Your everyday spending can add up, especially with a big family. Using a travel rewards card or program is a great way to turn all those grocery and gas runs and other regular expenses into perks when you travel.
You can use family rewards programs to earn discounts on hotel rooms, free flights, or other benefits, so you and your kids can make the most of your vacation time.
Erika Recommends
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Flexible travel rewards you can transfer to 15+ partners. - Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Get up to 1.75x value on your points when booking through Chase Travel℠. - Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Earn up to 17x points on Marriott Bonvoy stays.
Choose the Right Programs: Perks to Prioritize
Traveling as a family is one of the best ways to make memories together, but it can be expensive.
So, if you’re looking for epic family fun, make sure to take advantage of travel rewards programs that give you more bang for your buck.
Free child stays
Save money by picking hotels and resorts where children stay for free.
Consider hotels like those in the Marriott and IHG families, where kids not only stay for free, but can also often eat in on-site restaurants for free. These are usually for kids aged 12 and under, though some hotels offer free stays for kids 18 and under.
Marriott sometimes has a 50% second-room discount if it’s occupied by kids aged 16 and under. (As a parent of two kids who are rapidly growing, this sounds awesome. Our family of four won’t always fit so easily in a typical hotel room!)
RELATED: How To Manage Food Costs on Family Trips
Activity and experience discounts
Many travel credit cards offer access to unique experiences and attractions. Think: exclusive event admissions, early access, and dining or entertainment options.
For example, through Capital One Entertainment, you can claim VIP privileges and packages. Interested in meeting your favorite professional athlete? Want the best seats in the house at a once-in-a-lifetime concert? These are some of the possibilities.
Similarly, American Express cardholders may have access to Events With Amex™, presale or reserve tickets, and extra perks like concessions and merchandise.
Everyday spending rewards
Even if you’re not up for joining multiple loyalty programs, you can still earn valuable rewards through one or two good travel credit cards, like the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
This is my favorite way to save money — using my trusty travel rewards card for all of my daily purchases, from groceries and gas to school supplies and paying our wireless bill.
Those points add up over time, and if your card has flexible rewards (like Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Capital One Miles, or Amex Membership® Rewards), those can be easily transferred to other loyalty programs, including airlines and hotels.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Earn 5x miles on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2x miles on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.
Annual Fee
$95
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Rewards Rate
- 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
- 2x on all other travel purchases
- 1x on all other purchases
Welcome Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Be aware of restrictions and fees
When it comes to family rewards programs, be mindful of little tricks that cost you more. Blackout dates are one common culprit, and hidden fees are another to watch out for.
Blackout dates for theme parks or airlines can make it tough to redeem rewards. For example, Disney park visitors may not be able to use points for admission during peak days.
Hidden fees can bump up costs as well. Rewards programs often tack on costs that can’t be waived by rewards, like “resort fees” that still apply to free stays, and free Companion Pass flights through Southwest still charge taxes per leg of the trip.
Fees don’t typically outweigh savings, but don’t be caught by surprise!
RELATED: How To Do Disney on a Budget with Kids
How To Earn Points Faster Without Overspending
While you should avoid buying more just to earn travel rewards, the right credit card can let you stack rewards by simply continuing your everyday spending.
If you’re particularly loyal to one hotel chain or airline, using a co-branded loyalty credit card can be the way to go.
These cards let you earn on all purchases, but have elevated rates on branded purchases. For example, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card lets you earn up to 17x points per dollar spent on Marriott Bonvoy stays.
You might also link your card to a dining program. For example, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Dining earns you points when you pay for your meal at participating restaurants.
Everyday spending can also earn you more if you enroll in shopping portals for your airline or hotel brand. It’s common to find frequently updated offers such as 5x points for purchases at specific retailers, helping you increase your rewards balance faster.
READ MORE: How To Earn Credit Card Points Fast for Travel
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Rewards Rate
- Up to 17x points at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy
- 3x points at gas stations, grocery stores, and dining (first $6,000 spent combined)
- 2x points on everything else
Welcome Offer
Earn 5 Free Nights (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after spending $5,000 on eligible purchases within 3 months of account opening with your Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Annual Fee
$95
Redeem Points for Maximum Family Value
You generally have two ways to redeem your credit card rewards for travel: you can use them to book flights, hotels, and experiences through your issuer’s travel portals, or you can transfer your points to partner programs.
Transferring is usually the best value, but booking through the travel portal is convenient and may earn you more rewards that you can then put back into more travel.
Book your vacation through travel portals
Capital One, Chase, and American Express all have great online portals for booking flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation rentals, making them excellent for planning family trips.
Depending on which credit card you have with any of those issuers, you may be eligible for bonus earnings on travel purchases, as well as higher redemption values on travel bookings.
Transfer points or miles to travel partners
The best rewards programs allow you to transfer points or miles to other loyalty programs, often at a 1-to-1 ratio, so your points retain their value — or even stretch further with certain partners.
If you have a Chase rewards card that allows point transfers, you can move your points from Chase Ultimate Rewards® to one of 11 airline partners or 3 hotel partners.
Likewise, Capital One miles can transfer to 15+ travel loyalty partners. And Amex has around 20 travel partners.
This way, you can redeem points for free or discounted flights or nights — though you’ll want to research which ones offer the best value.
READ MORE: How To Travel for Free with Credit Cards
Free Tools to Track & Optimize Family Rewards
If keeping track of multiple family rewards programs has your brain swimming, consider using a tool to organize it all.
AwardWallet
AwardWallet lets you monitor your accumulated and redeemed rewards from up to 624 travel loyalty programs.
So, if you use rewards credit cards alongside programs like Hilton Honors or IHG for hotels, plus airline loyalty programs, you can aggregate all of that information in one place.
This makes it easier to maximize your redemptions and avoid letting points expire.
Point.me
Using Point.me can help you to map out the most efficient flight routes for your family vacation. This minimizes the number of miles or trips, potentially saving you money if you need fewer flights.
It’s a self-serve platform, assisting you in searching across various award flights from multiple airlines. It helps you compare flight options and maximize reward points or miles accumulated.
FAQs About Family Rewards Programs
Are there family rewards programs that don’t require a credit card?
Yes, some family rewards programs don’t rely on credit card spending. You can sign up for loyalty programs for hotels and airlines to earn points each time you book with them.
You might also consider linking programs, so check with your favorite airline and hotel programs for any of those options (Delta SkyMiles lets you link your account to Uber, Starbucks, and Hertz, for example).
Do kids need their own frequent flier accounts to earn miles?
You’ll need to set up your kids with their own frequent flier accounts to earn miles with most airlines. How convenient this is will vary depending on the airline program, so check the requirements of your preferred airline.
What happens to my points if I cancel a booking?
Usually, canceling a booking that was made with points is the same as any other cancellation. As long as you cancel a hotel or flight within the parameters, your points or miles should be credited back to your account.
Read the fine print when making the initial booking so you’re aware of cancellation windows.
Which credit cards are best for family travel?
A versatile rewards credit card will usually offer the best value for family travel. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® are excellent, as they provide bonus value on both earning and redeeming points when you purchase travel.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is also a great one for earning and redeeming miles.
TL;DR: Maximizing Family Rewards Programs
By stacking credit card rewards and loyalty points, you can maximize savings on your next family vacation. Keep track of points and offers if you’re a loyalty member with multiple travel brands, so you don’t miss anything.
Transferring your points to travel partners typically gets you the best value for your points, but many issuers also have dedicated travel portals where you can redeem points and earn boosted rewards rates on flights, hotels, and rental cars.
It all goes toward giving you and your kids the best travel experience possible, without busting your budget.
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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
