Can you imagine texting a friend this message? “I’m so excited – I’m flying to Iceland for my birthday and it’s all paid for using my travel rewards!” Is this even possible? Yes, absolutely. Another blogger sent that message to me earlier this spring, and later explained how she did it. In this post, I’ll give you a quick introduction to the miles and points game, and share how you can take your dream trip for a lot less.

Why Play the Miles and Points Game?

Do you spend money every month? I thought so. From here on out, think of those every day expenditures as a chance to earn travel currency. Let the bills you pay count toward travel rewards and watch the miles and points add up. And when you reach the magic total for your goal, you too can see the world without breaking the bank.

The Three Pillars

Airlines miles ✈️ , hotel points 🏩 and credit cards 💳 are the three pillars of rewards travel. If you understand how they work together, you’re on your way to free travel.

As you know, airlines want you to fly more and hotels want you to stay with them (more often). And credit cards offer you a way to cash in on more airline trips and hotel stays (and other perks) when you use them to pay for your travel (and other expenditures). 

By signing up for airline and hotel reward programs, you have a place to keep a record of how many rewards you’ve earned and a way to apply them to future travel. But just like a sweet pastry, good things eventually expire. Each program has restrictions on how long their miles and points are available. 

Understanding Miles

“Miles” ✈️ refer to airline miles. Generally, for every mile of your flight, you earn a point. Both your outbound and your inbound flight miles count toward the total, and you use your miles to book airline tickets.

Each airline has their own set of rules (reward charts) showing how many miles you need to book a rewards ticket. They are based on the distance from one region to another. Flying from the East coast to the West coast of the US will earn you more miles than just flying between a few states. 

When you get close to your desired total, many airline reward programs will offer to let you purchase additional miles with money. Or, you can fly longer to earn those extra miles. To maximize the number of miles they earn with each flight, some people will even purposely book a trip with many extra stops in different cities along the way.

But just like a sweet pastry, good things eventually expire. Each program has restrictions on how long their miles and points are available. And, be aware that you only earn points on the base fare (no miles are earned for the taxes and fees you pay on your tickets).

Understanding Hotel Points

“Points” 🏩 refer to hotel points. After you complete a stay, the hotel will award you a base number of points per dollar you spent on your room. For example, if the base rate was 10 points per dollar, a $150 room for one night might be worth 1500 points.

Well-known hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton have their own loyalty reward programs. But they are not the only ones. Even the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec (shown here as a gingerbread house) participates in the multi-brand Accor loyalty program.

According to a Travel & Leisure magazine article, there are eleven well known hotel brands with loyalty programs. If some of your favorites are on the list, make sure you join their hotel loyalty programs. And some of them are offering double, triple and even more total points for each stay at their properties or with their partner programs right now.

Understanding Credit Cards

“Credit Cards” 💳 refers to a wide range of credit cards that participate in travel reward programs. Generally, you earn points per dollar spent on certain categories of purchases (which vary based on the credit card provider’s travel rewards program). 

Here’s the fun part – credit card points can be redeemed and transferred to a wide range of participating airline and hotel partners so you can book airline tickets or hotel stays. The travel rewards credit card you choose is up to you.

You’ll get excited when you see the thousands of bonus miles you qualify for (if you are eligible – each card issuer has their own rules on this) when you sign up. Many banks offer Visa and Mastercard travel reward credit cards with a variety of tiers and bonus rewards. 

So now you know how my friend managed a free trip to Iceland for her birthday. But, maybe an exotic vacation is more your idea of fun. Can you imagine lying in a beach hammock in the Bahamas with a nice cold drink in  your hand? 

After you’ve accumulated the necessary totals, you can fly or stay there for free by cashing in your travel rewards airline miles ✈️ , hotel 🏩, and credit card  💳 points. You can also redeem them for simple things like Uber rides or gift cards.

So that’s my quick overview of the points and miles game. But don’t stop here – I know you have more questions. You’ll learn everything you need to know about points, miles, airlines and credit cards in a very detailed post by Samantha Rosen for The Points Guy (a really great site to bookmark for future reference.)  And don’t forget, your daily expenditures now can be earning you travel rewards later. 

Where will you go for your dream trip after you earn enough travel rewards playing the points and miles game? I’d love to hear your travel plans for the future. Please share it in the comments below.