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If you read our guide on maximizing credit card rewards, then you already have a pretty good idea of how to earn credit card points faster than House of the Dragon stacks up Emmy nominations.
But what about travel points specifically?
If you’re saving for a trip or just plan to travel more in general, here are the strategies you can use to maximize the amount of credit card points you earn specifically for travel redemption.
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- The no. 1 way to quickly earn points for travel is to pick a card with the right welcome bonus.
- Some cards let you amplify the value of your points by transferring them to a travel partner like Hyatt, Delta, or Air Canada.
- Airline- and hotel-specific credit cards can be massively rewarding, but points have no cashback value and are typically tied to one airline/hotel.
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1. Earn a Good Welcome Bonus
The first — and arguably fastest — way to rack up credit card points for travel is to find a card with the right welcome bonus.
A welcome bonus (or sign-up bonus) is a lump sum of points or cashback that a card issuer offers when you open a brand-new credit card account.
For example, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® (along with other Chase rewards cards) earns Chase Ultimate Rewards® points, which you can redeem for cash statement credit or transfer to your Chase Sapphire account for even more travel value (more on that in Part 4).
Welcome bonuses get even bigger on cards with annual fees.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, for example, offers a whopper of a welcome bonus that’s good for free nights at a nice property like Hotel Indigo.
- Rewards rate: 5% cashback on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% cashback on drugstore purchases, restaurants, takeout, and eligible delivery services; 1.5% on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cashback on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cashback
- Annual fee: $0
LEARN MORE: Chase Freedom Unlimited®
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- Rewards rate: Up to 26x total points at IHG properties; 5x points on travel, gas stations, and restaurants; 3x points on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $99
LEARN MORE: IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card
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But the bigger the welcome bonus, the bigger the spending requirement, so finding the right card with the right travel-friendly welcome bonus is a balancing act.
Don’t just go with the card with the biggest welcome bonus you can find, as some require you to spend an eye-watering $30,000 within three months to activate (!).
Instead, consider a card with a welcome bonus that’s:
- Decently sized ($200+ in cash or travel value)
- Easy to reach without overspending
- Arrives in time for you to use while traveling (i.e., in three months versus in six months)
COMPARE: Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses
2. Score Maximum Points From Everyday Purchases
The next best way to maximize credit card points is to use the cards that generate points from everyday purchases that you can then redeem for travel.
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is a great example of a card that helps you rack up travel points from everyday spending. You’ll earn Capital One miles on all purchases, which keeps things simple.
For a no-fee option that helps you maximize travel points, there’s the Chase Freedom Flex®. The card earns cashback within purchase categories that rotate each quarter, such as gas, PayPal, and Amazon. You can then redeem those points for cash to book your next trip.
COMPARE: Best Rewards Credit Cards
- 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 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
- Annual fee: $95
LEARN MORE: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
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- Rewards rate: 5% cashback on rotating categories each quarter (up to $1,500 in purchases, then 1%; activation required) and travel purchases through Chase Travel℠; 3% on dining and drugstore purchases; 1% on all other spending
- Welcome offer: Earn $200 cashback after spending $500 in the first 3 months
- Annual fee: $0
LEARN MORE: Chase Freedom Flex®
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The key is to find a credit card that aligns with your existing spending habits.
If you spend a ton on gas, for example, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express would be an excellent choice. If you dine out often, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card might be a good choice since it rewards on dining.
- Rewards rate: 6% cashback on purchases at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 per year, then 1%) and on select streaming services; 3% on U.S. gas station and transit purchases; 1% on all other spending (cashback is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout)
- Welcome offer: Earn $250 statement credit after spending $3,000 in the first six months
- Annual fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 (rates and fees)
LEARN MORE: Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
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- 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 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
- Annual fee: $95
LEARN MORE: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
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3. Transfer Your Points to Other Travel Rewards Programs
Once you’ve built up a nice pile of credit card points, one of the best ways to maximize their value is to see if your card issuer lets you transfer them to another travel loyalty rewards program.
That was a lot of buzzwords, so allow me to unpack.
Let’s say you have the The Platinum Card® from American Express and you’ve racked up 10,000 Membership Rewards®. Amex gives a long list of ways you can redeem, like:
- Cover your charges ($60)
- Amazon ($70)
- Book hotels via Amex Travel ($70)
Now, if you’ve ever redeemed credit card points before, you probably realize that those redemption values are pretty mid. That’s why most Amex cardholders don’t redeem their points at all — they transfer them.
