Isn't That Rich Podcast

You’ve got the points—now what? In Part 3 of our Credit Card Rewards series, we’re finally answering the question everyone wants to know: how do I turn these points into actual travel?

If you’ve been following along, we’ve already covered what credit card points are and how to rack them up quickly. Now, we’re diving into how to redeem those points smartly—so you can stop hoarding and start booking that dream trip to Europe, a girls’ weekend, or even flights for your entire family.

Three Ways to Redeem Your Points for Travel

Let’s start with the big picture. There are three main ways you can redeem your credit card points for travel: by booking directly through your credit card’s travel portal, by using technology to find hidden award flight deals, or by transferring your points directly to travel partners. Each method has its own pros and sweet spots, and we’re walking you through all of them.

Booking Through Your Credit Card’s Travel Portal

1.If you’re ready to book travel through your credit card’s portal, here’s how to do it step-by-step:

1. Log in to your credit card's rewards site (like Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, or Capital One Travel).

2. Navigate to the travel section—look for words like “Travel,” “Rewards,” or “Book a Trip.”

3. Enter your travel details just like you would on Expedia or Google Flights. Include destination, dates, number of travelers, etc.

4. Browse your results—you’ll see options listed in either points, cash, or a combination.

5. Choose your preferred option and review the details.

6. Redeem your points at checkout. You may have the option to pay part of the balance with cash.

7. Confirm and book! Once it’s booked, you’ll get a confirmation just like you would from a regular travel site.

Easy, quick, and a great first step into the points game—especially for domestic flights, car rentals, or hotels when you want the simplest experience.

If you’re new to the world of points and miles, this is your easiest entry point. Most major credit card companies—like Chase, American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt—have their own travel portals. Think of them like Expedia, but with your rewards points as currency. You can search for flights, hotels, and rental cars and then pay with points, cash, or a combination of both.

We’ve had some personal wins here, like using American Express points to fly family members to a destination wedding in Seaside, Florida. With so many wedding costs already adding up, this was a huge budget-saver. We had family coming in from both Minnesota and Illinois, and flights to the small regional airports near Seaside—like Panama City or Destin—can get pricey, especially when you're booking for several people. Using the Amex portal, we were able to cover multiple roundtrip flights using points alone. It was quick, easy, and incredibly rewarding to know that the people we loved could be there without us or them having to stress about travel costs. For fixed-date travel with limited options, the portal made everything seamless and gave us peace of mind during a busy and emotional time.

Every card has its own redemption rate within the portal. For example, Amex Platinum gives you one cent per point—but if you use your Amex card to pay for part of the booking, you can get a 35% rebate, which bumps your value to about 1.54 cents per point. Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 1.5 cents per point, while the Chase Preferred card is slightly lower at 1.25. Capital One and Citi both offer a simple 1 cent per point value.

So yes—while booking through the portal might not get you the absolute highest value per point, it’s a really solid option, especially for domestic travel or when you just want to keep things simple. Points used are always better than points forgotten.

Use Tech Tools to Find Award Flight Deals

How to Use Point.Me Step-by-Step:

1. Subscribe to Point.Me – Sign up for their annual plan at point.me (about $129/year).

2. Enter your travel details – Choose your departure city, destination, travel dates, and preferred cabin (economy, business, or first).

3. Add your points programs – Let Point.Me know what credit cards or loyalty programs you have (like Amex, Chase, etc.).

4. Let the search run – Point.Me will scan dozens of frequent flyer programs and show you award flight options available to you.

5. Check for availability – Once you find a flight, Point.Me will tell you how many points it costs and with which program.

6. Follow the instructions – Point.Me gives step-by-step directions for transferring your points and completing your booking.

7. Book through the airline site – You’ll transfer points to the travel partner and then go to that airline’s website to book the flight directly.

This is hands-down one of the easiest ways to book high-value international flights. It does the heavy lifting so you don’t have to memorize transfer partners or bounce between a dozen websites.

Now, if you’re ready to level up your strategy and squeeze even more value out of your points, technology is your best friend. Searching for award flights can be overwhelming if you try to manually check every airline’s availability. That’s why we love these tools that take the guesswork out of it.

For a free and beginner-friendly option, the Points Path Chrome extension is a great place to start. It works in the background while you browse Google Flights or airline websites and tells you which credit card loyalty programs can be used to book the flights you're looking at—and how many points it might cost.

For something more advanced (but totally worth it), we’re obsessed with Point.Me. It’s a paid subscription tool—$129 a year—but it does the heavy lifting. You tell it how many points you have and from which credit cards, and it will search across dozens of airline partners to show you real-time options you can actually book. It even walks you through how to transfer the points and complete your booking.

There’s also AwardTool.com, which is another paid tool that helps you search award availability. It's a bit simpler and doesn’t have all the features of Point.Me, but it can still be helpful if you’re price shopping and want multiple data sources.

One of our favorite examples? A business-class, lie-flat seat from New York to London that would normally cost $9,000 was available for just 95,000 points and $500 in taxes and fees. That’s the power of using tech to get the most out of your rewards.

Transferring Points to Travel Partners

When you’re ready to go full pro mode, transferring your points directly to travel partners often gives you the highest redemption value. This is especially true if you’re booking international flights or luxury hotel stays.

But there’s a process to follow here—and timing is everything. Here’s a breakdown of exactly how to transfer your points smartly and safely:

Step 1: Set Up Loyalty Accounts in Advance

Sign up for loyalty programs with each of your credit card’s travel partners. Use your legal name exactly as it appears on your credit card account. If there’s a mismatch, your transfer could fail or get delayed.

