Best 2025 Credit Card Strategies to Get Travel Points Without Using a New card

Two of the most often used methods to get travel rewards are undoubtedly flying to collect miles or opening a credit card—ideally one with a high welcome bonus—that earns points for purchases. If you aren’t a regular traveler, don’t want to establish a lot of travel card accounts (or cannot, thanks either for your own credit or policies aimed at preventing churning), or aren’t able to spend a ton of additional cash, there are other ways to build up points and miles for your next holiday.

Get Travel Points Without Using a New Credit Card

Maximize the perks on your current card.

If you currently have a card that accumulates points and miles, you can use many techniques obtain rewards more rapidly than you would just by swiping your card for daily purchases. Spending smarter by purchasing specific things at stores eligible for category bonuses—like cleaning supplies at the grocery store—is one clear way.

Get referral bonuses.
If someone registered for a new card using your unique link, several issuers provide referral bonuses—usually 5,000 to 15,000 points. Maximizing the points you could redeem together, if you have a spouse or partner to recommend they could win a sign-up bonus while you obtain the referral incentive. Additionally adding an authorized user will enable a family member to establish credit as you travel additional miles.

Link to other allegiance schemes
To get extra airline miles on unrelated expenditure—such as dining or other travel—you can also link your credit cards to other reward programs. Connecting your Lyft account, for instance, will get you extra Delta SkyMiles, Alaska Mileage Plan, Hilton Honors points, or Bilt Rewards points.

Shop using web portals.
To earn even more—anywhere from 2X to 5X points—on top of your usual credit card rewards accrual, try using a shopping portal to make transactions with participating retailers you would shop directly with otherwise. Certain airlines also have shopping sites that integrate with your membership number to accumulate miles into your loyalty account.

If you have a few loyalty programs you could accumulate points with, think about comparing where you get the most value by adding the Chrome extensions for many purchasing sites or Cashback Monitor. Remember that around major shopping holidays the bonuses could be considerably more valuable.

Register for dining bonuses.
Dining rewards programs run by most major airlines and several hotel chains include Delta SkyMiles Dining, American Airlines AAdvantage Dining, Southwest Rapid Rewards Dining, and United MileagePlus Dining. All you have to do is link your credit card and utilize it when you eat at or pick-up takeout from cooperating eateries. In fact, you might be qualified to get extra miles in the first month following registration. You can register many cards even if they are not travel rewards cards expressly; it doesn’t hurt to register and merely earn bonuses in the background.

Comprehensive opinion polls
Although it’s another opportunity to increase your mileage account without spending any money, completing surveys has the lowest return on investment in terms of time against points received. Completing opinion polls will earn you little incentives from the following airlines:

US Airlines

United Airways

jet blu

Northwest Airlines

Spirit Airways

Alaska Airlines:

Look out for focused deals.
Don’t blindly toss mailed offers or delete emails without reading them; both banks and airlines have been known to provide points and miles bonuses as incentives to sign up or keep consumers.

American Express and Chase, for instance, have given points to everyone who enrolls in (free) services including mobile wallets and pay over time. Opening a new checking or savings account can also pay you travel bonuses. For every dollar saved, Bask Bank grants 2.5 AAdvantage miles instead of interest, with points earned monthly. Also periodically running specials with AAdvantage miles and ThankYou points is Citibank. (Before opting to open new accounts, be sure you investigate interest rates and costs.)

Rent a car with an airline coupon code.
If you book using a promo code, major rental car companies including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Hertz, and National will give airline miles (and/or hotel points). Usually, you must provide your frequent flying details while making a reservation and be a member of the reward program of the renting company. Note, though, that depending on how many points you are accumulating, you might pay a premium to get flight or hotel credits, therefore it might not be profitable.