UPDATE!
There is a new kid in town, and this website shows unlimited potential! Check out Points Inspector for the most up to date recommendations on how to accumulate and spend credit card and airline points. I am going to be writing content for them as a “Senior Travel and Rewards Writer!” Wish me luck in this new venture, and subscribe to the Points Inspector for the latest news in the points game.
Are you interested in booking business or first class airline seats using points or miles? The process can be daunting at first but the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time, right? START HERE to begin formulating your points strategy.
I enjoy traveling in luxury but I do not enjoy paying for it! People often ask me for tips on how to travel with points…It is difficult to give one or two tips for points travel; rather, I have a comprehensive strategy. I have accumulated over 1 million points and miles, and have experienced such aspirational rewards as Singapore Airlines First Class Suites and Qatar Airways QSuites on points!
Below are steps to get you started. As you read and explore the websites for the programs, hotels, and airlines, you will learn a lot. Don’t expect to understand it all at once.
1. If you are not capable of paying off your credit card each month, proceed no further.
KNOW THYSELF. This method only works if you DO NOT PAY INTEREST or bankrupt yourself. You must pay off the card every month. Better yet, pay it off as you use it. If you are disciplined enough to pay the card(s), you may proceed…
2. Transferable credit card points, in my opinion, are the best place to start.
While I do have American Airlines, United, and Delta miles, airline-specific miles tend to be more limiting. You can only use them when booking flights through that airline with that airline or their partners. You cannot add in other types of miles or points. With credit card points, you can combine points from several systems to buy one ticket. With that said, there are three “alliances,” each of which has one major US carrier. You can use miles from the US carrier to book on partners within the alliances. The alliances are: Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance. American Airlines is part of Oneworld, Delta is part of SkyTeam, and United is part of Star Alliance. If you play this game for a while, you will end up with points and miles on many card systems and airlines, but you have to start somewhere and, IMO, the best place to do that is with one credit card.
3. Give yourself TIME!
Have a goal far ahead of time- it can take time to get credit cards, meet the spend requirements, obtain the points, and find flights or hotels that best use your points. Give yourself at least 12-18 months. Check out www.thepointsguy.com for the latest, greatest credit card offers. He places valuation on each point and mile and his team keeps the website up to date. His comprehensive Beginner’s Guide is excellent and provides a more in-depth background of how all this works. Required reading!!
4. What is your goal?
Figure out where you are going and how you want to get there. If your goal is to stay at a certain hotel or to fly in a premium cabin on a premier airline, nail it down. This article focuses on airline travel, but I will post about hotels and rental cars in the future…
Next, figure out which points your airline accepts. As with everything else in life, I always have a Plan B. Say I want to fly to Vietnam on Singapore Airlines. My backup may be to fly Emirates.
5. Sign up for the airline/hotel’s loyalty programs.
This is typically free and easy. While you are at it, sign up for all of them! OK, maybe not all at once. But over the years, as I have researched locations and airlines, I have signed up for 27 hotel, rental car, and airline loyalty programs. For the airline programs, it really just makes it easier to search for flights and book them once found. On some sites, you cannot search for award travel unless you have a frequent flyer account. Moreover, any time you fly on cash, you should be earning miles or it is a wasted opportunity.
6. Start applying for credit cards.
Analyze your spending. What is your monthly budget for all things you could put on a credit card? IT IS ALL ABOUT THE SIGN-ON bonuses! Daily spend is not the most efficient way to accumulate points and can take forever. If you can find a 100K sign on bonus for a spend you can meet, GET IT. The larger bonuses require $3000-$5000 spend in the first 3-6 months, so pay attention and be sure you can meet the spend in the time required. Don’t go on a crazy spending spree just to meet your spend… again, negates the value.
