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Sweet savings where you wouldn’t expect.
Savvy travelers already know that the more you stockpile points and miles accumulated as a result of hotel stays and airline trips, the closer you are to the next great trip. But did you know there are ways to pad your travel budget that don’t involve getting on a plane or booking a hotel room? This also applies to credit cards that, as a result of purchases, award points that can be redeemed for travel.
Keep in mind that whenever you redeem points or airline miles, there’s almost always an option to use cash as an additional form of purchase. For example, if you’re short 1,000 miles, simply pay the difference. This helps fill the gap between the number of miles or points you have and the amount that’s actually needed. Similarly, many programs offer a gift certificate in exchange for points, and even if it doesn’t cover 100% of what you want, it’s still a sweet incentive when you don’t have to pay the full price.
Here are 10 options to cash in points and miles that typically fall under the radar.
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Cruises
American Airlines’ AAdvantage program partners with three cruise lines (MSC Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, and Silversea Cruises) on sailings to the Caribbean, Europe, and Alaska. On the most budget-oriented line (MSC Cruises), just 22,556 miles were recently needed for a three-night/four-day sailing from Miami to the Bahamas in an interior cabin, and the fewest number of miles needed for a Silversea cruise was 472,272, for a 7-night sailing departing from Monaco to Barcelona. And, as The Ritz-Carlton is a brand within Marriott, you can book part of a luxury cruise on board a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection voyage using Marriott Bonvoy loyalty points. Or, Marriott Bonvoy’s Cruise with Points program lets you cash in points for a gift certificate to apply towards a cruise on 10 different cruise lines, including Viking river cruises in Europe and Princess Cruises’ 7-night Alaska sailings.
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Dining
Every vacation needs to have a few quality meals, and if you cash in points for gift cards to use at restaurants, then—surprise!—they’re free. Earlier this month, American Airlines’ AAdvantage program expanded into a gift-card platform. The only caveat is that participating restaurants are all chains, but this also means you can easily find them in your travels. Options include everything from casual (like Starbucks, Applebee’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings) to fine dining (such as Bonefish Grill and Buca di Beppo). Air Canada’s Aeroplan program, United Airlines’ MileagePlus, and Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards offer similar incentives where you can turn airline miles into free meals.
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Vacation Home Rentals
Maybe you want to spread out more than you would in a hotel room. American Airlines’ AAdvantage gift-card program lets you cash in miles for an Airbnb gift card, and so does United Airlines’ MileagePlus. If you have a lot of Marriott Bonvoy points, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is a vetted collection of properties ideal for a small group, organized by theme—such as Beachfront, Mountainside, Lakeside, and Wellness—in case you don’t have a destination in mind. Using points—or a combination of points and cash—is a convenient way to burn through points.
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Groceries, Wine, Beer, and Spirits
Imagine checking into a home, apartment, or villa booked through Airbnb. You’re famished and wish you could just whip up a quick dinner. Now visualize a gift card to the nearest grocery store so you can restock the fridge and cabinets. Among the airline loyalty programs offering the opportunity to buy a gift card to grocery and liquor stores are United Airlines’ MileagePlus (Kroger, Target, Walmart, Wawa, Hannaford Supermarket, and Total Wine are among the options) and American Airlines’ AAdvantage (including Giant Eagle, Total Wine, and Instacart).
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Spas
Whether it’s a relaxing staycation or an add-on to a trip, it’s hard to say no to a spa visit, which could include a treatment and use of its pools, lounges, steam rooms, and saunas. Without even checking into a hotel for the night, World of Hyatt, which is the loyalty program for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts—including those with the Hyatt name in their brand and higher-end properties such as Miraval Resorts, Alila, and the Unbound Collection—you can pay with points for a sweet perk like a hot-stone massage or anti-aging facial. Palladium Hotel Group, with all-inclusive properties in dreamy locales like Ibiza, Spain, and Los Cabos, Mexico, also allows you to pay for a spa service using points without being a registered hotel guest. Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles Experiences allows you to “bid,” using miles as currency, on wellness-oriented getaways to CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa in Arizona, among other properties.
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Rideshare Services
Most trips need wheels, and even if you don’t plan to rent a car, there’s still a need for shuttling back and forth to the airport or between your hotel and restaurants or other attractions. Score a gift card to Lyft or Uber by redeeming miles through American Airlines’ AAdvantage program or United Airlines’ MileagePlus, or Lyft via Air Canada’s Aeroplan. It’s not just airlines that want to help with transportation: Hilton Honors points can also be redeemed on Lyft rides.
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Rental Cars
Often, a pricey part of a vacation is booking a rental car, but you can remove that from your budget if you have enough points or miles to secure it. For example, Southwest Airlines’ Rapid Rewards points are redeemable towards car rentals, and the same is true with American Airlines’ AAdvantage, Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles, Alaska Airlines’ and Hawaiian Airlines’ Atmos, and United Airlines’ MileagePlus. Enough Hilton Honors points can also get you a comped car rental with Alamo, Enterprise, or National.
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Airport Lounges
If you’re looking for a spot to chillax in the airport that’s less zoo-y, why not pay for lounge access with airline miles? Many airlines offer this perk, including American Airlines, United Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines (at lounges in Chicago and Warsaw), and Delta Air Lines. Note that you must be flying on that airline on that date in order to redeem your miles and enter the lounge. The number of miles needed will vary; for Delta Air Lines’ Delta Sky Club lounges, it’s 5,000 miles.
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Tickets to Special Events
Whether it’s seeing your favorite band perform live or scoring tickets to see your team win, American Airlines’ AAdvantage Events allows you to lock in tickets using miles for events such as Disney on Ice, concerts at House of Blues, musicals, Paw Patrol, March Madness basketball games, and professional hockey games. Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles Experiences functions like an auction where you “bid” to access game-day tickets or—as a recent example—the Governors Ball in New York City. Hilton Honors points can also be swapped for VIP access to concerts, dining, and sporting events. But what’s really impressive is that Alaska Airlines/Hawaiian Airlines’ Atmos Rewards can be cashed in for its Unlocked experiences you can’t otherwise easily book, such as a behind-the-scenes tour of the Alaska Airlines airplane hangar in Anchorage, Alaska.
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Golf
If you’re a golfer who wants to head to the nearest golf course after your plane lands, then you’ll want to save some Marriott Bonvoy points for a round of golf. These can be redeemed at participating hotels and resorts with golf courses, such as JW Marriott Marco Island in Florida or JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa, in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona.