Travel can be very expensive if you don't have complete control over your finances. This is why many people use different methods to travel affordably.
Some take on promotions and sales from airlines for their tickets and hotel accommodations, while others use their credit cards to earn reward points and miles.
ADVERTISEMENT
Earning points and miles is one of the most common ways to get free or discounted travel. If you're interested in learning how to travel for free using points and miles, check out the article below to learn more.
What are Points and Miles?
Points and miles are rewards given by credit card providers to cardholders every time they use the card.
This often happens when the user swipes the card to purchase hotel accommodation, airline tickets, and many other travel expenses.
ADVERTISEMENT
These credit cards would then give you either rewards points or miles that you can redeem for various types of rewards across a wide range of categories.
ADVERTISEMENT
If you have enough points or miles, you might even get to travel for free.
How to Use Your Points and Miles
Points and miles have different uses. Reward points are commonly earned when you use the card for hotel accommodations and other travel expenses, while miles are exclusive to flights or tickets.
If you want free flights, you should start collecting miles. Those who want to have free hotel stays can start collecting as many reward points as possible.
You can combine both points and miles if you have the option to transfer your points or miles into a specific card.
How to Travel for Free Using Points and Miles
Traveling for free can be achievable if you have enough points and miles.
However, you should still be careful in choosing which categories you want to use them for.
There are a lot of options that you can take that will optimize the use of both your points and miles, so you can travel for free.
Define Your Travel Goals First
The first thing that you need to do is to define your travel goals. You should know where you want to stay and how many days you'll be spending during your trip.
This way, you know the type of bookings you'll be making as well as have a respectable budget for the rest of your expenses.
Identifying your goals will also help you choose which airlines are available and see if they are within the reward categories.
Understanding Miles and Points
Airline miles are different from one another and are tied to the specific airline. There is no universal conversion amount for miles and points, but you can always choose an airline that offers the highest earning rate for miles.
You should also be careful in choosing which airline and see if they are available as rewards.
As for points, they are earned through hotel stays, and you get to earn points for every dollar that you spend. Points are then redeemable for gift cards for you to book your room.
Use Your Points to Extend Your Vacation
Calculate your points during the planning stage for your vacation. If you have enough points that can be redeemed for free hotel accommodation, use it to extend your vacation.
You will get the most value for your points by doing so. You can even book a one-night stay at your accommodation and use your points to extend the rest of your vacation. This is highly recommended if you are going with your family or in large groups.
Travel During Off-Peak Season
Always do your research before traveling. Learn the off-peak season of the place that you're traveling to, as this is a great way for you to travel for free.
Many airlines and hotels often lower their rates during off-peak seasons. This means that you can use your points and miles to cover the cost of your travel, thus allowing you to travel for free.
Just make sure that you are flexible with your travel date, as many airlines and hotels often have different off-peak seasons.
Choose Credit Cards That Have Big Welcome Bonuses
When choosing a travel rewards credit card, make sure to select one that offers a large welcome bonus.
Welcome bonuses have become a staple for every credit card, but some go big with their rewards.
They often offer thousands of points after reaching a certain spending threshold for the first few months. This will immediately give you a ton of points to redeem for your next trip.
Spend Your Points
Many people might want to hold off on redeeming their points or miles for better reward categories. This might not be a good idea.
Your points and miles are not real money, where their value increases over time. Points and miles decrease in value the more you hoard them.
Go ahead and spend your points the moment you reach a certain threshold and choose the best rewards that you can use with your points or miles.
There is No Perfect Reward
You might spend hours looking for the perfect reward to redeem with your points or miles. You're searching for the best accommodation or flight, only to be disappointed that it doesn't exist.
The thing is, there is no perfect reward. Go ahead and compromise with whatever is available in the rewards category and work with it. You'll only be disappointed if you keep on looking for the reward that fits your needs the most.
If you genuinely want to travel for free using points and miles, choose rewards that offer the best deals at that specific time.
Conclusion
Redeeming your points and miles for rewards doesn't have to be daunting. You can always travel for free using your points and miles if you learn how to take advantage of and optimize the rewards provided by your travel credit card.
Follow the tips mentioned above to start earning the best travel rewards so you can travel for free.
