Like many journey lovers, I tick a couple of locations off my bucket record annually. The downside is all the time easy methods to do it most cost-effectively. While I usually use my bank card rewards to e-book flights, I by no means actually know if I’m getting nice worth from my rewards.
So, I made a decision a couple of years again that one in every of my New Year’s resolutions was to learn to use my factors and miles higher. After all, extra environment friendly reward utilization means I can journey at a decrease value and subsequently go to extra locations.
Here’s how I’m striving to maximise my journey rewards with out having to grow to be a devoted award journey grasp.
Use Chase factors for Hyatt stays
Whenever I plan a visit, I think about using the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal to e-book my flights. But there’s a lot extra you may redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards factors for — together with accommodations, experiences and sporting occasions — that may assist scale back the price of your trip.
For instance, you should use Chase Ultimate Rewards factors to e-book a Hyatt keep by transferring them to World of Hyatt. You also can switch Chase Ultimate Rewards factors to IHG One Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, however Hyatt factors are typically value considerably extra.
Twenty-five thousand Hyatt factors are sufficient for the standard free evening at a Category 6 property just like the Park Hyatt Aviara or Park Hyatt Chicago. Redeeming these factors might get you right into a room that might in any other case value greater than $500 per evening on most dates. World of Hyatt offers all members waived resort charges on award stays, which might add to the financial savings.
If you wish to earn absolutely transferable Ultimate Rewards factors, think about including the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve or Ink Business Preferred Credit Card to your pockets.
Related: How I’m spending 1 million World of Hyatt factors
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Learn easy methods to switch rewards
You would possibly think about using your Chase Ultimate Rewards factors to e-book journey straight within the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. But let’s take a look at what meaning for a one-way flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD).
I picked a pattern flight that might value $428.60 if I booked straight on United’s web site.
If you might have the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you may redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards factors for journey via the portal at 1.5 cents apiece. So, this flight would require 28,573 Ultimate Rewards factors when you’ve got the Chase Sapphire Reserve and redeem for this flight via Chase’s journey portal.
Alternatively, you may e-book this flight for 15,000 MileagePlus miles and $5.60 in taxes and costs. Remember, you may switch Chase Ultimate Rewards factors to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio.
Of course, whenever you switch bank card rewards to an award program, you often will not earn frequent flyer miles in your ticket (which you often would when reserving via the Ultimate Rewards journey portal).
Check award charges with switch companions earlier than redeeming rewards straight via your bank card issuer’s journey portal. In specific, it could actually make sense to switch rewards to e-book award flights or stays when paid charges are excessive or award charges are low.
Related: How (and why) it’s best to earn transferable factors
Track your factors and miles
Using your factors and miles correctly is troublesome should you do not monitor them correctly. Luckily, there are a lot of methods to monitor your factors and miles.
I used to trace my rewards manually in a Word doc, however this was time-consuming and cumbersome to maintain updated. So, you would possibly wish to use an automatic device. One choice is the TPG app, which retains monitor of all of your balances in the identical place, routinely calculates their worth and provides you a heads-up when they’ll expire.
The TPG app offers you a snapshot of the place you stand and can assist inform your journey plans. When you log in, you may see the place you might have essentially the most rewards with the accounts you have synced (and the worth utilizing TPG’s valuations).
Related: Change the way in which you journey — obtain the TPG app
Sign up for all loyalty applications
Many folks (together with yours actually) fail to join each loyalty program as a result of they suppose, “Oh, I by no means actually fly JetBlue or keep at a Hilton.” But that mindset has value me 1000’s of factors and miles.
Even should you aren’t loyal to 1 airline or resort chain, signing up for this system whenever you fly or keep means including extra rewards to your stability everytime you use this system once more. You would possibly even get further perks, corresponding to free Wi-Fi throughout your resort keep, only for being a member.
You may not wish to be a part of each program on the market right this moment. But think about this decision: I’ll guarantee I’ve a frequent flyer quantity listed on each flight I take.
Doing so will construct up rewards in varied applications that would ultimately get you a free journey.
Related: Hilton, Marriott and different loyalty applications are providing free factors for brand new members
Use on-line procuring portals
I purchase objects on-line frequently. But I might earn extra rewards on my purchases by going via the procuring portal of my most popular bank card, airline or resort. These portals are basically on-line procuring malls that accomplice with tons of of retailers. By beginning on the portal quite than going on to the retailer’s website, you may earn bonus factors or miles on 1000’s of things.
For instance, let’s assume you wish to purchase make-up from Sephora. If you go on to Sephora’s web site, you may solely earn rewards to your bank card buy. But you might snag further rewards should you click on via the AAdvantage procuring portal, for instance, earlier than making your buy.
If you like incomes money as an alternative of factors and miles, you may discover on-line procuring portals like Rakuten and TopCashback. I like to recommend utilizing a procuring portal aggregator every time you make an internet buy to seek out this system that gives one of the best return to your service provider.
Related: Your information to maximizing procuring portals to your on-line purchases
Bottom line
A brand new yr brings a wealth of alternatives to regulate your strategy to incomes and redeeming factors and miles, and there are a number of easy steps you may take proper now. Small steps like making certain that you’ve a frequent flyer quantity linked to every flight could make a big distinction. I, for one, have already got my eyes set on my subsequent award journey.
Additional reporting by Kyle Olsen.