Best Times to Use Points for Travel Purchases Instead of Transfers
How to Maximize Your Miles for Family Travel
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If you’ve spent any time in the points and miles world, you’ve probably heard that transferring points to travel partners usually gets you the best value—and that’s true. But as a mom booking travel for a whole family, I know that maximizing every cent per point doesn’t always work out in real life. Sometimes, using points to erase travel purchases or book through a travel portal actually makes more sense.
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Understanding Fixed-Value Redemptions vs. Transfers
Certain credit cards, let you redeem points at a fixed value for travel expenses, either through a travel portal or by applying points to erase travel charges after the fact. This works differently than transferring to an airline or hotel program, where the value depends on award pricing. For example:
The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card lets you use miles to erase travel purchases at a fixed rate of 1 cent per mile.
When Using Points for Travel Purchases Makes Sense
1. When You’re Booking Hotels That Don’t Have Good Points Redemptions
Not all hotels are part of a traditional points program where you can transfer rewards for a free night. Some great family-friendly resorts don’t participate in any transferable points system, meaning you’d have to pay cash or use a travel portal. Examples include:
Disney’s Aulani Resort (Hawaii) – Not part of a traditional hotel chain, so you can’t use traditional hotel awards programs.
Great Wolf Lodge – No hotel loyalty program, but you can often book through a travel portal.
Renting Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Points – Many families rent DVC points for deluxe Disney resorts, which is a cash-based transaction. If the charge codes as travel, you could erase it with a card like any from Capital One.
Vacation rentals & boutique hotels – Airbnb, VRBO, and independent resorts often aren’t part of a major program.
2. When Flights Are Too Expensive to Transfer Points
I love booking flights with airline miles, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. Maybe award availability is terrible, or the airline wants a crazy number of points for an economy seat. If a flight costs 100,000 miles per person round-trip but you could book it through a travel portal for 70,000 points total, the choice is obvious.
Example:
A domestic flight costs $300 cash or 30,000 airline miles.
If you book through a travel portal at 1.25 cents per point it would only cost 24,000 points.
If you have a 1.5 cent per point redemption option it would cost just 20,000 points.
That’s way better than transferring to an airline, plus you still earn frequent flyer miles on the ticket (since it’s treated as a cash fare).
3. When You Need to Book Multiple Tickets or Rooms
Let’s be real—booking travel for one person is easy. Booking for a family of four or six? Not so much.
Award availability for multiple seats on the same flight can be tricky, and most hotel loyalty programs don’t let you book multiple rooms on points unless you have elite status.
Instead of stressing over limited award space, using points as cash through a travel portal ensures you can book exactly what you need—flights, hotels, or even rental cars—with no restrictions.
4. When the Travel Portal or Erase Feature Gives You a Higher Value
Some credit cards offer better than 1-cent-per-point redemptions when booking travel directly through their system.
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5. When You’re Covering Non-Airline, Non-Hotel Expenses
Sometimes travel isn’t just flights and hotels. Maybe you’re renting a car, buying Disney tickets, booking an all-inclusive resort, or paying for a cruise. These are all cash-based expenses where traditional airline miles or hotel points won’t help you.
If your credit card allows it, redeeming points to erase these purchases can be a great option—especially if you’re getting more than 1 cent per point.
When Should You Transfer Points Instead?
Of course, transferring points still offers the best value in many cases. You’ll usually want to transfer if:
You’re booking at a hotel brand that has an excellent points-to-cash value.
You’re booking business or first-class flights, where transferring can unlock 3-10 cents per point in value.
You found an airline sweet spot, like booking a $1,200 flight for just 60,000 points.
But when award space is bad, points pricing is inflated, or you just want an easier booking process, using points for travel purchases is a great alternative.
Use Points in a Way That Works for Your Family
At the end of the day, the best way to redeem points is the way that gets your family where you want to go.
Using points to book travel directly—whether through a portal or by erasing purchases—gives you more control and flexibility. And that’s worth a lot when you’re planning travel for a whole family!
Ready to start earning points for your next vacation? Check out my guide to the best credit cards for family travel and get started today!
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