7. There are 5 major transferable points systems:
American Express, Citi Thank You Points, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, and Capital One. You will earn these points then transfer them to your airline of choice. Depending on how much you spend each month, you may need to stagger your credit card applications. Sometimes, in the case of Marriott Bonvoy, you can use the points to book free hotel rooms. Marriott Bonvoy is typically not the best value for transfer to airlines, but if you are trying to meet a goal, they can help. Hilton Honors has a good program for free hotel rooms and perks, particularly if you prefer that brand, but the points are not widely transferrable.
8. Choose the highest bonus you can for the spend you can meet.
Look at the bonuses offered and apply for the card that offers the largest bonus for the lowest spend that you can meet. Remember, it is all about the sign on bonus! You will need a good credit score and, if you pay your cards off each month, this will not negatively affect your credit score. You may see a temporary dip, but it will pop right back up and may even increase! Mine did! Each brand has a couple of “premium” cards that offer bigger bonuses and come with higher annual fees. Amex Platinum, Citibank Prestige, and Chase Sapphire Reserve.
9. Look at the ANNUAL FEE
Be sure to look at the annual fee versus credit card benefits to be sure that the annual fee will pay for itself. An annual fee of $495 may seem hefty, but if you get $200 in airline credit, airline club or Priority Pass memberships, travel insurance, and hotel/rental car status, it may be worth it!
10. Get to know your chosen carriers
While you are waiting for your spending to accumulate to earn those points, get familiar with your chosen airline’s website. I really like Singapore Airlines (in case you haven’t noticed) for so many reasons. Not only are their hard and soft products impeccable and some of the best in the world, but they accept all 5 points systems and their website is easy to navigate! Play around with it.
11. Look at airline club access and Priority Pass membership.
**note- you have to sign up for Priority Pass when it is included with a credit card. Many cards include membership, but you must call to activate that membership and receive the “Priority Pass” card. Club access is a huge perk if you spend much time in airports. They usually offer free snacks and drinks. Some, like American Express Centurion and Capital One lounges, offer full meals which tend to be very high quality! Priority Pass offers access to over 1300 lounges worldwide. Priority Pass memberships start at around $70, so be sure to figure that into your annual fee justification! NOTE- you can pay outright for a priority pass membership, and I definitely think it is worth it if you travel frequently. Use this link if you choose to go that route:
https://tp.media/r?marker=368099&trs=174619&p=6851&u=https%3A%2F%2Fprioritypass.com&campaign_id=180
12. Find your flights!
So you finally see those points in your account (whoohoo!) and are within the booking window of your chosen airline!! You have signed up for their frequent flyer program and have an idea of the routing you would like.
Time to book!
Wait, not so fast…Before you transfer those points, be sure the flights you want/need are available for the dates you want/need. You will not be able to take them back. Once they are transferred to a particular airline, they must be used on that airline (or a partner booked through that airline). The more flexible you can be with airports and dates, the more likely you will find flights for a good deal. There is usually a Saver deal and a Standard deal (these may be called something different depending on the airline).
Of course, you want the SAVER deal! Sometimes you have to balance a bargain with a schedule- if only a standard award is available, but the schedule is soooo much better, you have to weigh this in. You may pay a few more miles for convenience. It is all about YOUR priorities. If you find the flight you want…
13. Book your flights!
Many points transfer instantaneously, but some take up to 7 days to transfer. If your chosen carrier will let you hold the flight until the points show up, great! DO IT! If not, get those points transferred. Once they show up, BOOK THAT FLIGHT.
14. If you cannot find the flights you want.
There are no guarantees in life, none. This may not work, but I have never NOT been able to book a business or first class ticket with points. I have been doing this for about 6 years. The routes are not always ideal, but we enjoy the journey!
If you cannot find good award seats for the full route you are looking for, try looking at segments separately. For example, we broke up our trip to Vietnam into 3 legs. We paid (money, not points) for flights from our home town to New York City, spent the night near Times Square and went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Then, we flew Singapore Suites from New York to Frankfurt, Germany to Singapore (no plane change). Spent the night in Singapore and were able to experience amazing street food at the hawker stalls, do a city tour, and see Supertree Grove. *Note- check visa requirements in layover cities if you plan to leave the airport. Also, especially when traveling in premium cabins, see if your airline offers a free city tour! Singapore Airlines often does.
