Travel on Points: How Award Travel Helps You Save Big on Vacations

Traveling gets pricey fast, but there’s a way to shave down the costs and still have a great time. More and more people are using points and miles to pay for flights, hotels, and even the fancier stuff—saving a lot on vacations. Award travel lets you use points from credit cards and loyalty programs to book flights and hotels for less. Learn how to earn, transfer, and redeem your points to travel more in 2025.

People rack up these points by spending, signing up for new credit cards, or booking through special portals. It’s a pretty straightforward system that’s changed how folks plan and pay for trips. If you’re itching to see more of the world without burning through your savings, getting the hang of points is a solid move.

Honestly, figuring out points isn’t rocket science, and the perks add up faster than you’d think. With a bit of effort, almost anyone can use this system to visit more places for less.

Want help finding the best points redemption? Check out our award booking services to save time and points.

Award Travel Fundamentals: Earning and Using Points

With award travel, you can save a surprising amount by earning and redeeming points and miles from travel credit cards and loyalty programs. These programs let you collect rewards on everyday spending and then transfer them to airline or hotel partners for cheaper—or sometimes free—travel.

Understanding Points and Miles

Points and miles are just loyalty rewards you get from spending on certain credit cards or by using specific airlines and hotels. Each program has its own quirks and values. For instance, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points are some of the big names in credit card rewards.

Fly often? You’ll earn airline miles. Stay at hotels? That’s more points. You can cash these in for flights, hotel nights, or other travel stuff. The real trick is knowing which programs actually give you the best bang for your buck. That can make a huge difference in how much you save on your next adventure.

How to Earn Points and Miles Through Credit Cards

Travel credit cards are probably the fastest way to rack up points and miles. Most of them dangle big sign-up bonuses if you hit a certain spending target in the first few months—sometimes it’s enough for a round-trip flight right out of the gate.

Beyond the intro bonus, you keep earning rewards for daily purchases. Some cards give you more points for things like dining, groceries, or travel. Picking the right rewards card can really help you pile up points without changing your habits much.

There are usually extra perks, too. Think airport lounge access, hotel elite status, or annual travel credits. Just keep in mind, you need a good credit score to get the best cards.

Transfer Partners and Flexible Points Systems

Flexible points systems are where things get interesting. They let you move your points to a bunch of different airline or hotel partners. Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points all have a big list of transfer partners.

This makes your points way more useful. Say you’ve got a Chase Sapphire Preferred card—you can transfer those points to United, Southwest, Hyatt, and more. Sometimes, booking through a partner is a much better deal than using the card’s own travel portal.

It’s worth double-checking transfer ratios (sometimes your points shrink or grow when you move them) and watching for transfer bonuses. Picking the right partner can stretch your points so much further.

Maximizing Value When Redeeming Points

Getting the most out of your points and miles takes a bit of homework. The best deals usually pop up when cash prices are high but points prices stay low. It’s worth running the numbers with a reward calculator to see what makes sense.

Airline and hotel reward charts show you how many points or miles you’ll need. Keep an eye out for “sweet spots,” like business class tickets for surprisingly few points or hotels in pricey cities for a bargain rate. Flexible points almost always give you more options—and usually more value—than fixed-value or cash-back points.

Using award search tools, checking for transfer bonuses, and being flexible with your travel dates can help a lot. Award travel really does open up new ways to save money on trips, especially if you’re smart about how you earn and use those points.

Strategies for Booking Award Travel and Saving Big

Award travel can save you a bundle by using airline miles and hotel points to cut down flight and hotel costs. The right strategies for searching, booking, and redeeming make all the difference in squeezing the most out of these programs.

Finding Award Availability and Booking Award Flights

Award seats aren’t always easy to snag—especially during busy seasons or on popular routes. Being flexible with your dates and destinations helps a ton. Booking early is your friend if you want to lock in those lower mileage rates.

Some frequent flyer programs let you change or cancel for free (or cheap), which means you can grab seats as soon as they pop up. Airline calendars and search engines save you time hunting for flights.

Flying mid-week or outside of holidays? You’ll probably have better luck finding award seats. And instead of just checking one airline, look at partner airlines in the same alliance—sometimes they show extra seats.

Tips for Finding Award Flights:

Set alerts for award availability
Check multiple programs and partners
Be flexible on dates and destinations
Book as early as possible
Use search tools to scan many airlines at once

Redeeming Airline and Hotel Points for Maximum Value

Not every redemption is a good deal. Always compare the cash price of a ticket or hotel night to the points needed—this is your cents-per-point value, and it’s the best way to see if you’re getting a bargain. For example, booking a one-way business class flight to Europe can cost $5,000 cash or just 70,000 points through certain programs.

Understanding award charts helps, but some airlines have switched to dynamic pricing, so things can get unpredictable. Booking premium cabins or traveling when cash prices are sky-high usually gets you the best value. Transferring points between programs can sometimes unlock better deals or more seats, too.

On the hotel side, a few brands throw in a free night if you book a certain number of nights with points—worth looking for. Booking directly with airlines or hotels can also help you dodge some of the extra fees that come with third-party portals.

Maximizing Value:

Calculate cents-per-point value before redeeming
Consider premium or last-minute awards for higher value
Look for bonus nights on hotel stays
Transfer points strategically for better redemptions