The points and miles game is a fun way to explore the world. It’s also a great way to get the most out of your travel budget. In this beginner’s guide to hotel points and miles, we’ll discuss what hotel points and miles are and how they work.

The History

Points and miles are like a currency. When you stay at a hotel you earn points. when you fly, you earn miles. These miles can be exchanged for future flights or hotel stays. But this wasn’t always the case. Airline prices used to be controlled by the government. But in 1978, the US Government deregulates the airline industry allowing airlines to set their own fares. This leads to competition between the airlines. So in 1981, American Airlines creates the AAdvantage program to have a competitive edge. It becomes the first travel industry loyalty program. Holiday Inn and Marriott followed opening their loyalty program in 1983. These loyalty programs are a way of enticing customers to be repeating customers. Soon to have the same competitive edge, credit card companies partners with airlines and hotels.

How Miles and Hotel Points Work

Miles

Miles are the airlines reward currency. They can be used for free flights, club memberships and more. When you fly on an airline, you will earn miles. The value of the miles differ from airline to airline. Each has their own calculation on how many miles you can earn. The different class of flight can cause your miles to vary as well. You will earn more miles with a First Class or Business ticket than an Economy ticket. All you have to do is attach your loyalty number to your ticket.

Once you have accumulated miles, you can redeem them. Each airline will have a reward chart of how many miles you need to redeem for each item. For example, an American Airline flight can cost as low as 12,500 or as high as 50,000 for a First Class flight.

Below are some of the most popular airline loyalty programs:

Hotel Points

Points are similar to airline miles. Except, points are the reward currency for hotels. Pretty much all hotels have loyalty programs. When you book a hotel stay, the hotel will reward you with points. You’ll earn points for every dollar you spend including the cost of the room and incidentals like room service or spa treatment. As long as your loyalty number is attached to the reservation, you will earn points. These hotel points can be redeemed for future stays, shopping and more.

Below are some of the most popular hotel loyalty porgrams:

How to Earn Miles and Hotel Points Without Traveling

Credit Cards

The easiest way to earn hotel points and miles are through credit cards. Many credit card companies have partnered with airlines and hotels to be competitive. Let say you have a Delta SkyMiles American Express card. Each time you make a purchase, you earn Delta SkyMiles. These credit card companies also have lucrative sign up bonuses. Currently, the Hilton Honors American Express Card has introduction offer of 100,000 Hilton points.

To earn these introductory offers, you usually have to spend a certain amount to receive it. In addition, to be approved for these credit cards, you have to have good to excellent credit. But credit cards are key to racking up points fast.

Dining and Shopping Portals

Many loyalty programs have partnership with programs where you can earn hotel points and miles. For example, with SkyMiles Dining you can earn Delta Airlines miles dining at participating restaurants. With AAdvantage eShopping, you can earn American Airline miles when you shop using their portal.

Surverys

Although not very lucrative, you can earn hotel points and miles for completing surveys. The Miles for Opinions program allows you to earn American Airline miles for completing surveys. Up to 200 miles can be earned per survey so you’ll have to complete a lot of them.

This is just a brief breakdown of how miles and hotel points work. This article gives you the foundation. We will take a deep dive in another article.

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