Earn Points and Miles Without a New Credit Card
It’s no secret that the fastest way to earn significant amounts points and miles is by opening a new credit card and hitting the minimum spending requirement for the sign-up bonus. Depending on the card, this can earn tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of points for future travel. In fact, we recently added 150,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to our stash by doing just that.
But not everyone wants to or can open a new credit card as often as they’d like. Maybe you’re over 5/24, working towards applying for a mortgage, or simply happy with the cards already in your wallet. The good news is that there are still plenty of ways to earn points and miles without opening a new credit card.
In fact, many of the points and miles (in the hundreds of thousands) we earn each year come from the strategies below.
The best ways to earn points and miles without opening a new credit card include maximizing spending categories, using shopping portals, earning referral bonuses, taking advantage of retention offers, linking loyalty accounts, and participating in dining rewards programs.
Keep reading to learn our tried-and-true tactics when we’re not working on a sign-up bonus.
Maximize Spending Categories
One of the easiest ways to earn points and miles without a new credit card is by maximizing the elevated categories on the cards you already have.
Nearly every credit card has at least one category that earns elevated points. For many cards, that’s dining, often at 3x or 4x. Others earn bonus points on gas, groceries, travel, office supply stores, streaming services, or other everyday purchases.
Using the right card for the right purchase may not seem like a big deal, but those extra points can really add up over time. Here’s how we do it with the cards we keep in our wallets.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
If a purchase doesn’t fall into an elevated category, it usually goes on the Freedom Unlimited.
This is our everyday credit card because it earns 1.5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on all purchases. That’s better than many cards that only earn 1 point per dollar.
The card also earns 3x points on drugstore purchases, so anything we need from CVS or Walgreens, including prescriptions, goes here. Dining also earns 3x points, although we have that category covered on several cards.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
The Chase Sapphire Preferred remains our number one travel hacking card.
It earns 3x points on dining and 2x points on travel purchases. Every time we rent a car, we put the charge on the Sapphire Preferred for both the bonus points and the rental car coverage. Booking an activity through Viator? That’s going on this card too, especially because there’s no international transaction fees when we’re abroad and it codes as travel for 2x.
We also keep our streaming services, including Netflix, on the Sapphire Preferred because they earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points.
Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex
These cards earn 1x point on most purchases, but their real value comes from the rotating 5x quarterly bonus categories. In fact, we only use these cards on the 5x categories. The Flex does earn 3x on dining and drugstores, but we have those covered on the Unlimited, so that’s our default on those purchases.
The categories change throughout the year and have recently included grocery stores, restaurants, Amazon, gas stations, gyms & fitness, and hotels. Whenever a category aligns with our normal spending, we make sure to take advantage of it.
We never recommend spending money you don’t need to. However, if it’s something we know we’ll use in the future, we may purchase gift cards to earn the maximum amount of points. For example, when grocery stores are a bonus category, purchasing gift cards for stores and services (like Instacart) we regularly use can be an easy way to earn additional points. It’s a simple strategy that helps us maximize rewards on spending we’d be making anyway.
American Express Gold
The American Express Gold earns 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets.
When grocery stores aren’t a bonus category on our Chase Freedom cards, we typically use the Amex Gold. Another overlooked strategy is purchasing gift cards at grocery stores. Many grocery stores sell gift cards for Amazon, DoorDash, REI, and other popular retailers. When purchased at a qualifying grocery store, those purchases can still earn 4x points and give you more points than you’d normally earn on a 1x or 2x category.
Check for Targeted Credit Card Offers
Many credit card issuers periodically offer targeted promotions that can help you earn more points and miles without opening a new credit card.
We’ve received offers for:
- 5x points on Amazon purchases
- Bonus points on groceries
- Extra miles on dining
- Additional miles or elite qualifying points after reaching a spending threshold
More than once I’ve received a promotion for 5x miles on gas, grocery, and dining purchases on a United card. Given that 5x is better than my regular cards offer on those categories, I make sure to maximize my earnings when I receive an offer like this.
These offers can be easy to miss, so it’s worth checking your accounts regularly and enrolling whenever one appears. Even if you don’t think you’ll maximize the offer, earning some bonus points is better than earning none.
Earn Points Through Referral Bonuses
As experienced travel hackers, people often ask us about the cards in our wallets. We’re always happy to share what has worked for us, and sometimes those conversations lead someone to apply for a new card.
When that happens, referral bonuses can be a great source of additional points and miles. Depending on the card and promotion, we’ve earned anywhere from 5,000 to 40,000 points from a single referral.
If you regularly recommend cards to friends or family, don’t forget to check whether a referral offer is available. Just keep in mind that many issuers place annual limits on referral bonuses.
Ask About Retention Offers
If you’re considering canceling a credit card with an annual fee, it may be worth asking the credit card provider whether a retention offer is available.
A few years ago, I considered closing our American Express Gold card because of the high annual fee. Before making a final decision, I contacted American Express through their chat function to see whether any retention offers were available on my account. They offered 15,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $2,000 in three months.
I also received an Amex Platinum retention offer, which I requested after seeing the elevated annual fee ($895) post for the first time. Because we already had expenses planned that would satisfy the spending requirement, we accepted the offer and kept the card open.
We’ve had success with American Express retention offers, but the only way to know whether one is available is to ask. A quick message in the online chat can sometimes result in bonus points, statement credits, or other incentives that help offset an annual fee.
Use the United MileagePlus X App
We love this app, and we’ve written about it in detail here. It’s something no other airline offers, and it just so happens to be provided by our preferred airline. Win-win.
