Delta Airlines Rewards

Delta has some great sweet spots for traveling domestic. I love this tool to look for what has been reported by other users. 

Put in your city and see where miles can take you. Then go to Delta and see if you can find the same fare. I have found that Delta Economy tickets to anywhere in the US, except Hawaii are pretty sweet.

To make things even sweeter, if you have a Delta Amex card, you can get 15% off award booking as well. For those in a Delta Hub, this is awesome news. 

The example below is an award search from SLC to Houston. I can look at the calendar to find the best day to travel. I found that April 12, it will be 16,500 miles, but with my Gold Card discount, it is 14,000 one way. 

Look at this search from SLC to LAX on the same day! 3800 miles in Basic Economy. It is a short flight, so I will take it.

Delta Gold Business Card has no fee for the first year and a current sign up bonus of 50,000 points after $2000 spend. I picked one up because of these benefits:

Annual Fee Waived first year ($95 after that)

Sign up bonus!

One Free Checked bag!

15% off award bookings.

Can board with main cabin one, even when you buy the cheapest ticket. Makes you feel just a little bit important. 

This card will not be my go to for everyday spend but just paying off the card and putting it away will still give me the benefits listed above. A great card if you live in a Delta hub. 

**Note, AMEX gives generous sign up bonuses that you can only get once in a lifetime (or more like every 7-8 years) so grab them when they have an elevated bonus and never cancel before one year. They will likely take back your points and put you in AMEX prison. 

If this card makes sense to you, go ahead and apply. If you use my link, I would be especially grateful. 

Complete list of Transfer Partners for Chase

 The best use of Ultimate Rewards earned with Chase Sapphire, Chase Ink Cards and Chase Freedom cards is to transfer to travel partners. You must have a Chase Sapphire Reserve or Preferred in order to use this awesome benefit. The Ink and Freedom Cards will earn points, but must be transferred to a Sapphire product to max the value by transferring them out. Here is a list of partners that Sapphire transfers URs to. Most are instant, but some will take a few days to complete. 

To check for award space on these partners, you will need to create an account. It is free. 

Points Collector Tip: Make a spreadsheet of all your airline and hotel accounts and keep a record  of your log in and passwords as well as any points you have already in those accounts. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ultimate Rewards

 

If there was ever a travel card to begin your point collection with, it is the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP). This card has a $95 a year fee, a generous welcome offer, and some awesome travel perks. 

**If you would be willing to use my, link, I would appreciate it. Go here to get a great bonus. 

How to earn rewards with the CSP:

1. Only put spend on this card that you can pay off. Do not ever have a balance on your card. High interest rates will completely devalue your bonus points. We are in this for free travel!

2. Earn 5X points when you book car rentals, flights, hotels or even experiences through the Chase Travel Portal. 

3. Earn 2X points for every dollar spent on airfare and hotels. 

4. 3X points per dollar spent on dining and online groceries.  

5. 1X point on all other spend. 

Points Collector Tip: Go to dinner with a friend. You get the check which is $100. You earn 300 MRs and have your friend Venmo you their share. 

Maximize those rewards!

1. Use this card to rent your car. It will offer primary insurance coverage. 

2. $50 hotel credit each year. Book a hotel with the CSP in the travel portal and get a $50 statement credit. 

 ( The Chase travel portal is awesome. Check out my post about the deals to be had there)

3. Look out for offers like a $5 statement credit at restaurants. There are lots of offers each month. 

4. Free 6 month Insta Cart membership

5. Complimentary Dash Pass membership

6. Transfer to partners:

This card is the key to travel partner transfer. When you earn URs through the bonus and regular spend, you can really maximize your points by transferring to a partner. Reward transfer partners include United, Southwest, Flying Blue, Jet Blue, as well as Hotel brands like Hyatt. 

Let's say you earned your 60.000 point bonus, plus another 6,000 through spend on your card. You now have 66,000 points. You have a few choices. You can use $660 as cash back on you statement. But then your points are gone, and you have none left for free travel. Resist the urge to do this. You were going to use cash for all that spend anyhow, remember. 

66,000 points is worth much more than $660 if you utilize transfer partners. 

Lets say for fun that you have earned 80,000 Ultimate Rewards.

Example1: 

Park Hyatt NYC in April is $1000 a night. 

Park Hyatt NYC is 40,000 points per night. 

I have 80,000 UR points. If I transfer 80,00 points to Hyatt and book this room for 2 nights, my points are now worth $2000. 

