Looking for Fun Ways to Use Your Miles & Points? Let Fellow Readers Help!
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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.I enjoy hearing from y’all about how you like to use miles & points. So I loved reading your comments from a recent giveaway!
I asked you to tell us a fun thing you’ve done with miles & points, and which credit card helped you achieve it. And we received a lot of interesting and touching comments!
The giveaway is now closed. But if you’re looking for ideas for how to use your miles & points, here are some suggestions from Million Mile Secrets readers!
1. American Airlines Credit Cards
Round-trip award flights from the US to Europe cost 60,000 American Airlines miles, and just 45,000 miles round-trip between January 10 and March 14, and November 1 and December 14.
Reader Han used the sign-up bonus from the Barclaycard American Airlines Aviator Red card to visit London!
2. AMEX Hilton
And reader Maggie used the the Hilton Honors Card from American Express to stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora!
3. AMEX Platinum
Reader ckm got a lot of use from The Platinum Card® from American Express. He transferred his AMEX Membership Rewards points to Delta for a flight from the US to Japan. He experienced a few great cities, 3 amazing lounges, and even proposed during the trip! Congrats!
4. AMEX Starwood
Million Mile Secrets readers love transferring Starwood points to airlines. That’s because you can transfer to most popular airlines at a ratio of 1:1. And you’ll get a 5,000 mile bonus when you transfer in increments of 20,000 points!
Reader Dori transferred the points she earned from the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express to American Airlines for a flight to Europe.
And Tiffany sent the Starwood points she earned from the AMEX Starwood card to Alaska Airlines for one of the fanciest First Class experiences in the world!
5. Chase Hyatt
Lots of folks have made special memories with the Chase Hyatt card! The sign-up bonus used to be 2 free nights at any Hyatt hotel after meeting minimum spending requirements. And now the bonus is 40,000 Hyatt points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months of account opening.
Readers Mike, Emanuel, and GREGZ used their free nights to stay at fun and expensive Hyatt hotels, like the Park Hyatt Milan. Emily and I visited that hotel years ago and loved it!
And reader Cabetca used points from the Chase Hyatt sign-up bonus to stay at the Park Hyatt Sydney, one of the most expensive Hyatt hotels in the world!
6. Chase Ultimate Rewards Earning Cards
My favorite points are Chase Ultimate Rewards points. They’re flexible and have great transfer partners, like Hyatt and United Airlines.
Reader Kristin used Chase Ultimate Rewards points for her husband to take a last-minute flight on United Airlines for a family emergency. She also booked a rental car through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal, and transferred points to Hyatt for a free night at a hotel near the hospital.
Points can be of great value when there’s an emergency!
And reader Kristen took full advantage of the handy travel insurance benefits of the Chase Sapphire Reserve for a fun night at Marriott!
7. Chase IHG
The Chase IHG card is also a popular card in the miles & points community! A big reason is its annual free night at ANY IHG hotel after paying the $49 annual fee.
Reader David used his free night to stay at a Holiday Inn during a trip to downtown London!
And reader Broc used his free night for a free stay in New York City during one of the busiest times of year. He saved over $500 in 1 night!
8. Chase United Explorer
A fast and easy way to rack up United Airlines miles is by signing-up for the Chase United Explorer card. And United Airlines is a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. So if you don’t have enough United Airlines miles, you can transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United Airlines at a 1:1 ratio!
Reader Eric used a combination of Chase Ultimate Rewards points and United Airlines miles he earned from the Chase United Explorer to visit multiple destinations while flying in Business and First Class the entire trip!
And Peggi used the miles she earned with the Chase United Explorer card for a visit to Estonia!
Once you have a bunch of cards, you can use the different kinds of miles & points you’ve earned from all of them to create a whole itinerary for practically free, like Laurie!
Bottom Line
Thanks everyone for all your fun stories and tips, and showing other readers how easy it can be to accomplish your travel goals with miles & points!Whether you’re planning a dream proposal vacation, want to visit long-distance friends, or need to take an emergency trip, everyone can find a use for miles & points.
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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