What is Traveling on Point(s)?
Traveling on point(s) involves earning credit card points and using those points to travel the world for free or nearly free. Follow along to learn more!
Welcome to ToP and the exciting world of award travel! Points and miles can help you travel better and more often than you ever thought possible. Whether your goal is to visit far-flung destinations or see family across the country more often, award travel can make that happen. Take a look at our beginner articles and join our Facebook group, where you can ask all your questions and learn from fellow award travelers.
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Traveling on point(s) involves earning credit card points and using those points to travel the world for free or nearly free. Follow along to learn more!
We explain the most important rule in award travel. Following this one rule is crucial for traveling on points.
One of the first questions people ask when learning about award travel is whether opening many credit cards hurts your credit score. The answer is NO. In fact, opening additional credits can even help your credit score!
One of the first things we recommend to “newbies” is to figure out your 5/24 status. As a reminder, your 5/24 status is a rule
Every single blog that covers award travel discusses Chase, something called 5/24, and steers newbies towards Chase cards first. Why? The “5/24” rule is the reason behind this.
The points & miles world is filled with acronyms and abbreviations. Many of these become second nature after some time. But if you are starting out or saw a new acronym used in our Facebook group, here is a list of common abbreviations and acronyms
Traveling on point(s) involves earning credit card points and using those points to travel the world for free or nearly free. Follow along to learn more!
We explain the most important rule in award travel. Following this one rule is crucial for traveling on points.
One of the first questions people ask when learning about award travel is whether opening many credit cards hurts your credit score. The answer is NO. In fact, opening additional credits can even help your credit score!
One of the first things we recommend to “newbies” is to figure out your 5/24 status. As a reminder, your 5/24 status is a rule
Every single blog that covers award travel discusses Chase, something called 5/24, and steers newbies towards Chase cards first. Why? The “5/24” rule is the reason behind this.
The points & miles world is filled with acronyms and abbreviations. Many of these become second nature after some time. But if you are starting out or saw a new acronym used in our Facebook group, here is a list of common abbreviations and acronyms
Navigating all these different rules requires patience and long-term planning. For example, having a good 5/24 roadmap is important to maximize your points earnings with Chase cards early on. Meanwhile, it’s important to keep track of when you close any Citi cards because eligibility for sign-up bonuses for Citi cards is based on when you last opened or closed a particular card.
Am I eligible for business cards? With absolute certainty, we answer this question “probably.”
Knowing which business cards affect your 5/24 is essential in upping your points earning abilities.
Now that you are ready for a CSP versus a CSR, how do you decide which one? This is your first decision, since you cannot hold both.
Meeting minimum spend can be tricky when you open a new card without a plan. In this article, we outline a few of our favorite strategies.
We analyze the strategy of sign-up bonuses and why they are so much more valuable than spending on bonus categories with everyday cards.
If your Chase application isn’t instantly approved, there’s no need to panic. This handy flowchart offers some pointers on navigating towards approval.
Learn how to handle reconsideration calls so you can earn your next welcome bonus and continue to see the world through points and miles.
Creating and sticking to a plan of which credit cards to open is essential to earning the most points you can so you can travel for free.
Navigating all these different rules requires patience and long-term planning. For example, having a good 5/24 roadmap is important to maximize your points earnings with Chase cards early on. Meanwhile, it’s important to keep track of when you close any Citi cards because eligibility for sign-up bonuses for Citi cards is based on when you last opened or closed a particular card.
Am I eligible for business cards? With absolute certainty, we answer this question “probably.”
Knowing which business cards affect your 5/24 is essential in upping your points earning abilities.
Now that you are ready for a CSP versus a CSR, how do you decide which one? This is your first decision, since you cannot hold both.
Meeting minimum spend can be tricky when you open a new card without a plan. In this article, we outline a few of our favorite strategies.
We analyze the strategy of sign-up bonuses and why they are so much more valuable than spending on bonus categories with everyday cards.
If your Chase application isn’t instantly approved, there’s no need to panic. This handy flowchart offers some pointers on navigating towards approval.
Learn how to handle reconsideration calls so you can earn your next welcome bonus and continue to see the world through points and miles.
Creating and sticking to a plan of which credit cards to open is essential to earning the most points you can so you can travel for free.
We often discuss in our Facebook group how transferable points are so much more valuable than miles or points with a single airline or hotel. This is because transferable points are the key to unlocking incredible value from credit card points.
With transferable points, you gain flexibility and high redemption value. With access to different transfer partners, you can opt for the partner that will give you the most value.
We recommend creating loyalty accounts ahead of time to avoid the common issues relating to brand new accounts, such as delayed transfer times. Having your loyalty accounts set up when you’re ready to book makes everything easier.
ToP walks you through how to transfer Ultimate Rewards among your Chase cards and how to combine them with members of your household.
While there are several ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) including their travel portal and Pay Yourself Back; one of the most beneficial is by transferring to their travel partners.
ToP walks you through how to transfer Membership Rewards to Amex’s hotel and airline partners to get you the most value for your points.
Citi ThankYou Points are an underrated transferable points currency. Yet it provides great value and flexibility. Citi’s cards offer an excellent earning structure with a baseline of 2x on every purchase. Having so many transfer partners in common with Chase and Amex is actually a strength of Citi’s. Lastly, for those looking to cash out their points, Citi offers ease and flexibility.
