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According to Kayak, a popular online travel agency, travel costs are going down this summer. Here in the US, the average price for domestic flights is 13% cheaper than last summer. But that doesn't mean summer travel is cheap. The average domestic airfare in the U.S. remains a staggering $455, according to Kayak's summer travel survey.
But you don't have to pay high summer travel prices to take the vacation you deserve this summer. Instead, with travel rewards, you can save money on your next trip by redeeming points and miles for flights and hotel stays.
Here are some tips for earning and redeeming Travel Rewards points and miles during your summer vacation. Learn the best travel credit cards to earn, how to efficiently redeem rewards, and tips for finding award flights and hotel stays.
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Get a business class seat with one credit card welcome offer.
To use your Travel Rewards for free travel, you must first earn your Travel Rewards. If you need a boost to get your travel rewards account set up the way you want, consider adding a new credit card to your wallet.
Many of the best travel credit cards come with welcome bonuses that give you instant travel rewards. There are currently several credit cards that offer bonuses worth more than $1,000 on travel, if you can meet the applicable minimum spend requirements.
For example, the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a good option to consider adding to your wallet. Currently, he can earn 75,000 bonus points when he makes $4,000 in purchases within three months of account opening.
Mileage website The Points Guy values ​​Chase Ultimate Rewards® points at 2.05 cents each. This means those 75,000 Ultimate Rewards points are worth more than $1,500 when redeemed for maximum value using Chase's various transfer partners.
Alternatively, if you're looking for a card with premium travel benefits, The Platinum Card® from American Express may be a good option, despite its $695 annual fee (see rates and fees) . This card offers a welcome bonus of 80,000 American Express Membership Rewards® points after he spends $8,000 within the first six months of account opening.
Maximize these points and get more than $1,600 in value toward your next vacation by transferring to the program's partner hotels and airlines. Additionally, this card includes airport lounge access, monthly Uber Cash credits, and more.
By quickly accumulating rewards through welcome bonuses, you can top up your account and use them for free travel while planning your well-deserved summer vacation. If you need more inspiration, check out our article on the best credit card welcome bonuses.
Hyatt
Book hotels, flights, and more with flexible travel benefits.
But travel rewards aren't the only things you should aim to earn. Specifically, it helps you focus on earning flexible compensation. After all, flexible rewards like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One miles are more versatile than earning rewards with a single airline or hotel loyalty program. It's highly sexual.
The benefit of flexible benefits is that you can use your benefits with any number of airline or hotel partners. Each flexible currency has its own portfolio of airline and hotel transfer partners. These cards also allow members to redeem for a fixed amount through their own travel portal.
For example, Amex Membership Rewards points can be redeemed through the American Express Travel Portal, but they can also be transferred to Amex partner airlines and hotels. The credit card issuer has 20 airline and hotel transportation partners, including Delta SkyMiles, British Airways Executive Club, JetBlue TrueBlue, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, and more.
Transferring your points to an airline or hotel transportation partner gives you access to various “sweet spot” benefits within each partner program. For example, you can transfer Amex, Bild, Chase, and Capital One points to British Airways Executive Club to book short-haul flights between the U.S. and Alaska for less than 10,000 points each way.
This flexibility gives transferable credit card benefits great value and flexibility. Unlike airline or hotel-specific credit cards, you can book the flights and hotel stays that best suit your travel plans.
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If you're in a relationship, you can earn rewards faster if your partner also spends on the right cards.
If you're having trouble earning enough money for your next trip, you can ask your spouse to help you earn money for that summer vacation.
There are two options to do this. The first is to add your partner as an authorized user on your rewards credit card. This allows you to charge your purchase to your credit card account and earn rewards in the process.
Alternatively, your spouse can earn a welcome bonus on their own credit card. This can be a great opportunity for your family to quickly earn more points to redeem for your summer vacation. Plus, this allows you both to open your own account and earn bonuses, giving you double access to some of the best welcome offers.
If you each open your own travel rewards credit card, you may be able to combine points from each account. For example, with Citi ThankYou Rewards, you can share points for free with other members who have Citi ThankYou cards. You can share up to 100,000 Citi Thank You Points with other members per year. Similarly, Chase allows her to transfer her Ultimate Rewards points between accounts within the same household.
Check to see if your desired program allows you to share points with other members, and pay particular attention to any applicable terms and conditions that may limit the transfer of benefits.
Hyatt
Being flexible about where and when you travel often results in better rewards.
If you want to get the most out of your travel benefits, it's important to be flexible with your travel dates, destinations, and even the type of trip.
If you fly to a specific airport or stay in a specific hotel on a set date that cannot be changed, you are likely not getting enough value from the perks and end up paying more for your money. You may end up paying.
Instead, keep an open mind when it comes to planning and think outside the box when it comes to where and when you'll travel this summer. If you want to book a summer beach vacation, compare the prices of hotels and resorts abroad with the prices of vacation rentals closer to home.
Many airlines and hotel chains offer a calendar search feature that allows you to see the point price per night for each day of a given month. If you're flexible, you can use this feature to plan your trip around the cheapest award nights.
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Loyalty programs like Avianca LifeMiles still have a fixed reward chart.
Finally, check to see if you can get a loyalty program with a fixed reward chart. Many loyalty programs have dynamic and variable pricing models. This often means paying more points or miles to book a flight if the cash fare is higher.
However, there are still some loyalty programs that use fixed reward charts. That means you know what to expect when you redeem your travel rewards. With Fixed Redemption, you can set your goals and know how many points you need in advance of your summer booking.
So which loyalty programs still have fixed reward prices? First, the World of Hyatt Hotel Loyalty Program still has a rewards table that lets you get free nights starting at just 3,500 points. However, the exact cost will depend on whether you plan on staying on standard, peak, or off-peak dates. The best ways to use World of Hyatt points include award stays at all-inclusive resorts and 5-star luxury resorts.
Similarly, Avianca LifeMiles still publishes award tables for most award tickets, including flights operated by partner airlines such as United Airlines and Lufthansa. The award table is divided by region, so the price of a flight from the US to Western Europe is the same no matter when you depart.
Airline loyalty programs that still publish award charts include ANA Mileage Club, British Airways Executive Club, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
If these programs don't have travel benefits, don't worry. Many are flexible award currency transfer partners, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex Membership Rewards, so you can transfer your points to the applicable airline or hotel currency.
Travel credit cards and loyalty programs can make your summer vacation more affordable. Most travelers should focus on earning flexible rewards points that can be transferred to different airline and hotel loyalty programs because it gives them the most options when planning their trip.
Then, by keeping your travel plans as flexible as possible and scoring a welcome credit card bonus or two, you could be on your way to your dream destination in no time, while avoiding soaring summer travel costs.
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Looking for a travel credit card? Find out which cards CNN Underscored Money named the best travel credit cards available today.