Example 2: First Class ticket on Iberia Air from LAX to Lisbon is 5,000. 

I transferred 50,000 URs to Iberia Air and purchased the same ticket. So, $500 is worth $5,000. I will get a lay down seat, access to 2 airport lounges and free checked bags. 

If you are like me, you would never, ever pay $1000 a night for a hotel or $5000 for a flight. Collecting and redeeming points is the key to adventure you would never have otherwise. Head to the bank and get yourself a Chase Sapphire! 

I have transferred to Hyatt, Iberia and KLM. All transfers were instant. Go here for a complete list of transfer partners. 

So

Avoid the 20% Off Trap

I went into Scheels the other day to buy my son roller blades and they offered me $30 off my $129 purchase if I would get a credit card. I giggled to myself, knowing that would be a major waste of time and an even bigger waste of 5/24 space. Let me explain. 

Do you have any idea how many credit cards there are?  I tried to do a google search and failed to find the number. Probably because it is ever changing. In the points and miles game, only 3 types really matter. Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Discover Card is a great starter card if you have poor/ no credit and gives you a few bucks back each year,  but it will never  get you a free vacation! 

There are several banks that offer credit cards:

Chase, Bank of America, Capital One, Citi, and Amex to name a few. 

Then there are grocery stores, department stores, online outlets, and your local bank. 

Friends! Resist the urge to ever open a card just for 20 percent off your purchase. Resist! It is a trap.

What is the benefit of a Scheels Card? For me $30 off. Do you get points you can use to erase your travel when you buy groceries? Nope.

Old Navy Card?  20% ONE TIME! Do you get airline miles when you buy gas with an old Navy Credit card? Nada.  

Kohls Card? 30% off once in a while. Do you get points you can transfer to hotels when you pay for your meal with a Kohls Card? Still no!

Stick with me here to learn which cards will bless you with points for travel. These points are a gift that keeps on giving and worth so much more than that discounted tiara. 

Best Hotels to Book With Points

 

What was your worst hotel stay? Mine was some independent hotel in middle of nowhere Arkansas where we found carpet that had not been vacuumed in a year, boogers on the wall and a trickle out the faucet. It probably cost us 39.99 which was 39.99 too much. I complained big time and we got all of it refunded. So we stayed in filth for $0.

Today I also like to stay at hotels for $0. But I don't get them because I complain, I get them free with points. I have stayed in some beautiful Hilton properties, ones I would never have been able to afford on my own. One with a bathroom as big as my current bedroom with heated toilet seats. It was pure luxury. 

When comparing Hotels to book with points, it is often comparing oranges to apples. I hope this post helps you to decide which places to look for on your next trip. 

Hilton cards often have a sign up bonus between 100,000 and 160,000 points once you spend 2000-3000 in 90 days. This sounds like a whole lot. But keep in mind, that Hilton award stays cost anywhere from 20,000 (rare)- to 1,000,000 (yes, that is 6 zeros) points a night. So, your 160,000 points may not get you too far, depending on your location. I love Hilton, however, so I collect those points even though rooms are so expensive.  If you are interested in a great Hilton card check out the Aspire. This is my referral link and I would appreciate the love. It has a great sign up offer. Hilton Aspire Link

There are many Marriott Cards to sign up for. I signed up for one last year that gave me 5 free nights after I spent $2000. This sounds great, but the rewards expire after one year and are only good on a room up to 50,000 points a night. We used them for a stay in Hawaii and I had to use extra points on top to cover for a basic, no frills Residence Inn. Was it worth it...Heck yeah. But still, Marriott properties, like Hilton are pricey. They also run from 35,000 a night to numbers that make your head spin, depending on Location and the type of hotel.  If you love Marriott and would like some free nights, please consider using my link for a sign up offer. Chase Marriott Bonvoy

IHG has a great sign up bonus right now. The IHG premier card has a 175,000 point bonus when you spend $3,000 in 3 months. That also sounds like a ton of points. IHG, however charges a lot of points for a room per night. 25,000 for Holiday Inn, depending on location. So once again, it sounds like you are getting a ton of points...which you are. But depending on where you are going, not too many nights. But probably enough for a week in Europe in a basic hotel. 

Wyndham is another option. The points offered when you sign up for a credit card are nothing exciting, however, Wyndham has more properties than any Hotel Chain and point can be used on their Time Share properties if they are available. Rooms at Wyndham are only 7500 to 30,000. (Even in Hawaii) So you can get a lot of value. I will do a whole post on the value of Wyndham rewards. It is an undervalued currency that I plan to get plenty of. 

