How to Earn 3X Points at Airline Booking Sites Like Travelocity

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Million Mile Secrets reader, best_daddy, commented:

The Citi ThankYou Premier card earns 3X Citi ThankYou points on travel.  Does anyone know if buying airline tickets at Travelocity is regarded as “travel”?

I’m being careful here because we get 3X Membership Rewards points on the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express if we pay “for flights booked directly with airlines.”   This probably does not include travel agents, right?

Yes, you’ll earn 3X Citi ThankYou points at Travelocity with your Citi ThankYou Premier card.  And a purchase with Travelocity may also earn 3X Membership Rewards points with the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express.

I’ll explain which types of spending count towards this bonus!

Will You Earn 3X Citi ThankYou Points at Travelocity?

Link:   Citi ThankYou Premier

Link:   My Full Review of the Citi ThankYou Premier Card

With the Citi ThankYou Premier card you’ll earn 50,000 Citi ThankYou points when you spend $3,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account. (EXPIRED.)

Plus, you get other benefits like:

• 3 Citi ThankYou points per $1 spent on travel
• 2 Citi ThankYou points per $1 spent on dining and entertainment (amusement parks, sporting events, movies)
• No foreign transaction fees

The $95 annual fee is waived for the 1st year.  

The 3X Citi ThankYou points on travel includes much more than just purchases directly through airlines.  So you’ll have the opportunity to earn more bonus points on:

• Airlines
• Boat Rentals
• Bus Lines
• Bridge & Road Tolls
• Campgrounds & Trailer Parks
• Car Rental Agencies
• Commuter Transportation
• Cruise Lines
• Gas Stations
• Hotels
• Motor Home & Recreational Vehicle Rentals
• Parking
• Passenger Railways
• Taxis & Limousines
• Time Shares
• Travel Agencies

Travel Agencies are defined by Citi as:

Merchants that provide travel information and booking services, and include travel aggregators and tour operators

Travelocity is a booking service.  So when you purchase your airline tickets through this site with the Citi ThankYou Premier card, you should also earn 3X Citi ThankYou points.

With the points you earn using the Citi Thank You Premier card, you can fly on nearly any airline no blackout dates, transfer points to Hilton, and more.  Here’s a post explaining how to get Big Travel with Citi ThankYou points!

You May Earn 3X AMEX Membership Rewards Points

Link:   Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express

Link:   My Full Review of the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express

You’ll earn 3X AMEX Membership Rewards points on flights booked directly through the airline with the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express.

But I’ve found ticket purchases from travel agencies like Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity are usually billed by the airline.  So you may earn the bonus points if you use the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express to make your purchase through online travel agencies as well!

This does NOT always work!  But if you’re saving up AMEX Membership Rewards points for your next getaway, it may be worth giving it a try.

You can redeem the AMEX Membership Rewards points you earn with the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express for flights booked using AMEX Pay with Points with no blackout dates or transfer them to airline and hotel partners for Big Travel!

Other Cards That Will Give You Bonus Points on Paid Flights

If you must pay for a flight, there are many cards that will give you bonus points.  Folks who have their business flights reimbursed by their company will find this especially useful!

Here’s a look at other options:

• The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN – 3 AMEX Membership Rewards points per $1 you spend directly with airlines (if you choose this category)

• Chase Sapphire Preferred – 2 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per $1 you spend on travel

• Citi Prestige – 3 Citi ThankYou points per $1 you spend directly with airlines and at travel agencies

Remember, not all points are worth the same amount!  My favorite points for beginners are Chase Ultimate Rewards points.  Because they’re relatively easy to use for Big Travel on United Airlines & Star Alliance partners like Lufthansa, at Hyatt, and on British Airways.

That said, think of your travel goals.   And then collect the points that make sense for your situation.

Bottom Line

If you’re planning on purchasing airline tickets through an online travel agency like Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia, you can earn 3X Citi ThankYou points with the Citi ThankYou Premier card.  That’s because this card earn bonus points on travel which includes a wide variety of travel purchases.

And while the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express only earns 3X AMEX Membership Rewards points on tickets purchased directly through the airlines, tickets bought through online travel agencies are usually billed by the airlines.  So you’ll still likely earn the bonus points!

Plus, there are lots of other cards that earn bonus points on airline tickets such as the Barclaycard Arrival Plus, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Citi Prestige.