The United MileagePlus X app allows you to purchase gift cards for popular retailers and earn United miles in the process. Depending on the retailer, earnings can range from 0.5 mile per dollar all the way up to 10 miles per dollar. Plus, if you hold a United credit card, you’ll earn an additional 25% miles, regardless of what card you make the purchase on.
The best part is that you still earn credit card rewards when purchasing the gift card. That means you’re stacking rewards from two different sources (and sometimes three if you can use a shopping portal).
Even if you’re not a United loyalist, MileagePlus miles can be redeemed across the Star Alliance network, making them useful for a wide variety of travelers.
Use Shopping Portals for Online Purchases
Shopping portals are one of our favorite ways to earn points and miles without changing our spending habits.
Any time we shop online, we check a shopping portal. It takes less than a minute and can often earn an extra 1x to 10x points or miles on purchases we were already planning to make. When you have the browser extension installed, it will pop up any time you’re on an eligible site to let you know what you’d earn by shopping through the portal. There are no extra fees for using a shopping portal.
Over the years, we’ve earned thousands of points and miles simply by clicking through a shopping portal before checking out. If you’re a fan of American Express Membership Rewards, Rakuten should be your first stop. Instead of earning cash back, you can choose to earn Membership Rewards points. Prefer Bilt? You can earn Bilt points through Rakuten instead.
We’ve earned more than one hundred thousand extra Membership Rewards points through Rakuten, especially during elevated earning periods around holidays and major shopping events.
If airline miles are your priority, consider using airline shopping portals instead.
Options include:
- American Airlines AAdvantage eShopping
- Delta SkyMiles Shopping
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping
- United MileagePlus Shopping
- Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping
Since you can only use one portal at a time, it’s worth comparing offers before making a purchase. We recommend having both Rakuten and your favorite airline shopping portal installed so you can quickly compare earning rates and decide which points or miles you want.
Use SimplyMiles for Extra American Airlines Miles
If you collect American Airlines miles, SimplyMiles is worth checking regularly.
The program offers targeted promotions where you can earn bonus AAdvantage miles after making qualifying purchases with a linked card. Some offers are relatively small, while others can generate hundreds or even thousands of miles from spending you were already planning to make.
Like shopping portals, SimplyMiles rewards can stack with the points and miles you’re already earning from your credit card.
Earn Points on Rent with Bilt Rewards
One of the biggest changes in the points and miles world over the last few years has been the rise of Bilt Rewards.
For renters, Bilt provides an opportunity to earn points on one of your largest monthly expenses. Many rent payment platforms charge fees when using a credit card, which often outweigh the value of the rewards earned. Bilt has created a way for renters to earn points without those typical transaction fees.
Even if rent isn’t your largest expense, earning rewards on a payment you’re already making every month can add up quickly.
Link Loyalty Accounts to Earn More Rewards
Several travel brands offer partnerships that allow you to earn additional rewards from purchases you’re already making.
Some of our favorite examples include:
- Starbucks and Delta Air Lines
- Starbucks and Marriott Bonvoy
- Uber and Marriott Bonvoy
- Lyft and Hilton Honors
- Lyft and Delta SkyMiles
- Lyft and Alaska Mileage Plan
- Shell and American Airlines AAdvantage
- Avis and United MileagePlus
- Hertz and Marriott Bonvoy
Most of these partnerships only require a one-time setup. Once your accounts are linked, you’ll earn additional points or miles automatically whenever you make eligible purchases.
It’s one of the easiest “set it and forget it” strategies in travel hacking.
Join Airline and Hotel Dining Rewards Programs
Many airlines and hotel programs operate dining rewards programs.
After linking a credit card, you’ll earn airline miles or hotel points whenever you dine at participating restaurants. The setup takes just a few minutes, and after that the points accrue automatically.
One thing to remember is that a credit card can generally only be linked to one dining rewards program at a time. Because of that, it’s worth choosing the airline or hotel program you value most. We’ve earned plenty of extra miles over the years from dining programs without making any changes to our normal spending habits.
How We’ve Earned Points Without Opening New Credit Cards
While welcome bonuses often get all the attention, we’ve earned a significant number of points and miles without applying for new cards.
Some of our biggest wins have come from:
- Shopping portals during holiday promotions (10, 15, or 20x)
- Credit card referral bonuses
- American Express retention offers
- United MileagePlus X purchases
- Quarterly bonus spending categories
- Linked loyalty account promotions
None of these strategies require opening a new credit card, but together they’ve helped us earn hundreds of thousands of points and miles toward future travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you earn points and miles without opening a new credit card?
Absolutely. Shopping portals, dining rewards programs, retention offers, referral bonuses, and loyalty partnerships can all help you earn travel rewards without applying for a new card.
What is the easiest way to earn points and miles without a new credit card?
Shopping portals are probably the easiest option. Simply click through a portal before making an online purchase and earn extra points, miles, or cash back.
Are shopping portals worth it?
Yes. Shopping portals allow you to earn rewards on purchases you were already planning to make. Since they don’t cost anything extra, they’re one of the easiest ways to boost your balances.
Final Thoughts
While opening a new credit card is often the fastest way to earn significant amounts of points and miles, it’s far from the only option.
We’ve used the strategies above to earn hundreds of thousands of points and miles without opening additional cards. It may take a little longer than earning a welcome bonus, but those points add up faster than most people realize.
The key is being intentional with your spending, taking advantage of opportunities like shopping portals and dining programs, and making sure you’re maximizing the cards already in your wallet.
Before long, those extra points and miles can help fund your next trip.