How to use credit card points for travel – A Guide for the Sandwich Generation

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For most of my life I paid for every single flight and hotel with what seemed like the obvious way to pay – money. I had heard about free travel from my childless and travel-obsessed friends, but assumed it was something reserved for them. Travel rewards were for carefree globetrotters, not parents who got excited for back to school sales, right? Wrong! Credit card points are simple – spend more, earn more. As it turns out, people with families naturally have a lot of expenses, some of which can be paid for by credit cards, and that money spent then converts to points. Those points can mean free or reduced travel, usually in the form of flights or hotels. Parents and caretakers, especially those in the sandwich generation, deserve this.

A quick note before we dive in: card offers, bonus amounts, and benefits change often, sometimes month to month. Rather than quote specific numbers that will be outdated by the time you read this, I’m focusing on how I think about each card, what makes it worth considering, and what to check before you apply. Always confirm current offer details on the issuer’s site before applying.

Jump to Chase Travel Rewards Cards

Jump to Capital One Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Jump to Airline-Specific Travel Rewards Cards

Jump to how to maximize credit card points

Most of my traveling is centered around family

My parents currently live across the country. My family and I are working on the complicated process of helping them to move, but until then, we travel cross-country to see them. In fact I’m flying next month to visit. This presents several challenges for us. I need to take time off from work, which I’d love to use on a real vacation, but instead need in order to visit and help out family. It’s surprisingly expensive to travel from Oregon to North Carolina. During peak season, I could fly to Europe for the same price. It’s also not easy to adjust to time zone changes, especially with kids.

In the first picture below, I’m traveling with my four-month-old son to visit my parents last year. My Dad’s cancer had returned and spread, my mom was totally overwhelmed, and they both expressed a desire for help. This was shortly after returning from maternity leave. It was brutal. My daughter had just returned to school so she stayed home with my husband. Leaving her is always a bit hard for me. But off I went, infant in arms, on two flights to get us across the country.

The second picture is traveling with the whole family (minus our dog) to visit my mother-in-law early this year after her knee surgery. This cross country travel takes its toll. Did I at least deserve points to pay with? Yes. And I was grateful for them.

note – at the time I didn’t plan to share these picture with anyone so they are grainy but realistic!

Should you use credit card points for travel?

It depends. Before having kids I had heard a bit about travel rewards but avoided them anyway. Why? At the time, I had a bad history with credit cards and wanted to avoid them at all costs. Initially it was smart of me to avoid travel rewards credit cards because I would have just misused them. So, how do you know if you’re ready?

Read through this brief list of questions. If the answer to any of these is no, then now is not the time for a travel rewards credit card, and that’s ok. You can always work on that line item, among other financial improvements, and apply later.

• Do you always pay your credit card balance in full every month?
• Do you spend responsibly and stick to your budget when using a credit card vs a debit card?
• Do you have a credit score of at least 700, and preferably 740 or above?
• Are you willing to pay an annual fee for the benefits (these vary a lot by card, so weigh it against what you’d actually use)?
• Is your annual household salary high enough to qualify? This one is tough because, unlike credit scores, there’s no published rule for qualification. Income is a factor to approval though, because credit companies need to determine your ability to pay.

If you are feeling ready to apply, read on for my favorite travel cards.

What Are My Favorite Personal Travel Rewards Cards?

Note: I’m not including business credit cards here, which have similar benefits but may have different requirements for applying. And as I mentioned above, always check the issuer’s site for the current offer before you apply. What’s true today may not be true in a few months.

Chase Travel Rewards Cards

Chase Sapphire Preferred Card

My favorite credit card points card, hands down, is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

Why I Love It: I love the flexibility of booking travel with this card as well as its travel protections. You can transfer points out of the Chase portal into your preferred airline or hotel program instead of being tied to any single carrier. Sometimes partners even offer promotions that boost your points when transferring them.

The best way to maximize your points value is usually going to be to transfer them. But the Chase Travel app is also a convenient way to book. I use this for hotels that don’t have their own rewards program and to get the annual hotel credit. Chase also has a program called Points Boost, which increases the redemption value on select flights and hotels.

This card also has superior travel protections to many other credit cards. It typically offers trip delay reimbursement, baggage delay insurance, lost luggage reimbursement, and rental car collision coverage.

Apply here.

What It Offers:

• A sign-up bonus (check the current offer, since this moves around a lot)
• Elevated points on Chase Travel purchases, dining, and online groceries
• A standard rate on other purchases
• An annual hotel credit when booked through Chase Travel
• A relatively modest annual fee compared to premium travel cards

Pros:

• Extremely flexible point transfers
• A travel portal option with Points Boost
• Annual hotel credit
• Excellent travel protections

Cons:–

• No airline-specific perks
• No premium lounge access (unlike the Reserve card)

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

I don’t have the Chase Sapphire Reserve card yet, but am looking to upgrade in the next couple of years. It’s a fantastic choice for frequent travelers or those who prefer more luxury.

Apply here.

What It Offers:

• A significantly larger sign-up bonus than the Preferred card, often paired with a Chase Travel promo credit after meeting a spending minimum
• Higher earning rates on Chase Travel purchases
• An annual travel credit
• Priority Pass Select lounge access to a large network of airports
• A premium annual fee, well above the Preferred card

Pros:

• High earning rates on travel
• Lounge access
• Large sign-up bonus
• Strong travel protections

Cons:

• High annual fee

Capital One Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Capital One Venture Rewards Card

Often cited as a strong alternative to Chase Sapphire Preferred, the Capital One Venture Rewards card has a reasonable annual fee, flexible points transfers and its own Capital One Travel Portal.

Apply here.

