Six Ways to Earn Travel Points (Without Opening a New Credit Card)
You’re probably familiar with the two most common ways to earn travel rewards: fly to earn miles, or open a credit card—ideally with a generous welcome bonus—that gives you points on purchases. But if you don’t fly often, don’t want to open a ton of travel card accounts (or can’t, either due to your own credit or rules aimed at reducing churn), or can’t spend a ton of extra money, there are other ways to accumulate points and miles for your next vacation.
Maximize the benefits of your existing card
If you already have a card that earns you points and miles, you can use several strategies to earn rewards faster than simply swiping the card for everyday purchases. One obvious approach is to spend smarter by purchasing certain items from merchants who qualify for category bonuses (such as cleaning supplies at the grocery store).
Collect referral bonuses
Some issuers offer referral bonuses (usually between 5,000 and 15,000 points) if someone signs up for a new card using your unique link. If you have a spouse or partner you can refer, they can receive a sign-up bonus while you earn a referral bonus, maximizing the number of points you can redeem together. You can also add an authorized user to help a family member build credit while you earn extra miles.
Link to other loyalty programs
You can also link your credit cards to other loyalty programs to earn bonus airline miles on unrelated expenses (such as meals or other travel). For example, connecting your Lyft account can earn you additional Delta SkyMiles, Alaska Mileage Plan points, Hilton Honors points, or Bilt Rewards points.
Make purchases through online portals
To earn even more—2 to 5 points—beyond standard credit card rewards, try using a shopping portal to make purchases from participating retailers that you would have shopped directly with anyway. Some airlines also have their own shopping portals that are linked to your membership number to earn miles that go into your loyalty account.
If you have multiple loyalty programs through which you can earn points, consider using a tool like Cashback Monitor or adding Chrome extensions to multiple shopping portals to compare where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. Please note that during major trading holidays, bonuses may be even higher.
Sign up to receive dinner rewards
Most major airlines and some hotel chains also have dining rewards programs, including Delta SkyMiles Dining , American Airlines AAdvantage Dining , Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining , and United MileagePlus Dining . All you have to do is connect your credit card and use it when you dine at participating restaurants or get takeout. You may even be eligible to receive bonus miles in the first month after signing up. It doesn’t hurt to sign up and just earn rewards in the background, and you can sign up for multiple cards even if they aren’t travel rewards cards.
Complete opinion polls
Completing surveys isn’t the most cost-effective in terms of time and points earned, but it’s another way to top up your mileage account without spending money. The following airlines will reward you with small bonuses for participating in public opinion surveys:
Follow targeted offers
Both banks and airlines are known to offer bonuses in the form of points and miles as incentives to sign up or retain customers, so don’t just throw away mailed offers or delete emails without reading them.
For example, American Express and Chase award points to anyone who signs up for (free) features like mobile wallets and pays over time. Likewise, opening a new checking or savings account can earn you travel rewards. Bask Bank offers 2.5 AAdvantage miles (in lieu of interest) for every dollar saved, with points awarded monthly. Citibank also sometimes runs promotions using AAdvantage miles and Thank you points. (Be sure to research interest rates and fees before deciding to open new accounts.)
Book your rental car using the airline’s promo code.
Major car rental companies, including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Hertz and National, will award airline miles (and/or hotel points) if you book a car using a promotional code. Typically, you will need to be a member of the rental company’s loyalty program and enter your frequent flyer information when booking. However, note that you may pay an additional fee to earn airline or hotel credits, so this may not be worthwhile depending on how many points you earn.