Oh boy! Picture this: you’re in line for that frothy, heart designed latte you can’t resist. You whip out your rewards credit card, and with each passing transaction, you smell the sweet scent of accumulated points that’ll one day amount to a vacation. You’re not the only one, dear friend. Americans have been swiping their travel credit cards left, right and center, harvesting points. But here’s the clincher: we can’t seem to master the smartest way to book flights using those precious points. What gives?
Don’t Just Spend, Strategize
I’ll let you in on a little secret. There’s a secret handshake, a nimble strategy that the savviest travelers and points pundits use. Instead of booking flights directly through your credit card’s travel portal, why not transfer your points to a partner airline’s mileage program? Sounds like a foreign concept, but it’s known as a point transfer, and trust me, it’s gold.
Evidence? Look no further than Calli Levin. Our heroine managed to book a ‘practically free’ family vacation to Hawaii using this strategy!
Travel Points: America’s Favorite Misunderstood Asset
Now you might ask, well if this strategy is so good, why isn’t everyone using it? Good question! It’s because this approach tends to be seen as an overly complex tango with more steps than the simple waltz of booking through your credit card travel portal. Let’s be honest – we’re all looking for convenience right?
But, hold it right there! Despite the daunting nature of point transfers at first glance, our friends who’ve dared to dive deep into this strategy swear by its rewards.
Cracking the Code: How to Book Flights Using Credit Card Points
All right, here is your playbook. When you spend using travel credit cards issued by our usual suspects – American Express, Chase, Capital One (oh, fancy seeing your name again!) you begin to gather points or miles. Hang on, this is where the plot thickens: to find the best deals, you might have to consider transferring your points to an airline partner you’ve never heard of. Yep, you heard that right.
Take Capital One for instance. It’s partnering with some heavy hitters in the industry like Emirates and Air Canada. But also with the likes Finnair and TAP Air Portugal – yeah, I had no idea who they were either. I know it sounds odd, but transferring miles to these ‘Foreign Joe’s’ gets you flights for a lot less. I mean, it did help Levin embark on her dream, all-expense-paid Hawaii trip.
And let’s not limit ourselves to domestic joyrides only. This trick can also score you that fancy first-class ticket on your next international sojourn. Trust me, luxury never tasted I mean, flew so good.
No Magic Here: A Few Pointers on Smartly Maximizing Your Points
If you’re nurturing dreams of becoming a point transfer savant, then keep this in mind: look out for “saver” award tickets. And don’t forget to check which of your credit card’s airline partners also fly your chosen route for the best deal.
Keep calm if you’ve got a Chase Ultimate Rewards point, as transferring your points to Costco-lookalike British Airways can net you substantial savings too. Suffice to say, taking the time to understand airline partnerships and alliance dynamics is a small price to pay for the miles you could score.
When in Doubt: Travel Portals to the Rescue
We’ve all seen that spinning wheel of anxiety seeing “limited seats available” next to our chosen flight. This is the main caveat with point transferring. And for the time-starved who prefer not to spend their day scouring for deals, a travel portal presents an uncomplicated alternative.
Mind you, there are drawbacks too. Once transferred, points can’t be taken back. But hey, a small price to pay for adventure, right?
For the rest of us, it might not be a bad idea to take baby steps towards harnessing the full power of point transfers. After all, even TV remotes come with an instruction manual, and this is no different.
And if all else fails? Well, we still have our good ol’ credit card portals – a blessing in disguise!
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