Most travelers earn points slowly – here’s how to speed it up

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After a decade of immersing myself in the world of loyalty programs, I’ve built an earning strategy that rewards me with travel points on almost every dollar I spend. Collecting points with the usual suspects like groceries and gas is really just the beginning, and the magic lives on to turn boring expenses into memorable experiences.

Becoming a pro at earning points isn’t about exploiting loopholes or finding creative ways to spend beyond your means. Rather, it’s more about changing your mindset and building good habits. Here’s how to get started.

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Start with a goal

Before you do anything, decide what you actually want to do with your points. The answer to this question will shape every decision that follows.

For some, the goal is aspirational travel: business-class flights, luxury hotels and experiences that would otherwise be out of reach for most people. If this is you, look no further than American Express Membership Rewards. Amex points can be transferred to several loyalty program partners: Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, which gives you access to Air Canada flights on dozens of worldwide partner airlines; Air France KLM Flying Blue, which is also a great program for booking WestJet flights with points; the British Airways Club, which can be used for flights around the world; and Marriott Bonvoy for hotel stays, among others.

The way I look at it is that every Amex point I earn is as good as an Aeroplan point, a Flying Blue Mile, a British Airways Avios or a Marriott Bonvoy point. This flexibility allows me to shop around for the best deal and then convert my points when I find something I like.

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If you choose a single airline program, I recommend Aeroplan. It is the strongest program in Canada and among the best loyalty programs in the world. Aeroplan points are easy to earn, can be used with more than 40 airlines, and there are other options for redemption, too.

If you’d rather skip the research and simply save money on travel, Scene+ is a great choice. You can travel directly with any seller book, pay with your card and redeem your points against the charge after the fact. Plus, some Scotiabank credit cards have excellent earning rates. This is a great option for anyone who wants to fly as cheaply as possible, as you are not tied to a single program or booking platform.

Match yus ppdepending on the reg cARDS)

After you’ve decided what you want to collect, the next step is to make sure you earn as many points as possible on your biggest spenders by matching your spend with the right credit card(s).

The default interest rate on most credit cards is one point per dollar. If that’s what you get, it will last a long time build Your balance, and you probably leave a lot of points on the table.

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The best example of this is groceries, which are the biggest expense for most households. There are a handful of excellent travel credit cards in Canada that offer three to six points per dollar. Depending on how much you value the points, you’re looking at a three to 10-plus percent return on an expense you can’t avoid.

The same logic applies to food, gas, transit, subscriptions, entertainment and more. Spend some time checking where your money goes each month and then match your biggest spending categories to cards that reward them the most with the points you want to earn.

A few cards are a jack-of-all-trades, while holding two or three cards is often enough to cover most of your bases.

Used ppjump pportals

If you shop online, adding an extra 30 seconds to your session could reward you with thousands more points than you would otherwise have earned.

Most major loyalty programs have online shopping portals where you click through to a merchant’s website from the portal before you shop and earn bonus points on everything you get from your card.

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In Canada, the best option is the airplane eStorewith more than 250 retailers available, including Amazon, Apple, Lululemon and more. By clicking on a merchant, you can earn a in addition one to 10 points per dollar, and sometimes even more during bonus events.

If you can, try to time your biggest clothing purchases, electronic and furniture during bonus events, as you will get the best back. If you have to buy your child an iPad, why not earn a bunch of bonus points along the way?

Earn ppAnoint on yus bill

You may be surprised to learn that you can earn points by paying for large bills with a credit card, although credit cards are not an accepted form of payment at many vendors.

Bill payment platforms like Chexy, PaySimply and Plastiq allow you to make payments like rent, school fees, property taxes, personal taxes, day care, car lease payments and more with your credit card. Importantly, each platform charges a fee of around 1.75–2.5 percent, so it’s worth crunching the numbers for your situation to see if it’s worth it. In my experience, the math almost always works in your favor, especially when you’re working toward a lucrative welcome offer on a card.

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As a bonus, some platforms allow you to automate payments, meaning your bills will be paid on time and your points balance will grow with minimal effort.

Chexy recently launched a feature that allows you to earn one Aeroplan point for every dollar you spend on mortgage payments. You don’t have to switch lenders, and the process of setting it up is pretty simple. It will cost you 1.75 percent, which effectively pays 1.75 cents for each Aeroplan point. Depending on how you redeem your points, you can turn that into great value pretty easily.

A fwhere more easy wins

Once the basics are in place, two more moves are worth adding to your scoring repertoire.

If your workplace benefits plan covers health and wellness services, pay for them upfront with your credit card and submit the claim for reimbursement afterward instead of having the provider bill your insurer directly. Either way, it costs you nothing out of pocket, so you might as well collect the points.

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If you’re going out with friends or family, consider offering meals, hotels, or trips and settling down with everyone after the fact. If this works for you, it’s an easy way to speed up your balance without changing your personal spending habits at all.

None of this is worth pursuing if you have a balance on your credit cards. Interest charges erase the value of all the points you earn, and then some. Make sure you pay off your balance in full each month: your credit score and your travel budget will thank you later.

With these habits, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can build up a meaningful balance of points from everyday transactions that many Canadians skip. After a while you can even join the camp of people who find the income is the easy half. The right job – and the right opportunity – comes in knowing how to redeem points effectively.

TJ Dunn is a travel, credit card and loyalty program expert based on Vancouver Island, and the former editor-in-chief of Prince of Travel.

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