit card users.
Wells Fargo Launches Another Great Credit Card with Signify Business Cash
For years, Wells Fargo has been a boring bank for travel hackers. However, in the last year or so, Wells Fargo has been put the travel rewards industry on notice that they intend to compete for business in the points and miles space. The difference is that they have added some transfer partners for their…
Manufacturing a Big Signup Bonus on the Amex Blue Business Plus
The American Express Blue Business Plus is a somewhat boring, but great all around credit card. It doesn’t come with a big, flashy signup bonus. However, every once in a while, American Express puts out referral bonuses that can make the signup bonus pretty sweet. A recent referral offer from American Express gave us the…
What’s the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card for Young Adults?
Picking a no annual fee travel credit card should be a priority for any young person who want to use points to travel in the future. Here are four suggestions for which credit cards would be the best for a young person to begin travel hacking.
Best Single Reward card – Chase Sapphire Preferred vs Amex Gold
The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the American Express Gold Card are both great travel cards. Which one works better as a single card solution for someone looking to earn a couple of award flights from Chicago to Munich in the summer, however?
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Could Launch Points Arms Race
A credit card offer from Wells Fargo and new transfer partners could change the landscape of points and miles. There is a good chance that this could spark changes from US Bank and Bank of America as well.
Newby to Expert Traveler 