3 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Credit Card Points (+Seats.aero Walk-through)
Mar 21, 2024
How I saved 4 hours and got 10x on my credit card points.
Read time: 7 minutes
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Imagine this. 💭
You have 60,000+ credit card points.
You are scrolling through the travel portal to plan your next vacation.
OMG!
Is that a $4,000 flight for 400,000 points? 😲
Wait...
...I don't have 400,000 points.
But, you don't need to.
So you start to research what else you can do.
The issue isn't the "what."
"Don't use the travel portal."
"Transfer them to a travel partner."
"You can get more than $0.01 per point!"
The problem is the "how."
When spending your credit card points for flights...
...there is a sliding scale between availability and redemption value.
In the best situation - you get both.
But that isn't always the case.
Let's go through the three main strategies that you can use for booking flights with credit card points...
...and simplify the entire process.
👉 Strategy 1: Travel portal
The easiest option with the highest flight availability.
The ease comes at the cost of usually the worst value for your points (0.5 - 2 cents per point*)
* cents per point = cpp
👉 Strategy 2: Manually Search with Transfer Partners
The most time consuming option.
And airlines only allow so many seats for points - so the options are limited.
First come, first serve.
Redemption value is the highest (10+ cpp)...
...if you can find the seat.
👉 Strategy 3: Using Seats.aero
A site that does all the searching across partners for you.
Can't search every airline.
But 80% of the work is done.
Saves hours searching and gets a fair redemption value (8+ cpp)...
...a pretty good option.
And it works for AmEx, Citi, Chase, Bilt, and Capital One.
3 Ways to Maximize the Value of Your Credit Card Points
Strategy 1: Credit Card Travel Portal
Most of your big bank credit cards are going to have this option.
Basically an online travel agency.
They have the most availability because they can search for almost any flight.
Then they just convert the cost they find to points.
Usually this is at $1 = 100 points (or 1cpp)
If you don't have enough points to cover the full cost...
...then they will use what you have and charge the rest in cash dollars ($).
This is a great option if you don't want the hassle of transferring points.
Or if you don't have enough to cover the cost of the flights.
It's also good if your travel isn't flexible because you can select from almost every flight.
You can book hotels or car rentals too.
But just like with the flights...
...the redemption value per point will be minimal.
Strategy 2: Transfer Partners
This can get you an amazing redemption value...
...but you will need to spend some time to search for it.
Why does it take longer?
Every airline has a limited number of tickets to be purchased with points.
The point values can change based on demand.
You'll have the check with each individual airline if they fly to where you want to go.
Checking with each airline can be even harder when they require you to sign up just to search.
No one need to manage another login and password.
So why even bring up this option?
If you take the time to do the search.
Search 9 - 12 months in advance (or super last-minute).
You'll find those business class gems that are basically a steal.
So that's the what...
...now the how. 👇
Step 1: Find the Transfer Partners
These are within each credit card portal.
Finding it might require some clicking around, but here's a quick how-to.
1 // For Chase Ultimate Rewards:
- Login to your Chase Account
- Go to Ultimate Rewards
- Navigation Bar > Travel > Transfer Points to Partners
2 // For AmEx:
- Login at the AmEx Transfer Partner to view
3 // Or you can quickly Google "Point Transfer Matrix" to pull a chart of most point programs.
Step 2: Search each individual airline partner website
You'll have to be flexible on the days and times.
But you'll be able to start to see what's available.
Obviously Economy will cost less than Business Class...
...but not always by that much.
So keep an eye out for those Super Saver fares where Business Class seats are on a "points" sale.
Because why sit in Economy if you can sit in Business?
Step 3: Confirm Availability
You found one!
A flight that works for when you want to leave...
..and you have enough points.
But don't transfer them yet.
I highly recommend you call and get an agent on the phone.
Not a surprise...
...but airlines tech isn't the most reliable.
And that include their ticket availability.
Worst thing is you transfer your points and the ticket isn't available.
I learned this the hard way.
Transferred 170,000 points.
Clicked to book.
"Error."
WTF. 😠
Called the airline...
...they were like "Oh, looks like it's no longer available."
Step 4: Transfer Your Points
✅ Flight confirmed and available (because you called)
✅ Made an account on that airline you want to transfer to
🟡 Time to transfer the points.
Go back to your credit card point portal...
...click the transfer partner.
Transfer the needed points.
You'll have to "connect" your two accounts.
It's as easy as inputting your membership ID for the airline.
The transfer usually takes no more than a few minutes.
I've been on the phone with the airline rep during the transfer.
Usually, it's just that fast.
Strategy 3: Use Seats.aero
Since you made it all the way down here...
...here's a faster way to do all the searching.
Use Seats.aero.
It's free if you are seating for a flight upcoming in 60 days.
If not, you can pay for one month and get access to additional filters.
Best part is that you'll be able to see the availability for all fare types...
...and the number of points you'll need.
And to make things easier.
When you click the flight and seat type you want...
...there is a link that'll pull it up directly on the airline website.
Skip the airlines by airline search altogether!
Here's a quick tour to get your started.
1 // Explore - Search by Specific Airline
If you know you have to use a specific airline based on transfer partners...
...select the partner name.
Update where you want to show flights to and from.
The search on the right side is nice since you can put airport code to help filter things down.
Example: San Francisco International = SFO
If you were to put "SFO MEX"
It'll show you all the flight between those two locations.
Need more filters but don't want to pay?
Scroll to the bottom of the table and you'll see more areas to type in filters.
But for specific columns.
It's a good workaround since everything else is locked on the free option.
2 // Search - Traditional City & Dates View
I use this one the most.
I'll type in my origin location.
And for destination I usually put the main one I want to fly in along with others that are close by.
I usually want to see as many options as possible.
For example: My upcoming Phillipines trip...
...I checked Manila and Cebu since they are like 1 hour away from one another.
This will search all the airlines that go to and from those locations.
I usually scroll around on different days that I don't want to travel as well.
This helps me see what is considered cheap or expensive for the flights.
3 // Routes - List Version of the Search Option
Honestly...
...I don't use this one. 🤷
Wrapping It Up
There you have it.
The how to the what when you're looking to book with credit card points.
Did I miss anything?
Using the travel portal is a good...
..but there is the convenience tax of not getting the most for your points.
Manually searching through each transfer partner takes a lot of time...
...just like long division math.
Using a tool like Seats.aero is like bringing a beta version of a calculator to the test...
...because it's not perfect, but it'll get you 80% of the way there quickly.
If you're using Bilt or AmEx points - there is another tool that I actually prefer to use.
But since this one is getting long...
...I'll save that one for later.
Happy Travels Point Hacking Trailblazers! ✈️
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📚 Other Notable Resources
- Last Week's Article: How to save $10,000+ flying business class around the world
- Watch the Video on YouTube: 3 Ways to Use Your Credit Card Points (+Seats.aero Walk-through)
Nicholas Ayala
or LinkedIn
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