I Want to Learn Points and Miles… But I Have No Idea Where to Start
If you’ve ever watched someone take a trip using points and miles and thought, “Okay, cool…but how in the world do I actually start doing this?” — you’re not alone.
We recently asked our community what was stopping them from learning points and miles, and one answer kept coming up:
“I don’t know where to start.”
We get it. When we first started, there were credit cards, airline miles, hotel points, transfer partners, welcome offers…approximately 847 things we apparently needed to understand. 😂
Except—you really don’t.
You just need to know your next step.
1. Start With Where You Want to Go
Before you worry about which points to earn, start with the fun part:
Where do you actually want to go?
Maybe you’re dreaming about Costa Rica or the Bahamas. Maybe you want to take your kids to London, Rome or Venice. Or maybe you’re like us and just need a hotel because your kid’s soccer team decided you needed another out-of-town tournament. 😂
Honestly, travel soccer is one of the reasons I started learning about points and miles in the first place. Those hotel weekends add up FAST.
Your goal doesn't have to be some huge luxury vacation. Figure out whether you want help covering flights, hotels or both, and start there.
2. Figure Out What You Already Have
Before applying for anything new, take inventory.
Look at the cards and rewards accounts you already have.
Do they earn cash back, points or miles? What rewards program are they connected to? Do you already have rewards sitting there that you haven't figured out how to use?
You might be surprised by what you already have.
And if you're staring at your account thinking, “Great. I have points. Now what?” — don't worry. We're going to talk about that too.
And if you haven’t even started earning points yet, that’s okay too. Everyone starts somewhere.
We put together a list of our favorite beginner travel cards to give you a simple place to start looking at your options and figuring out which type of points might make sense for your travel goals.
👉 [See Our Favorite Beginner Cards]
3. Understand That Not All Points Are the Same
This is one of the biggest things to understand in the beginning.
There are airline miles, hotel points and bank rewards. Some bank rewards can also be transferred to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs.
So 50,000 points in one program aren't necessarily the same as 50,000 somewhere else.
Do you need to memorize every transfer partner right now?
Absolutely not. Please don't do that to yourself. 😂
For now, just understand that what kind of rewards you have matters.
4. Don't Transfer Anything Until You Know What You're Booking
Eventually, you may find that transferring rewards to an airline or hotel loyalty program makes sense for a particular trip.
But don't start moving points around just because someone on Instagram told you transfers are amazing.
Find the flight or hotel first. Check availability. Compare your options.
Transfers are generally final and usually can't be reversed.
So we don't transfer rewards until we have a plan for using them.
5. Learn One Trip at a Time
This is where people make points and miles WAY harder than they need to be.
You start looking for a flight to London and three hours later you have 42 tabs open, you're researching airline alliances, and you've somehow ended up looking at business-class flights to Singapore. 😂
Close the tabs.
Start with your trip.
Want to book a hotel? Learn about the hotel programs that could help with that trip.
Need flights? Research the options for getting to that destination.
You don't have to learn the entire points-and-miles world before you take your first trip.
6. Then Learn How to Earn More
Once you understand what you're working toward, then you can start learning about ways to earn more rewards.
Credit cards can be one tool for earning points and miles, but rewards aren't worth going into debt over.
We don't recommend buying things you wouldn't normally buy just to earn rewards or meet a welcome offer, and we pay our credit card balances in full each month and on time.
If you're carrying a balance and paying interest, earning travel rewards shouldn't be the priority.
Curious what we use? You can see the cards currently in our wallets below.
7. Your First Redemption Doesn't Have to Be Fancy
Our first redemption was actually a trip to Lake Tahoe for just my husband and I, and since then we’ve used points for some pretty amazing family trips.
But honestly? Some of my favorite redemptions are much less exciting. 😂
We started learning points and miles because of travel soccer.
Anyone with a kid in travel sports knows how quickly a weekend away adds up. Two nights in a hotel can easily cost us $500—and that’s before we’ve paid for gas to get there, food all weekend and everything else that somehow comes along with a soccer tournament.
So, if I can use points to cover that hotel and save our family $500?
That alone makes learning all of this worth it to me.
Points and miles don’t always have to mean flying business class or staying at a luxury resort. Sometimes they simply mean not having to pay $500 for another soccer hotel weekend. 😂
And honestly, that’s why we started doing this in the first place.
Still Thinking, “Okay…But Where Do I Actually Start?”
That's exactly why we created our free beginner guide.
We break down the basics without assuming you already speak fluent points-and-miles. Because nobody needs another article that requires Googling six other things just to understand the first paragraph. 😂
[GET OUR FREE BEGINNER GUIDE →]
And if you’re ready to start looking at cards but have no idea which ones are beginner-friendly, we made that easier too.
👉 [See Our Favorite Beginner Cards]
You don't have to know everything before you start.
Pick a travel goal. Figure out what you already have. Learn your next step.
Then go from there.
Editorial Disclosure
Opinions expressed here are the authors' alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within this post.