Step 2: Link Loyalty Accounts to Your Credit Card Portal

Once your accounts are created, log into your credit card rewards portal (like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards) and link each loyalty number to the portal. Doing this ahead of time will save you precious minutes when a great redemption opportunity pops up.

Step 3: Search for Availability First

Never transfer points before checking availability. Go to the airline or hotel’s website and verify that the exact flight or room you want is available to book with points. If it’s not, transferring could leave you stuck with unusable points.

Step 4: Compare Your Options

Always compare the cost of booking through the credit card portal versus transferring to a partner. Just because transferring is more advanced doesn’t always mean it’s cheaper. For example, a flight may cost 45,000 points through a portal but 60,000 if booked via a partner program.

Step 5: Calculate Your Transfer and Watch for Bonuses

Figure out how many points you need to transfer and check if any transfer bonuses are running. Some partners offer 20%–30% bonus incentives during promotional periods. You might only need to send 32,000 points instead of 40,000 if there's a 25% bonus.

Also, note that many loyalty programs require transfers in 1,000-point increments. If you’re not careful, you could over-transfer and leave unused points stranded in a partner program.

Step 6: Transfer and Book Immediately

Transfers are typically final—you can’t reverse them. Make sure the seat or room is still available, and as soon as your points hit the partner account, book the trip right away. While many transfers are instant, some (like Singapore Airlines or ANA) can take up to 48 hours. You don’t want to miss your shot because of a delay.

Following these steps will help ensure a smooth transfer process and give you the best chance at landing a high-value redemption. Then, before transferring anything, search the airline or hotel’s website to make sure the flight or room is actually available. And don’t just assume transferring points will always be the better deal—sometimes booking directly in your card’s portal might cost fewer points.

When you do decide to transfer, calculate exactly how many points you need and watch for transfer bonuses. For example, if an airline is offering a 25% transfer bonus, you might only need to transfer 32,000 points instead of 40,000 to get the same value.

Just remember: once you transfer those points out of your credit card and into a partner program, there’s no going back. The points are locked in with that partner. So don’t transfer until you’re absolutely ready to book.

Know Your Partners

Each rewards program has its own set of airline transfer partners, and knowing who you can move your points to makes all the difference.

And here’s something important to remember: as U.S. citizens, many of us are only familiar with the five major domestic airlines—like United, American, Delta, Southwest, and JetBlue. But don’t let that limit your travel horizons. Many of the international airlines you’ll see listed in your transfer options (like Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, or Virgin Atlantic) are actually known for their incredible service, luxury seats, and world-class travel experiences. Don’t let an unfamiliar name scare you off—these are often better than the airlines we’re used to. Trust us! Here's a more complete list of the airline partners for each of the five major credit card rewards programs:

American Express Membership Rewards

• Aer Lingus AerClub

• AeroMexico Club Premier

• Air Canada Aeroplan

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue

• ANA Mileage Club

• Avianca LifeMiles

• British Airways Executive Club

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Delta SkyMiles

• Emirates Skywards

• Etihad Guest

• Hawaiian Airlines

• Iberia Plus

• JetBlue TrueBlue

• Qantas Frequent Flyer

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Capital One Miles

• AeroMexico Club Premier

• Air Canada Aeroplan

• Avianca LifeMiles

• British Airways Executive Club

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Emirates Skywards

• Etihad Guest

• Finnair Plus

• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

• JetBlue TrueBlue

• Qantas Frequent Flyer

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

• TAP Miles&Go

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

• Virgin Red

Chase Ultimate Rewards

• Aer Lingus AerClub

• Air Canada Aeroplan

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue

• British Airways Executive Club

• Emirates Skywards

• Iberia Plus

• JetBlue TrueBlue

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

• United MileagePlus

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Citi ThankYou Rewards

• Aeromexico Rewards

• Avianca LifeMiles

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Emirates Skywards

• Etihad Guest

• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands

• Flying Blue (Air France/KLM)

• JetBlue TrueBlue

• Qantas Frequent Flyer

• Qatar Airways Privilege Club

• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

• Thai Royal Orchid Plus

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

• Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Bilt Rewards

• Aer Lingus AerClub

• Air Canada Aeroplan

• Air France/KLM Flying Blue

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

• American Airlines AAdvantage

• Avianca LifeMiles

• British Airways Executive Club

• Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

• Emirates Skywards

• Iberia Plus

• Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

• TAP Miles&Go

• Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles

• United MileagePlus

• Virgin Red

Most of these programs support instant transfers, but some—like Singapore Airlines, ANA, or Turkish Airlines—can take 24–48 hours. If you're eyeing a hot deal, be ready to move quickly and have your loyalty accounts set up in advance!

Program Value Fluctuations and Tools to Stay Updated

Before we wrap, there’s one more thing every points and miles enthusiast should know: credit card issuers and their travel partners can devalue their rewards programs at any time. That means the value of your points today might not be the same next month. Airlines and hotels can increase the number of points required for redemptions, making your stash a little less powerful if you're not paying attention.

To keep up with these changes, we recommend checking out The Points Guy’s Monthly Valuations. They regularly update the estimated cash value of each major rewards currency based on the current redemption landscape. It’s a great tool to help you decide whether to spend or save.

Final Thoughts: Make Your Points Work for You

The best redemptions? Think international business class flights and luxury hotels. That’s where you’ll often get the most cents per point in value.

But the bottom line is this: there’s no one right way to use your points. Whether you book a simple domestic flight through your card’s portal or score a lie-flat seat on a $9,000 flight for under 100,000 points, what matters is that you use them.

Start simple, then get strategic. Let your first points-funded trip be the spark that leads you deeper into this world. And when you’re ready, tools like Point.Me, Points Path, and AwardTool will be there to help you level up.

So go on—book the trip. Spend the points. You earned them.