Amex has a list of 21 transfer partners you can move your points to, including Delta, Hilton, Marriott, JetBlue, and others. So, instead of redeeming 10,000 Amex points for a meager $60 cash, you can convert them to Delta SkyMiles, where they’ll be worth ~$120 in Delta credit.
- Rewards rate: 5x points on directly booked flights and hotels booked through American Express Travel (up to $500,000); 1x on all other spending
- Welcome offer: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 in the first 6 months
- Annual fee: $695 (rates and fees)
LEARN MORE: The Platinum Card® from American Express
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Another common strategy is to convert credit card points to Air Canada Aeroplan points, since they’re worth about 1.3 cents a pop and you can use them to book flights on Air Canada’s 26 Star Alliance partners, including United, Lufthansa, and more.
Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, and others all have their own list of transfer partners, so it’s worth investigating which programs you can transfer your hard-earned points to for maximum travel value.
COMPARE: Best Travel Credit Cards
Just keep in mind that not all rewards cards generate points (some generate straight cashback), and not all points can be transferred.
The Chase Freedom Flex, for example, does generate Chase Ultimate Rewards®, but Chase only lets certain cards transfer points to its 14 transfer partners, and the Freedom Flex isn’t one of them.
That may sound needlessly restrictive, but it actually introduces another awesome strategy for maximizing travel points: the Chase Trifecta.
4. Use the “Chase Trifecta”
You can use the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, Chase Freedom Flex®, and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card cards in tandem for maximum points.
It’s a popular strategy among credit card nerds because it’s super effective at converting everyday spending into ridiculously high travel rewards.
Here’s how it works:
- Use your Freedom Unlimited and Flex cards on everyday spending. Use your Flex card for any purchase that falls within its rotating rewards categories. For everything else, use your Unlimited card.
- Use “Combine Points” to move points to your Sapphire account. In the Chase Ultimate Rewards® menu, Chase has an option called Combine Points, which allows you to move points from one card to another.
- Transfer or redeem points from your Sapphire account for 25% bonus value. Now that your points are piled into your Sapphire Preferred account, they’re worth 25% more if you redeem them through Chase Travel℠ (i.e., 10,000 points = $125). Alternatively, you can transfer them to one of Chase’s 14 transfer partners, which include Air Canada, IHG, Marriott, and Hyatt.
The obvious drawback is that this requires you to have three separate cards. What if you just want to apply for one card that maximizes your travel rewards potential?
5. Find the Right Airline- or Hotel-Specific Rewards Card
Credit cards that are airline-branded and hotel-branded tend to offer huge welcome bonuses and increased rewards rates, with the tradeoff being:
- You can only use your points at one specific hotel or airline
- The points you earn typically have zero cashback value
But if you can live with those caveats, branded rewards cards can help you earn credit card points fast.
For example, the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express card offers a solid welcome bonus, plus SkyMiles for spending on dining and groceries, free checked bags, and more.
There’s also the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, which offers eye-popping points on Marriott purchases.
- Rewards rate: 2x miles on Delta purchases; 2x miles at U.S. grocery stores; 2x miles at restaurants worldwide and on U.S. takeout and delivery; 1x miles on all other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn 40,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Annual fee: $0 for the first year, then $150 (rates and fees)
LEARN MORE: Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express
- 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 125,000 bonus points after qualifying purchases
- Annual fee: $95
LEARN MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
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FAQs
How are credit card points earned?
You can primarily earn credit card points by earning a card’s welcome bonus (e.g., 20,000 points for spending $500 within 90 days) and making purchases within rewards categories (e.g., 2 points per dollar spent on groceries).
How much is 1,000 points worth on a credit card?
It depends on both the type of points and how you choose to redeem them.
For example, 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards® are worth $10 cash or up to $12.50 in travel. Meanwhile, 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards® are worth $6 cash but up to $25+ in travel if you find the right transfer partner.
TL;DR: How To Earn More Points on Your Credit Card
Signing up for a card with a great welcome offer and using a card that earns the highest rewards in the categories where you shop the most are the two fastest ways to to build up your bank of points.
After that, get smart with your redemptions. Transfer your points to a partner loyalty program for the most value or, if you’re loyal to a specific airline or hotel, get a card that earns you mega-high rewards for stays and flights with those brands.
By being strategic with your credit card use, you can rack up a lot of points — and maybe even get your next trip for free!
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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.
