You Have Points… Now What? How to Actually Start Using Your Points & Miles
We recently asked our Instagram community a simple question about where they are in their points-and-miles journey.
37% said: “I don’t know where to start.”
63% said: “I have points… now what?” 😂
And honestly, we get it.
When we first started learning about points and miles, we thought earning the points was the hard part. But then you finally have a nice little pile of points sitting in your account and realize…
Okay. What am I actually supposed to DO with these?
If that’s where you are right now, this is for you.
You do not need to memorize every airline program, understand every transfer partner or become an expert in award travel before you can use your points.
You just need to figure out your next step.
Step 1: Figure Out What You Actually Have
Before you start searching for flights or transferring anything, take inventory of your rewards.
You might have:
Chase Ultimate Rewards® points
American Express Membership Rewards® points
Capital One miles
Miles with a specific airline
Points with a specific hotel loyalty program
These rewards don't all work the same way, so knowing what type of rewards you have is just as important as knowing how many you have.
Pull up your accounts and write down your balances.
You don't need a fancy spreadsheet. Your Notes app works just fine.
The goal is simply to go from:
“I know I have some points somewhere…”
to:
“I have X amount of these rewards, X amount of these miles and X amount of these hotel points.”
Now we have something to work with.
Step 2: Decide Where You Want to Go
This might sound backwards.
Shouldn't you figure out what your points can get you first?
We actually find it much easier to start with a trip you WANT to take.
Instead of asking:
“What can I do with 100,000 points?”
Try asking:
“I want to take my family to Hawaii next summer. How can the points and miles I already have help us get there?”
That's a much easier problem to solve.
Now you know:
Where you want to go
Approximately when you want to travel
How many people are going
What rewards you have available
From there, you can start looking at your options.
And your goal doesn't have to be some huge international vacation.
Maybe you want to cover a few hotel nights for a weekend getaway. Maybe you're constantly traveling for your kids' sports and want to use hotel points instead of paying cash. Maybe you're saving for a bigger family vacation next year.
Start with YOUR trip.
Step 3: Learn What Your Rewards Can Do
This is usually where people start hearing terms like transfer partners and immediately think:
Never mind. This is too complicated. 😂
Stay with us.
Some rewards programs—including Chase Ultimate Rewards®, American Express Membership Rewards® and Capital One miles—allow eligible rewards to be transferred to participating airline or hotel loyalty programs.
Why does that matter?
Because depending on your trip and the rewards you have, transferring rewards may give you another way to book your travel.
But here's the part we really want you to remember:
You do NOT need to memorize every transfer partner.
We don't.
If you're planning a trip to Hawaii, learn about the options that could help with Hawaii.
If you're trying to book Europe, research the options that could help with Europe.
One trip at a time.
Want a little more help with all of this?
We created a FREE Beginner’s Guide to Points & Miles that breaks down the basics and gives you something you can refer back to as you learn.
Step 4: Don't Transfer Anything Yet
This deserves its own section because it's important.
Do not transfer your rewards just because you see that you can.
Transfers are typically final, so you want to know what you're planning to book before moving your rewards.
We like to think about it in this order:
Choose the trip → Research your options → Find availability → Confirm what you need → Transfer → Book
Not:
Transfer a bunch of rewards → Hope you can figure out how to use them later.
Keeping your transferable rewards where they are until you're ready to book generally gives you more flexibility.
Step 5: Find Something You Can Actually Book
Now we're getting to the fun part.
Once you have a destination in mind and understand which rewards you have, you can start looking for actual flight or hotel options.
If you're looking at flights, pay attention to things like:
Your travel dates
The number of travelers
How many points or miles are required
Taxes and fees
Whether enough seats are available for everyone traveling
That last one is especially important for families.
Finding one seat using miles is great…unless there are four of you traveling. 😂
Before moving any rewards, make sure the option you're looking at actually works for your trip.
Step 6: Compare Before You Book
Finding a flight or hotel that you CAN book with points doesn't automatically mean that's how you SHOULD book it.
Take a minute and compare.
How many points or miles will it cost?
What's the cash price?
Are there additional taxes or fees?
Do you have another way to book the same—or a similar—option?
Sometimes using points or miles can save you a significant amount of money.
Other times, you might look at the cash price and decide you'd rather pay for this trip and save your rewards for something more expensive later.
There's not one right answer every single time.
The important thing is that you're looking at your options before spending the rewards you've worked hard to earn.
Step 7: Transfer Only When You're Ready
You've picked your trip.
You've found availability.
You've checked how many points or miles you need.
You've compared your options.
NOW you can decide whether transferring rewards makes sense for your booking.
Before transferring, double-check everything:
Dates. Travelers. Availability. Number of miles needed. Taxes and fees. Transfer ratio. Loyalty account information.
Then follow the instructions from your rewards program to complete the transfer.
Remember: transferring rewards doesn't book the trip for you. Once the rewards arrive in the loyalty account, you'll still need to complete the actual booking.
You Don't Have to Learn Everything at Once
If there's one thing we want you to take away from this, it's this:
You don't have to understand all of points and miles to start using points and miles.
You don't need to memorize airline alliances.
You don't need to know every transfer partner.
You don't need to have five future trips mapped out.
Pick one trip.
Figure out what rewards you have.
Learn the options that apply to that particular trip.
And go from there.
That's how we learned, too.
Every time you research and book another trip, you understand a little more—and eventually the things that felt completely overwhelming in the beginning start making a whole lot more sense.
Still in the “I Don't Know Where to Start” Group?
Remember the other 37% of our poll?
If that's you and you're reading this thinking:
“Wait. I need to back up. I don't even understand how points and miles work yet.”
That's okay. We made something specifically for you.
Our FREE Beginner's Guide to Points & Miles walks you through the basics so you can start understanding how this all works before worrying about your first redemption.
And then, when you're sitting there with your own pile of points wondering now what?—come right back here.
We'll help you figure out the next step.
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.