I have saved the best for last! Hyatt! I will also have a post in the future on the value of this hotel. The points are easy to earn. And rooms go from 7500 a night to 40,000 a night. You can get a Hyatt credit card which has a sign up bonus of around 60,000. This is one way to earn points. Having the card will also give you some perks at the hotel. But! I if you get a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you can transfer points to Hyatt as well. I just transferred 75,000 points from my Chase account instantly to my Hyatt account and booked 3 nights in Cancun at an all inclusive hotel for 2. That same amount might get me a night at a Marriott or Hilton in Cancun. I find it to be the best value for the really nice high end places. 

Wanna Travel for Free?

 Marry an airline employee, or.....

Open a credit card! 

The greatest travel hack I have ever found is to use credit card sign up bonuses for travel. We have done this for years with a Hilton credit card. We put all of our spend on the card and have stayed some lovely places as a result. We don't buy anything extra, we simply use our card instead of cash. 

There is an item of note here. You have to have a credit score in the high 700s to get cards that have good bonuses. My sons are already sold on this idea and at 23, and 21 are working on building credit. Most anyone can start with a Discover card. The big key here is NEVER, EVER carry a balance. Pay it off completely every month to build credit. Just as important, to never pay interest to a bank. That totally defeats the value of the points you earn. If you can not pay cards, this is not the game for you. 

There are some very strategic times to open a new card. 

Need to pay taxes? Open a new card. 

Need to make home repairs? Open a new card.

Need to pay for a wedding? Open a card!!

Most cards offer a sign up bonus after you spend a certain amount of money. Typically $3000 in three months. 

The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the most flexible travel card. It has a sign up bonus between 60,000-100,000 points depending on when you get it. If you know you have a big expense coming up, apply for the card and make the spend on the card. You will be spending money you budgeted for anyhow but end up with tons of points that can transfer to Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, KLM/Air France  or Hyatt Hotels. 

Pay with cash= you get nothing.

Pay with new credit card= you get a free flight or 3-4 nights in a really nice hotel. 

Which will you choose?

Pilot Wife Life

Travel and exploring...it's my favorite. 

I am blessed to be married to a pilot. It is the best! And the worst. 

Standby travel is not for the faint of heart, but for free.. I have been to London, Amsterdam, and Rome, and Paris.  All in first class, lay down seats. Brilliant! I have been to Hawaii twice, not as great of seats, but a free seat nonetheless.

But also.. I have watched more than one airplane take off without me and my kids. I have also sat in airport for hours and stressed for days before a big trip watching loads and praying for miracles. I have gotten the last seat, in the middle, forced to cuddle with a very large man who took up all his seat and half of mine. Ah.. the unsexy part of non-rev life. 

A bit sexier! 

My very best experience was in American Airlines Flagship first class from Dallas to London. Those seats straight up massage you. My daughter and I were so excited about the seats, the bedding, the food...that we didn't sleep. We just enjoyed every minute of this luxury in the sky. 

We got to experience this luxury there and back! And when we landed, I determined that it is the only way I wish to travel in the future. The same time I decided this, I came across a post about a man who hasn't paid for a flight or a hotel in 30 years. It intrigued me and the rabbit hole I went down that day led me on a fun adventure that I am happy to share with others. 

I would love to take you along on the adventure. Poke around the blog to learn more. 

Co-Branded vs. Transferrable Credit Cards

 

My first ever use of credit card points was for Hilton Hotels. My husband got a credit card with a great sign up bonus and some free reward nights which allowed us to stay in some swanky Hilton properties for free. There are benefits for sure to having a co-branded credit card. Status with Hotels and airlines give you extra perks. But a Hilton point is only good at the Hilton. A Delta Mile is only good at Delta. Credit cards points that are part of a bank, like Chase, American Express, Citi, or Capital One belong to the bank, not to a brand, and have many travel transfer partners. For example, a Chase Ultimate Reward point is tied to your credit card account at Chase. It can be redeemed in the travel portal, for gift cards, or as cash back. But where it really shines is transferring to partners. All four of these bank cards have travel partners where the points are worth exponentially more than the 1 cent per point you would get as cash back. I transferred 75,000 Chase UR points to Hyatt and was able to use those points to book they Hyatt Ziva in Cancun for 3 nights. The room is over 500 per night. So I got a $1500 value from those points that are worth $750 cash back. Transferable currency for the win! If you are just starting out as a points collector, Chase is a great place to start.