What It Offers:

• A sign-up bonus after meeting a minimum spend in the first few months (check current terms)
• A flat elevated rate on every purchase, with higher rates on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
• Flexible point transfers to airline and hotel partners
• A credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck

Pros:

• Simple earning and redemption
• Transfer flexibility
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit

Cons:

• Weaker travel protection benefits than Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Lounge access has been scaled back over time, so double check what’s currently included before counting on it

My Take:
If you don’t want a Chase card and value simplicity, this is a very solid option.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Card

This is the higher end, luxury version of the Capital One Venture Rewards Card. It’s a strong alternative to the Chase Sapphire Reserved Card.

Apply here.

What It Offers:

• Everything listed above for the standard Venture card
• A premium annual fee to match its premium benefits
• Anniversary bonus miles
• An annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel
• Access to Capital One Lounges, Capital One Landing locations, and Priority Pass lounges

Pros:

• All of the pros listed above for the Capital One Venture Rewards Card, plus meaningfully better lounge access and travel credits

Cons:

• High annual fee
• Weaker travel protection benefits than Chase Sapphire Reserve Card

Airline-Specific Travel Rewards Cards

If you’re loyal to one airline, there are plenty of co-branded cards with free checked bags, priority boarding, and faster status-earning, but I tend to prefer flexible point programs for broader options. I will only outline Southwest because of their companion pass deal.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Visa Card

I’ve flown extensively with Southwest, and their loyalty program has one standout feature worth knowing about even if the rest of their perks have shifted over time: the Companion Pass. Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Visa cardholders get boosted progress toward this pass, plus checked bag benefits for themselves and travel companions on the same reservation. Apply here.

What It Offers:

• A sign-up bonus after meeting a minimum spend (check current terms)
• Anniversary bonus points each year
• A Companion Pass qualifying points boost each calendar year
• No foreign transaction fees
• Checked bag benefits for the primary cardholder and travel companions on the same reservation, worth confirming since baggage policies have shifted in recent years

How the Companion Pass Works (in general terms): Southwest requires accumulating a large number of Companion Pass–qualifying points within a calendar year, or flying a set number of one-way segments, whichever comes first. Qualifying points typically include bonus points, spend on your Southwest card, flight revenue points, and some partner activity, though only points that post during the calendar year count, so timing your spending matters. Once earned, the pass is valid for the remainder of the year you qualify plus the entire following calendar year, which can add up to close to two years of use if timed well.

Because the exact point thresholds and boost amounts change periodically, I’d recommend checking out Southwest’s own site for the current qualifying number first.

Why It Matters: If you fly Southwest often and typically travel with a companion, the math can work in your favor. A well-timed strategy, like earning the sign-up bonus early in the year, can stretch your Companion Pass benefit across nearly two full years.

Pros:

• Complimentary Companion Pass (taxes/fees only) once qualified
• Checked bag benefits for primary cardholder and companions
• Simple earning structure with an anniversary bonus

Cons:

• Baggage and companion benefits have narrowed over time, so confirm what’s currently included
• Requires focused spending or flying strategy to hit the qualifying threshold

My Take: Southwest’s changes over the past few years have made me less of a fan overall, but if you fly them extensively and often travel with a companion, there’s still real value here.

How to Maximize Credit Card Points

1. Transfer Points to Travel Partners One of the best ways to stretch your points is by transferring them to airline and hotel partners. Many credit card issuers (like Chase and Capital One) allow you to move points to travel programs, often at a 1:1 ratio. This can unlock plane tickets or hotel stays that would cost way more if booked directly through your credit card portal.

2. Wait for Transfer Bonuses Even better? Keep an eye out for transfer bonuses. Sometimes a 1:1 transfer temporarily turns into something better for a limited time. That kind of boost can meaningfully stretch the value of the points you already have.

3. Book Through Travel Portals (Sometimes) Booking through your credit card’s travel portal can also offer value, since issuers sometimes assign your points a higher redemption rate when booked this way compared to a flat 1:1 transfer. These portal bonus structures shift over time, so it’s worth comparing the portal price against a partner transfer before you book, rather than assuming one route is always better.

4. Stack with Welcome Bonuses If you’re just getting started, the fastest way to earn a huge chunk of points is through a welcome bonus. These typically require you to spend a certain amount in the first few months, but the payout can cover flights or several nights in a hotel. You’ll definitely want to track your spending carefully to make sure you don’t miss out on this bonus!!

5. Use Cards as Payment Whenever Possible I try to put all my spend on my travel card, including recurring bills like utilities. I have very limited payments come out of my checking account, since that’s not rewarding me for spending!

6. Determine When to Use Points vs Cash There may be times when you’re torn between booking a flight with cash or points, especially if you have limited points and multiple trips to plan. There are several points calculators out there, including airline specific ones, but I like the simplicity of The Points Guy Awards Vs Cash Calculator.

Don’t Spend More to Earn More

We should never spend more than we would otherwise just to get travel rewards points. Spending more in hopes that you will get more free travel is definitely not an effective way to plan. The idea of rewards points is to get rewarded for purchases you would definitely be making anyway! If your points aren’t covering all your travel needs, you’ll want to start saving regular old money using a regular old budget. It’s not fancy but it works. So, to repeat, we shouldn’t spend more to get points but we should definitely travel more because we have them!

In Summary – Travel More, For Less

A lot of my travel centers on visiting parents, but there’s still room for fun. We’ve booked family trips using the Chase travel portal as a last minute surprise, and we’ve covered flights to visit extended family easily with points. My hope is always for more travel that’s purely for fun, with flights and hotels booked entirely on points.

The mental, emotional, physical, and financial toll of caregiving in two directions is wild. Let travel rewards give something back and take you away.

Happy travels.