How do you get travel points?

You can get travel points from a credit card by making everyday purchases, meeting the requirements for an initial bonus, referring a friend, and taking advantage of any other bonus points a particular card offers. Every credit card has its own procedures for earning travel points and then ultimately redeeming them.

Even though a travel credit card is one of the best ways to earn points, it is not the only way. Below, we’ll list some of the best credit cards for travel points followed by different ways you can get points with and without a credit card.  

Best Credit Cards for Travel Points

How To Get Travel Points

1. Day-to-day spending.If you have a travel rewards credit card that offers points, you can earn points with every purchase you make with your credit card. Some cards even offer extra points for certain travel-related purchases, such as 3 points per $1 spent on hotels or airfare while giving 1 point per $1 for all other purchases.
2. Qualify for initial bonuses.You can get a large sum of travel points if your credit card offers an initial bonus. To get the points, you will typically have to spend a certain amount of money on your card within a particular period. For example, on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, you can get 75,000 points for spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
3. Reach milestones.Some credit cards give travel points when you reach a milestone, such as making a certain number of purchases per month or spending a specific amount of money on your card in a year. Depending on the card, you may even get bonus points every year on the anniversary of when you opened your account as a thank you.
4. Refer a friend.Bringing in new customers to your card issuer can be another way to earn points. Usually, you will have to share a referral link with friends and family, and if any of them get approved, you’ll receive extra points.
5. Add an authorized user.You may get extra travel points by having an authorized user on your account. Every purchase they make can add more points to your account.
6. Join a hotel or airline loyalty program.By signing up for a hotel or airline loyalty program, you can earn points with every hotel stay or flight even if you don’t have a credit card. Each loyalty program has its own rules on how to earn and use points, so make sure to check their terms and conditions. By the way, most airlines do offer their rewards in miles, but some (like Southwest and Virgin Atlantic) offer points.
7. Link accounts.Some hotel loyalty programs allow you to link your account to other companies they have partnerships with to earn points. For example, Hilton Honors allows members to link their hotel loyalty account to their Lyft account to earn Hilton Honors points with every Lyft ride. They could also use their Hilton Honors points to pay for Lyft rides.
8. Eat out.Programs like Marriott’s Eat Around Town allow members to earn travel points every time they pay for a meal at a restaurant with a linked credit or debit card. You will need to sign up for Marriott’s hotel loyalty program first before signing up for Eat Around Town.
9. Buy points.You can also just buy travel points. From time to time, hotels may offer promotions where you can buy points at a discounted rate. Even though buying points is a pricey option, it could be beneficial if you need a small amount to have enough for a free stay.

Now that you know the different ways you can earn travel points, you should check the terms on how to redeem them. Just like how there are different ways to earn points, there are various ways you can redeem them, especially when it comes to credit cards. For example, hotel credit cards may only allow you to redeem points for free nights within their chain, while with general travel cards, you can use points at any hotel.

You can check out WalletHub’s guide on credit card points for more information.