Missing the Point?!
You may have more points-earning power than you realize. Here are six ways to rack up the miles
Are you leaving miles and points on the table that you could earn through opportunities you might not be aware of? There are lots of great ways to pick up loyalty points, including some rather creative options!
Sightseeing
Marriott Bonvoy Tours and Activities (activities.marriott.com) provides loyalty points for sightseeing, event tickets, activities and even airport transportation. These are things that you would probably purchase anyway in your travels, but booking them through this unique portal delivers points on top of what you would normally earn through a credit card. For example, a sightseeing cruise around New York City or even the shuttle bus transfer from the airport to a Manhattan hotel qualifies to earn 10 points per dollar spent.
Ridesharing
Lyft riders can pick up Delta SkyMiles and Hilton Honors points when they summon a ride linking the appropriate apps. You earn one mile per dollar spent with Lyft or two miles per dollar spent on rides to or from the airport once you link your accounts at DeltaLyft.com. Lyft riders can double dip with Hilton Honors points, too, by linking accounts via HiltonHonorsLyft.com. Earn three points per dollar on rides and two points per dollar spent on shared rides.
Airbnb
It’s not just hotels that dole out loyalty points for a stay – Airbnb will reward you, too. By booking a stay through the Delta partnership site DeltaAirbnb.com, travelers earn one SkyMile per dollar spent. Both All Nippon Airways and Qantas offer similar point earning when booking a stay through the airlines’ co-branded sites.
Health & Wellness
World of Hyatt’s FIND platform (experiences.worldofhyatt.com) offers a variety of health and wellbeing experiences from yoga classes and spa packages to private lessons teaching the art of manicuring bonsai trees and practicing meditation. Any of the US and Mexican-based options come with 10 World of Hyatt points per eligible dollar spent for reserving one (guests can also redeem points for any FIND experiences around the globe).
Cruising
Reserving your next cruise through an airline-affiliated travel agency can deliver a boatload (pardon the pun) of frequent flier miles. United Cruises (cruises.united.com) and American Airlines Cruises (bookaacruises.com) are two of the online agencies that provide bonus miles based upon how much you spend as well as common promotions for cabin upgrades and onboard credits. World of Hyatt also has a new relationship with Lindblad Expeditions providing five points per eligible dollar spent on adventure cruises when booked at hyatt.expeditions.com.
Double Dipping
Travelers can double dip on earning airline miles and hotel points if they hold elite status in both World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage (there are several status matches and challenges available if you’re not). Earn one World of Hyatt point per eligible dollar spent on American and one American mile for every eligible dollar spent on a World of Hyatt-participating hotel stay. To take advantage, travelers must link their accounts first.
