Since June of 2010, Brian Kelly has been offering expert-level advice to travelers and readers of his travel blog The Points Guy. In that time, he’s grown so successful at strategizing how to maximize your travel benefits that his efforts were recognized by Forbes, who named him the most important travel influencer in the world in 2017. That same year, Brian began working with the organization Rainbow Railroad, which focuses on helping persecuted LGBTQ+ individuals escape violence in their home countries by providing funds and miles to help them relocate to start new, safer lives.
Since 2017, Brian, Rainbow Railroad, and the Points Guy community have donated more than 3 million miles and over $250,000 dollars to help 20 LGBTQ+ Chechens flee the country to safety, but the work they’ve set out to do is far from over. This year, Brian and Rainbow Railroad set up a campaign through Prizeo that asks for a minimum $10 donation in order to earn the chance to win a trip planned by The Points Guy himself, using over one million Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. If anyone knows how to make the most out of those points, it’s Brian, so it’ll undoubtedly be one hell of an adventure.
In addition to his important work on behalf of marginalized people, Brian also has excellent advice for how you can rack up your own treasure trove of airline points — which, by the way, are donate-able. Reading through Brian’s practical advice, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Adam Sandler’s character Barry Egan, from Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, another eagle-eyed fine print reader who earned a trove of airline miles off of 99-Cent Store pudding. Only instead of breaking sliding glass doors with a hammer, Brian Kelly is saving people’s lives, so we’re very down to listen to his wisdom!
Practical Advice On How To Rack Up Airline Points From The Points Guy
Know Your Credit Cards
Put all of your purchases on a credit card that earns miles or transferrable points. Many of these cards come with large sign-up bonuses that can make it easy to rack up a lot of points quickly. Additionally, many of them award bonus points on certain transactions. For instance, the Amex Gold card earns 4x points on purchases at restaurants while the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x points on all travel purchases (flights, hotels, Uber, Lyft, trains, subway, parking, etc.).
Amex, Chase, Citi and Capital One all offer credit card points that can be transferred to airline partners.
Use A Shopping Portal
Use a shopping portal whenever you’re shopping online. By just clicking through a shopping portal you can earn extra points or miles for purchases you’d already make. The points and miles from the shopping portal are on top of what you earn from spending on a credit card.
Use Your Frequent Flyer Number
Always enter your frequent flyer number when flying. You can earn miles on flights not only with the airline itself, but also all of its partners. For instance, you can earn United miles when flying on Lufthansa or Avianca, both of which are Star Alliance partners.
Earn While You Eat
Dining Programs — You can link your credit card to a number of airline dining programs that award miles when using your card at select restaurants. These miles are on top of the points/miles you’d earn from spending on the credit card itself.
Earn While You Ride
You can link your Lyft account to Delta, Hilton and JetBlue to earn points with their respective loyalty programs. You’ll earn Delta and Hilton points on all rides, and JetBlue points just on rides to and from the airport. These miles are on top of the points/miles you’d earn from spending on a credit card itself.
Download Mileage Plus X
You can purchase gift cards for many retailers through United’s MileagePlus X app. You’ll earn bonus United miles for the gift card purchase plus credit card points/miles from the purchase itself. You can even try to use these gift cards after clicking through a shopping portal and earning miles that way — therefore completing a “triple dip.”
Earn While You Rent
Car Rental Programs – You can earn airline miles with many different loyalty programs when entering your frequent flyer number after reserving a car. Most big rental agencies provide mileage earning, like Hertz, Avis, Budget or Thrifty. These miles are on top of the points/miles you’d earn from spending on a credit card itself.
