I’m pretty good at saving money when I travel.
I vacation off-season whenever I can, check for cheap flights on Priceline.com Travelocity.com and TheFlightDeal.com (and get price drop alerts on my favorite routes from AirfareWatchDog.com, BookingBuddy.com, and Yapta.com.)
I never book a full-price hotel room and I even check for discount restaurant coupons and attraction admissions wherever I go.
But the one area of travel savings I wasn’t so good at was making the most of points and miles. Trying to decipher credit card offers and airline frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programs always made my eyes cross.
Until I discovered ThePointsGuy.com that is.
The website is a go-to resource for all things miles, points, travel credit cards and breaking travel news. If you’re a novice like me, you’re going to find information here that helps you maximize rewards and save money.
But, like they say about Powerball, you can’t win if you don’t play.
One of the biggest mistakes travelers make is not signing up for airline and major hotel chain loyalty programs in the first place, according to ThePointsGuy.com’s editor-in-chief Zach Honig.
“People get overwhelmed and decide to skip the process altogether. But even if you’re an infrequent flyer or travelers, it never hurts to sign up,” says Honig. “You might only get enough points for things like magazine subscriptions or a hotel room upgrade, but you’re still getting rewards you’ve earned.”
If you travel with your kids, don’t forget to sign them up too.
“Parents don’t realize that kids can rack up their own frequent flyer miles,” he says. “If there’s a ticket in their name, they get the miles.”
Once you’ve signed up, be sure to keep a record of every program you’ve joined and join an online mileage manager. Awardwallet.com is a free site that tracks your balances and even alerts you if your miles are going to expire.
More tips:
>>When you shop online, use a loyalty program portal instead of going directly to a retailer’s website. Click through one of the online mileage malls, (most of the airlines have them), and you’ll get extra points/miles for every dollar you spend. Use a mileage earning card and you’ll get those miles as well.
>>You can rack up more miles by signing up for dining programs. They’re free and once your credit card is linked, you will automatically earn miles/points every time you use your card at participating restaurants.
>>When you’re not going to use your miles for flights or a hotel, do what Honig calls, “earn and burn.”
“Programs change, miles get devalued or expire and you end up losing them,” says Honig. “Holding on to them doesn’t make sense.”
Earlier this month, ThePointsGuy launched a new series,TPGtv, on YouTube. The first episode, details how the website’s founder, Brian Kelly, flew Delta business class to Ghana for 90,000 miles and $5.60.
I don’t expect to ever be able to do that — but I am closing in on enough miles for a free trip to California.
