How to Earn Points and Miles without Applying for a Credit Card

In the world of Points and Miles, opportunities to earn points are plentiful and frequent.

You just have to know where to look.  It is my goal to keep you updated on the latest “breaking news” about ways to earn valuable  Points and Miles, simply by doing what you already do.

In the last 3 months, we’ve seen very lucrative hotel bonuses that did not involve applying for a credit card.  In April, folks were able to purchase deeply discounted travel through Daily Getaways, which was a month-long promotion that was co-branded with American Express.  During that promotion, I was able to scoop up 32,000 Wyndham Rewards points for $99.  I’m going to be able to use those points later at a Wyndham property of my choice.  An award night in one of Wyndham’s mid-tier properties goes for 16,000 points a night, so considering that there are mid-tier properties that cost $400/night, I potentially saved our family $700!

Another recent promotion that many folks were excited about was the Club Carlson Big Night Giveaway.  Basically, if you stayed one night at one of their properties, you earned the equivalent of a night’s stay in Club Carlson points to use on future reservations.   There was a Radisson giveaway, which went hand in hand with similar promotions at Country Inn and Suites and Park Inn.    Again, the fact that there are some very expensive Club Carlson properties out there (especially in Europe), made this promotion a very lucrative one.

Coming right up is (fingers crossed) the US Airways Grand Slam Promotion.  Historically, this has happened in September-November.   The miles you earn in the promotion are based on the number of “hits” you earn; you earn hits by completing a qualified transaction with an eligible US Airways partner (these change from year to year, but in 2011 they included companies and services such as OfficeMax, NetFlix, and Biscoff biscuits).  Many of the hits are free, you can complete some with a minimal spend (like a small purchase at a store), and there are a handful that require a bit of an investment (such as a hotel stay or a car rental).  Depending on your level of interest/commitment/obsession, it’s possible to rack up a huge amount of points from this promotion, so needless to say, folks are eagerly anticipating its return.

To summarize, there are many things you can do if you do not want to apply for a credit card.  You just have to be aware of the current offers out there, so check back frequently and I will keep you posted 🙂