Since this thread has becoming super-active recently, I thought it would be a good time to add some fuel to the fire.
I have been talking about Credit Cards on a few Social Media Platforms with X (Formerly Twitter) being probably the maximum and some on Youtube (In collaboration with other Youtubers)
But today I am going to focus on a side of Credit Cards that many people often neglect - Frequent Flyer Program & Hotel Loyalty Program Partners. With the help of these, I have done 4 International Vacations in past 24 Months (Bali, Mauritius, Ho Chi Minh City + Singapore, Spain) where 27 Nights, One First Class, 14 Business Class & 6 Economy International Tickets were paid for by Points. I ended spending only for food, local travel & Sightseeing / Attractions tickets.
Many have heard about Frequent Flyer & Hotel Loyalty Programs; some would have even used them. But most people often ignore deep diving into it thinking that it only benefits the frequent Travelers. I am NOT a frequent Traveler. I only travel for vacations and my profession involves max. one International Trip for max couple of weeks and 2-3 Overnighter Domestic Trips through the year.
The main source of Frequent Flyer & Hotel Loyalty Points earning is thru Credit Card Reward Points earned on your regular spends (Essential & Discretionary Both). One of the biggest changes in Credit Card usage that people need to bring to achieve this is to avoid mixing Travel-Focused & Cashback cards in the regular usage. This reduces the points earning & accumulation opportunity.
Consider Cashbacks as Instant Gratification & Reward Points used for Travel as Delayed Gratification. The overall annual Reward Rates thru Cashback would generally remain in the 2-3% max. whereas that in Travel Redemptions would easily reach upwards of 7-8% even after considering 1-2 devaluations.
I look at these Credit Card Reward Points giving me experiential benefits like the latest one – Qatar Airways Business Class – Booked Barcelona to Mumbai Qatar Airways Business Class with 55,000 Miles + ₹18,xxx as Taxes. The ticket would generally cost upwards of ₹1.5 Lacs. Some Photos of the experience:
![The Credit Card Thread-20240529_124419.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/shifting-gears/2624129d1720156712t-credit-card-thread-20240529_124419.jpg)
While 9 out of 12 Nights in Spain were in Novotels (Mid-Range Hotel from EU Standards), these too were paid using Accor Points which were converted from Axis & HDFC Credit Cards. On average, the price per night was ₹24,000 with Barcelona being Pricier than other of course.
But I did end up with an Upscale Hotel booking too on the trip for the experience – 3 Nights at Westin Valencia. Even this was booked on Credit Card Points – Amex MR Points specifically. This is probably one of the most popular usage of Amex Points after Taj vouchers – Amex MR Points converted to Marriott Bonvoy Points. Standard Room Booking combined with an Elite Status in the Marriott Bonvoy Program held thru Amex Platinum Charge card, ended up getting me a room worth €740 (₹68,xxx) per Night for absolute zero money paid from my pocket. The hotel room came with a Private Terrace and a Jacuzzi in this Private Terrace. Here are some Photos of the Hotel Room
There are tons of more redemptions that have been done using Credit Card reward points. Apologies for not being able to post a lot of Redemption Content over here. It is extremely time-consuming to consistently post about these Redemptions & Experiences across different platforms as each Platform requires customization depending on the target audience.