Many points and miles guides usually offer several pointers for singles and couples. However, what about the families that want to use rewards to use towards their traveling expenses? In this guide, we will go over how families are able to go on vacation with points and miles.
Find our list of the best credit card bonuses here.
If you’re interested on finding which place to visit, you can see the best travel destinations to use the points and miles you earned with your credit card rewards and loyalty program.
Points & Miles Strategy
You need to start collecting points and miles ahead of time, so depending on your monthly spend and where you want to go, it might take a year to earn enough rewards.
Determine where and when
We recommend traveling during the off-peak season for cheaper award rates.
Figure out your trip length
When you find out how many free hotel nights to use, you can easily figure out how much points you can use. So the longer you stay, the more points you’ll need.
Some hotel chain gives you the fourth (IHG) or fifth (Hilton, Marriott) award night free, so make sure to take that into consideration when booking.
Choose your hotel chain
Start planning your hotel credit card strategy once you choose a hotel chain you like. Keep in mind which hotel chains are available at your destination. You can use AwardMapper to checkout hotels in the area plus the number of points required each night.
Find flights
You use Skyscanner or another similar engine to see which airlines fly to your destination. Once you have a carrier chosen, you can plan an airline credit card strategy.
Sign up for your chosen hotel and airline loyalty programs
You’ll need to sign up for an account. If you have a partner, you both will need separate accounts, however, some programs lets you pool points with other members.
Apply for credit cards
When you apply for credit cards, you can earn the sign-up bonus that comes with it. If both you and your partner open the same credit card, you can double up on the bonuses earned. Make sure that you can meet the minimum spend for the welcome offer.
Manage your points and miles
Once you have your desired credit card, you can them make or update your credit card spreadsheet tracking the name of the card, when it was opened and the rewards (points, miles or cash) received.
Points & Miles In Action
Book your flights
If you have flexible dates, you won’t have issues booking economy award tickets when the schedule opens. Make sure to check with your carrier, but it’s usually twelve months in advance.
Book your hotel stay
Most hotels will let you book a year in advance, but make sure to know the cancellation policy in case your plans change.
Best Credit Card for Points & Miles Strategy
![]() The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • 5x on travel purchased through Chase TravelSM • 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries • 2x on all other travel purchases • 1x on all other purchases • $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit • Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2027. Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase TravelSM This card carries a $95 annual fee. |
![]() The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase TravelSM. You'll earn • 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. • 3x points on other travel and dining • 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel. This card does carry a $550 annual fee and there are no foreign transaction fees. However, you're able to earn a $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year & up to $120 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®. Member FDIC |
![]() The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card offers a Companion Pass good through 2/28/26 plus 30,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll also earn 3,000 bonus points after your Cardmember anniversary each year. You'll earn: • Earn 2X points on Southwest® purchases. • Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. • Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming. You're able to redeem your your points for flights, hotel stays, gift cards, access to events & more! This card does carry a $69 annual fee. |
![]() The American Express® Gold Card offers 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. You'll earn: • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. • 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. • 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. • 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Other benefits: • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit. • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required. • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express(R) Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required. • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property. This card has an annual fee of $325 with no foreign transaction fees (See Rates & Fees). Terms Apply. |
![]() |
![]() |
Conclusion
You can go on a vacation with your family without having to pay for much out-of-pocket when you plan properly and with flexibility.