How to: Maximize Spend for More Points + Miles (Promos + Dining Programs)
By now, you may notice that one thing that I am constantly stressing is ‘make your money work for you’. It’s one of the reasons why I am a huge proponent of responsible credit card use in that you are being rewarded (and in the US, handsomely) for things that you were spending money on anyways. I want to show you how to look for and capitalize on other opportunities to get rewarded for that same spending! There’s a chance to not only earn more points but also ways to save you money.
Reminder: credit cards are ONLY worth it if you can pay off the balance each month! Need to brush up on credit including basics, cards and myths?
Leverage Special Promos (CURRENTLY LIVE: enroll by 9/12/23!
Want to learn the basics of travel hacking: primer on travel hacking
(Top Left): Did you know that you can earn Delta miles at Starbucks in addition to your ⭐️? You just need to have your two accounts linked: which you can do thru your Delta app or here. (Additional Delta Partners : Instacart and AirBnB!)
(Top Right): Then sign up for this current promo here: Within a week from enrolling, you need to make two Starbucks visits and you’ll earn 1,000 Delta Skymiles.
(Bottom Left): But wait there’s more, after completing this you will get a SECOND email for an additional 1,000 Skymiles but note that this requires THREE visits within the next week. This is when I should note that I am not spending $1K at Starbucks on some gold leaf, diamond encrusted latte but the 1,004 miles is from my muffin and completing the promo (once on 8/24/23 and again on 8/26/23). Also shoutout to everyone that keeps giving me sbux gift cards
Beautiful Tips: Purchases only have to be over $2 to qualify / If you’re getting multiple items ~ pay for each individually and they’ll count as separate trips / Pumpkin cream cheese muffins are back.
Earn Rewards on Dining
(Bottom Right): Recent Delta miles activity, notice the Delta dining at the bottom? I got 3x for a dinner out (taxes and tips were included!) and then a 500 mile bonus for signing up (and doing a review).
So for $65 that was going to be spent anyways (~$22 at Sbux: don’t judge, I love those muffins 🤣 + $43 eating out), I earned 2,651 Skymiles. This shows how a couple little actions allows you to quickly rack up points and in turn, allows you to travel for less money. And before I get the inevitable comments about Skypesos, I’m posting this because Delta has offered some killer redemptions the past few months. 40K round trip to New Zealand and also had a flash sale at the end of July with 11K R/t flights to Mexico or 13k R/T to Hawai’i!
There are multiple dining programs for a few different airline/hotel loyalty programs and they are all part of the same network (operated by Rewards network). They are free to join and are an easy way to earn extra points when you eat out (and in some cases, when you order takeout directly from a restaurant). So you set it (sign up and attach your card(s) and forget it (once you go to a participating restaurant, you’ll earn points on your meal including taxes and tips!).
There are two ways to approach this would be to:
- Concentrate on one program to maximize points. This would be best for those that eat out often at participating restaurants because you will start to earn 5x on your 12th visit (if you are opted in for emails) vs 3x (opted in for emails) or 1x (not opted in for emails).
- Sign up from each individual loyalty program that is offering a bonus
Beautiful Tips:
- Some miles programs are limited with/do not have transfer partners, so this can be a great way to earn miles with American and/or Alaska.
- Since all programs are part of the Rewards network, you will only have the ability to connect one card to one program at a time.
If you’re already going to spend the money, there’s often times ways that you can be rewarded for it! Both of these could be used with either a credit or debit card. But remember that these miles are in addition to the miles/points you are getting by using a rewards credit card – it’s a double dip!
Did you take advantage of the Starbucks Promotion? Which dining rewards program do you use and why!