.jpg)
Summer is here, and it’s vacation time for many families looking to get away from the grind. Points and miles can help make sure your next trip doesn’t drain your budget by putting your airline loyalty accounts, hotel memberships, and credit cards to work for you. It's a good month for travel deals—to encourage business, many companies offer seasonal promotions rewarding repeat purchases or loyalty. Below, the deals and perks you need to know about to kick off summer with a bang.
But first: If you need to learn how to get started with travel rewards credit cards or how to use points and miles, read our guide for beginners here. And for more guides, advice, and reviews of travel credit cards, go to our points and miles section.
Get more value and loyalty points when flying Delta
Delta loyalists, rejoice: The airline has a couple of promotions with deadlines coming up—so act fast. First, Delta has a new promotion that lets travelers earn one (1) Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs) per dollar spent when reserving hotels or car rentals through its travel portal. This offer is a great way to get closer to elite status without actually flying, and it’s available through June 24. Note that, because you’re booking hotel stays through Delta’s travel portal, you will not earn hotel points or be eligible for hotel status benefits during those stays. It is best to use this travel portal only when booking stays where you’re not looking to earn hotel points or status perks, perhaps at properties where you may not have any kind of loyalty anyway.
There’s also a special offer available until June 17 (or while supplies last) that rewards travelers with a bonus $20 Starbucks gift card when purchasing a Delta gift card worth $300 using any credit card. This could be a good way to bank cash for a future flight; Delta gift cards are easy to use and are treated like cash, meaning using a gift card to buy a plane ticket through Delta means you’re eligible to earn miles and loyalty points with the airline.
Earn more points at stays with Marriott, Choice Hotels, and Best Western
Considering a vacation rental in beach, mountain, or urban destinations this summer? Marriott Bonvoy members can earn five points per dollar spent on any Homes & Villas by Marriott booking made between now and June 26. The stay should last for a minimum of five nights and take place between now and March 31, 2025. Be sure to register for this promotion before your stay.
Through August 5, guests who complete a stay at Choice Hotels properties can earn 8,000 points (enough for a $50 gift card) after completing two qualifying stays. Travelers can earn the bonus as many as four times, but only after registering for the promotion. Choice Privileges points can be used at the brand’s portfolio of hotels, but also at Preferred Hotels & Resorts, a collection of independent luxury hotels around the world, which include The Leela Palace Udaipur in India (a Condé Nast Traveler Gold List editor’s pick) and The Fullerton Hotel Sydney in Australia.
Best Western Rewards released their summer offer with 10,000 bonus points earned after staying for three nights. Stay for another three nights, and you earn another 10,000 bonus points, capped at 20,000 points. Staying beyond six nights during the promotion unlocks another perk: double points on all stays with a weekend checkout, and triple points when checking out on a weekday (Again, be sure to register before your first stay). This promotion is valid through September 2 at participating Best Western hotels.
Best Western’s network is larger than what you might think, including a partnership with WorldHotels, which has its own promotion this summer. Between now and September 2, members can earn up to 20,000 points when staying at WorldHotels’ independent hotels and resorts like the Alhambra Palace Hotel in Granada, Spain, and Makedonia Palace in Thessaloniki, Greece. WorldHotels Rewards members will earn 10,000 points after staying three nights at participating properties. They can earn the bonus twice, but be sure to register before your first stay.
Buy points and miles with a bonus
In addition to booking stays and taking flights, you can always just outright buy points and miles to get closer to an award redemption with a hotel or an airline. You have until June 10 to take advantage of a 70% bonus when buying Flying Blue miles, the points currency of Air France-KLM. You can use those miles to book flights with the European megacarrier or any of its partners like Delta and Virgin Atlantic.
And if you need Hyatt points, you’re in luck: World of Hyatt is offering a 20% bonus on purchased points between now and July 1. These points are well-spent for stays at places like the recently renovated Park Hyatt Milano in Milan, Italy, or the beautiful new Thompson Houston, by Hyatt that just opened earlier this year.
If you take advantage of these opportunities, note that purchases for both these bonus offers are processed through Points.com, and not directly through the airline or hotel themselves. This means you wouldn’t earn extra points for using a credit card that gives bonus spending categories for flights or hotel stays, respectively. You’re better off using a card that earns two points per dollar spent on all types of spending, like the Capital One Venture card.
Secure a status match through cruises
If cruises are part of your summer plans, consider a status match available for the Royal Caribbean Group’s trio of brands: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea. If you hold elite status with one of the three cruise lines, you are now eligible for equivalent status on the other two—and that includes all the onboard discounts and bonuses that come with it depending on your status. You don’t need to do anything to take advantage of it other than provide your loyalty number before your cruise.
Use up those credit card perks and rewards
Each month, credit card companies provide incentives, like Amex Offers, for spending a certain amount with different retailers and brands. These can prove to be lucrative ways to score bonus points or sizable cash rebates. This month, The Platinum Card from American Express is offering many cardholders a $40 statement credit when spending $180 on Delta tickets. The offer is available through July 5, but must be activated in your credit card account first. Hilton, Hyatt Inclusive Collection, JetBlue, and Hertz have similar cash back offers valid for the start of summer.
Other American Express cardholders may find offers for WorldHotels to earn a $150 statement credit after spending $750 between now and July 19. And an offer especially for those with the Delta Platinum American Express card: 7,500 bonus Delta SkyMiles added to your account after spending $200 on Delta flights before August 15.
Chase Sapphire Reserve members attending the Olympics in Paris have access to a special VIP lounge that will have food, drinks, and meet-and-greets with Olympic athletes. Cardholders can bring one guest any time the lounge is open between July 27 and August 11. They are also eligible for special access to dinner reservations at an iconic restaurant with tasting menus in view of the Eiffel Tower.
Other good hotel bonuses to check out
Another promotion from World of Hyatt: If you book a stay at a Thompson Hotel or a Dream Hotel—two of Hyatt’s boutique luxury brands—each night will count as two nights towards elite status. This is running until July 15, an extension of an original promotion that was offered earlier in the year. Be sure to register before your stay.
Additionally, IHG One Rewards members can hit two birds with one stone by staying at any IHG property, earning their usual nights and points for the hotel stay, and earn United MileagePlus miles on top of that. The booking must be made by June 30, and the stays must be completed by August 31. Registration is required.