Boarding our onward first class flight, we were able to check in at the dedicated first class terminal at Changi International Airport in Singapore. What an experience that was! Our driver dropped us off, and two suited men opened the door to the terminal, welcoming us by name! We sat at a desk in an ornate room, peaceful classical music playing in the background, and were offered champagne as we gave the agent our passports and received our golden tickets. You actually get special gold-colored boarding passes when you are flying in a suite! Then, we were led through the business class lounge, through the first class lounge, and into the Suites lounge, where we enjoyed some of the best curry fish we have ever had. Yes, this was a circuitous route of travel, but it had so many advantages.
- It was almost free (Singapore’s fees are very low)
- Premium tickets come with access to premium lounges
- We took our time getting to Vietnam, so jet lag was less profound
- We got to see two additional cities, New York and Singapore
- Flying is way more fun and relaxing when you do it in business or first class! Hey, its all about the journey!
If you need to plan layovers and want to get the most bang for your buck, research the cities ahead of time on Tripadvisor. Here, you can find tours, hotels, and activities which have been reviewed by real travelers to make the best use of your time and get the best values. Use this link: https://tp.media/click?shmarker=368099&promo_id=4457&source_type=link&type=click&campaign_id=149&trs=174619
15. Start out with just one or two airlines.
Pick one domestic carrier that serves your hometown and sign up for their loyalty program, possibly even their premium credit card. We use American Airlines as our primary carrier, and their Aadvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard gives us Admirals Club access, priority boarding, and free checked bags. https://creditcards.aa.com/citi-executive-card-american-airlines-direct/
Then, pick an international carrier who specializes in the areas you like to visit. Singapore Airlines is our favorite (really, Jen? I didn’t realize…), and I have become intimately familiar with their routes, how their sites work, and what a good value is. We have recently branched out to Qatar, Virgin, Emirates, and British Airways. I recommend choosing an international carrier who accepts 4-5 of the major 5 points systems. Check out this article to find out which airlines take which points:
https://thriftytraveler.com/guides/points/credit-card-transfer-partners/
Bonus Sections- These steps are not necessary, but I do them!
16. Choose your seats
I always go to www.seatguru.com and research my seats for any flight longer than 2-3 hours. This is a great website which tells you a bit about the aircraft and has seat maps of most planes. It gives cautions about certain seats and you can apply your own criteria. For example, I despise sitting at bulkheads. I usually go for the next row if the first row has one. Some people don’t like to fly backwards, and for business or first class cabins with a herringbone seat configurations, some are backwards. I like to be close, but not too close, to the bathroom.
17. Choose your meals
Some airlines have special, chef-curated menus where you can order your meal ahead of time. This goes beyond just picking a vegetarian or kosher meal, which you can do on most international flights, even in coach. SIngapore Airlines has extensive menus where you can choose whether you would like Dom Perignon or Krug before takeoff, caviar or lox for your appetizer, and what delicious entree and dessert you would like. It adds a fun dimension to the trip for me!
18. Plan your lounges
Between your tickets for premium cabins, airline credit cards, premium credit cards, and Priority Pass, you will likely have lounge access in most airports you pass through. Download the Lounge Buddy app, input your trip and membership details, and get information about lounges at the airports on your journey. This app provides access information, directions, and reviews to help you plan your airport time to your best advantage. https://www.loungebuddy.com/
Happy Travels!
I hope this helps get you started in your points travel journey, or gives you some useful information if you have already started! Traveling in luxury makes the journey so much easier and more fun. PLUS, it is a great feeling to travel like “the other half” and not pay for it!
Please contact me to ask any questions and, if I don’t know the answer, I can point you in the right direction. Please subscribe to my blog so we can keep in touch!