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5 Costly Mistakes Travelers Make By Ignoring Points and Miles

ByMichelle Sandmann

If you’re ignoring points and miles and still paying full price for flights and hotels, you’re missing out – big time. There are a plethora of reasons why you should use points and miles to save money on travel, but we’ll focus on five key areas here.

Points and miles aren’t just for frequent flyers or travel hackers with spreadsheets. They’re for everyday travelers – people who want to take more trips, upgrade their experience, or simply save money.

Yet most people are leaving hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars in travel savings on the table by not using rewards programs. If you’re brand new here, start with this Beginner’s Guide to Points and Miles for a quick breakdown of how the system works.

In this post, I’m breaking down five common mistakes travelers make by ignoring points and miles – and how to fix them. Whether you’re brand new to the concept or you’ve heard of “travel hacking” but never dove in, this is your wake-up call to start earning and traveling smarter.

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Mistake #1: Paying Cash for Travel You Could’ve Booked with Points

If you’re not using points and miles, you’re likely overpaying.

Let’s say you book a $500 roundtrip flight or a $200-per-night hotel. That’s money out of your bank account, money that could’ve been saved or used elsewhere.

But if you had even one good travel rewards credit card or had signed up for a hotel or airline loyalty program, you might have booked that same trip with points instead.

Example:

  • A roundtrip domestic flight might cost 30,000 points instead of $500.
  • A night at a mid-tier hotel could be 20,000 points instead of $250.

Even if you only travel a couple times a year, those savings add up. And if you’re using a flexible points program, you might have access to sweet spots where your points stretch even further – sometimes getting you a $1,000+ flight for just 40,000 points.

✈️ Solution: Start earning flexible credit card points like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Capitol One Miles, and learn how to transfer them to airline and hotel partners for max value. You need to spend money anyways, so why not use everyday spending to your advantage?

Mistake #2: Ignoring Big Welcome Bonuses on Travel Credit Cards

If you’re not earning sign-up bonuses from travel cards, you’re missing the easiest way to earn tens of thousands of points.

Most top travel credit cards offer generous introductory bonuses, like 60,000 to 100,000 points for spending a certain amount in the first 3-4 months.

That’s often enough for:

  • 2+ domestic roundtrip flights
  • A roundtrip to Europe in economy
  • 4–6 free hotel nights in mid-tier properties

These bonuses can be worth $750 to $1,500+ in travel, depending on how you redeem them.

A myth we need to bust: You don’t need to spend more. Just shift your existing spending (groceries, bills, gas) onto one strategic card until you meed the minimum spend will earn you rewards for things you’re buying anyway.

✈️ Solution: Choose your first travel card based on your goals. Need help choosing? Here’s my list of favorite beginner travel credit cards to help you get started.

Mistake #3: Thinking Points Aren’t “Worth It” If You Don’t Travel Often

Many people assume that if they only travel once or twice a year, rewards programs aren’t worth the effort. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

In fact, points and miles can be incredibly valuable to infrequent travelers who want to make that one trip more affordable, more luxurious, or both.

Maybe you’ve dreamed of:

  • Taking your kids to Disney without spending thousands
  • Booking a honeymoon in Greece
  • Flying business class just once for a bucket list trip

Points can make that happen, without draining your savings.

What most people don’t realize:

  • Points don’t always expire, especially with flexible bank programs
  • You can save up over time and use them strategically
  • Travel hacking doesn’t require weekly flights – it requires intentional earning

✈️ Solution: Focus on building a stash of flexible points over time and track them in a simple Google sheet, like my easy to use points and miles tracker. Even one sign-up bonus can cover most or all of a trip.

Mistake #4: Using the Wrong Credit Card (or None at All)

If you’re using a debit card or a cash-back card that earns just 1%, you’re not earning nearly as much as you could be.

Here’s the thing: travel rewards cards earn multipliers for different spending categories, like:

  • 2x–4x points at restaurants and grocery stores
  • 3x–5x points + on travel purchases
  • Some even offer bonus points for gas, streaming, or fitness

When used right, a travel card doesn’t just reward you with points, it also gives you benefits like:

  • Trip delay or cancellation insurance
  • No foreign transaction fees
  • Lounge access
  • Hotel status perks like room upgrades or late checkout

✈️ Solution: Review what you spend most on monthly, and get a travel card that matches your habits. Then, put that card to work and avoid leaving points on the table.

Mistake #5: Thinking the Only Way to Book with Points and Miles is Through Your Bank’s Travel Portal

A huge misconception is that you need to book through Chase, Amex, or Capital One’s travel portals to use your points.

While those portals can be helpful for certain bookings, they’re not always the best value.

Why?

Because points have fixed value in portals (usually 1–1.5 cents per point), but when you transfer points to partners like:

  • Air France, Emirates, or Virgin Atlantic for flights
  • Hyatt or Marriott for hotels

You can sometimes get 3–5 cents per point (or more).

That means your 60,000 points could be worth $600 in the portal… or $2,000+ if you transfer wisely.

✈️ Solution: Learn about transfer partners and how to book award travel directly with airlines or hotel chains. It’s easier than it sounds, and far more rewarding.

Final Thoughts: Why You Should Use Points and Miles

Not using points and miles is like walking past free money.

Even if you’re not a “travel hacker,” and if you only travel once or twice a year, you can still use rewards to save big on flights, hotels, and upgrades.

Getting started doesn’t require a spreadsheet or thousands of dollars. It starts with a single step, like choosing the right credit card, or joining a hotel loyalty program.

And once you do? You’ll wonder why you waited so long.

Ready to Stop Overpaying for Travel?

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