We often discuss in our Facebook group how transferable points are so much more valuable than miles or points with a single airline or hotel. This is because transferable points are the key to unlocking incredible value from credit card points.
With transferable points, you gain flexibility and high redemption value. With access to different transfer partners, you can opt for the partner that will give you the most value.
We recommend creating loyalty accounts ahead of time to avoid the common issues relating to brand new accounts, such as delayed transfer times. Having your loyalty accounts set up when you’re ready to book makes everything easier.
ToP walks you through how to transfer Ultimate Rewards among your Chase cards and how to combine them with members of your household.
While there are several ways to redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) including their travel portal and Pay Yourself Back; one of the most beneficial is by transferring to their travel partners.
Citi ThankYou Points are an underrated transferable points currency. Yet it provides great value and flexibility. Citi’s cards offer an excellent earning structure with a baseline of 2x on every purchase. Having so many transfer partners in common with Chase and Amex is actually a strength of Citi’s. Lastly, for those looking to cash out their points, Citi offers ease and flexibility.
How should you choose when to use points through a travel portal, transfer to a travel partner, or convert to cash back? ToP analyzes the pros and cons of each approach to help you maximize your credit card points.
This article teaches you how to best use your miles and we explain the differences among the main types of award charts: zone-based, distance-based, and dynamic pricing.
ToP explains how to use Award Hacker, which is a helpful tool for redeeming your points and miles for flights.
How to Book an Award Flight Using Points We get a lot of questions in the ToP Facebook group about how to book an award
Saver award availability is crucial for booking cheap award flights. ToP explains what saver awards are and how to find them.
ToP explains how to search and book United Airlines’ excursionist perk award, which can get you a free one-way award within a multi-city itinerary.
IATA airline codes can be confusing, but this list spells out the codes for most of the major airlines in the U.S. and the rest of the world.
How should you choose when to use points through a travel portal, transfer to a travel partner, or convert to cash back? ToP analyzes the pros and cons of each approach to help you maximize your credit card points.
This article teaches you how to best use your miles and we explain the differences among the main types of award charts: zone-based, distance-based, and dynamic pricing.
ToP explains how to use Award Hacker, which is a helpful tool for redeeming your points and miles for flights.
How to Book an Award Flight Using Points We get a lot of questions in the ToP Facebook group about how to book an award
ToP explains how to search and book United Airlines’ excursionist perk award, which can get you a free one-way award within a multi-city itinerary.
IATA airline codes can be confusing, but this list spells out the codes for most of the major airlines in the U.S. and the rest of the world.
How do you maximize earning Chase points? That’s easy. Obtain the Chase Trifecta. CSP/CSR, the Freedom Flex and the Freedom Unlimited (or Ink Unlimited) make an almost perfect trio of cards for bonus and non-bonus spending!
The Travel on Points team explores ways to earn cash and gift cards back using methods other than credit cards.
Our spending habits may have changed during this time of social distancing, but everyone still needs to eat. If you’re like my family, you’re spending
As we spend more of our time in social distancing, many of us are cooking more. However, we all need a break sometime. Grabbing takeout or delivery can be a nice alternative for each of us.
Earning points in one player mode can be different. Explore strategies on how you can still earn significant points and miles to travel on!
The ToP Guide to Amex Offers walks you through the uses and benefits of this great Amex program that can yield some big savings.
The ToP Guide to Chase Offers walks you through the basics of how to use and maximize this great Chase program that can help you save money.
How do you maximize earning Chase points? That’s easy. Obtain the Chase Trifecta. CSP/CSR, the Freedom Flex and the Freedom Unlimited (or Ink Unlimited) make an almost perfect trio of cards for bonus and non-bonus spending!
The Travel on Points team explores ways to earn cash and gift cards back using methods other than credit cards.
Our spending habits may have changed during this time of social distancing, but everyone still needs to eat. If you’re like my family, you’re spending
As we spend more of our time in social distancing, many of us are cooking more. However, we all need a break sometime. Grabbing takeout or delivery can be a nice alternative for each of us.
Earning points in one player mode can be different. Explore strategies on how you can still earn significant points and miles to travel on!
The ToP Guide to Amex Offers walks you through the uses and benefits of this great Amex program that can yield some big savings.
The ToP Guide to Chase Offers walks you through the basics of how to use and maximize this great Chase program that can help you save money.
Many times, especially after you’ve been in the award travel world for a while, you may be approved for a smaller credit limit than you wanted or expected. This could be for various reasons, such as issues on your credit report, credit extended to you with that specific credit card company, total available credit, or low credit utilization or non-use of your existing credit cards.
The ToP Guide to Credit Card Retention Offers walks you through how to ask for a retention offer when your annual fee comes due.
Credit card annual fees can be obnoxious, but ToP shares some factors to consider when deciding whether to pay them.
Many times, especially after you’ve been in the award travel world for a while, you may be approved for a smaller credit limit than you wanted or expected. This could be for various reasons, such as issues on your credit report, credit extended to you with that specific credit card company, total available credit, or low credit utilization or non-use of your existing credit cards.
The ToP Guide to Credit Card Retention Offers walks you through how to ask for a retention offer when your annual fee comes due.
Credit card annual fees can be obnoxious, but ToP shares some factors to consider when deciding whether to pay them.
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