- March 18, 2025
Maximize Your Miles: Smart Strategies For Managing Airline Credit Cards And Loyalty Points – News18
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Target particular travel objectives, optimise many credit cards for various spending categories, and make clever purchases to maximise bonuses.
As airline loyalty card benefits diminish, reevaluate your points and miles plan.
If you frequently swipe credit cards that are co-branded with your preferred airline, it may be time to reconsider your points and miles strategy in light of airline loyalty programs’ reduced incentives. The American Express Platinum Card is one example. This card generates miles for Delta Air Lines Inc., while the nonbranded version earns “Membership Rewards points.”
So, to earn and burn as efficiently as possible, heed these guidelines:
Colour-code your wallet:
Each card should have a coloured dot sticker on the back that indicates its spending benefits so that you can easily use the appropriate card for the proper purchase. The best method may be somewhat analog, but you can also do this with your digital wallet. List your cards along with their highest-performing locations. After that, take a picture and store it in your phone’s album for a convenient reference that will never be forgotten.
Be aware of the value of your points:
Keep in mind that not every point or mile is made equal: As an example, a World of Hyatt point is significantly more valuable than an IHG One Rewards point. Determine this by comparing the cash and point costs of your ideal hotel stay; a straightforward division will show the monetary worth of each loyalty currency.
Always remember your ultimate objective:
Do you have loyalty points that you may use to redeem a fancy first-class ticket? Or are you more interested in a family road trip with inexpensive motels and tickets for economy class? You may make calculated decisions to achieve your goals if you have a clear one. Start by looking at the transfer partners for each card to see what is feasible.
Invest in some worthwhile “freebies”:
Some cards are valuable to hold but never swipe. Consider the $99 annual IHG One Rewards Premier card, which grants a Platinum level, a complimentary hotel night on the anniversary, and the opportunity to redeem for a fourth night free. The main benefits of this card outweigh the annual fee, even though there are better cards for accruing points, particularly in areas like dining and travel.
Use your points wisely:
You can use websites like Point.me and AwardLogic.com to learn how to get the most out of your miles and points. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, go with the former; Point.me charges additional fees (up to about $200 per person), so you may hire experienced agents to handle all searches, point transfers, and booking.
Additionally, using a website like PointsYeah.com to set up free price notifications is worthwhile because the cost of a flight in miles can fluctuate just as frequently as the price in cash. This is beneficial even if you have already purchased your ticket because many airlines let you reschedule and cancel mileage flights at no cost. Recall that large family vacation? Following a significant reduction in airfare for that trip, 250,000 American Airlines AAdvantage points were saved by canceling and rescheduling the tickets.
